50 Years Ago Today - Mullinnix Fires Guns for the First Time!
(Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood)
A dark cloud moved across the sun, dropping the Mullinnix into shadow as she tied up to Pier 1E, Boston Naval Shipyard with a broom atop MT52, signifying its clean sweep of the ship’s initial sea trials. All-in-all, a full and fulfilling day.
Dawn broke on the morning of 24 April. As the sun ebbed above the horizon, the reflected sunlight raced towards the Mullinnix like a blanket. Preparation were being made to steam to Peddocks Island to load the magazines with ammunition. By 0800 however a heavy fog blanket and cut visibility to 300 yards. With visibility severely limited, steering the various courses at various speeds using markers such as the Logan Aero Beacon and Castle Island Light took the utmost skill and professionalism.
By 1100, Mullinnix was at anchor at ammunition anchorage area 5 Peddocks Islands, Nantasket Roads off Weymouth, Massachusetts. The Mullinnix was cloaked in a dense fog that blotted out the sea and everything else more than 300 yards away. With Mullinnix sounding fog signals at anchor, tug YTB-357 gently guided ammunition barges YFN-288 and YFN-645 from the US Naval Ammunition Depot, Hingham, MA, alongside starboard to begin loading the high explosives.
The loading of ammunition is, to state the obvious, a manual process. Equipment is used to place the pallets of ammo on the fantail and foc’sle. From the pallets to the ammo racks inside each of the magazines, a human chain of sailors is used to pass the 70+ pound shells and the 40+ pound powder casings. One at a time, down ladders, through passageways and hatches. Hundreds and hundreds of rounds until the magazine were full of the fire power that makes a destroyer a destroyer…700 rounds per 5” magazine.
Loading ammunition was completed the following morning. With two civilian electronic engineers on board, at 1021 the special sea and anchor detail was set to get underway to Op Area #4. Once inside the operations area, Mullinnix commenced conducting antenna radiation pattern tests with the electronic facility in Nahant, MA while maneuvering in clockwise circles with right rudder angles between 10 and 15 degrees, speed 10 and 17 knots. The day completed, she tied up starboard side to USS Willis A. Lee DL-4 at South Jetty, South Boston Annex, Boston Naval Shipyard.
Mullinnix was underway once again on 28 April for her first live fire exercises. She entered international waters on a cloud-free morning at 0755. The air was cold, almost numbing to the skin, but for many of the crew, this day would be the very first time they would see the armament in action.
While at general quarters, the ship fired 48 hedge-hogs and 24 rounds of 3”/50 caliber gun ammunition, performing structural test firing tests.
To be continued...
See you in 16 days and a wake-up!
Cheers,
Woody
A dark cloud moved across the sun, dropping the Mullinnix into shadow as she tied up to Pier 1E, Boston Naval Shipyard with a broom atop MT52, signifying its clean sweep of the ship’s initial sea trials. All-in-all, a full and fulfilling day.
Dawn broke on the morning of 24 April. As the sun ebbed above the horizon, the reflected sunlight raced towards the Mullinnix like a blanket. Preparation were being made to steam to Peddocks Island to load the magazines with ammunition. By 0800 however a heavy fog blanket and cut visibility to 300 yards. With visibility severely limited, steering the various courses at various speeds using markers such as the Logan Aero Beacon and Castle Island Light took the utmost skill and professionalism.
By 1100, Mullinnix was at anchor at ammunition anchorage area 5 Peddocks Islands, Nantasket Roads off Weymouth, Massachusetts. The Mullinnix was cloaked in a dense fog that blotted out the sea and everything else more than 300 yards away. With Mullinnix sounding fog signals at anchor, tug YTB-357 gently guided ammunition barges YFN-288 and YFN-645 from the US Naval Ammunition Depot, Hingham, MA, alongside starboard to begin loading the high explosives.
The loading of ammunition is, to state the obvious, a manual process. Equipment is used to place the pallets of ammo on the fantail and foc’sle. From the pallets to the ammo racks inside each of the magazines, a human chain of sailors is used to pass the 70+ pound shells and the 40+ pound powder casings. One at a time, down ladders, through passageways and hatches. Hundreds and hundreds of rounds until the magazine were full of the fire power that makes a destroyer a destroyer…700 rounds per 5” magazine.
Loading ammunition was completed the following morning. With two civilian electronic engineers on board, at 1021 the special sea and anchor detail was set to get underway to Op Area #4. Once inside the operations area, Mullinnix commenced conducting antenna radiation pattern tests with the electronic facility in Nahant, MA while maneuvering in clockwise circles with right rudder angles between 10 and 15 degrees, speed 10 and 17 knots. The day completed, she tied up starboard side to USS Willis A. Lee DL-4 at South Jetty, South Boston Annex, Boston Naval Shipyard.
Mullinnix was underway once again on 28 April for her first live fire exercises. She entered international waters on a cloud-free morning at 0755. The air was cold, almost numbing to the skin, but for many of the crew, this day would be the very first time they would see the armament in action.
While at general quarters, the ship fired 48 hedge-hogs and 24 rounds of 3”/50 caliber gun ammunition, performing structural test firing tests.
To be continued...
See you in 16 days and a wake-up!
Cheers,
Woody
posted by Frank A. Wood at 07:54
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