small talk - uss ernest g. small · small talk official newsletter of the uss ernest g. small...

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Small Talk OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION August, 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3 History of the USS Ernest G. Small 1-3 The Veteran 3 The DDR Program John’s Joint Cowboy Wisdom Taps 4 5 6 7 Statement of Publication 8 Inside this issue: © History of the USS Ernest G. Small By: Arnold Dyre, RM2 From January 2, 1968, to short- ly before its decommissioning in the fall of 1970, I was privi- leged to serve as a Navy Radi- oman aboard the Naval de- stroyer warship, USS Ernest G. Small (DD/DDR-838). The USS Ernest G. Small was an Ameri- can Gearing Class destroyer, named aer a Navy hero of World War II, Captain Ernest G. Small, who disnguished him- self as commanding ocer of the Navy cruiser, USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), in a 2-day sea bale on October 11 and 12, 1942, against Japanese surface units of a superior number oSavo Island in the Pacic, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism. USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838) had a displacement of 2,400 tons and was originally launched out of Bath, Maine, in 1945. Powered by four boilers providing a top speed of 35 knots, USS Ernest G. Small car- ried a crew of 350 men and was armed with six 5-inch guns, twelve 40-mm an-aircra guns, eleven 20-mm an- aircra guns and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes arranged in two quintuplets. The ship's shakedown cruise was in Guantanamo Bay and, in January, 1946, the Small sailed for Gibraltar and then began a series of peaceme Mediterra- nean patrols unl August, 1946, when the ship came home for the rst me. In September, 1947, USS Ernest G. Small had the honor of serving as an es- cort ship for the American ag- ship USS Missouri (BB-63) when President Harry S. Truman and his family were being transport- ed back to the States from an ocial visit to Rio de Janeiro. Thereaer, the destroyer USS Ernest G. Small made various Caribbean and Mediterranean peaceme cruises and conduct- ed training exercises in the Atlanc before war broke out in Korea. Then, the Small was sent to join the Seventh Fleet and on June 29, 1950, went through the Panama Canal en route to acon. In Korea, USS Ernest G. Small sailed with aircra carrier forces, red shore bombard- ments, and parcipated in the landings at Inchon in Septem- ber, 1950, and at Wonsan in October, 1950. In December, 1950, the Small helped evacu- ate the Tenth Army Corps from Inchon. In the rst half of 1951, the ship was provided a brief overhaul in San Diego, California, and then headed back to the Far East for a second Korean War tour. In addion to escort du- es for the aircra carrier USS Rendova (CVE-114), the Small parcipated in the naval bom- bardment of Hungnam and was so occupied and under aack from shore when she struck a mine seriously damaging her bow. Nine (9) were killed and eighteen (18) wounded, and four days later heavy seas broke othe ship's bow. Seal- ing othe forward poron ulizing water-ght doors and hatches and ooding the aer tanks to raise the front of the ship up out of the water, the Skipper, ocers and crew suc- cessfully backed the vessel all the way to Japan, where the ship was ed with a makeshi bow and then, was sailed to Long Beach, California. At Long Beach, USS Ernest G. Small was decommissioned but saw life again when the bow of an un- nished destroyer was graed to her hull. The destroyer Small also then underwent a conver- sion to a radar picket destroyer and, reclassied as USS Ernest G. Small (DDR-838), the ship was recommissioned on De- cember 2, 1952. Aer another shakedown cruise and various training exercises othe California coast, USS Labor Day September 2, 2013

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Page 1: Small Talk - USS Ernest G. Small · Small Talk OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION August, 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3 ... Enterprise, USS Ticonderoga, USS Ranger

Small Talk OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION

August, 2013

Volume 5, Issue 3

History of the USS Ernest G. Small

1-3

The Veteran 3

The DDR Program John’s Joint Cowboy Wisdom Taps

4 5 6 7

Statement of Publication

8

Inside this issue:

©

History of the USS Ernest G. Small By: Arnold Dyre, RM2

From January 2, 1968, to short-ly before its decommissioning in the fall of 1970, I was privi-leged to serve as a Navy Radi-oman aboard the Naval de-stroyer warship, USS Ernest G. Small (DD/DDR-838). The USS Ernest G. Small was an Ameri-can Gearing Class destroyer, named a er a Navy hero of World War II, Captain Ernest G. Small, who dis nguished him-self as commanding officer of the Navy cruiser, USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), in a 2-day sea ba le on October 11 and 12, 1942, against Japanese surface units of a superior number off Savo Island in the Pacific, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism.

USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838) had a displacement of 2,400 tons and was originally launched out of Bath, Maine, in 1945. Powered by four boilers providing a top speed of 35 knots, USS Ernest G. Small car-ried a crew of 350 men and was armed with six 5-inch guns, twelve 40-mm an -aircra guns, eleven 20-mm an -aircra guns and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes arranged in two quintuplets.

The ship's shakedown cruise was in Guantanamo Bay and, in

January, 1946, the Small sailed for Gibraltar and then began a series of peace me Mediterra-nean patrols un l August, 1946, when the ship came home for the first me. In September, 1947, USS Ernest G. Small had the honor of serving as an es-cort ship for the American flag-ship USS Missouri (BB-63) when President Harry S. Truman and his family were being transport-ed back to the States from an official visit to Rio de Janeiro.

Therea er, the destroyer USS Ernest G. Small made various Caribbean and Mediterranean peace me cruises and conduct-ed training exercises in the Atlan c before war broke out in Korea. Then, the Small was sent to join the Seventh Fleet and on June 29, 1950, went through the Panama Canal en route to ac on. In Korea, USS Ernest G. Small sailed with aircra carrier forces, fired shore bombard-ments, and par cipated in the landings at Inchon in Septem-ber, 1950, and at Wonsan in October, 1950. In December, 1950, the Small helped evacu-ate the Tenth Army Corps from Inchon.

In the first half of 1951, the ship was provided a brief overhaul in San Diego, California, and then headed back to the Far

East for a second Korean War tour. In addi on to escort du- es for the aircra carrier USS Rendova (CVE-114), the Small par cipated in the naval bom-bardment of Hungnam and was so occupied and under a ack from shore when she struck a mine seriously damaging her bow. Nine (9) were killed and eighteen (18) wounded, and four days later heavy seas broke off the ship's bow. Seal-ing off the forward por on u lizing water- ght doors and hatches and flooding the a er tanks to raise the front of the ship up out of the water, the Skipper, officers and crew suc-cessfully backed the vessel all the way to Japan, where the ship was fi ed with a makeshi bow and then, was sailed to Long Beach, California. At Long Beach, USS Ernest G. Small was decommissioned but saw life again when the bow of an un-finished destroyer was gra ed to her hull. The destroyer Small also then underwent a conver-sion to a radar picket destroyer and, reclassified as USS Ernest G. Small (DDR-838), the ship was recommissioned on De-cember 2, 1952.

A er another shakedown cruise and various training exercises off the California coast, USS

Labor Day

September 2, 2013

Page 2: Small Talk - USS Ernest G. Small · Small Talk OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION August, 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3 ... Enterprise, USS Ticonderoga, USS Ranger

More From John L.

On a recent trip to Portland, Oregon I visited several friends I had not seen in 12 years and one I had not seen in 43 years; my friend and QM mentor, Terry Schreiber. We had a great visit and will resume that visit in Bigfork at the E.G. Small reunion.

This short visit reaffirmed my commitment to ge ng together with friends from days gone bye. Over the years I have made new and valuable friends, but the men I shared 2+ years of my youth “before the mast” and the men I shared 20 intense years in the Na onal Guard and Army Reserves have something that can’t be found anywhere else. I went to Portland to say good-bye to one of those soldiers dying of cancer – I hadn’t seen him in 12 years, but always meant to get “back there” for a visit; to say HI, have a beer and just visit. I didn’t. There was always something – work, family, money, me…….and then one day it’s too late! I hope to bring home a point; If during the past several years, a smile or warm fuzzy feeling came over you thinking about someone or something associated with your me on the Dirty Ernie and you thought “whatever happened to…..” or “I wonder, does anyone else remember that…..” Then you need to come to a reunion. Just do it.! You will not be disappointed.

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Ernest G. Small deployed for her first peace me Far East tour which lasted from July 11, 1953 through January 29, 1954. A ached to Task Force 77, the Small was a unit of the block-ade and escort force for Taiwan and par cipated heavily in Tai-wan Patrol du es. A er an ensuing period of overhaul, the Small went back to Taiwan Patrol and later assumed a defensive posi on to control part of the Seventh Fleet air coverage during the Tachen Islands evacua on in February, 1955. In March, 1955, USS Ern-est G. Small par cipated with Task Group 73 in Opera on Wigwam involving the tes ng of an underwater atomic bomb off the West Coast of the Unit-ed States.

The Small con nued to perform in the Pacific and Far East and, in March, 1959, while on a Pa-cific cruise was assigned to the opera onal control of the Air Force to aid in the Discover earth satellite program. There-a er, the Small rou nely par c-ipated in nose cone recoveries as space explora on advanced.

On June 7, 1964, USS Ernest G. Small's par cipa on in the Vi-etnam War began and, at vari-ous intervals through May 16, 1966, the ship performed oper-a ons off the coast of Vietnam. Commencing in April, 1965, USS Ernest G. Small (DDR-838), along with USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16), was part of the first advance SAR/AAW picket team in the Tonkin Gulf in support of air strike opera ons against North Vietnam. The Small played a key role in the first sea-to-air intercept of an ene-my aircra and is credited with firing the first rounds in Vi-

etnam in support of the Repub-lic of Korea Marines. USS Ernest G. Small went on to par cipate in three (3) more deployments to Vietnam.

I was on board the USS Ernest G. Small for the en rety of its last two (2) Vietnam deploy-ments, the first as a Radioman Pe y Officer Third Class (RM3) and the second as a Radioman Pe y Officer Second Class (RM2). Par cularly during my first Vietnam tour, many of my shipmates had been on the immediately previous deploy-ment when the Small took heavy enemy fire off the coast of North Vietnam on August 27, 1967, and was awarded the Combat Ac on Ribbon.

During my first deployment in addi on to carrier escort du es on Yankee Sta on in the Tonkin Gulf, USS Ernest G. Small oper-ated on the gun line up and down the en re coast of South Vietnam and went into Da Nang Harbor. We performed call-for-fire missions in support of our troops ashore and harassment and interdic on fire missions at night to keep the enemy pinned down and out of mischief. It is unclear how many of the ene-my we killed but, in addi on to our shore bombardment opera- ons, we par cipated in stop-ping, searching, and some mes sinking, countless junks and sampans and sent a good num-ber of their occupants on to eternity. During the 1968-1969 Vietnam deployment (my first), USS Ernest G. Small (DDR-838) earned the Navy Meritorious Unit Commenda on for ac on against the enemy.

On April 15, 1969, just as USS Ernest G. Small was finishing its

mission in Vietnam, a North Korean aircra shot down an unarmed American EC-121 reconnaissance airplane over interna onal waters in the Sea of Japan. The en re 31-man aircrew was killed. The United States responded by ac va ng Task Force 71 (TF-71) and an armada of approximately 40 ships were deployed to the waters off of North Korea, in-cluding the aircra carriers USS Enterprise, USS Ticonderoga, USS Ranger and USS Hornet. The USS Ernest G. Small was one of a screen of 22 destroy-ers escor ng the carriers. In the course of execu ng a con n-gency retalia on plan against North Korea, the USS Small was one of the first ships sent into North Korean waters to clear the area in advance of the main force. Fortunately, the crisis abated and the task force was disbanded without shots being fired. Yet, it was an extremely tense me which today is mere-ly a footnote in history. The men aboard the USS Small were awarded the Armed Forces Expedi onary Medal for service with TF-71 from April 19 thru 27, 1969. Later, they were also awarded the Korea Defense Service Medal for the ship's role in the crisis response.

In between my two Vietnam deployments, USS Ernest G. Small, with me aboard, was sent to the area of Adak, Alas-ka, to par cipate in a nuclear test mission. Before the final Vietnam deployment, some of our ship’s radar capabili es were removed and the ship was reclassified back to USS Ernest G. Small (DD-838).

During its last Vietnam deploy-ment, USS Ernest G. Small pro-

History of the USS Ernest G. Small From Page 1

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Page 3

History of the USS Ernest G. Small From Page 2

ber 8, 2003, the ship was sunk as a target in gunnery exercises.

Over the years, the destroyer USS Ernest G. Small became affec onately known as "The Dirty Ernie" by the men who served aboard the ship and by other sailors throughout the Seventh Fleet. Our Skipper on the next to last Vietnam de-ployment, Commander Robert Mann, recently spoke of the last me he saw the old ship in Guam, stripped and being towed on her way to Taiwan. Skipper Mann, one of the last two surviving commanding

vided gunfire support all along the coast of South Vietnam from the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) to beyond the mouth of the Mekong River. Among oth-er missions and figh ng along-side the HMAS Hobart (D-39), USS Ernest G. Small provided gunfire support for elements of the Australian Army who were helping in Vietnam.

USS Ernest G. Small earned four (4) ba le stars for Korean War service and nine (9) campaign stars for Vietnam service. The old figh ng ship fired its last rounds in anger on August 5,

1970. A er some Far East port visits, the ship then sailed home to Pearl Harbor. There, the ship was decommissioned and stricken from American service on November 13, 1970.

On April 13, 1971, the ship was transferred to the Republic of Taiwan and became ROCS Fu Yang (DD-7). It performed Tai-wan Patrol missions just as it had done many mes before as the USS Ernest G. Small and, for a while, was the flagship of the Taiwan Navy. In December, 1999, ROCS Fu Yang (DD-7) was decommissioned and on Octo-

officers of USS Ernest G. Small, said, "It was sad, and at the me I was sorry as I went down to bid her goodbye. But the Ernie G. was not that hunk of rusted metal, Old Dirty Ernie was the crew that had manned her all those years."

The USS Ernest G. Small (DD/DDR-838) has a long and enviable record of service to our country and our allies. None of it should be for-go en. --Arnold Dyre, former RM2 (USN)

Goes off to serve his country And offers up his life? The poli cian's s pend And the style in which he lives, Are o en dispropor onate, To the service that he gives. While the ordinary Veteran, Who offered up his all, Is paid off with a medal And perhaps a pension, small. It is not the poli cians With their compromise and ploys, Who won for us the freedom That our country now enjoys. Should you find yourself in danger, With your enemies at hand, Would you really want some cop-out, With his ever waffling stand? Or would you want a Veteran His home, his country, his kin, Just a common Veteran,

He was ge ng old and paunchy And his hair was falling fast, And he sat around the Legion, Telling stories of the past. Of a war that he once fought in And the deeds that he had done, In his exploits with his buddies; They were heroes, every one. And 'tho some mes to his neighbors His tales became a joke, All his buddies listened quietly For they knew where of he spoke. But we'll hear his tales no long-er, For ol' Joe has passed away, And the world's a li le poorer For a Veteran died today. He won't be mourned by many, Just his children and his wife. For he lived an ordinary, Very quiet sort of life.

He held a job and raised a fami-ly, Going quietly on his way; And the world won't note his passing, 'Tho a Veteran died today. When poli cians leave this earth, Their bodies lie in state, While thousands note their passing, And proclaim that they were great. Papers tell of their life stories From the me that they were young But the passing of a Veteran Goes unno ced, and unsung. Is the greatest contribu on To the welfare of our land, Some jerk who breaks his promise And cons his fellow man? Or the ordinary fellow Who in mes of war and strife,

Who would fight un l the end. He was just a common Veteran, And his ranks are growing thin, But his presence should remind us We may need his likes again. For when countries are in con-flict, We find the Veteran's part Is to clean up all the troubles That the poli cians start. If we cannot do him honor While he's here to hear the praise, Then at least let's give him homage At the ending of his days. Perhaps just a simple headline In the paper that might say: "OUR COUNTRY IS IN MOURN-ING,

A VETERAN DIED TODAY."

The Veteran - Anon

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the highest speed in an a empt to track low flying aircra , the antenna would o en wind up on the deck below. There was an urgent need for pla orms with specialized height-finding radar, radio beacon equipment, and the ability to dis nguish between friendly and enemy aircra .

Thus was born the DDR in 1945. Twenty-four GEARING class destroyers were converted to address this need. The stand-ard prac ce was to take a de-stroyer in hand immediately a er shakedown and install the associated equipment. The main radar was the SP, normal-ly found on cruisers and larger ships. It was mounted on a special mast just forward of the Number 2 stack. Because the radar was so large and so heavy, it was necessary to land something else to compensate for the added weight, and the forward torpedo tubes were sacrificed.

There were a few DDR’s at Oki-nawa, but not nearly enough.

A er the war, the DDR became an even more important part of the fleet, and was so highly valued that twelve more were ordered to be converted in FY 1952. Electronics had improved since 1945, and these twelve were equipped with the new SPS-8 radar.

The original 24 ships had their SP replaced by the SPS-8. The new radar was even larger and heavier than the SP, and re-quired a deckhouse for support, located between the Number 2 stack and Mount 53.

The DDR’s served through the 1950’s un l larger ships with more sophis cated equipment entered into service. Most of the DDR’s reverted to DD status when they received their FRAM conversion in the early 1960’s, but six retained their DDR sta-tus. They were equipped with the SPS-30, the newest and last of the height finding radars, as well as powerful new sonars. These remaining six DDR’s re-ceived FRAM II.

The chart below lists the ten GEARING class destroyers that received FRAM II modifica ons. The USS FRANK KNOX was the first, therefore the class is re-ferred to as the FRANK KNOX class. A few other GEARINGS received FRAM II instead of FRAM I due to money consider-a ons.

Note: I missed FRAM II super-structure modifica on, arriving on the Small in April, 1962. We were in Hunter’s Point again in 1963 for installa on of VDS and the infamous “Bubble Ma-chine”. Both were tested in Puget Sound in the summer of 1963. Upon our return to Long Beach, CA in the fall of 1963, we went into a final Pre-deployment overhaul. The “Bubble Machine” was re-moved and the SPS-30 was installed. The DASH system was never installed or de-ployed on the O1 Level A .

Small was reconfigured as DD-838 in 1970, prior to her final WESTPAC and then being stricken in November, 1970.

Editor’s note: The source of this ar cle and the date of its origi-nal publica on is unknown; it ended up in a stack of papers upon my return from the 2010 San Diego Reunion. It had been cut and pasted from the original publica on. I credit the author in the byline (above).

The Radar Picket destroyer was born out of an urgent need for early warning, or for that ma er just an improved method of de-tec on. Late in WW II, the Japa-nese began a acking at very low levels, and also from directly overhead (azimuth). In both areas, our means of detec on were almost nonexistent., Air search radar could not pick up aircra flying just a few feet above the water, nor could it detect aircra flying directly overhead. It is true that surface search radar could not detect a low flying aircra , but by the me the antenna made another sweep, the aircra had come and gone. The surface search radar of the me (SG) had three anten-na rota on speeds. When set to

Page 4

The DDR Program by Chic Sale USS CONE (DD-866)

Type GEARING - FRAM II, ex DDR

805 Chevalier Long Beach 08/62

807 Benner Long Beach 02/63

830 Everett F. Larson Long Beach 01/63

877 Perkins Long Beach 11/62

Type GEARING - FRAM II DDR

713 Kenneth D. Bailey Charleston 10/60

742 Frank Knox Mare Island 05/61

831 Goodrich Norfolk 09/60

834 Turner New York 08/60

838 Ernest G. Small San Francisco 08/61

874 Duncan Long Beach 06/61

As seen here, the USS ERNEST G. SMALL (DDR-838) underway in the Western Pacific, circa 1965. Her radar and electronics suite is iden -cal to that of the KENNETH D. BAILY. The tow body for the SQS-31/32 VDS (Variable Depth Sonar) can be clearly seen nested in its frame in the SQA-10 hoist mechanism. The VDS fi ed in the FRAM II DDRs worked in conjunc on with their SQS-23 or SQS-29/32 hull mounted sonar. A VDS system consisted of a transducer in a hydro-dynamic towed vehicle and a mechanism for lowering, towing, and raising the vehicle. An array of wires running within the towing cable electrically connected the towed vehicle to the ship.

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Page 5

John’s Joint Joint n. 3[an establishment, par cularly one providing entertainment] hangout, dive, hole-in-the wall.

ident Nixon’s trip in 1972. For whatever reason, we DID dodge a bullet.

A er a short stay in Subic we would arrive off the coast of RVN on 19 JUL and spend the next 18 days shelling the south-east and southwest coast of RVN in support of Australian, ARVN, and US Forces (Army, Marines and Naval). The next 18 days were filled with gunfire support missions, weighing anchor – moving a couple of miles and another gunfire sup-port mission, then at least one unrep – maybe as many as 3 unreps a day and then back to the gun line. In between this we had our regular du es and assignments to perform. We didn’t get much sleep or rest. On 05 JUL we were relieved of gun line duty; rendezvous with the USS Strauss and head to a well deserved period of R&R in Bangkok. While on the gun line we had been called on for fire support missions/targets at least 50 mes, expending a minimum of 2600 rounds – that’s in the neighborhood of 145 everyday!

During this me we also had 2 on-board fires, one in the for-ward diesel room – MMC Gra-ley and his team brought it under control in less than an hour and one in the supply office, it was out in about 10 min. In both cases, we were right back at gun-fire support within minutes and no casual- es.

On 25JUL we un-repped with the USS Taluga receiving sup-plies, fuel and ammo and sever-al new shipmates. In case you have forgo en the following were high-lined to us: ENS Schur, YN1 Beach, BT1 Wallace, BT3 Lightner, FN Cassidy, FN

This quarter’s issue will cover the final 3 months of EG Small’s last WestPac/Cruise. Upon our return in September we would begin the “decommissioning” process, the “Dirty Ernie” would never again put to sea under the American Flag.

The first of July saw the Small in Hong Kong; we had now been out of Pearl 121 days, spending 93 at sea. We would end the day at sea, on our way back to Yankee Sta on and plane guard duty with the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA 31).

At 1844HRS on 07JUL we re-lieved the USS Edson (DD 946) of Trawler Surveillance duty, beginning one of the most ba-zaar assignments the Small had while I was on board. We be-gan shadowing a Russian Trawl-er and it began heading due north, straight for the southern under-belly of Red China. We followed that trawler for 2 days and at 1945HRS on 09JUL Con-di on II with MT 51 manned and armed (just short of GQ) was set. We were well within the territorial waters that Red China claimed, but far outside the Interna onal Territorial Waters(2 miles) and we were surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds of small fishing type boats. We slowed to a crawl – 8 to 11 knots and were con-stantly maneuvering to avoid the small boats. At 2248 HRS two larger ships came into the area – about the size of small gunboats/patrol boats – armed with .50Cal MG, maybe 3” or smaller single barrel mounts and may have had torpedo capabili es. The following is an excerpt from the official log:

“2307HRS: Contacts India and Julie e appear to be joining the trawler that this ship

is following, contact India turned parallel to the trawler, contact Julie e is crossing our bow.

“2318HRS: Contacts India and Julie e have returned to their original course and appear to be depar ng the area.

“2325HRS: Contacts India and Julie e changed course and are now paralleling our course and speed, at 5000 and 9000 yards, respec vely.

We would con nue to move closer to the mainland of Red China, CIC would iden fy MIG Jet bogies approaching from bases in Red China. We will get within 3 miles of the mainland and then break-off our surveil-lance as the trawler would con- nue on to some port in China. There is nothing men oned in the log about what happened next, just that we would begin to leave the area shortly a er midnight on 10JUL, rendezvous with the oiler Passumpsic at noon, refuel and be officially relieved of surveillance duty at 1854 HRS on 10 JUL and head directly to Subic Bay.

What I do remember is the uneasy feeling when we began our turn to leave the trawler and it escorts…..would we be allowed to go peacefully, would the MIGs break off……what was certain, if unspoken – we would not go quietly like the Pueblo. If a fight was to be had, a fight it would be.

To this day, I believe the Red Chinese held back – not just because the Small was no small poorly armed surveillance ship – but also at this me Henry Kissinger was in deep secret nego a ons for his eventual trip to Red China to set up Pres-

Burne and FA Hansen. We did send to the Taluga; SN Juene-man, SN Smith and SN Alejandro.

This stay on the gun line would be our last assignment related to Viet Nam and the USS Ernest G Small (DD 838)’s last combat mission!

A er 4 full days in Bangkok, we would depart and go directly to Subic – unload most of our remaining ammo and then head for Kaohsiung, Taiwan. This stop was from 18 AUG to 20 AUG and may well have been for the Taiwanese Navy to give the Ole Dirty Ernie the once over……..

From Kaohsiung we set sail for Yokosuka, Japan arriving on 24 AUG. Taking care of business for return to Pearl took 3days on 27 AUG we were on our way home to Pearl with just a short fuel stop in Midway.

The USS Ernest G Small (DD838) made her successful return to Home Port, USNS Pearl Harbor, Berth B26 at 1019 HRS 04 SEP 70.

The Small would make several moves within the confines of Pearl Harbor, but never set to sea flying the US Flag. We were ini ally under the impression that the ship would be sold to a Greek firm for dismantling/scrapping, so we proceeded to disable her ability to get under-way on her own power and remove other items of value/usefulness – but necessary to naviga on and being able to go to sea. Word would eventually be received that the Small’s days as a produc ve, powerful figh ng ship of the sea were not over…..she was to be given to the Taiwanese Navy and con nue to ply the seas in de-fense of Na onalist China in the Straights of Formosa and Sea of Philippines for another 30+ years.

More later, John

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Page 6

Cowboy Wisdom By John Lewis QM3, 1968-1970

Recently a very good friend of mine passed away, he was an old cowboy from the high plains of Colorado.

Years ago my father in law passed away, he was an old cowboy from the mountains of Wyoming. They had a lot in common and the follow-ing is a list of those com-monali es.

Some came directly from them, others have come from many sources, mostly anonymous – none from me personally.

Generally speaking fancy tles and nightshirts are a waste of me.

Never drop your gun to hug a grizzly.

If you’re ridin’ ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and them to make sure its s ll there.

A body can pretend to care, but they can’t pretend to be there.

A lot of good luck is unde-served, but then so is a lot of bad luck.

Don’t squat with yer spurs on.

There’s a lot more to ridin’ a horse than just si n’ in the saddle and le ng yer feet hang down.

You can never step in the same river twice.

No ma er who says what, don’t believe it if it don’t make sense.

Don’t ever interfere with something that ain’t bother-in’ you none.

Timin’ has a lot to do with

the outcome of a rain dance.

A er weeks of beans and taters, even a change to taters and beans is good.

Never take to sawin’ on the branch that’s suppor ng you, unless yer bein’ hung from it.

Never kick a fresh turd on a hot day.

The easiest way to eat crow is while it’s s ll warm.

If you find yourself in a hole, the first thing to do is stop digging. (my personal favor-ite)

If it don’t seem like its worth the effort it probably ain’t.

It don’t take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep.

The biggest liar you’ll ever have to deal with probably watches you shave his face in the mirror every morning.

Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.

Always drink upstream of the herd.

No one is listenin’ un l you make a mistake.

Always remember you’re unique – just like everyone else.

Never test the depth of the water with both feet.

It may be that yer sole pur-pose in life is simply to serve as a warnin’ to others.

It is far more impressive when others discover yer good quali es without yer help.

If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a

couple of car payments.

If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anythin’. (my 2nd favorite)

If you lend someone $20, and you never see that per-son again – it was probably worth it.

Remember, when someone annoys you, it takes 42 mus-cles in yer face to frown,

but it only takes 4 mus-cles to extend yer arm and smack that jerk upside the head.

The things that come to those who wait are what’s le behind by those who got there first.

Never underes mate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Taxa on with representa- on isn’t so hot either.

Some days yer the bug and some days yer the wind-shield.

If at first you don’t succeed, skydivin’ may not be for you.

Never ask a barber if you need a haircut.

The quickest way to double yer money is to fold it in half and put it back in yer pock-et.

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side and a dark side and it holds the uni-verse together.

I didn’t say it was your fault. I said I was goin’ to blame you.

Eagles may soar, but wea-sels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

There are 2 theories to ar-guing with women. Neither one works.

Never miss a good chance to shut up.

Generally speakin’, you’re not learnin’ much when yer mouth is movin’.

Anythin’ worth takin’ seri-ous is worth makin’ fun of.

Diplomacy is the art of say-in’ “Good Doggie”, while lookin’ for a BIG STICK.

Before you cri cize some-one, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you do cri cize them, yer a mile away and you have their shoes.

Experience is somethin’ you don’t git un l just a er you need it.

The problem with the gene pool is there is no life guard.

Don’t be irreplaceable; if you can’t be replaced – you can’t be promoted

Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly.

If you are joining us in Montana this September, you may be beneficiary of more of these pearls of wisdom when you interact with the na ves. They’re a hardy lot; last bas on of the “Old West”.

John

Page 7: Small Talk - USS Ernest G. Small · Small Talk OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION August, 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3 ... Enterprise, USS Ticonderoga, USS Ranger

Page 7

Taps

Small Talk was no fied of the death of the following shipmates. The en re crew extends our sympathy to family and friends. If anyone knows of a deceased shipmate please inform the Small Talk so he can be recognized in TAPS and also be listed on the honor roll at the reunion memorial service.

Name Rank Served City Deceased Herbert C. Dyck RM3 1946-1948 Washington, KS 08/01/2013 Richard Earl SA 1950-1951 Lewiston, ID 08/11/2012

Richard served in the U.S. Navy for 22 years from 1949-71. He was a ship serviceman 2nd class. He re-ceived the Na onal Defense Service Medal twice, the Purple Heart, the Vietnam Service Medal 3 stars, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.

Richard Holcombe SO2 1945-1946 Lindale, GA 04/25/2013 Francis Krajcovic ME3 1953-1956 Barberton, OH 05/10/2011

Dear Friends, Regretfully, I must inform you that my dear sailor husband, Herbert C. Dyck, passed away 1 August 2012. He loved reading your newsletters because he had such fond memories of The Dirty Ernie. We were sweethearts in those long ago days in the late 40s and I wrote hundreds of letters in purple ink to him (I wrote every day). We were married in November 1948, a month or so after his discharge. We were married almost 64 years when he died. Yes, I heard stories about the Navy for 67 years. Herb was extremely proud that our two younger sons both served in the US Navy in the 1980s. Many thanks for sending him the newsletter. Alice (Mrs. Herbert C.) Dyck

The Ernest G. Small Associa on welcomes the most recently located members of ship’s crew to our Associa on. Ray McTague, RDSN 1945-1946 P.O. Box 202, Camarillo, CA 93011 805-987-6696 August Schoen, SN 1951-1952 13775 Bremen Rd., Elberta, AL 36530 251-979-0056

Welcome Aboard

Page 8: Small Talk - USS Ernest G. Small · Small Talk OFFICIAL NEWSLETTER OF THE USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION August, 2013 Volume 5, Issue 3 ... Enterprise, USS Ticonderoga, USS Ranger

USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION P.O. BOX 3485 HAYWARD, CA 94540 Phone: (510) 453-8981 Email: [email protected] Web Site: www.ussernestgsmall.org

USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION Page 8

STATEMENT OF PUBLICATION

The SMALL TALK is the official publica on of the USS ERNEST G. SMALL ASSOCIATION. It will be published quarterly. SMALL TALK is funded by voluntary contribu ons from our membership. There are no dues. All members are encouraged to support the voice of the Ernest G. Small. A financial statement appears in each issue of the newsle er.

SMALL TALK is a medium for members to share their experiences, express opinions and offer sugges ons or crea ve cri cism.

Unless otherwise stated, all views and opinions are those of the contribu ng writer, and do not represent the opinion of the Associa on leadership or the Editor.

All le ers and stories submi ed will be considered for publica on, except le ers that are unsigned. Le ers reques ng writer’s name be withheld will be honored, but published on a space available basis. Signed le ers with no restric ons will be given priority.

Le ers demeaning to another shipmate and le ers promo ng a poli cal posi on will not be printed.

SMALL TALK editors are not responsible for the accuracy of ar cles submi ed for publica on. Ar cles of historical merit should be researched and verified by the author for their accuracy.

Our Contributors

FINANCIAL STATEMENT

July 31, 2013

Cash Balance on 01/31/13 $715.23

Donations as of 05/01-07/31 $745.00

Subtotal $1,460.23

Less:

Exp. Paid through 04/30/13 $938.59

Cash Balance $521.64

Please send your donation to:

USS Ernest G. Small Association. P.O. Box 3485 Hayward, CA 94540

Robb Nunes Asst. Editor & Web Support

Dennis Vinson Editor & Webmaster

Earl Ballard BM2 1954-1957 Howard Brenz RD2 1949-1952 John Cromwell CDR 1969-1970 Al Den no RM2 1949-1952 James Dishman SK3 1945-1946 In memory of H.E. Coker SN1c 1945-1946 Ron Hoffart STG2 1965-1967 Dave Holmes RD2 1963-1966

Lee Jarre EM2 1968-1970 Kent Lee BT2 1953-1955 John Lewis QM3 1968-1970 Hilary Lingner FN 1954-1956 Orient Muse SN3 1948-1952 Roger Pa erson EN2 1967-1969 Bert Royster STG2 1964-1966 Jimmy Vess MM3 1967-1969

notes the end of summer and, for us, is a sign that our annual reunion is near at hand.

It has been an exci ng year; comple ng the Incorpora on of our Associa on and preparing for our reunion in Montana. This is the last reunion that I will host. I have enjoyed the past four years, and with some degree of sadness, I hand the coordina ng task off to John Lewis’ capable hands.

With my new found “free me”, I hope to devote more effort in upda ng our web-site, improving the content and quality of Small Talk, and more importantly, research-ing Naval Archives for a fuller history of the USS Ernest G. Small and her shipmates.

Have a great Labor Day!

WETSU!

Dennis

Our Staf f

Richard Glogowski Librarian & Contributor

John Lewis Contributor

2014 Reunion Coordinator

I want to thank you, again, for the gener-ous contribu ons to the Associa on. They are the life blood of all we do. I hope you have all had a great summer. Labor Day de-