History of the USS Joseph K. Taussig (DE-1030)

USS Joseph K. Taussig (DE-1030): History, Patrols, Crews

Commissioning

The USS Joseph K. Taussig, (DE 1030: destroyer escort), was named for Admiral Joseph K. Taussig, who served in WWI and WWII. New York Shipbuilding Company of Camden, New Jersey, laid down her keel on January 3, 1956. Joseph K. Taussig launched on March 9, 1957. She was commissioned on September 10, 1957, carrying one hundred seventy enlisted men and officers, under the command of LTCDR R. S. Moore.

Underway

After her commissioning and shakedown cruise through the Caribbean, Joseph K. Taussig sailed into her homeport of Newport, Rhode Island, in December 1957. She made her first Mediterranean deployment with the US Sixth Fleet in May 1958. She patrolled the coast of Lebanon that July during the power struggle in that country and returned to Newport in October.

In February 1959, Joseph K. Taussig started a cruise to South America. She conducted antisubmarine warfare exercises with the navies of many South American nations and visited numerous ports to spread goodwill. Once she returned that summer, she spent time at the Boston Naval Shipyard for overhaul.

Joseph K. Taussig conducted exercises in the Caribbean starting in January 1960 and came home to Newport the next month. She continued operating along the US east coast until September, when she joined with NATO ships for exercises. In late October, she came back to Newport to continue with local operations.

Joseph K. Taussig started 1961 with winter exercises in the Caribbean, and then steamed to Nova Scotia for joint US-Canadian exercises in April. From August 1961 to February 1962, she carried out a series of demanding antisubmarine warfare exercises. In October, she moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in response to the Cuban Missile Crisis.

After the crisis settled down, Joseph K. Taussig sailed back to Newport and prepared for another goodwill cruise, this time to the continent of Africa. She left Newport in February 1963 and visited several African nations along the Atlantic, Indian and Mediterranean coasts. She came home to Newport in May and spent the rest of the year in convoy escort exercises and coastal training operations.

For the first five months of 1965, Joseph K. Taussig sat in the Boston Naval shipyard and received the Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) system. She and her crew trained on the new system in the Caribbean until October. From there, she joined in the amphibious exercise “Steel Pike I” off the coast of Spain. The operation was under the command of Vice Admiral John S. McCain, Jr., father of US Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain. She spent the rest of the year patrolling the east coast and Caribbean as well as serving with Fleet Sonar School in Key West, Florida.

Joseph K. Taussig spent the first six months of 1966 as a training ship for sailors and petty officers in preparation for operations in and around Vietnam. In July of that year, she also helped with squadron training exercises and, for the next twelve months, continued local operations along the east coast and the Caribbean.

Decommissioning

Joseph K. Taussig was decommissioned on July 1, 1972 and stricken from the Naval Register on the same day. She was sold for scrap on June 15, 1973.

Characteristics of the USS Joseph K. Taussig (Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Class and type: Dealey-class destroyer escort
Displacement:     1,877 long tons (1,907 t) full load
Length: 314 ft 6 in (95.9 m)
Beam:     36 ft 9 in (11.2 m)
Draft:     18 ft (5.5 m)
Propulsion: 2 × Foster-Wheeler boilers
1 × De Laval geared turbine
20,000 shp (15 MW)
1 shaft
Speed:     27 knots (31 mph; 50 km/h)
Range:     6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement:     170
Armament:
• 4 × 3"/50 caliber guns
• 1 × Squid ASW mortar
• 6 × 324 mm (12.8 in) Mark 32 torpedo tubes
• Mark 46 torpedoes

Career:

Namesake: Joseph Taussig
Builder: New York Shipbuilding Company
Laid down: 3 January 1956
Launched: 9 March 1957
Commissioned:     10 September 1957
Decommissioned: 1 July 1972
Struck:     1 July 1972
Motto:     We Are Ready Now
Fate:     Sold for scrap, 15 June 1973

Timeline:

January 1956 – USS Joseph K. Taussig keel laid down
March 1957 – USS Joseph K. Taussig launched
September 1957 – USS Joseph K. Taussig commissioned
December 1957 – USS Joseph K. Taussig reported to new homeport of Newport, Rhode Island
May 1958 – USS Joseph K. Taussig deployed with US Sixth Fleet for Mediterranean
July 1958 – USS Joseph K. Taussig patrolled Mediterranean during Lebanon crisis
February 1959 – USS Joseph K. Taussig sailed on goodwill cruise to South America
September 1960 – USS Joseph K. Taussig participated in NATO maneuvers
April 1961 – USS Joseph K. Taussig participated in joint US-Canadian exercises
February 1962– USS Joseph K. Taussig carried out ASW exercises
October 1962 – USS Joseph K. Taussig moved to Jacksonville, Florida, in response to Cuban Missile Crisis
February 1963 – USS Joseph K. Taussig sailed on goodwill cruise to Africa
January 1965 – USS Joseph K. Taussig received the Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) system
October 1965 – USS Joseph K. Taussig participated in Operation Steel Pike
July 1972 – USS Joseph K. Taussig decommissioned
July 1972 – USS Joseph K. Taussig stricken from Naval Vessel Register

Crewmembers of the USS Joseph K. Taussig:

An unofficial list of crewmembers that served on the USS Joseph K. Taussig 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=2014

Frank Hendricks: (Served from 1965 - 1966) “Was part of a skeleton crew aboard the Taussig, eventually turned into a training ship and eventually remanned by a full crew. Was Leading RM on board, remember being rammed by a freighter in pea soup fog in Newport.”

Links:
http://www.mesotheliomaweb.org/destroyerspostwwii.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Joseph K. Taussig_(DE-1030)
http://navysite.de/crewlist/commandlist.php?commandid=2014
http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/06021030.htm

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