U.S.S. RICHARD B. ANDERSON

USS RICHARD B. ANDERSON (DD-786)

Richard B. Anderson (DD-786) was laid down on 1 December 1944 by Todd Pacific Shipyards Inc. Seattle Wash.; launched on 7 July 1945 sponsored by Mrs. Oscar A. Anderson mother of Private First Class Anderson and commissioned on 26 October 1945 Comdr. Hugh H. Murray in command.

After shakedown Richard B. Anderson homeported at San Diego served as plane guard for Essex-class carriers operating off southern California. Immobilized by a shortage of personnel in the fall of 1946 she was fully active by January 1947 and in February she participated in fleet exercises off Hawaii. Search and rescue operations local exercises off California and an overhaul took up the remainder of 1947 and early 1948. On 9 March 1948 she sailed for Pearl Harbor conducted 2 weeks of antisubmarine warfare (ASW) exercises there; then continued across the Pacific for duty with the 7th Fleet. In April she arrived at Tsingtao China then shifted to Buckner Bay Okinawa for further exercises. In mid-May she was back in Chinese waters. Duty at Tsingtao and Shanghai was followed by visits to Hong Kong and Manila and during late August and early September a return to China On 12 November she sailed for California arriving on the 26th. In March 1949 the destroyer took part in Aerobee guided missile tests at the magnetic equator. Five months later she again sailed west for duty with the 7th Fleet. Operating primarily in the Philippines during that tour she visited Saigon Indochina 16-23 March 1950 and witnessed operations of Viet Minh forces against French authorities.

Richard B. Anderson returned to the United States in June. Hostilities broke out in Korea soon thereafter and on 19 February 1951 she sailed west again with Destroyer Division 12

On 12 March she arrived at Sasebo and 2 days later joined TF 77 off the east coast of the embattled peninsula. Into April she served as escort and plane guard for the carriers launching strikes against North Korean and Chinese forces power sources and supply industrial and transport centers. At Yokosuka in mid April she was back off Korea for an amphibious feint against the mining and transport center of Tanchton at the end of the month. In May she conducted ASW exercises off Japan and Okinawa and in June she operated as a unit of the Taiwan Strait Patrol. During July she conducted hunter-killer (HUK) exercises then in August she resumed operations with TF 77 and spent the last weeks of her deployment off Korea.

The destroyer arrived at San Diego on 30 September. Seven months later she headed back across the Pacific again stopping in Hawaii. On 12 June 1952 she rejoined TF 77 and with an interruption for a railway interdiction mission on the 25th remained with the carriers into July. On 9 July she returned to Japan conducted ASW exercises south of there until the 31st then steamed for Keelung and another tour of patrol duty in the Taiwan Strait. On 21 August she was back off Korea as a unit of TF 95 the U.N. Blockade and Escort Force. On the 23d she shifted from Wonsan to Songjin and on the 27th she rejoined TF 77. Detached on the 30th she partipated in support operations along the bombline until the 2d then on the 3d headed back to Yokosuka. At midmonth she moved to Hakodate Hokkaido for HUK operations and at the end of the month she rejoined TF 77. With two interruptions for harassment and interdiction missions she remained with TF 77 until the 18th then joined TF 70 for operations south of Japan. In November she resumed operations with the carriers of TF 77.

On 24 November Richard B. Anderson departed Korea for Yokosuka. SAR duty followed and on the 6th of December she headed for Guam and the United States.

After Korea Richard B. Anderson alternated between duty with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific (WestPac) and training operations and regular overhauls on the west coast. In July 1960 she put into the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a FRAM I overhaul and emerged in May 1961 with ASROC DASH modernized communications equipment and improved berthing and messing areas. Trials refresher training and fleet exercise Operation "Sea Shell" occupied the remainder of 1961.

In 1962 the "new" destroyer participated in Operation "Dominic " the nuclear test series carried out at Christmas Island and on her return early in the spring she shifted from DesDiv 12 to DesDiv 51. Operations with her new squadron Destroyer Squadron 5 a good will visit to Portland Oreg. and local exercises followed. In November she resumed her annual WestPac deployment schedule.

Through the 1950's and during her 1962 63 deployment Richard B. Anderson participated in ASW/HUK exercises SEATO operations and joint United States Japanese exercises and served on Taiwan patrol duty. On 5 August 1964 however she headed west for a combat zone Vietnam. On the 28th she arrived at Subic Bay Philippine Islands and in early September took up station in Tonkin Gulf in support of the carriers of TF 77. At the end of the month she returned to Subic then steamed to Hong Kong where she served as station ship during October. In mid-November she returned to Vietnam and for almost 2 months she screened ready amphibious groups off southern South Vietnam and carrier striking groups in Tonkin Gulf; conducted surveys of hostile islands; and served on picket station. In mid-January she steamed into Yokosuka Harbor and on the 19th she sailed for home.

Arriving at San Diego on 1 February 1965 Richard B. Anderson resumed duties with the 1st Fleet. For the rest of 1965 she remained in the eastern Pacific conducting training exercises including a midshipmen cruise; serving as electronics schoolship and participating in division and fleet exercises. On 7 January 1966 she headed west again. In early February she joined TG 77.5 off the coast of South Vietnam. Detached briefly for surveillance duty she remained with TG 77.5 until the 11th then took up picket station duty south of Hainan Island. On the 17th she headed for Japan and on 3 March she returned to the Philippines. At midmonth she was back off Vietnam for gunfire support duty near Hue. In early April she briefly visited Hong Kong then resumed operations in Tonkin Gulf. At the end of the month she underwent availability at Kaohsiung and on her return to Vietnam alternated between plane-guard duty with Intrepid (CVS-11) and shore bombardment missions in the Mekong Delta. On 15 June she steamed north for a last visit to Japan prior to returning to the United States.

Richard B. Anderson arrived back at San Diego on 10 July. Overhaul sohoolship duty and local and fleet exercises followed. On 25 April 1967 she again sailed west. During June July part of August and most of September she performed plane-guard and SAR duties off the coast of Vietnam. By the end of October she was back in San Diego.

Varied assignments "quickstart" ship schoolship an overhaul and midshipman training cruise ship occupied the winter spring and summer. At the end of September 1968 she again deployed to WestPac. Two weeks of exercises off Hawaii followed her departure from California and on the 27th she arrived at Yokosuka. Three days later she steamed for Vietnam. Gunfire support duty south of the demilitarized zone (DMZ) and off Da Nang took her well into November SEATO exercises followed and at the end of the month she returned to the combat zone for operations with the fast carriers. In mid-December she steamed to Japan but was back off Vietnam for further gunfire support duty in early January 1969. From Da Nang to the DMZ she shelled Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army concentrations and provided night harassment and interdiction fire at known enemy positions. Detached on the 20th she participated in another SEATO exercise visited Hong Kong and on 6 February took up escort and plane-guard duty in the Tonkin Gulf. In March she resumed gunfire support duty north of Nha Trang. On the 21st she proceeded to Kaohsiung for repair and maintenance work then returned to Tonkin Gulf for plane-guard duty. In mid April she was ordered to the Sea of Japan for brief duty with a carrier task group newly organized to protect surveillance flights and at the end of the month she sailed for home.

Arriving on 11 May she underwent overhaul during the late summer and early fall then resumed a schedule of training exercises Schoolship duty and in March 1970 operations with Oriskany (CVA-34). She then prepared for another WestPac deployment. On May 27th she got underway but was forced to turn back by a damaged engine. Repairs were completed at Long Beach and in August she was once again en route to WestPac and another tour with the 7th Fleet which she completed in January 1971.

Richard B. Anderson arrived at San Diego 10 February 1971 and operated out of that port until 20 October when embarked upon an extended deployment in the Far East. She arrived in Yokosuka Japan her new home port 11 November 1971. Since that time she has been continuously deployed to the western Pacific. She has been involved in various support duties off the coast of Vietnam including duty on the gunline and plane guard duty with aircraft carriers. During the period 11 December 1971-10 January 1972 she was deployed to the Indian Ocean because of the IndoPakistani war. As of January 1974 Richard B. Anderson is still operating out of Yokosuka with the Seventh Fleet.

Richard B. Anderson earned four battle stars for service during the Korean conflict and eleven during tours off Vietnam.

[Note: The above USS RICHARD B. ANDERSON (DD-786) history may or may not contain text provided by crew members of the USS RICHARD B. ANDERSON (DD-786) or by other non-crew members and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]