THE CAPTAINS
- CDR. Norman E. Smith, USN
July
26, 1945 - September 14, 1946
- CDR. Edward E. Hoffman, USN
September 14, 1946 - August
18, 1948
- CDR. Carl Tiedman, USN
August
18, 1948 - June 24, 1950
- CDR. James F. Tucker, USN
June
24, 1950 - June 23, 1951
- CDR. Hugh H. Lewis, USN
June 23, 1951 - June 30, 1953
- CDR. John D. Westervelt, USN
June 30, 1953 -
September 17, 1955
- CDR. Richard M. Niles, USN
September 17, 1955 - September 17, 1957
- CDR. John B. Thro, USN
September 17, 1957 - June 27, 1958
- CDR. William W. Boyd, Jr.,
USN June 27, 1958 - January
27, 1960
- CDR. A. Roberts, USN
January 27, 1960 - July 28, 1961
- CDR. W. L. Sheppard, USN
July 28, 1961 - September 26, 1963
- CDR. E. S. Haugen, USN
September 26, 1963 - January ?, 1965
- CDR. Richard T. Bailey, USN
January
?, 1965 - September 9, 1966
- Captain John A. Smith, USN
September 9, 1966 - September 16, 1968
- CDR. Charles W. Streightiff, USN
September 16, 1968 - Believe 1970
- CDR. O'Leary,USN
Believe 1970 - January 7, 1972
- CDR. Dodson D. Walker Jr., USN
January 7, 1972 - June 1, 1973
- CDR. Robert E. Greer, USN
June
1, 1973 - April 2, 1975
- CDR. Richard W. Herig, USN
April
2, 1975 - March 18, 1977
- CDR. Curtis C. Davis, Jr., USN
March 18,
1977 - July 13, 1979
- CDR. James F. Jordan, USN
July
13, 1979 - February 27, 1981
The Ships History through October 1966 is as follows; USS NEWMAN K. PERRY (DD883) was
built by the Consolidated Ship Corporation of Orange Texas. Commissioned on July 26, 1945.
NEWMAN K. PERRY was named in memory of Ensign Newman Kershaw Perry, U.S. Naval Academy
Class of 1901, killed in a boiler explosion on the USS BENNINGTON in 1905.
After her maiden shakedown cruise in the Atlantic Ocean, NEWMAN K PERRY sailed West in
November 1945 to become an active unit of the Pacific Fleet. The summer of 1946 found
NEWMAN K PERRY at Bikini Atoll for Operation Crossroads, the first test of the atom as a
weapon of naval warfare. During her Pacific tour, NEWMAN K PERRY was awarded the COMMANDER
DESTROYER FORCE PACIFIC "E" for outstanding battle efficiency in both 1948 and
1949. NEWMAN K PERRY was one of two ships in the entire Navy to receive the Marjorie
Sterrett Battleship Award in 1949, in recognition of her outstanding fitness and readiness
as a naval unit.
NEWMAN K PERRY transferred to the Atlantic Fleet during 1950 and participated in a
Mediterranean deployment. A Navy Yard over-haul in 1951 supplied PERRY with many new
equipments aimed towards increasing her effectiveness. Refresher training at
Guatanamo Bay followed this Navy Yard period.
Following three years of routine operations, including a deployment with the Sixth
Fleet in the Mediterranean, NEWMAN K PERRY earned her third Battle Efficiency
"E" in 1955. In a second Mediterranean deployment during the same year, PERRY
was selected to represent the United States Government at the inauguration ceremonies of
W. V. S. Tubman as President of the Republic of Liberia.
Repeating her previous performance, NEWMAN K PERRY again won the Battle Efficiency
"E" during Atlantic Fleet Operations in 1956. PERRY returned to the Sixth Fleet
in 1957, and participated in Midshipmen Cruise Alpha.
June 1958 found NEWMAN K PERRY in a new role as school ship for COMMANDER DESTROYER
FORCE ATLANIC. She operated in this capacity out of Newport, Rhode Island, until the
Jordan Crisis, when she was recalled to the Second Fleet to participate in extensive
readiness exercises. This was followed by a seven month Mediterranean deployment.
In 1959 NEWMAN K PERRY joined Destroyer Flotilla Six, serving as Flagship for three
months and changing her home port to Charleston, SC, NEWMAN K PERRY again deployed to the
Mediterranean and served as Flagship for Commander Destroyer Squadron Six. An extensive
yard period followed, PERRYS return to Charleston during which the ships
3-inch gun mounts were removed and the latest, most effective, air search radar equipment
available was installed.
Following this overhaul, NEWMAN K PERRY left Charleston for another period of refresher
training at Guatanamo Bay, Cuba in preparation for her participation in the first manned
Mercury capsule recovery of May 5, 1961. August 3, 1961 found NEWMAN K PERRY again
operating in the Mediterranean, this time most extensively in the Black Sea area. After
returning briefly to her home port in March 1962, NEWMAN K PERRY participated in the
Presidential Naval Review in April and two amphibious operations in the Caribbean. She
then returned to Charleston for a well earned Navy Yard overhaul.
Routine summer training operations were climaxed in October 1962 by the sudden
deployment of Destroyer Squadron Six in the Vanguard of the Cuban quarantine forces.
Besides fulfilling her mission as radar picket ship, NEWMAN K PERRY earned added praise
for a high state of overall readiness which enabled her to perform many other duties as
well.
NEWMAN K PERRY returned to Charleston for a short stay after the quarantine was lifted,
and then returned once again to the Mediterranean in 1963. In April 1964, NEWMAN K PERRY
left the active fleet to enter Boston Naval Shipyard for conversion. During a period of
eleven months the newest anti-submarine warfare equipment was installed. Leaving Boston in
March of 1965, NEWMAN K PERRY proceeded to Guatanamo Bay, Cuba to again undergo refresher
training and then in May returned to Newport, Rhode Island, her new home port. June and
July found her participating as an active unit of her new Squadron, Destroyer Squadron
Twenty, in making preparations to become its Flagship and to deploy again to the
Mediterranean in August 1965.
NEWMAN K PERRY spent the fall of 1965 in the Mediterranean, returning Newport late
December. 1966 found her participating in Operation Springboard 66 in the Caribbean, and
numerous local anti-submarine warfare exercises. The 1965-66 Competitive Year was
completed in June 1966 with NEWMAN K PERRY being awarded the Battle Efficiency
"E".
Preparations were made for NEWMAN K PERRY to return to the Pacific waters and she
departed Newport, Rhode Island in October 1966 for duty with the Pacific Fleet.

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