USS FINCH DER 328 58 USS FINCH (DER 328) ________________________________________________________________________ FINCH was to sail again, and in its third life undertake yet a third mission. This final revival was destined to be her longest, and as implied, her last. Remaining inactive for only 17 months, the conversion of the FINCH from Coast Guard Cutter to a Radar Picket Escort Vessel (DER) began at Mare Island Naval Shipyard on 1 October 1955. The ship's Combat Information Center (CIC) was enlarged and relocation of the crew's messing spaces were among some of the major modifications made to the ship. She was fitted out with the most modern radar and communications equipment and the superstructure was changed, no longer retaining her original Destroyer Escort profile. Lieutenant Commander James K. Athow of Tacoma, Washington assumed command when the ship was re-commissioned as USS FINCH (DER 328) on 17 August 1956. Upon completion of conversion, the FINCH underwent extensive shakedown training at San Diego, California and then proceeded to her new home port, Seattle, Washington, arriving on 17 December 1956. The ship became a member of Escort Squadron FIVE, where, with other Radar Picket Vessels, FINCH was a part of the Western Continental Air Defense System, whose mission was to detect and report aircraft movements over the water areas adjacent to the western coast of North America. The ship was also assigned an Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) mission. In the year to follow, FINCH would perform its assigned tasks rotating between its home port and one of several numbered Picket Stations at sea. Although a naval vessel, once the ship arrived on Picket Station, she would fall under the operational control of the U.S. Air Force, and once again revert to Navy control upon departure from picket duties. On 3 January 1958, Lieutenant Commander John A. D'Zamba reported on board and relieved as Commanding Officer. In the next month, on 10 February, the ship got underway for, and arrived at, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington where it was to remain for a month to receive the installation of new a Air Search Radar. Additional Picket Station assignments continued and, in July and August, FINCH was awarded the Anti-Submarine "E" and Engineering "E" Awards in recognition of her exercise Excellence ("E") in these areas of squadron competition for the year. Although Pier 91, Seattle, Washington had become a familiar berth for the ship in recent times, a change was soon to occur. FINCH departed Seattle on 2 September 1958 enroute to Picket Station THREE. This latest assignment was brief, as on 10 September the ship was relieved on station and set course for her newly assigned home port, Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii. FINCH arrived at her new home port on 16 September 1958 and soon departed for 24 days of duty on Barrier Patrol. With only one patrol completed, she entered Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard on 20 November commencing a regular scheduled shipyard overhaul period which included entering Dry-dock #1 on 2 December and departing the dry-dock shortly before Christmas on 22 December. Once out of the shipyard, the new year, 1959, witnessed the resumption of duties on the Pacific Barrier and relief of the 59 Commanding Officer by Lieutenant Commander Edwin J. Burke on 20 September 1959. Christmas of this year was to be spent at sea. The ship's routine was to change following return to port from picket duties on 14 February 1960. Instead of picket assignments, the next three months were devoted to type training, upkeep, and rare recreational visits to Hilo on the main Island of Hawaii, and to Wailuku, on the island of Maui. These visits were identified as being for R&R (Rest and Recreation) and furtherance of the People-to- People Program. FINCH departed Pearl Harbor on 16 May 1960 now bound for San Francisco, California which was designated her new home port, arriving 22 May. The remainder of 1960 found itself being similar to the preceding year with the ship resuming picket duties and once again spending Christmas at sea. The period 29 June 1960 to 20 July 1960 will, however, long be remembered by Lieutenant Henry C. Morris, Jr., FINCH's Executive Officer, who temporarily was required to assume command of the ship during this interval due to the hospitalization of the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Burke, who resumed command upon FINCH's return on 20 July from their first West Coast picket since 1958. 1961 The year began with what could be called routine operations, alternating between the southern stations of the Barrier and home port, interspersed with brief local underway periods for type training. The routine was modified slightly on 11 April when, in lieu of returning to her normal berth at Treasure Island, San Francisco, California, FINCH departed Picket Station NINE and proceeded to Port Angeles, Washington for a brief port visit. She also made another port visit to Vancouver, British Columbia, departing that port on 17 April. One more picket assignment followed. On 23 May, FINCH off loaded ammunition. This was necessary prior to the ship entering Bethlehem Steel Shipyard, San Francisco, California, and then entering dry-dock on 1 June during her regular overhaul period. She left dry-dock on 28 June and while still in the middle of overhaul, on 15 July, Lieutenant Commander Edward P. Stilwell (left in photo on next page) relieved Lieutenant Commander Burke (on right) as Commanding Officer. August 18th marked FINCH's completion of final sea trials signifying the end of her overhaul period. Now there were brief underway sessions to shake out some of the minor bugs that usually followed an overhaul, reloading ammunition, the conduct of OOD (Officer of the Deck) training, exercising at drills, and familiarization with newly installed equipment. All had been proceeding well until the morning of 13 September when the Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Stilwell was taken ill and it appeared he might be hospitalized. With the ship scheduled to sail on 21 September for Underway Training at San Diego, it appeared that the new Executive Officer, who had relieved Lieutenant Morris on 17 August, might similarly be required to assume temporary command. Lieutenant Commander Stilwell's strong insistence at not being hospitalized precluded two weeks of hospitalization, but he was required to remain at home on strict bed rest. The ship completed preparations without any problems, and Lieutenant Commander Stilwell, although still recovering from his illness, felt well enough to rejoin for FINCH's departure for San Diego. With Refresher Training (RefTra), schooling and daily underway exercises completed, the ship returned to San Francisco and was once again 60 ready to resume picket duties and responsibilities. FINCH had already made three patrols to stations on the Western Contiguous Radar Barrier by the time that 1 February 1962 had rolled around. That morning the ship got underway enroute to Picket Station TWENTY-SEVEN. For the next four days it appeared that this would be logged as another routine, and quiet, picket. The seas were relatively quiet and all was proceeding well until the evening meal when the seas began to grow, and the barometer was falling. Lieutenant (junior grade) Dean Lommen had just relieved as Officer of the Deck on the mid-watch and the ship was experiencing heavy seas that had been generated by a major storm south of Alaska. In the short space of about six hours the seas had grown to become violent as the result of two wave systems, composed of mountainous ground swells and wind driven waves. These caused the ship to pitch and roll heavily, with occasional sudden snapping motions whenever a huge out of cycle wave hit the ship upsetting her normal movements. Then, shortly after mid- night, it was during one of these sudden snaps in the ship's roll that Lieutenant (junior grade) Lommen was thrown across the open bridge and into the bridge blast shield breaking the bone in his leg above his knee. The Commanding Officer assumed control of the ship and searched for a course with less violent rolling motion while Chief Hospitalman Stanley A. Norell and the Executive Officer tended to the OOD, immobilized his leg and got him into a Stokes stretcher between rolls of the ship. Lieutenant (junior grade) Lommen was finally moved, an inch at a time, to the Captain's sea cabin and "packed" in the Captain's transom bed to keep him from being thrown out. Removing the OOD from the bridge required approximately an hour and a half, as it was soon learned by observing the ship's clinometer, FINCH was taking rolls frequently measuring up to 67 degrees (from the vertical), and with very few registering less than 45 degrees. When daylight finally began to break about 0320 hours, it was discovered that the two wave systems had the ship locked to a course which restricted the ship's rolling motion to no less than the 45 degrees being experienced with the smallest rolls. It wasn't until mid-morning that the seas began to show signs of abating and a reversal of course was attempted in order to return to San Francisco and off-load Lieutenant (junior grade) Lommen for hospitalization. The ship returned to Picket Station only briefly and then returned to home port on 16 February. This non-routine picket was being interrupted because FINCH had been selected for a special assignment. FINCH received orders to take on provisions, stabilize the crew and prepare to deploy to Pearl Harbor for an assignment with Joint Task Force EIGHT.