History

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 equipment’s 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, PERRY’S return to Charleston during which the ship’s 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.