History of the USS Claud Jones (DE-1033)

USS Claud Jones (DE-1033): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Claud Jones was the name sake of a class of four destroyers that served in the United States Navy in the mid-20th Century. She was named in honor of Rear Admiral Claud Aston Jones, a winner of the Medal of Honor in 1935 who later served in World War II.

Built by Avondale Marine Ways of Avondale, La., the Claud Jones was launched on May 27, 1958. She was commissioned on Feb. 10, 1959, and joined the Atlantic Fleet.

Underway

After completing her shakedown cruise and crew training the Claud Jones was based in Newport, R.I. In late 1962, she was temporarily re-based at Key West, Fla., and served as the flagship of Destroy Squadron 8. This occurred during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when the Claud Jones served as part of the U.S. blockade of Cuba to prevent Soviet ships from reaching the island. For her service during this period, the Claud Jones was awarded the Navy Expeditionary Medal and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal.
In 1966, the Claud Jones was transferred from the Atlantic Fleet to the Pacific Fleet and re-based at Pearl Harbor. After joining Destoyer Squadron 39, she was frequently deployed to the Western Pacific. During deployments in 1971 and 1972, the Claud Jones entered the Gulf of Tonkin and supported U.S. military operations in Vietnam. She was awarded two Meritorious Unit Commendations, one in 1968 for operations during a deployment to the Indian Ocean and another for operations in 1970.

Decommissioning

The Claud Jones was decommissioned on Dec. 16, 1974 and was sold to the government of Indonesia. She was struck from Naval Vessel Register the same day.

Characteristics of the USS Claud Jones (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Class and type: Claud Jones
Displacement: 1750 tons
Length: 310 ft (94 m)
Beam: 37 ft (11 m)
Draft: 18 ft (5.5 m)
Complement: 167 officers and enlisted
Armament: 2 3"; 6 21" tt.; 1 dct.

Career:

Namesake: Claud Ashton Jones
Builder: Avondale Marine Ways, Avondale, Louisiana
Launched: 27 May 1958
Commissioned: 10 February 1959
Struck: 16 December 1974
Fate: Sold to Indonesia 1 December 1974

Timeline:

May 1958: USS Claud Jones launched
February 1959: USS Claud Jones commissioned
October—November 1962: USS Claud Jones serves as part of U.S. blockade of Cuba during Cuban Missile Crisis
1966: USS Claud Jones transferred to Pacific Fleet
1971—72: USS Claud Jones serves in Vietnam
1974: USS Claud Jones decommissioned

Crewmembers of the USS Claud Jones:

An unofficial list of crew members that served on the USS Claud Jones 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/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=1998

Larry Christensen (served November 1966—September 1969): “Looking back on the time served, it was fun.”

Dan White (served December 1967—November 1969): “I remember a lot of great times, both onboard and on liberty.”

Tom Kent (served February 1973—unknown): “Hello to all my old shipmates I was onboard until we turned her over to the Indonesians. I not sure if any of my crew are still around Pearl or not.. I reside in Boston area now.”

Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/destroyerspostwwii.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Claud_Jones_(DE-1033)
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=1998
http://ussclaudjones.com/History_2.html

To receive a FREE Mesothelioma Web information packet** or to make a request, please fill out the following form :

**For a FREE information packet including treatments, clinical trials, and specialists, please complete the form above or call a Mesothelioma Web coordinator at 1-877-367-6376.

News

Resources

This site complies with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information: verify here