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USS COLLETT – Timelines & Shipmates of 1966-70
(Compiled with the help of many COLLETT shipmates)
History of the Ship Prior to 1966 The USS COLLETT
is
named in honor of LCDR John Austin COLLETT, a naval aviator whose aircraft
was lost in the fierce battle of Santa Cruz in the Pacific in
October 1942. Keel
was laid by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine on 16 Oct 1943 as
a 2200-ton Sumner class destroyer; 376 feet in length, 40 feet
abeam. She
was commissioned on 16 May 1944
at the Charlestown Navy Yard, Boston, MA. The
COLLETT remained in continuous commission as an active ship of the fleet and
saw action in WWII and the Korean War
providing gunfire support, radar picket patrol, anti-submarine
patrol, and carrier escort.
On 13 Sep 1950, COLLETT was part of the “Sitting Duck”
Squadron at Inchon Harbor.
Through the 1950s & 1960s, COLLETT
alternated between
Cold-War WESTPAC cruises as a member of the 7th Fleet and
local operations along the west
coast of the US. In 1960, COLLETT was
modified by the FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization)
program. On
19 Jul 1960 during sea trials she
collided with the USS AMMEN (DD-527); details are given on our
website. - (per “Welcome Aboard” Brochures and Cruise Books)
Overview of 1966-1970
Throughout the 1960s, COLLETT continued to alternate between
Cold-War WESTPAC cruises as a member of the 7th Fleet and
local operations along the west
coast of the US. The USS COLLETT
participated actively in the Vietnam conflict.
Home ported in Yokosuka,
Japan, during a two-year tour of overseas duty from 1966 to
1968, the ship performed a variety of combat missions in the
Tonkin Gulf.
Assignments included Search and Rescue (SAR), Naval Gunfire
Support (NGFS), Operation Sea Dragon, and planeguarding for
attack carriers. The
ship underwent three months of regular overhaul early in 1969.
Six weeks of refresher training in all phases of
destroyer tactics in June and July prepared COLLETT for her
WESTPAC deployment in 1969-1970. – (per
the “Decommissioning Ceremony”)
In 1966, Lyndon Johnson has been President since 1963;
in 1969, Richard Nixon becomes President and remains so until he
resigns in 1974.
Shipmates & Timelines To view the
list of shipmates or the timeline for a given year, move your
cursor over the corresponding line below and click your mouse
button.
The Years 1974 to 1988 – After Decommissioning (Updated 11 Mar 2010)
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