Commissioning
The USS Charles Berry was the third of four Claud Jones-class destroyers that served in the United States Navy in the mid-20th Century. She was named in honor of Marine Corporal Charles Berry, who received the Medal of Honor posthumously for heroic actions during the Battle of Iwo Jima.
The contract to build the USS Charles Berry was awarded to Avondale Marine Ways of Avondale, La. Her keel was laid down on Oct. 29, 1958; she was launched on March 17, 1959. She was commissioned on Nov. 25, 1959 and joined the Pacific Fleet.
Underway
The Charles Berry made her first deployment to the Western Pacific in June 1960. On her way to the region, she traveled to Iwo Jima to perform a brief memorial in honor of her fallen namesake.
The Charles Berry was one of many U.S. Navy ships that took part in the blockade of Cuba ordered by President Kennedy during the Cuban Missile Crisis of October—November 1962. The Charles Berry helped prevent the passage of Soviet ships carrying offensive weapons or support materials to Cuba. The blockade helped convince the Soviets to remove their missiles from Cuba.
In 1964, the Charles Berry was transferred from San Diego to her new home port of Pearl Harbor. She would take part in Special Operations for 11 months starting in September of that year. In August 1965, she would make her first deployment to the Vietnam War zone, a short trip that would last less than a month and included a accidental boiler explosion.
The Charles Berry would return to the Gulf of Tonkin during Western Pacific Deployments, in late 1971 and early 1972. She would also receive the Meritorious Unit Commendation in 1970 for her role in several special operations missions.
The Charles Berry, like the other members of the Claud Jones class, was somewhat experimental. A diesel version of the older Dealey class destroyers, there were designed with the intention of being a cheaper ship that could be rapidly produced in wartime. Their primary mission was anti-submarine warfare, one the Navy and Pentagon quickly decided it was ill-suited for. With both military and civilian leadership souring on the concept of the Claud Jones class, the four ships were rapidly phased out.
Decommissioning
The Charles Berry was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on Jan. 13, 1974. She was sold, along with the rest of the Claud Jones class, to Indonesia. She remained in active service with the Indonesian Navy through the end of the 20th Century.
Characteristics of the USS Charles Berry (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)
Type: Claud Jones class Destroyer escort
Displacement: 1,314 long tons (1,335 t) standard; 1,970 long tons (2,000 t) full load
Length: 312 ft (95 m)
Beam: 38 ft 10 in (11.8 m)
Draft: 12 ft 1 in (3.7 m)
Propulsion: 4 × Fairbanks-Morse 38ND8 Diesels; 9,240 shp; 7,000 bhp
1 shaft
Speed: 20–22 knots (37–41 km/h) Range: 7,000 nmi (13,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Complement: 171 total: 12 Officers, 159 enlisted men
Armament: • 2 × 3″/50 caliber guns (1×2)
• 6 × 12.75 in (324 mm) Mk.32 torpedo tubes (2×3)
• 2 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar
Career:
Builder: Avondale Marine Ways, Avondale, La.
Keel laid: Oct. 29, 1958
Launched: March 17, 1959
Commissioned: Nov. 25, 1959
Decommissioned: Jan. 13, 1974
Timeline:
October 1958: Keel of USS Charles Berry laid
March 1959: USS Charles Berry launched
November 1959: USS Charles Berry commissioned
August 1965: USS Charles Berry makes first deployment to Vietnam
1970: USS Charles Berry awarded Meritorious Unit Citation
January 1974: USS Charles Berry decommissioned
Crewmembers of the USS Charles Berry:
An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Charles Berry can be found on the unofficial navy website at: http://navysite.de. This list is compiled by former crewmembers that voluntarily register. Some quoted comments from former crewmembers are listed below; many more are available on the source website at the following Web address:
http://navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=de_1035
Rich Richards (served December 1969—February 1973): “ I served with the Mulaveny’s from Michigan. Trying to find anybody that served during that time and how are things going! Love to here from anybody who served on this ship during the Vietnam War.”
Jim Piper (served September 1970—October 1971): “My last cruise was “escort” for a Russian Task Force that came south from Sakalin Is. to cruise through the Hawaiian Is. Followed ‘em back north when we crossed the intnt’l date line about 10 times in 30 minutes. Drove the QM’s nuts.”
John Buoy (served October 1972—February 1974): “My first and best ship. where’s everyone from deck department?”
Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/mesothelioma/veterans/navy-destroyers-post-ww2/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Charles_ Berry_(DE-1035)
http://navysite.de/crew.php?action=ship&ship=de_1035
http://tiegertime.com/DE1035/
