50 Years Ago Today –Mullinnix Engages USS The Sullivans DD-537

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

26 September, the crew was once again at GQ at midnight. By 0025 they were simulating firing main battery on surface raider. At 0829 Mullinnix was steaming at 20 knots to intercept contact bearing 040T, distance 11,400 yards. At 0842 she sighted the contact and identified it as non other than USS The Sullivans DD-537.

The five Sullivan brothers enlisted in the Navy and served together aboard the cruiser USS Juneau. On 13 November 1942, while fighting off Guadalcanal, the five brothers died with seven hundred other sailors when the USS Juneau was sunk by a Japanese submarine. President Roosevelt directed that one of the new Fletcher class destroyers be named after the brothers. The USS The Sullivans was launched in San Francisco on April 4, 1943.

The ship sported the shamrock of Ireland on her forward stack and sailed into World War II with 23 crew members named Sullivan. She fought in the Marshalls, Carolines, Mariannas and Philippines and earned nine battle stars. After deployment in Korea, the Cuban blockade, and the rescue efforts for the sub Thresher, she was laid up. The vessel was acquired by the City of Buffalo and is on display at the Buffalo and Erie county Naval & Servicemen's park. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.

To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody

50 Years Ago Today –Mullinnix Crosses the Arctic Circle, Becoming Blue Noses

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

Fire Control Technicians Howard McGee and Brian Smythe sat on the mess decks, trying their best to finish chow.

“This sucks!”

“What?”

“Steaming, steaming, steaming and doing what? Where’s the rest of fuckin’ NATO”? asked Smythe. “I hate waiting!”

“I’ve spent more time in the chow line than you’ve been in the navy, Smythe.”

“You wouldn’t think looking at a cup of coffee for two minutes was a long time. But you just try it sometime, it’s an eternity.”

“Things are looking up. Tomorrow we earned our Blue Nose.” Said McGee.

Indeed. On 20 September, Mullinnix crossed the Arctic Circle, enshrining the crew into the ‘Northern Domain of the Polar Bear’.

Mullinnix steamed into a purpling sky. The crew could hear the blowers speed up, the vibration increase in pitch and intensity, seeing the wake spread out as she dug her tail in. The sea was running in long rolling swells, sparkling with light on the crests and dark grey with the depth of the ocean in the dips. You could hear the Atlantic’s low grumble, as if it were getting mad.

Midwatch, 21 September, the US fleet met up with ships from the NATO fleet in the Norwegian Sea – HMS Ark Royal R-09, HMS Hermes R-12, HMS Camperdown D-32, HMS Defender D-114, HMS Darling D-05, HMS Delight D-119, HMS Dainty D-108, HMS Camperdown D-32, HMS Nootica DDE-215, and HMCS Haida DDE-213 (British Tribal Class destroyers built for Canada).

Civil twilight was listed as 5:45 AM, a naval term referring to the first glimpse of a defined horizon. Smythe took a drink. The coffee was like battery acid – or was that his stomach? He’d been called to the aft director to aid in the search for unidentified radar contacts. Mullinnix, along with USS Willis DE-1027 and HMS Iroquois DDE-217 were on patrol. McGee had ask him to train the two new FTSN in the operation of the director itself and the Rangefinder. He’d be stuck here all fucking day.

The rhythmic six foot swells forced Mullinnix to roll with the ocean. At 1758 the IMC barked, “Darken ship! Show no white lights topsides!” Smythe couldn’t remember a longer or worst day than this. He’d sent the two FTSNs to chow about 30 minutes ago just so he could have a few minutes of piece and quite.

“Hey deuce bag, you still in there,” yelled McGee has he climbed the ladder to the top of the director.

Recognizing McGee’s voice, “Ram it up your ass – sidewise!”

“Yea? And I hope your next shit is square! Hey, I heard the skivvywaver announce over the bitch box that the breadburners have creamed foreskins on toast and SOS ready on the mess decks. You interested?”

Ignoring the menu update, “This is the last shit detail you dump on me for a long time brother. Those two are stone cold fucking stupid! The skinny one, what’s his fuckin’ name? He’s ten hairs away from a fucking baboon! My fun meter is fucking pegged!”

“Tell me how you really feel, why don’t you?” asked McGee.

“Not worth a shit, but thanks for asking.”

“Well, maybe I can cheer you up.”

A fireman apprentice had learned of “it” from a cook rumored to be in the know, who’d gotten it from a steward completely on the up-and-up, who’d heard it firsthand from one of the boot-Ensigns, who’d been invited to a strategy session held by the XO.

“Rumor has it we are getting liberty in Antwerp, Belgium. Can you believe that shit?”
“You wouldn’t lie to me would you McGee? I’m in dire need of some good news for a change.”

“Nope. Word has it, we have a few more days at sea. Then onto Antwerp!”

“Maybe things are looking up a bit. I woke up with a boner the size of a 3” shell this morning.”

To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody

50 Years Ago Today –Mullinnix Participants in NATO Exercises

Excerpt from “The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944” - A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

The NATO FALL EXERCISES began on 6 September as Mullinnix with COMDESRON 32 embarked, deployed for NATO fleet operations per COMCARDIV SIX OP-ORDER 56-60. Besides Northampton and Norfolk, she was steaming in the company of Laffey, USS Willis A. Lee DL-4, USS Shangri-La CVA-38, and USS Boston CLG-1. The ship’s crew sharpened the skills on ECM exercises, helicopter details, masking and narrow eave maneuvers. At one point, on 10 September, Mullinnix was part of a 14 ship eccentric circular screen. Later that same day, she topped off her fuel tanks with almost 70,000 gallons of NSFO, courtesy of USS Caloosahatchee AO-98.

With preparation complete, the fleet headed north. Mullinnix was in the company of many of the Navy’s finest ships of the day. It literary read like a ‘who’s who’ in modern warships. Name’s like Shangri-La, Essex, Northampton, Boston, Macon, Norfolk, Mitscher, to name a few. The other NATO countries would surely know when the ‘big guns’ appeared on station.

Besides the Caloosahatchee, fuel oil was supplied by a number of oilers and larger ships, including USS Nantahala AO-60 and USS Trucker AO-147. As the days passed, the fleet grew in number when they were joined by ships from DESRON 4, DESRON 32, DESRON 20, DESDIV 82. In the wee hours of 15 September, Mullinnix was operating with 20 other US ships.

A ship is a jealous spouse, always demanding attention of some short – chipping rust, painting, preventive maintenance, testing, repairing, more chipping, more painting. The hectic watches when the exacting minuet of haze-gray shapes racing at flank speed keeps all hands on a razor edge of alertness. On top of the normal routine, the demands of steaming in the North Atlantic in conjunction with the pressure to perform flawlessly in the upcoming exercises took its toll on some of the crew. On 16 September, Seaman Ray O’Rourke and SK2 George Bombardiere were up for Captain’s mast for sleeping on watch and indirect disobedience of an order respectively.

The sea was green and black, doomed by a sky bursting with stars, so cold in their configuration they seemed to smoke like dry ice. The air was damp and cloudy, the sea a wintry gray and the tang of salt strong on the wind. Midday on 19 September, she received mail from USS Alstede AF-48.

To be continued...
Cheers,
Woody