Related Resource: Photographs of USS The Sullivans (DD-537)
[History is an updated extract from Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Vol. 7, Washington: Naval Historical Center, 1981. OCLC 2794587.
(DD-537: standard displacement 2,050
tons; length 376'5"; beam 39'7"; draft 13'9"; speed
35.2 knots; complement 329; armament 5 5-inch guns, 10 40-millimeter
guns, 7 20-millimeter guns, 10 21" torpedo tubes, 6 depth
charge projectors, 2 depth charge tracks; class Fletcher)
The Sullivans (DD-537) was laid down as Putnam on
10 October 1942 at San Francisco, Calif., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; renamed
The Sullivans on 6 February 1943; launched on 4 April 1943;
sponsored by Mrs. Thomas F. Sullivan, the mother of the five
Sullivan brothers; and commissioned on 30 September 1943,
Commander Kenneth M. Gentry in command.
Following shakedown, The Sullivans got underway with Dortch
(DD-670) and Gatling (DD-671) on 23 December and arrived
at Pearl Harbor five days later. During training operations in
Hawaiian waters, the ship was assigned to Destroyer Squadron (DesRon)
52. On 16 January 1944, she steamed out of Pearl Harbor with Task
Group (TG) 58.2, bound for the Marshall Islands. Two days later,
as the American warships neared Kwajalein Atoll, picket destroyers
were sent ahead to protect the main force from the enemy.
On 24 January, TG 58.2 arrived at the dawn launching point for
air strikes against Roi. For two days, The Sullivans screened
Essex (CV-9), Intrepid (CV- 11), and Cabot
(CVL-22) as they launched nearly continuous aerial raids. Thereafter,
the destroyer continued her operations to the north and northwest
of Roi and Namur Islands in the Kwajalein group until 4 February,
when TG 58.2 retired to Majuro to refuel and replenish.
Underway at high noon on the 12th, The Sullivans screened
the sortie of TG 58.2, outward bound for Truk. The same carriers
whose planes had blasted Roi and Namur steamed in the van- -Essex,
Intrepid, and Cabot--now headed for the Japanese
fortress-base in the Central Pacific. From the time the group
arrived at its launching point on 16 February, the carriers launched
what seemed to be nearly continuous air strikes against Truk.
"No enemy opposition of any kind was encountered," wrote
The Sullivans' commander, "indicating that the initial
attacks came as a complete surprise."
While the enemy may have been slow to react at the outset, they
soon struck back--torpedoing Intrepid at 0010 on the 17th.
The carrier slowed to 20 knots and lost steering control. The
Sullivans, Owen (DD-536), and Stembel (DD-644)
stood by the stricken carrier and escorted her to Majuro for repairs.
Reaching Majuro on 21 February, the destroyer soon sailed on to
Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 4 March for drydocking and
upkeep.
Underway again on the 22nd, The Sullivans covered the sortie
of carrier task groups from Majuro, bound for the Palaus, Yap,
and Woleai Islands. On the evening of the 29th, while the American
warships were approaching the target area, enemy aircraft attacked
them but were driven off by antiaircraft fire. The next day, The
Sullivans screened the carriers during air strikes and that
evening helped beat off another Japanese air attack.
After returning to Majuro for replenishment, the warship screened
TG 58.2 during air strikes on Hollandia, Tanahmerah, Wakde, and
Aitape to support amphibious operations on New Guinea. Late in
April, The Sullivans participated in support of air strikes
on the Japanese base at Truk. On the 29th during one of these
raids, the Japanese retaliated with a low-level air attack. American
radar picked up four Japanese planes 16 miles away, coming in
fast at altitudes varying from 10 to 500 feet. When the planes
came within range, The Sullivans opened up with one 40-millimeter
twin mount and all five 5-inch guns. Two aircraft splashed into
the sea owing to fire from the American ships, and one crossing
ahead of The Sullivans was taken under fire and crashed
in flames off her port beam.
The Sullivans arrived off the northwest coast of Ponape
on the afternoon of 1 May and provided cover for the battleships
led by Iowa (BB-61) which bombarded the island. From the
disengaged side of the screen, The Sullivans fired 18 rounds
from extreme range at Tumu Point. During the task unit's retirement,
The Sullivans refueled from Yorktown (CV-10) and arrived
at Majuro on 4 May.
Ten days later, TG 58.2 sortied again--bound for Marcus and Wake
Islands. Launching the first raid at 0800 on the 19th, the American
carriers kept up nearly continuous air strikes with no enemy interruptions
for three days. En route back to Majuro, The Sullivans
and her sister destroyers conducted a thorough but unsuccessful
search for a suspected submarine.
On 6 June, The Sullivans got underway again, bound for
Saipan, Tinian, and Guam to screen carriers in conducting air
strikes. On occasion while in the screen, The Sullivans'
radar picked up Japanese reconnaisance aircraft around the periphery
of the formation--and before dawn at 0315 on the 12th, TG 58.2
shot down one in flames.
The second day's strikes against Saipan took place on the 13th
in support of American amphibious landings. Assigned to the duty
of communication-linking station between task forces, The Sullivans
remained within visual sighting distance of both TG's 58.1 and
58.2 during the day. That day, she picked up 31 Japanese merchant
seamen after their ship had been sunk offshore and transferred
these prisoners to flagship Indianapolis (CA-35).
On the 19th, Japanese aircraft attacked the task group. The
Sullivans picked up a plane visually at a range of less than
five miles. Yokosuka D4Y dive bombers ("Judies"), diving
from 23,000 feet, pressed home their attacks. One, taken under
fire by The Sullivans, took tracer fire from the ship's
20- and 40-millimeter batteries and, moments later, crashed just
short of the horizon. American air attacks against Pagan Island,
made without enemy retaliation, topped off the Saipan-Tinian-Guam
strikes; and The Sullivans proceeded with TG 58.2 to Eniwetok
for upkeep.
Underway on 30 June, The Sullivans resumed work in the
screen of carriers launching air strikes to support ground combat
operations on Saipan and Tinian. During this action, The Sullivans
served as fighter-direction ship for Task Unit 58.2.4 ( TU 58.2.4).
On Independence Day, The Sullivans joined Bombardment Unit
One (TU 58.2.4) to conduct attacks on airfields, shore batteries,
and other installations on the west coast of Iwo Jima. The
Sullivans, second ship in a column of destroyers, opened fire
at 1548 on planes parked on the southern airstrip. After three
ranging salvos, the ship commenced hitting Mitsubishi G4M twin-engined
bombers ("Bettys") parked in revetments along the strip.
Five planes blew up, and eight other planes were probably damaged
by shrapnel and burning gasoline. Minutes later, an enemy ship
resembling an LST came under The Sullivans gunfire and
caught fire astern. While Miller (DD-535) closed to complete
the destruction of the enemy vessel, The Sullivans and
the remainder of the bombardment unit retired and rejoined TG
58.2.
From 7 to 22 July, TG 58.2 operated south and west of the Marianas,
conducting daily air strikes on Guam and Rota Islands before returning
to Garapan Anchorage, Saipan, to allow the carriers to replenish
bombs. Underway at dawn on the 23rd, The Sullivans accompanied
the task group for air strikes against the Palaus until returning
to Eniwetok for replenishment on 11 August.
Early in September, as the Navy prepared to take the Palaus, The
Sullivans supported neutralizing air strikes against Japanese
air bases in the Philippines. At dawn on the 7th, she began radar
picket duty for TG 38.2 and continued the task through the strikes
of the 9th and 10th. From 1800 on 12 September, the ships noted
an increase in air activity-observing many bogies [enemy aircraft]
which merely orbited the formations for reconnaisance. The carriers
conducted further raids on the central Philippines on the 13th
and 14th and then shifted course to the north to subject Manila
to air attacks commencing on the 21st. Three days later, American
planes again hit the central Philippines.
Returning to Tanapag Harbor, Saipan, at dawn on the 28th, The
Sullivans went alongside Massachusetts (BB-59) for
ammunition, provisions, and routine upkeep. Heavy cross-swells
in the anchorage, however, swept The Sullivans hard against
the battleship, damaging the destroyer's hull and superstructure.
Following brief antisubmarine patrol duty, she proceeded to Ulithi
on 1 October for repairs.
While undergoing tender repairs alongside Dixie, The
Sullivans broke loose from the tender during a heavy storm
and drifted free downwind. Although the destroyer got up steam
"in a hurry," she collided with Uhlmann (DD-687).
Many small boats were also being tossed about in the storm, and
The Sullivans rescued four men from Stockham's gig
before it disappeared beneath the waves. As the storm abated on
the 4th, the warship returned to Ulithi to complete the abbreviated
tender overhaul alongside Dixie.
At 1615 on 6 October, The Sullivans sortied with the carriers
and protected them during raids against targets on Formosa and
the Ryukyus. On the evening of the 12th, as the planes returned
to the carriers, radar spotted the first of many Japanese aircraft
approaching from the north. For the next six hours, approximately
50 to 60 Japanese aircraft subjected the American task force to
continuous air attacks. Nearly 45 minutes after sunset, The
Sullivans sighted a "Betty" bomber, coming in low
on the starboard side, and took it under fire. During the next
15 minutes, the warships in the formation shot down three planes;
between 1856 and 1954, the destroyer herself took five planes
under fire. Emergency maneuvers and the great volume of gunfire
thrown up by the ships repulsed the enemy air attacks.
The second phase of the attack began at 2105 on the 12th and continued
through 0235 on the 13th. The Japanese increased the use of "window"
to jam American radar transmissions while their flares lit up
the evening with ghostly light. The formation made smoke whenever
enemy flare-dropping planes approached, creating an eerie haze
effect which helped baffle the enemy pilots. Meanwhile, The
Sullivans and the other ships in formation executed 38 simultaneous
turn movements at speeds between 22 and 25 knots as their guns
kept up a steady fire to repel the attackers.
The next day, the carriers again launched strikes on Formosa.
During the ensuing night retirement, the formation again came
under attack by Japanese torpedo-carrying "Betties"
which struck home this time and damaged Canberra (CA-70).
The Sullivans then helped to protect the damaged cruiser.
On the 14th, "Betty" torpedo bombers scored against
Houston (CL-81). The Sullivans soon joined the screen
which guarded the two battle-battered cruisers as they retired
toward Ulithi.
Things progressed well until the 16th, when the Japanese mounted
a heavy air attack to attempt to finish off the damaged U.S. ships.
Houston reeled under the impact of a second hit astern,
and The Sullivans opened fire on the twin-engine bomber
("Frances") which had made the attack and splashed the
Japanese plane. The Sullivans and Stephen Potter
(DD-538) then took a second "Frances" under fire and
knocked it down off the bow of Santa Fe (CL-60).
The Sullivans rescued 118 Houston crewmen and kept
them on board until the 18th, when she transferred them to Boston
(CA-69). The Sullivans transferred salvage gear to Houston
and helped with the ship's many wounded. For his part in directing
the destroyer's rescue and salvage attempts, Commander Richard
J. Baum received his first Silver Star.
On 20 October, The Sullivans joined TG 38.2 for scheduled
air strikes on the central Philippines in support of the Leyte
landings. At dawn of the 24th, reconnaissance located a Japanese
surface force south of Mindoro, and the American carriers launched
air strikes all day against the enemy warships. That morning,
a Japanese air attack developed, and The Sullivans downed
a Nakajima Ki-43 fighter ("Oscar").
By 25 October, enemy forces were sighted coming down from the
north; TF 34, including The Sullivans, was formed and headed
north, following the carrier groups in TF 38. At dawn on the 25th,
the carriers launched air strikes to harass the Japanese surface
units, now some 60 miles north. At 1100, TF 34 reversed course,
topped-off the destroyers with fuel, and formed fast striking
group TG 34.5, with Iowa (BB- 61), New Jersey (BB-62),
three light cruisers, The Sullivans, and seven other destroyers.
The American force missed the Japanese by three hours, but ran
across a straggler and reported sinking an Atago-class
cruiser.
After sweeping south along the coast of Samar hunting for damaged
Japanese ships. The Sullivans and other units of TG 34.5
reported back to TG 38.2. The destroyer then remained in the Philippine
area, screening the fast carriers and standing by on plane guard
duties, through mid-November. At dusk on the 19th, during one
of the many air attacks fought off by The Sullivans, the
destroyer damaged a "Betty" bomber by gunfire and watched
it disappear over the horizon, smoking but stubbornly remaining
airborne. Six days later, she had better luck when her guns set
a Japanese plane afire and splashed it into the sea. Two days
later, her task group returned to Ulithi.
The destroyer undertook training exercises from 8 to 11 December
before rejoining TG 38.2 to screen its warships during air strikes
on Manila and southern Luzon beginning on 14 December. On the
17th, running low on fuel, The Sullivans commenced refueling
but, with the weather worsening minute by minute, she broke off
the operation. A typhoon soon swept through the area, with the
wind clocked at an estimated 115 knots on the morning of 18 December.
Three destroyers were sunk and several ships damaged by the winds
and waves. The Sullivans-- aided by the "lucky shamrock"
painted on her funnel--emerged from the typhoon undamaged and,
on the 20th, commenced searching for men lost overboard from other
ships. The lingering bad weather resulted in cancellation of air
strikes, and The Sullivans retired to Ulithi on Christmas
Eve.
After a brief run to Manus and back, escorting Iowa, The
Sullivans sortied from Ulithi on 30 December to screen TG
38.2's air strikes on Formosa in support of the American landings
on Luzon. During the evening of 9 January 1945, the task force
passed through Bashi Channel and entered the South China Sea.
Three days later, carrier planes from TG 38.2 swept over Saigon
and Camranh Bay, Indochina, hammering at whatever enemy merchantmen
they found.
Soon after the conclusion of the air strikes, a bombardment group,
TG 34.5, was formed to go after possible damaged Japanese ships
and dispatch them by surface gunfire. Accordingly, two battleships,
two heavy cruisers, three light cruisers, and 15 destroyers raced
into Camranh Bay but found it devoid of Japanese shipping. Throughout
the day, however, carrier pilots had better luck and enjoyed a
veritable "field day" with coastal shipping. During
subsequent air strikes on Hainan Island, Hong Kong, and Formosa,
The Sullivans served on radar picket duty 10 miles ahead
of the task group.
A brief respite for upkeep at Ulithi in late January preceded
the ship's deployment with TG 58.2, covering the carriers as they
launched devastating air strikes against the Japanese homeland
itself, hitting Tokyo and other targets on Honshu on 16 and 17
February. From the 18th through the 21st, American carrier-based
air power struck at Japanese positions contesting the landings
on Iwo Jima. More strikes were scheduled for Tokyo four days later,
but bad weather forced their cancellation. Retiring from the area,
TF 58 fueled and commenced a high-speed run at Okinawa at noon
on 28 February. Later that day, The Sullivans sighted and
destroyed a drifting mine. At dawn on 1 March, Curtiss SBC dive
bombrs ("Hellcats"), Grumman TBM ("Avengers), Douglas
SBD dive bombers ("Dauntlesses"), and Curtiss SBC dive
bombers ("Helldivers") pounded Japanese positions on
Okinawa. The ships of the task force encountered no enemy opposition
from sea or sky and soon retired towards Ulithi.
The Sullivans sortied 12 days later, bound for Kyushu and
southern Honshu to support the invasion of Okinawa. Once again
screening for TG 58.2, The Sullivans stood by as the carriers
launched air strikes on 14 March. On 20 March, The Sullivans
fueled from Enterprise (CV-6) at 1152, clearing the carrier's
side five minutes later when a kamikaze alert sent the ships scurrying.
At 1439, The Sullivans commenced maneuvering to go alongside
Enterprise again--this time to pick up a part for her FD
radar antenna. Soon, however, another enemy air attack scattered
the ships. As a line had not yet been thrown across to the carrier,
The Sullivans bent on speed and cleared her as other ships
in the task group opened fire on the attackers. A Japanese plane
plunged through the antiaircraft fire and crashed into Halsey
Powell (DD-686) astern as that destroyer was fueling alongside
Hancock (CV-19). The stricken destroyer lost steering control
and started to veer across the big carrier's bow, and only rapid
and radical maneuvering on Hancock's part averted a collision.
The Sullivans soon closed Halsey Powell to render
emergency assistance. She slowed to a stop 11 minutes later and
lowered her motor whaleboat to transfer her medical officer and
a pharmacist's mate to Halsey Powell, when another kamikaze
came out of the skies, apparently bent on crashing into The
Sullivans. At 1610, the destroyer's radar picked up the Mitubishi
A6M fighter ("Zeke") on its approach; and, as soon as
the motor whaler was clear of the water, The Sullivans
leapt ahead with all engines thrusting at flank speed.
Bringing right full rudder, The Sullivans maneuvered radically
while her 20- and 40-millimeter guns sent streams of shells at
the "Zeke," which passed 100 feet over the masthead
and escaped. Meanwhile, Halsey Powell managed to achieve
a steady course at five knots; and, with The Sullivans,
she retired toward Ulithi. However, their troubles were not yet
over. At 1046 on the following day, 21 March, The Sullivans
picked up a plane, closing from 15 miles. Visually identified
as a twin-engined "Frances," the aircraft was taken
under fire at 10,000 yards by The Sullivans' 5-inch battery.
Halsey Powell joined in too; and, within a few moments,
the "Frances" crashed into the sea about 3,000 yards
abeam of The Sullivans. At 1250, a combat air patrol (CAP)
"Hellcat" from Yorktown, under direction by Halsey
Powell, splashed another "Frances." At 1320, a CAP
"Hellcat" from Intrepid, directed by The Sullivans,
downed another hostile plane.
On 25 March, The Sullivans and Halsey Powell arrived
at Ulithi, the former for upkeep prior to training exercises and
the latter for battle repairs. The warship next rendezvoused with
Task Force 58 (TF 58) off Okinawa and guarded the carriers supporting
the landings on the island. While operating on radar picket duty
on the 15th, the ship came under enemy air attack, but downed
one plane and emerged unscathed. She continued conducting radar
picket patrols for the task group, ranging some 12 to 25 miles
out from the main body of the force. On the afternoon of 29 April,
she commenced fueling from Bunker Hill, but a kamikaze
alert interrupted the replenishment, forcing The Sullivans
to break away from the carrier's side. During the ensuing action,
Hazelwood (DD-531) and Haggard (DD-555) were both
damaged by Japanese suicide planes.
Kamikazes continued to plague the ships of TG 58.3 as they supported
the troops fighting ashore on Okinawa. Everything from landing
craft to battleships was fair game for those Japanese pilots determined
to die in a blaze of glory. On the morning of 11 May, a kamikaze
crashed into Bunker Hill. The Sullivans promptly
closed the carrier to render assistance and picked up 166 survivors.
After transferring them to ships in TG 50.8 and replenishing her
fuel bunkers, she helped to screen TG 58.3 during air strikes
on Kyushu.
In a morning air attack three days later, the veteran carrier
Enterprise was hit by a kamikaze. Four enemy planes were
shot down in the melee one by The Sullivans in what proved
to be her last combat action during World War II. The Sullivans
anchored at San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, on 1 June for recreation
and upkeep. She departed Leyte on the 20th, bound, via Eniwetok
and Pearl Harbor, for the west coast. The destroyer arrived at
Mare Island, Calif. on 9 July and, two days later, commenced her
overhaul. She thus missed the last act of the war. Worn down by
a series of blows delivered by American seapower and stunned by
the destructive power of two atomic bombs, Japan capitulated on
15 August, ending the war.
Meanwhile, since the return of peace greatly reduced the Navy's
need for warships, The Sullivans was decommissioned at
San Diego on 10 January 1946--soon after her overhaul was completed--and
she was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
The destroyer remained there until May 1951, when she began reactivation
work which prepared her for recommissioning on 6 July 1951. The
destroyer soon headed south, transited the Panama Canal, and pressed
on northward to her home port, Newport, R.I. During the winter
of 1951 and 1952, the warship conducted training exercises off
the east coast and in the Caribbean.
Late in the summer of 1952, The Sullivans departed Newport
on 6 September, bound for Japan. Proceeding via the Panama Canal,
San Diego, Pearl Harbor, and Midway, she arrived at Sasebo on
10 October but got underway the next day to join Task Force 77
(TF 77) off the eastern shores of Korea. The ship served in the
screen of the fast carriers launching repeated air strikes to
interdict enemy supply lines and to support United Nations ground
forces battling the communists. Remaining on this duty until the
20th, The Sullivans steamed to Yokosuka, Japan, for a brief
refit.
After a cruise to Buckner Bay, Okinawa, The Sullivans rejoined
TF 77 on 16 November to resume screening activities and plane
guard duty. She supported the carriers as they made the northern-most
stab at North Korean supply lines, approaching within 75 miles
of the Soviet base at Vladivostok. MiG-15 fighters approached
the task force, but combat air patrol Grumman F9F "Panthers"
downed two of the attackers and damaged a third in history's first
engagement between jet fighters over water.
The destroyer arrived back at Sasebo on 5 December. On 14 December,
she joined United Nations forces blockading the Korean coasts--interdicting
seaborne traffic and bombarding shore targets both to support
United Nations ground troops and to interdict enemy supply operations.
Arriving in Area "G" the following day, The Sullivans
made contact with the enemy on the 16th off Songjin, an important
rail terminus and supply center. For the next few days, she bombarded
trains and tunnels and frequently opened fire to destroy railroad
rolling stock and depots and to prevent repairs to tracks and
buildings.
On Christmas Day 1952, as The Sullivans scored direct hits
on a railroad bridge, she was taken under fire by communist gunners
ashore. Fifty rounds from enemy guns failed to touch the ship,
although near misses showered the warship's decks with shrapnel.
Counter-battery fire from the ship destroyed at least one of the
troublesome shore batteries.
The Sullivans departed Yokosuka on 26 January 1953. On
her way home, the warship called at Buckner Bay; at Hong Kong;
Subic Bay; Singapore; Colombo, Ceylon; Bombay, India; Bahrein;
and Aden, before steaming through the Red Sea, transiting the
Suez Canal, and proceeding via Naples to Cannes, France. After
a brief fueling stop at Gibraltar, the warship arrived at Newport
on 11 April.
The destroyer operated out of her home port well into the summer
of 1953, before deploying to the Mediterranean for a tour of duty
with the 6th Fleet. She remained on this duty through the end
of the year and returned to Newport on 3 February 1954 for operations
off the east coast and into the Caribbean through May 1955. She
again deployed to European and Mediterranean waters from May to
August of that year before returning to Newport late in the summer.
In the years that followed, The Sullivans continued alternating
east coast operations with Mediterranean deployments. The summer
of 1958 saw a communist threat to the security of Lebanon, and
President Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered American ships to land
troops there to protect Americans and to help stabilize the tense
situation. The Sullivans supported the landings of marines
at Beirut, Lebanon. After their presence had dispelled the crisis,
she returned to the United States for a three-month navy yard
overhaul and subsequent refresher training in Guantanamo Bay Cuba.
Back at Newport in March 1959, The Sullivans joined a hunter/killer
group based around Lake Champlain (CV-39). Then, after
making a midshipman training cruise in which she conducted antisubmarine
warfare operations, the destroyer sailed for another Mediterranean
deployment which lasted until she returned home in the autumn.
Operations out of Newport occupied The Sullivans until
the spring of 1960 when she headed south for ASROC [anti-submarine
rocket] evaluations off Key West, Fla. During this deployment
to southern climes, the warship helped to rescue five survivors
from a crashed Air Force KC-97 Stratotanker which had splashed
off Cape Canaveral.
Following NATO exercises in September, The Sullivans visited
Lisbon, Portugal, prior to a quick trip through the Mediterranean,
Suez Canal, and Red Sea, to Karachi, West Pakistan. In late October
and into November, the veteran destroyer participated in Operation
"Midlink III," joint operations with Pakistani, Iranian,
and British warships. After returning to the Mediterranean, The
Sullivans conducted exercises with the French Navy and with
the 6th Fleet and reached home in time for Christmas.
In January 1961, The Sullivans assisted in the sea trials
of Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) off Portsmouth, N.H., before
steaming south and taking part in Operation "Springboard."
While in the Caribbean, she visited Martinique. Briefly back at
Newport early in March, The Sullivans soon returned to
the West Indies to support marine landing exercises at Vieques,
Puerto Rico.
In April, the ship began intensive training in the waters off
Florida to prepare to cover a Project Mercury spaceshot. The
Sullivans joined Lake Champlain (CVS-39) at Mayport,
Fla., and took station. On 5 May 1961, Commander Alan Shepard's
space capsule passed overhead and splashed down near Lake Champlain
and was speedily rescued by helicopters from the carrier. The
Sullivans then made a midshipmen cruise in June, visiting
New York and Halifax, Nova Scotia.
From September 1961 to February 1962, The Sullivans underwent
a major overhaul in the Boston Naval Shipyard. She proceeded to
Guantanamo Bay soon thereafter to train for duty as a school ship.
She subsequently served as a model destroyer in which officer
students could see and learn the fundamentals of destroyer operation.
In May and again in August, The Sullivans made training
cruises to the Caribbean for the Destroyer School.
In October, after Soviet missiles were discovered in Cuba, The
Sullivans joined American naval forces blockading the island
during negotiations with the Soviet Union over the issue. When
the Soviet Government withdrew the strategic weapons, the destroyer
returned to Newport.
On 7 January 1963, The Sullivans got underway from Newport
bound for the Caribbean and another training cruise. Following
her return to Newport, she conducted local operations for the
Destroyer School. The tragic loss of nuclear submarine Thresher
(SSN-593) off Boston on 10 April 1963 caused the destroyer to
support emergency investigations of the disaster.
For the remainder of 1963 and into the first few months of 1964,
The Sullivans continued to train officer students. On 1
April 1964, the destroyer was transferred to the naval reserve
training force, and her homeport was changed to New York City.
Departing Newport on 13 April, the warship proceeded to New York
and took on her selected reserve crew. Her cruises with the reserves
embarked were devoted mostly to ASW [antisubmarine warfare] exercises
and took the ship to Canadian ports such as Halifax, Nova Scotia;
St. John, New Brunswick; and Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island,
in the north to Palm Beach, Florida., in the south.
On 7 January 1965, The Sullivans was decommissioned at
the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. She remained in reserve into
the 1970's. In 1977, she and cruiser Little Rock (CG-4)
were processed for donation to the city of Buffalo, N.Y., where
they now serve as a memorial.
The Sullivans received nine battle stars for World War
II service and two for Korean service.
15
August 2000