OF
THE USS KRETCHMER (DE 329)
IN WORLD WAR II
by
Dick Sheridan
For the Men of the Kretchmer and their Mates
Lawrence, Kansas
September, 1991
Revised by Art Palmer
Webster City, Iowa
November, 2000
USS KRETCHMER (DE 329)
BROOKLYN NAVY YARD
1945
RICHARD SHERIDAN
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Richard served on the Kretchmer from December 1943 until 1945.
He was assigned to the Communication division. His duties included standing deck
watches, communications duties, including coding and decoding messages,
custodian of registered publications.
Richard married Audrey Marion Porter in October 1952. They have one son and one daughter.
After leaving the Kretchmer in 1945, Dick secured his M.S. Degree in Education from the University of Kansas (K.U.) in 1947. He received his Ph.D. degree in Economic History from the University of London in 1951. From 1952 thru 1988, he rose from Assistant to Full Professor at the University of Kansas. He retired in 1988.
Dick and Audrey have visited England and the Caribbean Islands over the years, mostly for historical research and writing.
He claims to be a general handyman around the house, has a computer which he uses as a word processor and in his "old age" has taken an interest in local history and genealogy.
His shipmates thank him for the time and effort he has put into this history of the U.S.S. KRETCHMER. They appreciate it very much.
I am grateful for the help of numerous shipmates and mates who encouraged me to persevere in writing the history of the KRETCHMER from her commissioning in 1943 until her second and final decommissioning in 1973 and scrapping in 1974. At the beginning I had only a copy of the four-page typescript History of the USS KRETCHMER (DE-329), issued by the Ships' Histories Section, Division of Naval History, Navy Department in Washington, D.C., 1955. With due respect for the author's accuracy, this official history is only a sketch or skeleton of our ship's operations in all three combat areas during World War II and it was written before the KRETCHMER was taken out of mothballs in 1956, converted into a radar picket ship for active duty during the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Fortunately, at each of our three KRETCHMER reunions in recent years, shipmates have told me of their experiences on ship and shore; and, better still, a fair number have supplied me with valuable materials for which I am deeply indebted. Without these records I could not have written a history about life on board ship and in liberty ports, as well as about our operations as an effective combat unit.
In writing Part 1 on our operations in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean theaters of war, I am much indebted to Henry Asmar for supplying me with the notes he kept as a radioman on the KRETCHMER. I also thank Henry Hyde, Soundman First class, for writing to inform me how the Sonar was repaired; to Mike DeChicio and Bill Peralta for permission to quote the long extract from The Mighty "K", the ship's newspaper; to Ted Webb for writing to tell me of his experiences as a seaman; to Joe Quigley for his account of the torpedoing -- albeit a "tame" torpedo -- of our ship at Key West; to Tom Bullfinch for his vivid account of the hurricane in New York harbor; and to other shipmates who related incidents of our ship's history.
In writing Part 2 on the Pacific War, I am indebted to Tom Bulfinch for making his War Diary available to me. It has been indispensable for making clear our day-to-day operations, the rescue of the prisoners-of-war from Formosa, and the story of the Japanese junk we towed into Okinawa. Henry Samara’s "Notes", which were very helpful in writing the Atlantic side of our history, have also been useful for the period from late May to early August of 1945, which included the KRETCHMER'S transit of the Panama Canal and our stay in Pearl Harbor. The editors of The Mighty "K", Mike DeChicio, Bill Peralta, and Eddie Johler gathered together materials that bring out the human interest side of the KRETCHMER. I thank them for helping me to write a more personal and anecdotal history rather than one that is dry as dust official history. Useful and interesting letters and enclosures were sent me by Carroll McElrath, James Fishel, Ted Webb, and Dwane Robinson. Fishel sent an attractive booklet which contains many photographs of destroyer Escorts and data pertaining thereto.
As I left the KRETCHMER in Manila before it returned to the States via Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon, Indian Ocean, Suez Mediterranean, and Atlantic Ocean, I was at a loss how to cope with this most interesting Part 3 of our history. Again I was fortunate, for at our reunion at St. Cloud, Minnesota, Bill Peralta lent me a copy of his "Homeward Bound” diary that he kept on a daily basis. As with the Captain's “War Diary,” it has been indispensable and should provide a stock of anecdotes to keep our reunions going well into the twenty-first century. Charley Manning was also a member of the crew on the long voyage home and his descriptions of the ports of call and other materials in his history of our ship have been of much help in my endeavor.
My good luck in filling gaps in our ship's history actually began at the Emporia Reunion when Allen W. Wilson, a member of the crew on the KRETCHMER as a Destroyer Escort Radar, gave me a copy of the booklet describing the Decommissioning Ceremony of the ship and a short history of its operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Vietnam theaters of both the "Cold War" and "Hot War" from 1956 to 1973. My thanks to Allan Wilson and also to Dwane Robinson who passed on to me more printed material on the KRETCHMER and DER 329 that was sent him by Henry Moll and Ronnie Guertermous, also crew members.
Dick Sheridan
Lawrence, Kansas
17 September 1991
I have been very fortunate in the past few years in obtaining some pictures that further emphasize some of the events discussed by Dick Sheridan in the “History of the Kretchmer”.
I took the liberty of inserting them into appropriate places in the “History” and sent a revised copy to Dick Sheridan for his approval. Dick has graciously given me his permission to make this revised version of the “History of the Kretchmer” available to our shipmates.
I was encouraged to include my account of the “banquet” at Hoi How, Hainan Island, on page 52, by several shipmates and first mates after telling about it at our reunion in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dick and Audrey have not been able to attend the recent reunions due to health reasons, but they say that Dwane “Red” Robinson keeps them informed about the reunions.
Thank you Dick for allowing me to be part of this revised “History of the Kretchmer".
Art Palmer
Webster City, Iowa
4 November 2000
Richard married Audrey Marion Porter in October 1952. They have one son and one daughter.
After leaving the Kretchmer in 1945, Dick secured his M.S. Degree in Education from the University of Kansas (K.U.) in 1947. He received his Ph.D. degree in Economic History from the University of London in 1951. From 1952 thru 1988, he rose from Assistant to Full Professor at the University of Kansas. He retired in 1988.
Dick and Audrey have visited England and the Caribbean Islands over the years, mostly for historical research and writing.
He claims to be a general handyman around the house, has a computer which he uses as a word processor and in his "old age" has taken an interest in local history and genealogy.
His shipmates thank him for the time and effort he has put into this history of the U.S.S. KRETCHMER. They appreciate it very much.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I am grateful for the help of numerous shipmates and mates who encouraged me to persevere in writing the history of the KRETCHMER from her commissioning in 1943 until her second and final decommissioning in 1973 and scrapping in 1974. At the beginning I had only a copy of the four-page typescript History of the USS KRETCHMER (DE-329), issued by the Ships' Histories Section, Division of Naval History, Navy Department in Washington, D.C., 1955. With due respect for the author's accuracy, this official history is only a sketch or skeleton of our ship's operations in all three combat areas during World War II and it was written before the KRETCHMER was taken out of mothballs in 1956, converted into a radar picket ship for active duty during the Cold War and the Vietnam War. Fortunately, at each of our three KRETCHMER reunions in recent years, shipmates have told me of their experiences on ship and shore; and, better still, a fair number have supplied me with valuable materials for which I am deeply indebted. Without these records I could not have written a history about life on board ship and in liberty ports, as well as about our operations as an effective combat unit.
In writing Part 1 on our operations in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Mediterranean theaters of war, I am much indebted to Henry Asmar for supplying me with the notes he kept as a radioman on the KRETCHMER. I also thank Henry Hyde, Soundman First class, for writing to inform me how the Sonar was repaired; to Mike DeChicio and Bill Peralta for permission to quote the long extract from The Mighty "K", the ship's newspaper; to Ted Webb for writing to tell me of his experiences as a seaman; to Joe Quigley for his account of the torpedoing -- albeit a "tame" torpedo -- of our ship at Key West; to Tom Bullfinch for his vivid account of the hurricane in New York harbor; and to other shipmates who related incidents of our ship's history.
In writing Part 2 on the Pacific War, I am indebted to Tom Bulfinch for making his War Diary available to me. It has been indispensable for making clear our day-to-day operations, the rescue of the prisoners-of-war from Formosa, and the story of the Japanese junk we towed into Okinawa. Henry Samara’s "Notes", which were very helpful in writing the Atlantic side of our history, have also been useful for the period from late May to early August of 1945, which included the KRETCHMER'S transit of the Panama Canal and our stay in Pearl Harbor. The editors of The Mighty "K", Mike DeChicio, Bill Peralta, and Eddie Johler gathered together materials that bring out the human interest side of the KRETCHMER. I thank them for helping me to write a more personal and anecdotal history rather than one that is dry as dust official history. Useful and interesting letters and enclosures were sent me by Carroll McElrath, James Fishel, Ted Webb, and Dwane Robinson. Fishel sent an attractive booklet which contains many photographs of destroyer Escorts and data pertaining thereto.
As I left the KRETCHMER in Manila before it returned to the States via Hong Kong, Singapore, Ceylon, Indian Ocean, Suez Mediterranean, and Atlantic Ocean, I was at a loss how to cope with this most interesting Part 3 of our history. Again I was fortunate, for at our reunion at St. Cloud, Minnesota, Bill Peralta lent me a copy of his "Homeward Bound” diary that he kept on a daily basis. As with the Captain's “War Diary,” it has been indispensable and should provide a stock of anecdotes to keep our reunions going well into the twenty-first century. Charley Manning was also a member of the crew on the long voyage home and his descriptions of the ports of call and other materials in his history of our ship have been of much help in my endeavor.
My good luck in filling gaps in our ship's history actually began at the Emporia Reunion when Allen W. Wilson, a member of the crew on the KRETCHMER as a Destroyer Escort Radar, gave me a copy of the booklet describing the Decommissioning Ceremony of the ship and a short history of its operations in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Vietnam theaters of both the "Cold War" and "Hot War" from 1956 to 1973. My thanks to Allan Wilson and also to Dwane Robinson who passed on to me more printed material on the KRETCHMER and DER 329 that was sent him by Henry Moll and Ronnie Guertermous, also crew members.
Dick Sheridan
Lawrence, Kansas
17 September 1991
FURTHER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have been very fortunate in the past few years in obtaining some pictures that further emphasize some of the events discussed by Dick Sheridan in the “History of the Kretchmer”.
I took the liberty of inserting them into appropriate places in the “History” and sent a revised copy to Dick Sheridan for his approval. Dick has graciously given me his permission to make this revised version of the “History of the Kretchmer” available to our shipmates.
I was encouraged to include my account of the “banquet” at Hoi How, Hainan Island, on page 52, by several shipmates and first mates after telling about it at our reunion in Jacksonville, Florida.
Dick and Audrey have not been able to attend the recent reunions due to health reasons, but they say that Dwane “Red” Robinson keeps them informed about the reunions.
Thank you Dick for allowing me to be part of this revised “History of the Kretchmer".
Art Palmer
Webster City, Iowa
4 November 2000