USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830)
Encyclopedia
USS Everett F. Larson (DD/DDR-830) was a of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, named for Private First Class Everett F. Larson
Everett F. Larson
Everett F. Larson was a United States Marine who received the Silver Star for his actions during World War II.-Biography:Everett Frederick Larson was born on September 3, 1920 in Stamford, Connecticut...
(1920–1942) who was killed in the Guadalcanal campaign
Guadalcanal campaign
The Guadalcanal Campaign, also known as the Battle of Guadalcanal and codenamed Operation Watchtower by Allied forces, was a military campaign fought between August 7, 1942 and February 9, 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal in the Pacific theatre of World War II...
.
Everett F. Larson was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 28 January 1945 by Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
, Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
; sponsored by Mrs. H. Larson, mother of PFC Larson; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 6 April 1945, Commander H. Meyers in command. She was reclassified DDR-830 on 18 March 1949.
1945–1960
Everett F. Larson sailed from Boston, MassachusettsBoston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
on 1 August 1945 for the Pacific, and on 29 September arrived at Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
. During her lengthy occupation service, she participated in the landing of Marines at Taku
Taku Forts
The Dagu Forts , also called the Peiho Forts are forts located by the Hai River estuary, in Tanggu District, Tianjin municipality, in northeastern China. They are located 60 km southeast of the Tianjin urban center.-History:The first fort was built during the reign of the Ming Jiajing...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, in October 1945, and in Operation "Road's End," the sinking of 24 captured Japanese
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s in April 1946. She put in to San Diego, California
Naval Station San Diego
Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...
, on 21 December, bound for Newport, Rhode Island
Naval Station Newport
The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...
, her assigned home port
Home port
A vessel's home port is the port at which it is based, which may not be the same as its port of registry shown on its registration documents and lettered on the stern of the ship's hull...
, where she arrived on 19 March 1947.
During her nine years with the Atlantic Fleet, Everett F. Larson completed seven tours of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, patrolling the Near East
Near East
The Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
during the crisis over the Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
partition and joining in NATO training cruises in 1948 and 1955, and participated in antisubmarine warfare activities off the east coast
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, as well as training in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
On 28 June 1956, Everett F. Larson arrived at Long Beach, California, her home port for duty in the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
. Operations off the coast of California, and north to Seattle, Washington, prepared her for deployments to the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
in 1957, 1958, 1959, and 1960. During these she served on patrol duty off Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, exercised off Okinawa and in the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, and acted as escort and plane guard for the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s of Task Force 77 (TF 77). Outward bound for her 1958 tour, she called at Pago Pago, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, and Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Everett F. Larsons last eastern Pacific operation prior to her 1960 deployment to the western Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
was as a unit of the U.S. 1st Fleet passing in review in the annual "Great White Fleet Review", in September 1960, in San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
.
1960–1972
In June, 1962,the ship entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an extensive overhaul under the Navy's FRAM MkII program. In line with Larsons new capabilities, the ship's primary mission was changed from a Radar Picket Destroyer to a modern anti-submarine fighting ship. Thus, DDR-830 with its 3"/50 guns and SPS 6 and SPS 8 radars passed into history and DD-830, an anti-submarine configured destroyer joined the fleet on 30 December 1962.In April, 1963, Everett F. Larson was transferred from DESRON 19 to DESRON 23 which had made a name for itself during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
under the command of Admiral Arleigh Burke
Arleigh Burke
Admiral Arleigh Albert '31-knot' Burke was an admiral of the United States Navy who distinguished himself during World War II and the Korean War, and who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Eisenhower and Kennedy administrations.-Early life and naval career:Burke was born in Boulder,...
when it first took the name of "the Little Beavers". Everett F. Larson was assigned to DESDIV 231
On 27 August, 1965, Everett F. Larson fired her guns at an enemy for the first time since World War II, firing over 300 rounds of 5"/38 caliber ammunition into North Vietnam conducting shore bombardment operations. The ship remained on the "gun line" until early September conducting underway replenishments of fuel from and , stores from and , and ammunition from between gun shoots and occasional plane guard duties behind one of the three to four attack carriers operating in the vicinity.
On 27 February 1966, Larson left Long Beach Naval Shipyard
Long Beach Naval Shipyard
thumb|right|300px|Long Beach Naval Shipyard in 1993The Long Beach Naval Shipyard, which closed in 1997, was located at Terminal Island between the city of Long Beach and the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and approximately 23 miles south of the Los Angeles International Airport.The Long Beach...
, after completing a regularly scheduled overhaul, which commenced in November 1965. She conducted local operations until 12 March when she began refresher training at San Diego, California. Refresher training was completed on 22 April 1966 and Larson immediately began a HUKASWEX (Hunter Killer Anti-Submarine Exercise) with ASWGRU (Anti-Submarine Group) FIVE. At the completion of this exercise, Larson conducted local operations in preparation for deployment to WESTPAC (Western Pacific).
On 9 June 1966, Larson deployed to WESTPAC with ASWGRU FIVE. The pre-deployment ORE (Operational Readiness Evaluation) was conducted in the Hawaiian operations area with units of ASWGRU FIVE, including Destroyer Division (DESDIV 252), Carrier Anti-Submarine Group 53 (CVSG 53). Additionally, time was spent in Pearl Harbor preparing for the long at-sea periods ahead. Finally on 5 July, Larson got underway for Yokosuka, Japan, arriving there on 14 July 1966. Commander John G. Palmer USN, relieved commander Donald R. Schaffer, USN, in Yokosuka, Japan, on 18 July 1966.
The Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
transit began 20 July as Larson left Yokosuka; during the transit exercises were conducted with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
The , or JMSDF, is the naval branch of the Japan Self-Defense Forces, tasked with the naval defense of Japan. It was formed following the dissolution of the Imperial Japanese Navy after World War II....
until 28 July; then with Republic of Korea Navy until 1 August. On 2 August, Larson pulled into Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and left 8 August with ASWGRU FIVE for duty on "Yankee Station
Yankee Station
Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...
". After a short period on "Yankee Station", Larson spent alternate periods on patrol and in port at Kaoshiung and Keelung
Keelung
Keelung City is a major port city situated in the northeastern part of Taiwan. It borders New Taipei and forms the Taipei–Keelung metropolitan area, along with the Taipei and New Taipei. Nicknamed the Rainy Port for its frequent rain and maritime role, the city is Taiwan's second largest seaport...
, Taiwan, until 15 September when she left Kaoshiung as a typhoon came roaring in and headed back to "Yankee Station". As soon as she arrived, she was ordered to participate in operation "Silver Skate" and did so from 22 to 27 September. At the completion of this exercise, Larson was ordered to gunfire support
Naval gunfire support
Naval gunfire support is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by the term Naval Fires...
activities in South Vietnam. On 1 October, Larson pulled into Da Nang
Da Nang
Đà Nẵng , occasionally Danang, is a major port city in the South Central Coast of Vietnam, on the coast of the South China Sea at the mouth of the Han River. It is the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam; its well-sheltered, easily accessible port and its location on the path of...
Harbor and began the gunfire support activities, which would last until 6 October. During this period, Larson fired 656 rounds of five-inch 38-caliber ammunition, and killed or wounded 63 Viet Cong soldiers. In addition, she also destroyed 62 structures, and numerous roads and trenches.
Upon completion of gunfire support, Larson was detached and ordered to Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
, Philippines for a week of up-keep and repair. After this period, Larson returned to "Yankee Station" and operated with other units of the 7th Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
until she was detached for nearly a week of R and R
R&R (military)
R&R, military slang for rest and recuperation , is a term used for the free time of a soldier in the US military or International UN staff serving in non-family duty stations. R&R includes various forms, including mail, sports, film screenings, using the services of prostitutes and leave time...
in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
, beginning 30 October 1966.
On 5 November, Larson arrived in Kaoshiung to resume duties on Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
patrol. She patrolled uneventfully until she was detached 1 December to proceed for Yokosuka, Japan. Larson was at Yokosuka from 5 to 9 December, and then proceeded for the States with the rest of ASWGRU FIVE; chopped from the Seventh Fleet to the First Fleet on 12 December. 20 December 1966 marked homecoming for the men of Larson. For the rest of the year, holiday routine was standard operating procedure.
Having been deployed to WESTPAC since August 1967. The first quarter of 1968 found the Larson on "Yankee Station", plane guarding and serving from 6 to 10 January as ASW training area coordinator. Hong Kong was a port stop from 15 to 21 January with a passage on 21 January to Kaoshiung Taiwan. After five days in Kaoshiung Larson was ordered to the Sea of Japan, arriving with the first U.S. units there after USS Pueblo's capture. Larson was the first DESRON 23 ship assigned to TF 71 for this operation, remaining from 31 January to 2 March.
The 2-12 period in March was spent in port in Sasebo for upkeep, then a return to the Sea of Japan from 13 March to 21 March. While in the Sea of Japan. Larson plane guarded and served as surface action unit with once again in port in Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, Japan, 22–23 March, Larson readied to leave WESTPAC for the return home.
Transit from Sasebo to Long Beach took from 24 March to 6 April. Larson arrived in Long Beach on her twenty-third birthday, 6 April 1968. From the 6th of April for the rest of the year, Larson spent most of her time in port or in the Southern California operations areas, providing services for other units and in type training.
From 19 May to 8 June found Larson in Long Beach shipyard for repairs to her hull. Larson participated in HOLDEX 4-68 from 23 June to 1 July. On 24 of July, Larson tested the MK 46 towed target and became the first towed vessel to successfully launch tube and Dash launched torpedoes on target.
Commander Alexander W. Rilling, USN, succeeded Commander John G. Palmer USN, having been commanding officer since 18 July 1966, in a change of command ceremony at the U. S. Naval Station, Long Beach, on 20 September 1968.
Primary mission during the year was training for and conducting ASW operations as part of ASW Group One (ASWGRU ONE). Component Units included the , , , , USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830), , and .
In March 1969 the ship departed Long Beach in company with other units of DESDIV 231 which included the destroyers James E. Kyes with COMDESDIV 231 aboard, Frank E. Evans, and Walke en route WEST PAC via Hawaii.
During her Far East deployments she served on patrol duty off Taiwan (Formosa), exercised off Okinawa, Philippines and was one of the first ships to conduct shore bombardment operations against North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
, she also provide fire support missions off South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, and acted as escort and plane guard
Plane guard
A plane guard is a warship or helicopter tasked to recover the aircrew of planes or helicopters which ditch or crash in the water during aircraft carrier flight operations.-Ships:...
for the carriers of TF 77.
_post_collision.jpg)
Southeast Asia Treaty Organization
The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization was an international organization for collective defense in Southeast Asia created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty, or Manila Pact, signed in September 1954 in Manila, Philippines. The formal institution of SEATO was established on 19 February...
(SEATO) Exercise Sea Spirit. She was part of a multi-national five-destroyer screen for the Australian aircraft carrier during the war games. Despite being informed of the collision Melbourne had been involved in
Melbourne-Voyager collision
The Melbourne-Voyager collision, also referred to as the "Melbourne-Voyager incident" or simply the "Voyager incident", was a collision between two warships of the Royal Australian Navy ; the aircraft carrier and the destroyer...
five years earlier, and of the operating conditions demanded by the Australian admiral commanding the group of ships, Larson was nearly involved in a collision with Melbourne during the early hours of 31 May. The destroyer had put herself in danger while assuming the plane guard
Plane guard
A plane guard is a warship or helicopter tasked to recover the aircrew of planes or helicopters which ditch or crash in the water during aircraft carrier flight operations.-Ships:...
station, and only quick thinking on the parts of both warships' crews prevented a collision. Three nights later, , also a part of Melbournes screen, was rammed and sunk by the carrier
Melbourne–Evans collision
The Melbourne-Evans collision was a collision between the light aircraft carrier of the Royal Australian Navy and the destroyer of the United States Navy . On 3 June 1969, the two ships were participating in SEATO exercise Sea Spirit in the South China Sea...
with the loss of 74 U.S. sailors. Larson was involved in the salvaging of Evans stern section after the collision.
The Everett F. Larson continued to operate with the 7th Fleet throughout the sixties and early seventies. She was decommissioned in August 1972 and transferred to the Korean Navy.
ROKS Jeon Buk (DD-916)
Everett F. Larson was transferred to South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
on 30 October 1972. She served in the Republic of Korea Navy
Republic of Korea Navy
The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...
as ROKS Jeong Buk (DD-916). She was decommissioned by Korea in December 1999, and became a museum ship
Museum ship
A museum ship, or sometimes memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public, for educational or memorial purposes...
at Gangneung Unification Park, Gangneung
Gangneung
Gangneung is a city in Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 229,869 . Gangneung is the economic centre of the Yeongdong region of eastern Gangwon Province. Gangneung has many tourist attractions, like Jeongdongjin, one of the most famous towns in Korea...
, South Korea.