DO YOU KNOW OR REMEMBER?

People and Events in the History of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme

Gerald L. Roberts

NEMESIS Alumni Association

Port Hueneme, Do You Know or Remember People and Events in the History of Naval Surface Warfare Center, Port Hueneme

Gerald L. Roberts October 2020

NEMESIS Alumni Association www.nemesisalumni.org P.O. Box 604 Port Hueneme, CA 93044-0604

II Keep the Shooting!

- GLR

III IV Contents Contents V Forward VII Introduction IX 1: NEMESIS Established 1 2: First AEGIS 3 3: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 1) 5 4: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 2) 7 5: IN THE FLEET 9 6: Change of Command 11 7: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 3) 13 8: 3T Reorganization 15 9: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 4) 17 10: TERRIER in Aircraft Carriers 19 11: Robert Walters 21 12: Captain Wayne E. Meyer 23 13: Captain John D. Beecher 25 14: Named After Wayne E. Meyer 27 15: USS STARK (FFG-31) 29 16: USS VALLEY FORGE and USS BUNKER HILL 31 17: Highlights of 1974 33 18: Origins: The Early History (Part 1) 35 19: Origins: The Early History (Part 2) 37 20: The Ninth Birthday (1974) 39 21: The Founding Documents 43 22: Underway Replenishment 45 23: Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich 47 24: Wayne E. Meyer 49 25: USS FOX; Harpoon 51 26: Commander Don Pette 53 27: Early History 55 28: Early History (continued) 57 V 29: Early History (continued) 59 30: Vice Admiral Reich’s Speech, 1975 61 31: Vice Admiral Reich’s Speech (continued) 63 32: Message for the Fleet Sailors 65 33: USS OKLAHOMA CITY 67 34: Praise 71 35: Captain David M. Altwegg 73 36: Commanders Selected for Captain 75 37: Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich 77 38: The 50th Anniversary 79 39: TERRIER’s Motto: Keep the Ships Shooting 81 40: Veteran’s Day; Harpoon 85 41: CNO Admiral James Holloway 87 42: CNO Admiral James Holloway (continued) 91 43: Navy Birthday; USS Valley Forge 95 44: Good Old Days 97 45: USS Sterett; Captain Kanakanui 99 46: Naval Force Essential to U.S. Security 101 47: The Eli T. Reich Award 103 48: AEGIS 105 49: AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense 107 50: Captain Wayne E. Meyer 109 51: The Mission 111 For Further Reading 113 About the Author: Gerald L. Roberts 115

VI Forward My route to the U.S. Naval Ship Missile Engineering Station in Port Hueneme (abbreviated NEMESIS but later evolving to the Port Hueneme Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center) oddly began with undergraduate work at LTV Aerospace in Warren, Michigan. During mostly alternating quarters I was assigned to a group working guidance and control on Lance Missile, the vehicle for the better known “Neutron Bomb.” The work was certainly interesting since the missile guidance and control testing I was involved with took place under Detroit on 1100 feet in a salt mine. Lance was conceptually simple: Launch then maintain zero acceleration for a ballistic flight. That required liquid fuel for a variable thrust rocket motor but the guidance and control system, under the control of an accelerometer tested in that lab under Detroit, could do that task. Then the idea emerged to create a Navy version called Sea Lance (not to be confused a different later program using the same name). The conceptually simple Army version then added complexity of ship motion. More accelerometers, a stable platform to be tested followed by program cancellation since at that time Lance had a propensity (later resolved) to blow up on the launcher. The lesson might be Army: Simple. Navy: Complex. The design, testing and evaluation for Lance was phasing out so I started looking for post-graduation employment. Another lesson is that contractor’s jobs can fade away. NEMESIS offered interesting work, substituting ships for short-wheelbase Land Rover drives through a very dark salt mine. A family contact endorsed employment at NEMESIS about the time a job offer appeared before a graduating senior. An uncle contacted his relative Jimmie Daniels who at that time was Chief of Staff, Commander Fleet Air, . A letter went from an office on North Wacker Drive, Chicago, to Edgewater Drive, Ewa Beach, Oahu. CAPT James Daniels wrote back from : Your letter was very complete, except it said “I realize you would not want to influence his decision.” To the contrary - I would very much like to influence his decision. The Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station is one of the outstanding engineering organizations in the world. And, I mean, this includes all civilian engineering companies. It has a group of specialists and has built into it unlimited advancement opportunities…contracts for new equipment can be canceled with civilian firms and cutbacks would be required. However NEMESIS must see to it that all our systems remain operable and also provide the research basis for new equipment which will be eventually passed on to civilian contractors. I feel that the rather cold form letter sent to Craig does not really state the challenge, the opportunity for advancement, and the unlimited horizons available.” Finally: “I feel the location at Port Hueneme, with its smog-free weather and comfortable living, would add $1000 a year to any job. I know it would to me. The thought of living on the East coast or even in the middle-West with its rain and cold and dampness would be a motivating influence…I only wish I had had a choice of this kind I was choosing a career by then you knew I had to fly!” CAPT Daniels, to repeat the history, was one of the few U.S. pilots in the air on the day of the and he was also in the air above Tokyo Harbor in the war’s final days in 1945. He was one of three pilots who survived a barrage of friendly fire several hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor. After the Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941, Daniels was one of six pilots who searched unsuccessfully for the withdrawing Japanese attack fleet and then was directed to land at Ford Island. His recommendation was followed. —————— VII Telling a story about technical developments is difficult to make interesting. Add to that the dimensions of personalities and conflicts which at the time were serious but years later can make an interesting tale unless the participants are still alive to take different views or have a different version of events. For current employees, most important might be the “Why” question regarding the organization willing to employ them, and the “Who” question about the pioneers who tackled the difficult issues. Then an understanding should emerge about creating the path from problem to solution where some help about finding the path can prove useful. If a reader can see that difficult challenges were met, then there’s hope for finding a way for resolving the current and emerging challenges, which never end. Pick up the book, find a chapter, then find someone who can tell the back story, the especially interesting story not in print. That might be rewarding! The brief bibliography includes well-researched books with details on technological development. The books are well worth having on a nearby bookshelf for those curious about those who moved the technology into an uncharted . What we have today reflects their risks and rewards. Those who took the easy, safe path aren’t in the book. You want to be in the book.

-Craig V. Hodson

VIII Introduction

Looking back from 60 years later, it is easy to see the need. From 1945 to 1960 the surface ship Navy worked on the problem of massed aircraft attack on ships. Japanese pilots flew aircraft right into U.S. Navy ships with much higher effectiveness than dropped bombs or torpedoes. Despite massive antiaircraft gunnery used in defense, losses were heavy. A guided surface-to-air weapon was obviously needed. Several parallel development projects, led by the Applied Physics Laboratory in , were started under the moniker of “Bumble Bee.” The first recognizable fleet entity was the Terrier Guided Missile Weapon System. Talos, then Tartar followed close behind. These three constituted something of a scattershot because battle scenarios were wide open regarding numbers of targets, ranges and altitudes to engage, as well as the nature of the targets themselves. Wide open scenarios meant different types and sizes of surface-to-air missile would be needed. Different methods of guidance, different types of warhead, radars and propulsion would be needed. The technology was maturing very rapidly in all these areas and the fleet was gung-ho to deploy and employ what was just being installed. But by 1960 a subtle undercurrent was becoming evident. It then fully surfaced during a series of fleet training events deployment preparations, and demonstrations for President Kennedy as the tensions heated up with Russia over placement of their systems in . Delayed engagements, misfires, and a myriad of problems were appearing all over the fleet with no clear cause or correction. USS KING (DLG-10), a newly commissioned Destroyer Leader Guided Missile ship, made headlines in 1961 by getting an excellent engagement off Southern California. The event was the beginning of a turning point for the newly created Surface Missile System (SMS) Special Project Office at the top level of the Navy Department. The office created the focus needed on a comprehensive business plan and the need for a one stop in-service engineering station, NEMESIS (the short name for Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station, now Port Hueneme Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center) at its core. So, in July 1963 our customer base was 55 SMS ships in commission, with one a month going into acceptance trials, and 26+ authorized in the Navy budget. Each ship was literally unique and had to be approached that way. While Terrier, Talos, and Tartar each had their programs, the fleet needed all ships working all the time. The Ship Assist Team was an immediate creation. NEMESIS provided the team leader. Each lab, prime contractor and field activity and engineering support contractor added representatives as needed by the specific Assist. NEMESIS new hires went immediately on Assist as go-for (new college grad), or as a specific area tech rep for those who came over from one of the big manufacturers or engineering services companies. Coherence came quickly, one ship at a time. Massively parallel learning in complex systems thinking was going on. Best practices were being honed and shared. Our pitch to each ship as we arrived was: “We are your in-service engineers. We are here to help you get to the top of your game. No problem is set aside. We don’t leave until you qualify.” In the NEMESIS back rooms tech manuals were being brought up to snuff, data packages of all kinds created and scrubbed; maintenance tests created, scrubbed and reworked; supply problems resolved and logistics improved. Also NEMESIS generated

IX extensive lessons learned and assembled extensive findings to be sent to fleet commanders and project offices. On the following pages you will see vignettes and different key events in the maturing of the SMS Fleet. A crowning event in this phase of the story arch of NEMESIS was the establishment of PMS-400, Aegis Ship Building Project. The awesome product was DDG-51, the Destroyer. -Doug McAvoy

X 1: NEMESIS Established June 2004

When NEMESIS was established in 1963, many contractors were providing technical/engineering services to the operating fleet in support of the 3T (Talos, Terrier and Tartar) Weapon Systems installed in surface combatants and even in aircraft carriers. Consequently, many of these private companies, such as Vitro, APL/JHU (Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University), Sperry, Ford Instrument, Hughes, Western Electric, etc. continued on to support not only the establishment of NEMESIS but also to provide technical services to the fleet for many years. I find it most intriguing to relive some of these early events and drama that was always present during fleet operations. One article, “APL Sea Duty with the Surface Fleet,” written by William McCloskey and published in APL’s Technical Digest, Volume 7, Number 4 (1986) helps do just that. The article, excerpted below, also somewhat recaptures the support that APL/JHU provided, in conjunction with NEMESIS, during a fleet exercise in 1986: At sea with the Fleet: An SM-2 Standard Missile, fired from the Terrier destroyer USS Mahan (DDG-42), roars into the sky toward a drone that had been released by a plane scores of miles away. Aboard the Aegis USS Yorktown (CG-48), located beyond the visual horizon of Mahan, the Aegis system provides comprehensive data on the target to Mahan. Over the horizon in another direction, the Terrier cruiser USS Richmond K. Turner (CG-20) also receives the data from Yorktown and stands by, ready to launch one of its own missiles. The three ships can operate as one because they are tied together by a digital data exchange system. The data exchange system allows Yorktown to transmit a continuous Aegis radar picture to the firing ships. Using this information in conjunction with local radar data on an APL-developed Automatic Gridlock System gives each ship its exact relative position at all times to aircraft and other ships. Aboard Yorktown, the command center of the operation, dozens of aircraft – simulating both friendlies and hostiles – are also being tracked. When the missile fired by Mahan has been guided in space to a strategic point, Mahan alone completes the engagement. The missile homes straight for the drone and destroys it. On the radar scopes in the busy, darkened Combat Information Centers (CIC) of Mahan, Yorktown, and Turner, the joined image of missile and drone breaks into pieces and disappears. As announced by a fire control chief aboard Mahan: “Target video blooming.” “Just like the textbook,” says Charles Baker appreciatively. Baker is project test for the New Threat Upgrade Program, stationed at the Naval Ship Weapon Systems Engineering Station (NSWSES) at Port Hueneme, Calif. “Bridge to combat – direct hit,” announces the Mahan CO, Commander David Bill III, who had calmly directed the firing from CIC. “How far out was that intercept?” “It was [classified] miles,” announces D. W. Peugh of APL. He and Commanders Bill and Baker stood behind a bank of consoles in CIC that were manned by fire control chiefs and operations officers. The three wore earphones that fed multiple channels of information from all the areas of the ship involved in missile launch and guidance. Peugh’s big rumbling voice expresses satisfaction of everybody in the room as he continues: “We hit at [x] miles, where we said we’d hit.” Aboard Turner, a duplicate firing team had been standing by, geared to (and reportedly eager) to take on the drone if the Mahan firing failed. Peugh transmits cheerfully to David Otto of the Naval Ship Weapon System Engineering Station (NSWSES) and March Percich of APL on the other ship: “Tell Turner, sorry.” He did not sound particularly sorry, after days and nights of test with his own team, and years of preparation. However, minutes later Turner had its chance with another drone, and hit the target with an SM-2 missile. Both Mahan’s and Turner’s engagements were initiated and aided by the information from Yorktown. Indeed, the firings had historic program significance because it was the first time that the experimental coordination procedure had been used to support a live missile launch, and the people aboard all three ships knew it. For five days before the actual firing, there had been sequence after sequence of simulated firings on live targets, as the men familiarized themselves with the procedures. Ship’s radars had simultaneously tracked scores of real planes in the air. The Orange Force – the attacking enemy – flew from a naval base in the area while the Blue Force – the defenders – flew from the carrier that the rest of the Fleet was protecting. All these flights were too far away from the men on the tracking ships for them to hear any roar of planes. The reality for them was the mass of radar blips on a variety of displays. This is the way much of modern warfare occurs.

2 2: First AEGIS Ship October 2004

NEMESIS has been a major player in the AEGIS program for over 35 years. It is interesting to go back in time for a snapshot of activity during the early days of AEGIS. The following is an extensive excerpt from an article that was in the NSWSES Interface of October 7, 1983: FIRST AEGIS SHIP A special NSWSES awards ceremony Tuesday, Sept. 27, saw 14 NSWSES employees receive recognition for their efforts in preparing USS TICONDEROGA (CG-47) for deployment to the Mediterranean later this month. Specifically, they were recognized for their key roles in TICONDEROGA’s Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT). For them, however, CSSQT was only the capstone to a long process of preparing themselves and the ship for their special role in getting AEGIS into the Fleet. Although an AEGIS group existed at the Station in the late 1960s, operations here reached high tempo when, in 1974, the prototype AEGIS SPY-1 radar and supporting weapon system was installed in USS NORTON SOUND (AVM-1). When construction started on USS TICONDEROGA (CG-47) in 1979, it was inevitable that the Station would be called upon to play a major role in her construction testing. A Mobile Engineering Team (MET) was organized under Carl Stone of Code 4100. This team first deployed to RCA Moorestown where it met TICONDEROGA’s Weapon System as it came off the production line. There at Moorestown, team members participated in system testing prior to shipment to Ingalls Shipyard at Pascagoula, MS. Accompanying the gear to Pascagoula, the team became the core of a larger AEGIS Test Team which was tasked to fully test the ship prior to delivery. The NSWSES MET team selection and schedule had been very carefully established. It was to build on the knowledge many team members first gained in the early days of NORTON SOUND. When shipyard testing on TICONDEROGA was complete and the ship commissioned, the MET team was already in place to represent the Station as the In-service Engineering Agent. War Readiness Trials which would fine tune crew and ship were in the hands of NSWSES. The MET team was redesignated the TICONDEROGA CSSQT team. Meanwhile, back at the Station, Lieutenant Commander Herb Kelly had been designated CSSQT Officer-In-Charge (OINC) and had been making preparation for fielding all the support that would be needed to complete War Readiness Trials. LCDR Kelly had already earned his spurs on TICONDEROGA. An experienced Tartar CSSQT OINC, he had been tasked with the conduct of missile firings on TICONDEROGA during builder trials in the fall of 1982. That evolution was unprecedented. Two scored hits were achieved in the Gulf of Mexico on the ship, manned by its Navy crew but still, by contract, in the hands of the builder. When TICONDEROGA departed Pascagoula early in 1982, many members of the traditional CSSQT Ship Assist Team from NSWSES had already done their work. Trials and crew work up then began in earnest. The NSWSES CSSQT team provided the core leadership. Weapon System Accuracy Trials and Underway Replenishment SQT were but two of an impressive array of traditional new construction events. The prime events, however, were missile firings at the Atlantic Fleet Weapon Training Facility at Roosevelt Roads, . Two firing periods were 3 used. The first was in April of this year when the AEGIS System was qualified and fully tested in a severe Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) environment. The second firing window was last month following Post Shake Down Availability (PSA). This, too, had been a high visibility event for NSWSES. The Combat System portion of that availability was under the leadership of the Station’s Frank Yarbrough, who has been recognized in a letter from the AEGIS Shipbuilding Project Manager. More the 140,000 hours of production work was accomplished on TICONDEROGA in only a six week period. This meant, however, that a final prove-in of the system was required prior to the ship’s deployment. Again, LCDR Kelly and his reconstituted CSSQT team performed the task. On Sept. 14, the most impressive AEGIS demonstration to date was executed. A simultaneous four drone raid was launched against the ships. Four missiles were in the air at one time with kills achieved on all targets. No drones were able to be recovered by the range. In the end, 35 missiles had been fired in a successful program that results in TICONDEROGA deploying only nine months after commissioning. The team is back at home plate. Last Tuesday’s ceremony marked the end of War Readiness Trials on TICONDEROGA for Station personnel. But the experience gained has been invaluable. Team members fill key billets in AEGIS activity at the Station and the next wave has already been formed. Dave Adams of Code 4100 is following in Stone’s footsteps. He leads the current team at Pascagoula supporting YORKTOWN (CG-48). YORKTOWN’s record promises to be even better, thanks to the leadership provided and experience gained by the NSWSES CG-47 team.

4 3: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 1) December 2004

USS NORTON SOUND (AV-11/AVM-1) had a long association with NEMESIS during development/ testing of many weapon systems for which the Station had technical responsibility. That association started when NEMESIS was established in 1963 and continued until the ship was decommissioned on 11 December 1986. Many folks may not realize just how many programs NORTON SOUND supported throughout the years. The article below highlights the important role NORTON SOUND played – not only during WWII but also during the development of the important 3T weapon systems, AEGIS and many others. The article below was in the final publication from the ship, before her decommissioning and titled “USS NORTON SOUND Departing, 8 Jan 45 – 11 Dec 86.” The information is a direct quote from that article. (Due to space limitations, only a portion of the article is printed here). So…read and enjoy; it’s very interesting. A SHORT HISTORY OF USS NORTON SOUND (AV-11/AVM-1) by CWO3 Robert F. Hovestadt, USN (Retired) 27 January 1986 No other ship in the history of the US Navy may claim the distinction of having a history as diverse, grand in scope and depth, and rich in achievement as that of USS NORTON SOUND (AV-11/AVM -1); She is truly unique! NORTON SOUND was launched and christened on 28 November 1943 and She was originally commissioned on 8 January 1945. With the exception of the shipyard availability for installation of the TYPHON Weapon System (22 months), USS NORTON SOUND has served on continuous active service since Her commissioning to the present time, a period of over 39 years. Named after the largest bay in , the NORTON SOUND is 540 feet long and displaces 15,000 tons when fully loaded. Originally built to tend seaplanes, NORTON SOUND carried out this duty during the closing months of World War II by operating in support of Her “Flying Boat” squadron at Kerama Retto, Okinawa, . During this time NORTON SOUND and her sister ships fought off attacking enemy aircraft (including suicide planes) during 150 air raids. While all of this was going on, Patrol Bombing Squadron 26 (VPB-26), assigned to NORTON SOUND was conducting some 412 missions consisting of: anti-ship and , and long range reconnaissance patrols; mounting attacks against enemy shipping and shore facilities; and conducting air/sea rescue missions. Following WW II, NORTON SOUND was selected to support the Navy’s infant guided missile and rocket development program. She was modified for these duties at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. Provisions were made for handling, storing, fueling (liquid fuel), servicing, launching, and operational monitoring of rockets and guided missiles. Conversion work resulted in a major change in Her external appearance. This was the first of many times throughout Her career in scientific and weapons research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) that Her internal and external configuration would be radically altered to suit new mission and program requirements. She was designated AVM-1 on 8 August 1951. In Her new mission, She served and continues to serve as a floating laboratory and launching platform for an incredible number of high priority projects and programs, including many of prime

5 historical significance. To name the most important of these: Operation Nanook (Arctic exploration and research); Projects SKYHOOK (free balloon), (rocket); REACH ( rocket); ARGUS (X17A three stage rockets fitted into low yield nuclear devices); and POGO (sounding rockets); NIKE-HYDAK, HYDRA IRIS AND HYDRA SANDHAWK (cosmic ray and upper atmosphere research); Operations REDWING, DOMINIC and others (atmospheric testing of nuclear weapons); LOON, LARK, REGULUS I, TERRIER, TARTAR, TALOS missile development projects and entire programs; 5”54 caliber Gun Mount MK 45 Mod 0; rocket and guided missile launchers (GMLs) and launching systems (GMLSs) including TERRIER/TARTAR experimental GML X-5 and GML MK 5, SEASPARROW prototype launcher and GMLS MK 25, prototype CHAFFROC launcher, the mixed missile capability system GMLS Mk 26 and the current Vertical Launching System GMLS EX-41; Weapon and fire control systems and auxiliary equipments associated with these and other weapons and systems up to today’s AEGIS Combat system, which is light years ahead of the jury-rigged modification of the Gun Fire Control System Mk 37’s Mk 25 Mod 2 Radar, used in the early days of the LARK/LOON Programs, and the SPQ—2 and –5 used in the TERRIER/TARTAR Programs. In fact She has had some level of participation in virtually every surface launched guided missile development program of the US navy, from the fist experiments and launches of guided missiles (which now seem quite primitive, but were then on the leading edge of the state of the art). She logged the first launch of a tactical guided missile from the deck of any ship in the world on 26 January 1949, when and engineering model LTV-N-2 LOON Guided Missile was launched off the coast of Point Mugu, California. There has also been involvement in the RDT&E of any number of minor systems and equipments development programs, which perhaps, if not spectacular in their contribution to fleet readiness, provide an essential contribution to the fundamental strength of the more glamorous systems. Her RDT&E career in the late 40s and through the 50s and early 60s was primarily, but certainly not exclusively, involved with the development and refinement of the TERRIER, TARTAR and TALOS Guided Missile Systems, which resulted in the 3T Surface Missile System “Fleet.” The ships comprising this “fleet” have been a major component in the defensive shield which has increasingly guarded our fleet and helped to protect our Nation, starting with the introduction (recommissioning) of USS (CAG-1) on 1 November 1955 and USS GYATT (DDG-1) on 31 December 1956; a period of 31 years. Having been homeported at Port Hueneme, California since 30 November 1948, NORTON SOUND stood out to sea in June of 1962 bound for Norfolk, and ultimately to Baltimore, Maryland. She arrived at Norfolk, Virginia and was decommissioned on 10 August 1962; and was later towed to Baltimore to enter the Maryland Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. shipyard for installation of major portions of the prototype TYPHON Weapons System, which consisted of the AN/SPG-59 Radar and its associated control system. TYPHON was a radical step in the evolution of naval surface weapons systems, being the first system capable of simultaneously taking multiple targets under fire and tracking many more. Unfortunately, the electronic state of the art at that time was not capable of providing the necessary components in the size required to build a system deployable in a destroyer. The TYPHON Program was cancelled on 7 January 1964 by Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara. Therefore, it was decided that the installation in NORTON SOUND would be used to gather data which would help advance the state of the art and prepare the way for development of a serviceable small ship system at a later date.

6 4: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 2) January 2005

USS NORTON SOUND (AV-11/AVM-1) had an association with NEMESIS that began when NEMESIS was established in 1963; it continued until the ship’s decommissioning on 11 December 1986. The article below (begun in December’s issue) continues with the important role NORTON SOUND played - during WWII and also in developing the 3T weapon systems, AEGIS and many others. It was published just before the ship’s decommissioning and was titled “USS NORTON SOUND Departing, 8 Jan 45 – 11 Dec 86.” A SHORT HISTORY OF USS NORTON SOUND (AV-11/AVM-1) by CWO3 Robert F. Hovestadt, USN (Retired) 27 January 1986 (The first part of this article brought NORTON SOUND’s story to 1964, with cancellation of the TYPHON Weapon System.) [Although TYPHON had been cancelled,] it was decided that the installation in NORTON SOUND would be used to gather data which would help advance the state of the art and prepare the way for development of a serviceable small ship system at a later date. Completing the conversion, USS NORTON SOUND (AVM-1) was re-commissioned on 20 June 1964 and homeported in Baltimore to conduct test the system in and around the . Her homeport was again changed to Port Hueneme, California; She arrived there on 7 July 1965. Testing was again changed to include the 190 ton radar tower, at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, with work being completed on 30 September 1966. Although TYPHON did not survive to serve in the fleet, many of the lessons learned were applied to the development of the AEGIS Weapon System, which would later make the grade – in a big way, with NORTON SOUND’s help. After TYPHON testing activity died down, NORTON SOUND’s manning level was greatly reduced, permitting only limited operations at sea. At this time She was assigned to assist in the development of the SEASPARROW (Basic Point Defense Surface Missile System (BPDSMS)), continuing this program until many production systems and even second generation systems had been installed in fleet units. From July 1968 until 1 November 1972 the ship was primarily engaged in the test and evaluation of the 5”54 Caliber Gun Mount Mk 4 Mod 0 and the Missile & Gun Fire Control System Mk 86. During this time She also began planning and preparation for participation in the development of the AEGIS Combat System. The AEGIS System, like most complex weapons systems, was installed in increments. On the 17th of November 1972, NORTON SOUND entered Long Beach Naval Shipyard to commence the AEGIS System Installation, with the new deckhouse (05, 06 and 07 deck levels) being set onboard on 16 February 1973. Installation of AEGIS Engineering Development Model (EDM-1) equipment was started on 20 February 1973. Between the 15th and 25th of March the first GMLS Mk 26 to be installed on any ship was installed in NORTON SOUND. She completed this the first of many shipyard availabilities for AEGIS and associated systems installation and modification on 21 July 1973 and returned to Port Hueneme. From this time to 15 February 1974 various tests were conducted on the GMLS Mk 26, and more of the major modules and subsystems of the AEGIS System were installed and checked out, until on 15 February the system was ready to commence the main portion of systems 7 testing. On 5 March 1974 the power was brought up and applied to the AN/SPY-1 Radar, (the detection and tracking, eyes of AEGIS) and for the first time AEGIS became partially operational in a ship. Two days later the first automatic detection and track of an airborne target occurred. On the 14th of March installation of AEGIS was completed when the Missile Fire Control System Mk 99 (CW Illuminator) installation was completed. The system reached full operational capability with the MFCS Mk 99, and proved it between the 15th and 17th of May 1974, when two STANDARD Missiles 1 (Medium Range) (SM-1 MR) RIM 66B-3 were launched and guided to close proximity to their targets – both constructive hits! Interspacing work on AEGIS with other short term assignments, NORTON SOUND continued the testing of AEGIS, launching Her first STANDARD Missile 2 Medium Range (SM -2 MR) on 10 December 1976. She continued AEGIS Systems operations both inport and underway. Sunday 17 April 1977 was dubbed “Super Sunday” because on that day NORTON SOUND’s AEGIS System engaged two aerial targets simultaneously with STANDARD 2 (MR) Guided Missiles launched from the GMLS Mk 26. The missiles hit the closest target and closed to well within lethal proximity of the more distant target (a constructive hit). The longer range missile flight was a record range for SM2 missiles up to that time. Super Sunday marked the attainment of an ages-old goal and the promise of TYPHON – the age of one shot, for one target, by one weapons system at one time had been ended forever! Another demonstration of the power of AEGIS (foreshadowing the potential power of the TICONDEROGA Class Guided Missile Cruiser, which was then aborning) occurred on 14 and 15 December when under AEGIS control and engaging simulated targets, the GMLS Mk 26 successfully launched 7 two-round salvos of improved TARTAR (IT) Guided Missiles on the 14th, and on the following day launched 9 IT Guided Missiles in rapid continuous fire from the “A” Rail in less than ninety seconds, followed immediately by a dud jettison test of an inert IT. AEGIS testing continued with tests of almost infinite variety being conducted to explore the operational envelope of AEGIS, and to test various modifications and improvements. NORTON SOUND paused in the test program from 16 June through 24 April 1979 to prepare for installation of the Vertical Launching System (VLS) EX 41 and the imminent arrival of 4 women officers and 70 women enlisted crew members. This availability also provided a much-needed major overhaul for the engineering plant and the installation of modern waste holding and disposal facilities. AEGIS testing was resumed upon completion of this shipyard availability. While at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, a preproduction model of the VLS EX 41 was installed between 19 May and 27 July 1981. The addition of the VLS to the AEGIS Combat System was cause for a shift in emphasis from operations with the GMLS Mk 26 to the VLS EX 41 because of the need to prove the VLS for active service in later model TICONDEROGA Class Guided Missile , the ARLEIGH BURKE Class Guided Missile , and probably it oar a derivative of the VLS Mk 41 in other future classes of ship as well. The first shipboard launch from the VLS (a launch test vehicle (LTV)) occurred on 29 September 1981. From that time to the present, AEGIS System test activity using both the GMLS Mk 26 and the VLS EX 41 at various times, has continued and should be completed in mid 1986. At the time of this writing the ship is scheduled for decommissioning after completion of AEGIS testing.

8 5: HARPOON IN THE FLEET April 2005

The following article was published in the Interface on December 2, 1983. It is quoted verbatim, although some paragraphs were deleted in order to fit the space available. HARPOON STARTS 8TH YEAR IN FLEET On budget, on time and -- strategically speaking -- on target is a capsule description of the U.S. Navy’s Harpoon anti-ship missile, currently entering its eighth year of use in the Fleet. Harpoon is one of the most active programs at NSWSES. The Station is responsible for all initial certifications in Navy surface ships, according to Harlow Olson, head, Harpoon Systems Engineering Division, Cruise Weapons Systems Department. “We have completed 168 certifications and are scheduled for over 200,” he commented. By 1984, Harpoon will replace ASROC as the most common weapon system among the Navy’s surface ships -- more Navy surface ships will have the capability of firing Harpoon missiles than any other weapon. Harpoon is a textbook case of the successful research, development and Fleet acquisition of a highly effective weapons system. It has met or surpassed tactical expectations with its 95 percent success rating, all productions dates were met or exceeded, and productions costs have been on or below projections. “A Station team performed the Harpoon certification in the recommissioned USS NEW JERSEY (BB-62),” Olson said. “NSWSES has been involved in various improvement programs that have resulted in ordnance alterations. “As the in-service engineering agent for NAVSEA, we have assisted in the design and development of Harpoon since the beginning of the program in 1971.” Harpoon is presently in the inventory of 11 allied countries in addition to the and has a multiplatform capability since it can be launched from land, sea, air and . And all-weather, sea-skimming, subsonic , Harpoon has an over-the-horizon range of more than 20 miles. The sinking of and Israeli destroyer by anti-ship missiles from and Egyptian fast attack craft during the Six-Day Middle East War in June 1967 added impetus to the Navy’s development of an extended range, anti-ship missile. Initial flight testing and evaluation of Harpoon began in 1972 and Fleet inventory buildup began in 1977. One major contributor to the cost effectiveness of the Harpoon Program is the Harpoon’s compatibility with existing launch systems. A criterion of Harpoon design was that exterior missile dimensions “fit” existing launch systems; this was achieved through the design of a basic missile and booster configured with quick attach “launch kits.” The kits are comprised basically or external components such as fins, launch shoes and umbilicals. On board surface ships, Harpoon’s launch system may be the ASROC launcher, the Mark 11/13 Tartar launchers or the Harpoon high shock canister launcher. Classes of surface ships currently outfitted with Harpoon include: LONG BEACH, LEAHY, BAINBRIDGE, BELKNAP, TRUXTUN, CALIFORNIA and TICONDEROGA class cruisers; CHARLES F. ADAMS, FARRAGUT and KIDD class guided missile destroyers; SPRUANCE class destroyers, OLIVER HAZARD PERRY class guided missile ; KNOX class frigates, PEGASUS class patrol combatants missile, hydrofoils or PHMs, and IOWA class .

9 Additionally, Harpoon is uniquely launched from submarines -- in fact, it is launched virtually “twice.” Stored in a -like capsule, the missile is initially launched through a submarine’s torpedo tubes. Aft-mounted fins on the capsule maintain a predetermined angle of ascent. When the capsule broaches the water’s surface, the capsule end sections automatically separate from the body of the capsule and the enclosed missile’s solid propellant booster ignites. Harpoon is thus launched and follows the same trajectory as when surface launched. McDonnell Douglas, the manufacturer of the missile, and the Navy proudly single out Harpoon as an example of the pooling of civilian and military technical and managerial expertise and cooperation, which resulted in surpassing virtually all program goals. In fact the third missile improvement to Harpoon, the Block 1C, is scheduled for Fleet delivery next spring. The first operational Harpoon was upgraded to the Block 1B in 1981. Even with the Block 1C not yet in the Fleet, there is already talk of its tentative upgraded version. Improved versions of Harpoon contain lower, sea-skimming characteristics, making enemy detection more difficult; improved guidance systems and greater target accuracy.

10 6: Change of Command June 2005

The following information was pulled from the NSWSES Interface dated June 28, 1974: At a colorful Change of Command ceremony, attended by more than 500 personnel, CAPT Robert L. Walters relieved CAPT E. A. Christofferson Jr. who will retire 30 June 1974. RADM Dedrick, Vice Commander, Naval Ordnance Systems Command paid tribute to NSWSES, to CAPT Christofferson and reviewed the merger of Naval Ordnance Systems Command and Naval Ship Systems Command which will result in the new Naval Sea Systems Command on 1 July 1974. CAPT Walters assumed command of the Station on 21 June 1974 – his remarks at the Change of Command ceremony are quoted below: “It is with distinct honor and privilege to assume command of the Naval Ship Weapon Systems Engineering Station. My association with this Station spans all of the period of its existence and actually extends to its pre-natal period – so to speak. As a member of the Chief of Naval Operations staff in the early ‘60s, I was involved in the conceptual planning which would later result in the establishment of this Station as a major field activity under the Naval Ordnance Systems Command to provide much needed in-service engineering support to our fledgling surface missile systems. During the 10-year period of its existence, NSWSES has consistently provided timely and exceptionally outstanding support to the Naval Ordnance Systems Command, Naval Ship Systems Command, and to the Fleet. During my nearly eight years of service in four of our guided missile ships, I have seen NSWSES people at work all over the world. As a weapons systems acquisition manager in NAVORD, I subjected NSWSES to difficult challenges, often in fields of endeavor quite new to them and which inevitably were on short notice and of the highest priority. In all of these endeavors, NSWSES personnel responded in a superb manner. The hallmarks of a NSWSES employee are confidence, professionalism and a can-do spirit. These traits have earned this Station the true respect of our Navy men in uniform in every ship and shore activity which employs their services. I know of no other organization that enjoys such a uniformly high reputation in the Fleet as does NSWSES. This reputation has not been easily attained nor is it the product of a few individuals. It has been earned by hundreds of people over a span of more than 10 years; through countless examples of untiring devotion to duty, meticulous attention to detail and the continuous application of many talents to the problems at hand. “The initial task assigned to NSWSES to improve the readiness of our surface-to-air missile systems has been a continuing one as old systems have been modified and new systems introduced. Accordingly, new challenges always lie ahead. Our Navy today is facing many difficult challenges. We must keep our operating forces modern and efficient to keep pace with the rapid development of the Soviet Navy into a world wide force of modern and capable ships. We must be prepared to set the example for, and to assist many developing nations who have indicated a growing naval awareness. At the same time we are trying to adjust to changing conditions both at home and abroad. We are endeavoring to maintain an all-volunteer force. We must live with and adjust to the problem of inflation in planning our budgets and in placing procurements. We must face the reality of the reallocation of funds from defense to other national priorities. Nevertheless, we must continue to maintain and improve existing systems and develop new and improved systems for the future. The

11 challenge to our Navy and to NSWSES has never been greater. We must be experts in a rapidly changing technology and we must be equally expert in managing our manpower and dollars. “Today this Station is directly involved in engineering and logistic support efforts in over 100 of our operating ships. We have expanded our expertise to include surface-to-surface missiles, gun systems, underway replenishment, test and evaluation, anti-ship missile defense and systems analysis, to mention only a few. To those who manifest a proven capability there are always new demands, extensions of old tasks and exposure to new programs. I know that everyone here at NSWSES is proud of their many outstanding accomplishments. I am confident that we will all continue to do our best to maintain our fine record of achievement and to enhance our value to the newly established NAVSEA organization in the Naval Material Command. I am sure that we will all strive to maintain our enviable record of support to the Fleet “We look forward to our future with great anticipation and I am gratified to be a part of this Station.” - CAPT Robert L. Walters, assuming Command of NSWSES 21 June 1974

12 7: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 3) September 2005

As noted in previous articles in our Newsletter, NEMESIS had a long association with the research ship USS NORTON SOUND (AV-11/AVM-1) that began with the establishment of NSMSES in 1963. The article below discusses one of the many events/projects that we supported; it was published in the Interface dated November 16, 1973. BROOM DISPLAYED AFTER MARK 26 TEST This was the first at-sea test of the new guided missile launcher Mark 26, which will be used with the Aegis system. Aegis is being developed for the Navy as a sophisticated shipboard Anti-Aircraft Warfare (AAW) Weapon System in response to anti-shipping threats from manned aircraft, air-to-surface missiles and surface-to-surface missiles during the late 1970s and 1980s. The system is designed to integrate target detection and tracking, command-decision and weapons control processes to afford fast reaction and massive, accurate firepower for fleet protection. To fulfill its role, the system must provide these capabilities: • Fast reaction time capable of coping with high-speed low altitude missile threats. • Environmental immunity to the effects of weather, radar sea-clutter and man-made interference and deception. • Availability for reliable operation at sea during typical deployments, independent of supply pipelines. • Coverage capability that can provide a viable area defense covering not simply the Aegis ship, but a task force at sea. Missile launching system, MK 26, is a completely automated and computer-controlled multi-purpose launcher that provides rapid cycling of missiles for launch against either airborne or surface targets. The launcher, MK 26, will also be used with other Surface Missile Systems in other ships. The new launcher is currently scheduled for installation in the nuclear powered guided missile frigates USS Virginia, USS , and the yet-to-be-named DLG (N)-40. The two-day at-sea firing exercise on the Pacific Missile Range, off the Coast of Southern California, marked the first time a surface-to-air missile was fired from this launcher, and the first time the Aegis Weapon Direction System program was used at sea in conjunction with the launcher. Five structural, blast test vehicles were successfully fired. The test team aboard the Norton Sound was headed by Lieutenant Commander James McGregor, Aegis field test officer at NSWSES.” A photograph of the civilian-military team supporting this event was included and identified the following personnel: LT Verne McIntosh, missile officer; Dave Adams; Sargit Chima; Dennis Scovern; CWO Raymond Hickey, launcher officer; and SN Rondell Brewer; LCDR Harold Schroder, engineer officer, LCDR William Lockie, weapons officer; Russell Schuler, test conductor; Jim Vallas, test director; LCDR James McGregor, Aegis field test officer; Dick Huffman; GMM2 Dennis Zimbec; and GMM2 Larry Mendenhall. LCDR McGregor, Schuler, Vallas, Adams, and Chima were from NSWSES. Huffman and Scovern were representatives of and Vitro Corporation, respectively. All others were crew members of NORTON SOUND.

13 14 8: 3T Reorganization December 2005

The first SMS ships in the Fleet were USS BOSTON, USS CANBERRA and USS GYATT in 1955-1956. By 1961 there were 34 3-T ships in the Fleet and 36 more in the building yards. Unfortunately, as the number of 3-T ships increased, numerous problems in the operation, maintenance and support of the 3-T systems became evident. To resolve these problems necessitated that an engineering organization be established—thus NSMSES was commissioned in 1963. Subsequently NSMSES established three engineering departments to address these problems and provide in-service engineering to the operating fleet: the TERRIER, TARTAR and TALOS Departments. These Departments functioned independently for about 10 years, but as problems were resolved and some ships decommissioned, it became necessary to combine Department resources. The first such effort was the merger of the TALOS and TERRIER Departments. The following article, from the January 25, 1974 issue of the Interface, tells about that merger. Talos and Terrier to merge into new NSWSES department Plans to merge the Talos and Terrier departments, Code 4600 and 4400, have been announced by Captain John Beecher, director of engineering. “It is our intent that all personnel currently assigned to 4400 and 4600 will be utilized in the new organization,” Capt Beecher said in making the announcement. The name of the department will be Talos/Terrier Weapon System Department and will be headed by Commander Lowell Holloway. “The official effective date is July 1,” Cdr Holloway said this week, “However, we are presently completing procedures, writing functional statements and staffing plans. Implementation could take place as soon as the above-mentioned effort is completed, possibly by March 1.” The merger will affect only Code 4400 and 4600 personnel and not personnel working on Terrier or Talos projects in other departments. In explaining the purpose of the merger Cdr Holloway said: “Several years ago, the Terrier and Talos Project Offices within Naval Ordnance Systems Command (NAVORDSYSCOM) were merged under a single Project Manager, Captain D. P. Roane. This organizational change allowed greater flexibility at the headquarters level of the control and direction of both the Talos and Terrier programs being implemented throughout the Navy. A merger of the two departments at NSWSES will complement the project management organization at NAVORD. Some advantages of such a merger will be more efficient utilization of resources and the cross-training of personnel to gain experience in more than one major missile system.” Tentative approval has been obtained to reorganize the two departments into a six-division organization. Although the specific functions of the new divisions have not been determined, the work effort will be essentially divided into Radar, Weapon Control, Shipyard Liaison, Missile, Systems and Advanced Division level within the present departments, except for Advanced Development. There is a requirement for departmental involvement in future engineering development of Terrier/Talos programs.

15 “For years, the majority of the engineering development efforts have been accomplished in part by contractor personnel with varying degrees of involvement by the Station,” said Cdr Holloway. “It has been increasingly recognized that the In-service Engineering agent can make valuable contributions to the development process and NAVORD now desires a more active participation by the Terrier/Talos departments in this effort. Deeper involvement in this effort will provide more challenging opportunities for all personnel within the combine departments.” Cdr Holloway said that little change is anticipated in anything other than organization. The department will continue to occupy the present locations, Buildings 1153, 1218 and 1215. Shifts of personnel to perform functions other than those being performed now are to be kept to a minimum in order to maintain the integrity of the Talos and Terrier efforts under one organization.

16 9: USS NORTON SOUND (Part 4) February 2006

We recently received approval from CAPT Huber to locate the brass model of USS NORTON SOUND (AVM-1) in the lobby area of Building 1388. It will be located there along with the memorabilia display of Admiral Walters and also a display missile. Therefore, even though we have previously had a number of articles on AVM-1’s history, it is still fitting to have additional articles on her history and the close association she had with NSMSES/ NSWSES/NSWC PHD over the years. Following are two articles excerpted from the Interface: COMMAND CHANGES ABOARD NORTON SOUND (October 5, 1973) Commander James R. Poole assumed command of USS Norton Sound Friday, Sept. 28, at change of command ceremonies aboard the ship. Cdr Poole succeeds Commander Charles E. Clynes, commanding officer for the past year and a half, who is retiring after 27 years of naval service. USS Norton Sound recently underwent extensive alterations in Long Beach Naval Shipyard for at-sea tests and evaluation of components of the Aegis Weapons System. The ship is homeported at Port Hueneme. Captain Gustav F. Swainson Jr., executive officer, represented NSWSES commanding officer Captain Edward A. Christofferson Jr., at the change of command ceremonies. Also attending were Captain Wayne Meyer, Surface Missile Project Manager, NAVORDSYSCOM, and Captain Paul Anderson, AEGIS Weapons System manager, NAVORDSYSCOM. A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Cdr Poole received his commission in 1957 following graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy. He had been serving as executive officer of the USS Camden prior to assuming command of Norton Sound. Norton Sound, named after the largest Alaskan Sound, was launched Nov. 28, 1943, and was commissioned on Jan. 8, 1945. She was the first ship designed and built from the keel up as a . She is 540 feet long, and has a 14,800 tons displacement. After combat service as a seaplane tender during the closing months of World War II, Norton Sound in 1948 was selected by the Navy as a test ship for guided missile systems. In 1949, the ship conducted the first at sea tests of the Aerobee missile in conjunction with both the Applied Physics Laboratory of Johns Hopkins University and the Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu. Norton Sound also participated in the early Terrier and Tartar evaluation firings, and conducted the first Sea Sparrow missile firing from a ship on Sept 13, 1965. In 1966, Norton Sound conducted tests of the Basic Point Defense Missile System. Prior to installation of Aegis components, Norton Sound tested the Lightweight 5-inch 54-caliber gun. AEGIS COMES TO NSWSES IN NORTON SOUND (February 15, 1974) The Navy’s newest and most advanced surface-to-air missile weapons system, AEGIS, has come to NSWSES in test ship NORTON SOUND.

17 Prior to installation of AEGIS in NORTON SOUND, extensive performance evaluation and safety tests were conducted at the AEGIS Land Based Test Site, Moorestown NJ. While at Port Hueneme and on the Pacific Missile Test Range, additional evaluation testing will be conducted to verify operational performance and compatibility with Fleet environment. This multi-phase test program is to ensure that the will obtain the most dependable and reliable defensive missile weapon system available from current technology. Earlier missile weapons systems were previously evaluated at Port Hueneme, home of NORTON SOUND. Through experienced gained with those missile systems, specific operational and safety procedures will be enforced to assure that all test and evaluation exercises are completed safely and successfully. Successful completion of the at-sea tests will provide a necessary step toward introduction of AEGIS, “Shield of the Fleet”, into the future combatant ships of the U.S. Navy.

18 10: TERRIER in Aircraft Carriers April 2006

During their construction in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, three aircraft carriers: USS KITTY HAWK (CVA-63); USS CONSTELLATION (CVA-64); and USS AMERICA (CVA-66) had TERRIER systems installed. As an engineer for Sperry Gyroscope, I worked on systems in KITTY HAWK in Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, as well as the systems in CONSTELLATION, built in the Brooklyn Naval Shipyard in . I was onboard “CONNIE” in 1962; when she was at sea for sea trials. There was a boiler explosion that killed seven Sailors. Most everyone had to lay-down to the hangar deck. But as the smoke got more intense, we were required to move to the flight deck. The big problem here was that the lifeboats/ rafts had not yet been installed onboard – and the rumor everywhere was that we may have to abandon ship… Fortunately, it was just a rumor; but it took several scary hours to fight and finally extinguish the fire, in the darkness of night. NEMESIS engineers supported these carriers for many years before TERRIER was removed (and continued supporting them after NATO Seasparrow was installed in KITTY HAWK and CONSTELLATION). One example of this support for her TERRIER systems was noted and recognized by the Commanding Officer of KITTY HAWK as noted in the article below, quoted directly from the Interface dated January 18, 1974. KITTY HAWK APPRECIATES NSWSES SAT A Letter of Appreciation has been sent to members of a NSWSES Ship Assistance Team (SAT) by Captain Edward A. Christofferson Jr., commanding officer, for their assistance to the USS Kitty Hawk during a recent SAT visit. Members of the team were; Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Larry D. Huffman, Code 4400; Marvin Block, Code 4443; Victor Johnson, Code 4411; Fereydoon Rassuli, Code 4411; Fire Control Technician, Missile, First Class Paul Carlson, Code 4411; Roger Whitacre, Code 4412; Virgil Elkins, Code 4421; and Elmer Bryant, Code 4421. Weekend assistance was rendered by Thomas Ryan, Code 4411; and Curtis Schlegel, Code 4411. The letter quoted the commanding officer of the Kitty Hawk in reporting the SAT as remarking; “Many long work days were encountered by original team members and ship’s fire control/ launcher technicians these past two weeks effecting minor repairs and adjustments, proofing revised systems tests and associated documentation, plus passing on occasional ‘tricks of the trade’ to some of our newer technicians. Additional weekend assistance… cured the Fire Control System Director Three elevation drive binding…Your willingness to provide complete and detailed assistance when needed and your complete disregard for normal working hours is noted with both pride and pleasure.” In a closing paragraph to the letter, Capt Christofferson said,“I wish to add to this my personal appreciation for your fine work in providing assistance to Kitty Hawk. This kind of performance in direct support of the Fleet attests to your professional skill and reflects credit on yourself and this command.”

19 20 11: Captain Robert Walters June 2006

The Alumni Association has agreed with the Command to perform some housekeeping duties on the entryway display case in Building 1388, the Vice Admiral Robert L. Walters Engineering Center. The display case holds memorabilia from Admiral Walters, who was our Commanding Officer from 1974 to 1975. The display in the glass case includes: the Admiral’s hat; shoulder bars, sword and scabbard; a NATO Seasparrow plaque; ribbons and bars; and a 36” x 48” portrait of the Admiral. The Command took custody of those items on 5 October 1993, as approved by Commanding Officer Captain Beachy. The biographical article of [then] Captain Walters was published in the Interface on April 26, 1974 and is quoted below: CAPT ROBERT WALTERS TO ASSUME COMMAND OF STATION JUNE 21 Captain Robert L. Walters, who has been associated with naval ordnance for more than 20 years, will assume command of NSWSES on June 21. He succeeds Captain Edward A. Christofferson Jr., who plans to retire after more than 30 years naval service. Capt Christofferson has served as NSWSES Commanding officer since May 1, 1972.

Capt Walters comes to the Station following a two-year tour of duty as commanding officer of the guided missile USS BELKNAP. A native of Oblong, Ill., Capt Walters enlisted in the Navy in 1944 and later entered the U.S. Naval Academy from which he was graduated with the Class of 1949. He saw action during the on the battleship USS MISSOURI. Following a tour of duty as gunnery officer aboard the destroyer USS KEPPLER, Capt Walters attended the Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, Calif., where he specialized in ordnance engineering. Capt Walters has also served on the staffs Commander Battleship Division Two and Commander, Cruise Force Atlantic as weapons officer of destroyer USS NORFOLK, and in the Destroyer Readiness Branch of the Strike Warfare Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. From April 1967 through January 1969 Capt Walters served as executive officer of the guided missile light cruiser USS PROVIDENCE while she was the flagship for Commander Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific. He returned to Washington early in 1969 to become the Program Manager of Anti-Ship Missile Defense in the Naval Ordnance Systems Command. He became commanding officer of USS BELKNAP after attending the Air War College, Maxwell AFB, Ala. Capt Walters earned a Masters Degree in Business Administration from Auburn University. He has been awarded the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star with Combat V, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and various campaign ribbons associated with naval service during the Korean and conflicts. His is married to the former Diana Moomau of Petersburg, W. Va.. They have two sons, Andy who is a student at Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI), and John, a high school student. 21 22 12: Captain Wayne E. Meyer October 2006

This article appeared in the NSMSES Information Bulletin issue of February 3, 1969: Captain W.E. Meyer, engineering director of the Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station, has been commended by Admiral I.J.Galantin, chief of the Naval Material Command, for his outstanding work as head of the technical section of a special ad hoc Surface Missile Systems Technical Planning Group. The group met in Washington, D.C. between Sept. 6 and Dec. 15, 1968. Admiral Galantin cited Captain Meyer for effectively directing the efforts of senior scientists, engineers and naval officers from various commands, projects, field activities and contractors “in a projected program to enhance the capability of the Terrier, Tartar and Talos weapons systems to combat the future threats in a air war at sea.” “Under your extensive technical knowledge of the Surface Missile Systems,” Admiral Galantin said, “you were instrumental in forging a technical improvement plan for the Terrier, Tartar and Talos Weapon Systems which was directed at countering the threat of the 1970’s and early 1980’s.” The chief of the Naval Material Command added that the plan when approved and implemented “will have a profound impact on the Surface Missile System equipped ships for years to come.” Admiral Galantin also pointed out that “of particular importance was the development of the Threat Responsive Weapon Control approach for each type of Surface Missile System ship as a solution to the problem of engagement of the anti-ship missile.” The citation from Admiral Galantin was presented to Captain Meyer by Captain O.F. Dreyer, commanding officer, during the Station’s monthly management luncheon held Jan. 24 in the Officers’ Club. More than 75 key personnel were on hand for the presentation. The above article speaks to the 3-T Improvement Program’s success during the 1960’s/1970’s spearheaded, in part, by the strong technical and management guidance provided by CAPT Meyer. Anyone who worked with or under the technical scrutiny of CAPT Meyer knows what a strong leader he was. Even though the 3Ts had a lot of problems, they also had a lot of successes during fleet firing/ testing exercises as well as actual combat.

23 24 13: Captain John D. Beecher December 2006

During the formation of NEMESIS, the position of Chief Engineer was identified as one that needed to be filled by higher ranked officers. By 2002, a total of 23 officers had been assigned to this billet. Usually they were at the rank of Captain, but a few Commanders had also been assigned to the position. A listing of all Chief Engineers was the Alumni Newsletter of April 2002. Many might argue that the number should be 22, but in fact the first officer in charge of all engineering at NEMESIS was the late CDR Robert W. Scott who was a plank owner and in charge when the Station was commissioned in 1963. He was a pivotal force and magnet to attract many of the engineers and technicians from the various Government contractors and Naval Shipyards during the “Contractor Conversion Program.” Hiring those experienced personnel was critical to the success that NEMESIS achieved in those early and difficult days. Over the years, several officers assigned as Chief Engineer went on to become Flag Officers, including Capt Wayne E. Meyer, Capt John D. Beecher and Capt. Kathleen K. Paige. One of these special officers, who was well respected by both the military and civilian work force at NEMESIS, was the late CAPT John Beecher, our 8th Chief Engineer. The article below was contained in the NEMESIS Interface dated June 30, 1972. CAPT BEECHER ASSIGNED AS DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING Captain John D. Beecher will assume duties as director of engineering at NSMSES on July 15. He is presently head of the Test and Evaluation Department, Naval Weapons Laboratory, Dahlgren, Va. The 43-year-old naval officer succeeds Captain William A. Kanakanui, Jr., who departed Port Hueneme in early June for Japan where he took command of the guided missile cruiser USS Oklahoma City. Serving as the interim director of engineering is Commander Henry Ehleringer, head of the Resources and Planning Department. Capt Beecher was born Aug. 15, 1929 in Galion, Ohio, where he attended elementary and secondary schools. His first two years following graduation from Galion High School in June 1946, were spent at the University of Detroit where he pursued a course of study leading to a degree in chemical engineering. In June 1948, he accepted an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. His initial assignment after he was commissioned in June 1952, was as gunnery officer of the destroyer USS Stembel. He made three deployment with Stembel to Korean waters between August 1952 and April 1955. He next reported for duty as the first executive officer of the USS Parrot. In July 1957, Capt Beecher attended the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., from which in 1959 he received a B.S. degree in electrical engineering. This was followed by an additional year of study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for his masters degree in aeronautics and astronautics. Assignment as the commissioning weapons officer of the guided missile destroyer USS Charles F. Adams was followed in 1963 by a two-year tour as missile readiness officer for the Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Force Atlantic, Newport RI. In June 1965, he was named executive officer of the

25 newconstruction guided missile destroyer USS Cochrane and served with her through an eight-month deployment to the Western Pacific area in support of U.S. and allied operations in . He next attended the six-month course of the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Va. Following his graduation in June 1967, Capt. Beecher was Assigned to the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington, D.C., and in August 1968, was named weapons officer of the Spruance class destroyer development program in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. For his work with the Spruance project he was awarded the Navy Meritorious Service Medal. In May 1970, he changed his designator from unrestricted line to ordnance engineering. Three months later he was assigned to the Naval Weapons Laboratory, Dahlgren, Va., as assistant head of the Surface Warfare Department and then head of the Test and Evaluation Department. For his outstanding managerial skills he was named winner of the John Adolphus Dahlgren Award—only the fifth person and the only military to be so honored by the laboratory. He is the son of Mrs. Irene Beecher and the late Mr. John R. Beecher of 209 North Liberty, Galion, Ohio. Capt. Beecher is married to the former Joan Ralph of Bethesda, Md. They have four children, John Michael, 18, Karen, 16, Mary Kathleen, 14, and Julia, 12. [RADM Beecher passed away on 25 January 1992. - Ed]

26 14: Destroyer Named After Wayne E. Meyer February 2007

This article is a little different from previous ones because it concerns a current event rather than one that occurred years ago. I’m sure you’ll find this article very interesting, since an Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer will be named after one of our own, a former Chief Engineer and Executive Officer, namely Wayne E. Meyer, RADM (Ret). The article that follows appeared in the Command’s CoastaLink issue of January 2007. (Though we’ve used the same article, we’ve used an additional photo.) NAVY NAMES NEW DESTROYER IN HONOR OF FORMER NSWC PHD EXECUTIVE OFFICER The Department of the Navy has announced the naming of the newest Arleigh Burke class guided missile destroyer after the “Father of Aegis,” Wayne E. Meyer. The destroyer marks the 100th Aegis Weapons System delivered to the Navy. Meyer is a retired Navy rear admiral who managed the development of the Aegis AN/SPY-1 radar system. Meyer graduated from the University of Kansas with a bachelors in electrical engineering. He also holds a masters in astronautics and aeronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a bachelors in electrical engineering from Naval Postgraduate School. Meyer’s career began in 1943 as an apprentice seaman. In 1946 he was commissioned an in the U.S. Naval Reserve and was transferred to regular Navy in 1948. After several years at sea, he returned to school in 1951 and attended the Joint Guided Missile School, Fort Bliss, Texas, and the Naval Line School, Monterey, Calif., and eventually served as an instructor at Special Weapons School, Norfolk, Va. In 1963, Meyer was chosen by Secretary of the Navy Fred Korth to lead a special task force for surface guided missiles. Meyer turned down a destroyer command to continue his work with missile, radar, and fire control systems. Meyer served as chief engineer and then as executive officer at NSWC PHD where he guided the development of the Aegis system from 1968 to 1970. His experience laid the groundwork for the success of a prototype Aegis radar weapons control system in 1974.

27

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Mullen presents retired Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer with a picture of the ship that will bear his name at a ceremony celebrating the deliverance of the 100th Aegis Weapons System to the Navy. The ship was named after Meyer, who is widely regarded as the "The Father of Aegis" after spearheading the development of the defense system, and will fittingly receive the 100th system. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley)

From left to right, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Mullen, retired Rear Adm. Wayne E. Meyer, Mr. Fred Moosally, president of Maritime Systems and Sensors and Rear Adm. Charles S. Hamilton, program executive officer for ships pull the plug to de-energize the 100th Aegis Weapons System to be delivered the Navy. The system will be installed on the newly named USS Wayne E. Meyer (DDG 108). Meyer is widely regarded as the "The Father of Aegis" after spearheading the development of the defense system. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Chad J. McNeeley)

28 15: USS STARK (FFG-31) April 2007

NEMESIS was established in 1963 to provide technical and engineering assistance to the Special Navy Task Force for Missile Systems in matters relating to research, development, T&E, procurement, production, quality control, logistic supplies, training and service use of the Navy’s shipboard Guided Missile Weapon Systems. This included the most important aspect of in-service engineering of being “on call” to provide feet-on-the-deck assistance when needed. NEMESIS accomplished this in an excellent manner as evidenced by the many BZ’s received from the fleet over the years. STARK TEAM PUTS IT ON THE LINE IN by JO1 John Toledo On May 17, 1987, USS STARK (FFG-31), while underway on assignment to Commander Middle East Force in the , was damaged by receiving two Exocet missile hits from an Iraqi warplane. Thirty-seven sailors lost their lives in the attack. The damage to STARK prevented normal operation of the MK 13 Guided Missile Launching System. All Harpoon and Standard missiles stored in the magazine had to be removed before STARK’s crew could go pierside and begin repairing the damaged ship. Two days after the incident, six personnel from NSWSES traveled to Bahrain to conduct the unloading of 39 missiles aboard STARK, which was anchored off the shore of Manama. Commander Robert Wilson, officer-in-charge of the group, along with Edward Cummings, Cruise Weapons Systems Department, Charles Feyh and Dan Price, Tartar Systems Department, and Frank Garay and Len Guzzo, Missile Systems Department, worked 18-20 hours per day in the 110 degree heat to accomplish the task. The team was also augmented by one ordnance handling specialist from the Naval Weapon Station, Yorktown and two FMC/ NOD employees. All missiles were unloaded from STARK and stored aboard USS LASALLE (AGF-3). Intense heat was just one of the many problems the team had to face. “Because of the extreme conditions in the Persian Gulf,” said Cmdr Wilson, “you can’t leave missiles out overnight because of the need for safe storage and fear of terrorist attacks. “So what we had to do was offload from STARK and put the missiles on a movable barge, move the barge over to LASALLE and stow them all on the same day. That’s why the days were so long.” Because of the damage sustained aboard STARK, there was no power to operate the launcher to remove the missiles from the magazine in the ship. The crew had to manually remove them. “What we had,” explained Cmdr. Wilson, “was a system that was controlled by electronic and hydraulics. We had no power, therefore no hydraulic pressure. So everything had to be done by manual control, which means we had to spend four hours removing the hydraulic brake systems. Then we hand-cranked the magazine around into position for removal. Then we used air-drive assist motors to assist in the off-loading.” “The problem was just as tough in storing the missiles as it was in getting them off,” said Cmdr. Wilson. “LASALLE’s magazine is not equipped to handle the type of missiles we were storing. So we had to design new handling equipment to get the containerized weapon down in LASALLE and stowed in the magazine.

29 While the team was there, they designed, constructed and weight-tested new handling equipment to solve their problem, working to accomplish this the first four days they were there. They started moving missiles when all equipment was ready. The crew’s workday started at 3:30 a.m., when they left their hotel for the ship. They worked three- hour shifts with an approximate half-hour break, usually completing their work around 10:30 p.m. Each member of the team received a Special Act Award from Captain J.J. Andrilla, NSWSES commanding officer, in a short ceremony held in the Audio/Visual Center last week. “(The team) has exhibited that very high level of professionalism, enthusiasm and dedication people at this Station have become known for worldwide,” said Capt. Andrilla in front of the large crowd at the ceremony. In addition to the awards, each member of the team received letters of commendation from Commander Naval Surface Forces Atlantic and Commander Middle East Force.

30 16: USS VALLEY FORGE and USS BUNKER HILL June 2007

Some of our AEGIS ships are scheduled for or are in the process of decommissioning. It doesn’t seem possible that time has gone by so quickly and that some of these advanced ships are being phased out of service...somewhat sad. So, instead of being sad, I’ll just turn the clock back in time, say to about 20 years ago so I can smile and present two articles wherein the 4th AEGIS cruiser (USS VALLEY FORGE (CG-50)) was undergoing post-shakedown availability (PSA) and USS BUNKER HILL (CG-52) was commissioned. These two articles appeared in the Interface dated October 3, 1986. STATION TEAM HELPS TO BRING SHIP INTO THE FLEET “NSWSES: Center of Excellence,” has played a major role in bringing a second AEGIS cruiser into the . USS VALLEY FORGE (CG-50) is undergoing Post-Shakedown Availability (PSA) at Todd Shipyard, San Pedro, prior to joining USS VINCENNES (CG-49) with operational forces in the Western Pacific. NSWSES engineers, technicians and logisticians have mailed postcards from Pascagoula, MS to Pearl Harbor as they worked to prepare the ship for operational readiness. The NSWSES AEGIS Mobile Engineering Team joined VALLEY FORGE for the AEGIS Combat Systems Light Off (ALO) about two months after the ship’s christening. For the next 13 months the five-man team, under the direction of Project Supervisor Bob Kimbley of the AEGIS Combat Systems Branch, was an integral part of VALLEY FORGE through Builders’ Trials, custody transfer, transit from Pascagoula to and finally through the Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT). Wrote Captain T.C. Lockhart, commanding officer of VALLEY FORGE, in a letter of appreciation to Kimbley: “VALLEY FORGE completed a very successful Combat Systems Ship Qualification Trial. Your contributions to CSSQT were varied and significant, and, in fact, started 18 months ago in Pascagoula, MS. “During VALLEY FORGE’s construction at Ingalls Shipbuilding Division, you aided in the identification of potential problems, conducted in-depth liaison and material expediting, and ensured the correct completion of numerous pre-PSA jobs. Your dedication to the task at hand was, and is, commendable. Your obvious pride and commitment is the hallmark of a true professional and VALLEY FORGE is a better warship because of your efforts.” Mobile Engineering Team members were Vince Yarbrough, Joe Lara, Alva Maynor and Dave Kooienga, all of the AEGIS Combat Systems Department. Lieutenant Rich Wilder was CSSQT officer-in-charge and later was commended by Naval Sea Systems Command for his efforts. Al Murray was the assistant officer-in-charge. VALLEY FORGE received high marks throughout her pre-commissioning and post-commissioning tests. Her Trial Charlie--the Hull, Machinery and Electrical tests--held in the Gulf of Mexico, were completed in 25 hours, the briefest test time yet for an AEGIS ship. Kimbley noted that the test team personnel on the beach took on added importance during at-sea tests of the AEGIS cruisers.

31 “Bunk space is at a premium,” he said. “Team leaders rode VALLEY FORGE. Other personnel had to be ‘coptered back and forth daily as they were required aboard ship.” He added that the beach support was especially important during CSSQT tests on the Pacific Missile Range. “Our tactical analysis people were ashore at Barking Sands and could review our data each night.” The second AEGIS cruiser article appeared on the next page of the Interface. An excerpt from that article follows, just to give an indication of just how quickly the number of AEGIS ships was growing. BUNKER HILL COMMISSIONED The guided missile cruiser BUNKER HILL (CG-52) was commissioned Sept. 20 (1986) in Boston, Mass. Sen. Edward Kennedy was the principal speaker and Kitty Skallerup, wife of the honorable Walter T. Skallerup Jr., general counsel of the Navy, is sponsor of the ship. BUNKER HILL is the sixth AEGIS-equipped cruiser of the TICONDEROGA (CG-47) class to be commissioned and the first ship to be delivered with the Vertical Launching System. The Navy’s oldest ship, USS CONSTITUTION, and BUNKER HILL exchanged a 15-gun salute upon BUNKER HILL’s departure. BUNKER HILL will be homeported in San Diego.

32 17: Highlights of 1974 October 2007

Back in the 1970’s the Navy was increasing its fleet assets, ships and weapon systems, to ensure a strong, flexible and capable Navy to counter various threats to the security of the United States. This was highlighted by an article in an issue of the Interface dated January 10, 1975. It is quoted below: NEW SHIPS AND WEAPONS HIGHLIGHT NAVY 1974 The Navy launched seven ships and three submarines and commissioned six ships and three submarines in 1974, the Chief of Naval Information (CHINFO) reports in a year-end summary. PEGASUS (PHM-1), the first patrol hydrofoil missile ship, was launched during November in Seattle, Wash. One of the Navy’s low-cost building programs, the patrol hydrofoil is designed to operate offensively against surface combatants and other surface craft and to conduct surveillance, screening and special operations. LOS ANGELES (SSN-688), first of the 688-class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, was also launched during 1974. The LOS ANGELES class submarines are 360 feet long and are armed with anti-submarine rockets and MK-48 torpedoes. USS CALIFORNIA (DLGN-36) the first of a new generation of nuclear-powered guided missile frigates, was commissioned Feb. 16 in Norfolk. The 10,000-ton ship is the Navy’s fifth nuclear- powered surface ship and is equipped with advanced sonar and ASW weapons, two Tartar surface-to- air missile systems and two MK-45, 5-inch, 54-caliber gun mounts. Two important contracts for Navy building programs were awarded in 1974. The Electric Boat Division of General Dynamics Corporation was awarded a $285.4 million contract for construction of the first submarine in the planned 10-ship TRIDENT Program. The Navy also awarded cost plus, fixed fee contracts to Bell Aerospace Company and to Rohr Industries Inc., for further development and design of a 200-ton Surface Effect Ship (SES). A smaller SES achieved speeds in excess of 80 knots, or more than 92 miles per hour, in April tests in the Gulf of Mexico. That ship, a 100-ton propeller-driven test vehicle that rides on a cushion of air, was being evaluated to help determine design features for the larger 2,000-ton ocean-going ship. CHINFO also reported that several of the Navy’s weapons systems that are being tested and evaluated by NSWSES are steps closer to fleet introduction. AEGIS, a shipboard integrated AAW combat weapons system designed for fast-reaction, multi-target defense against both aircraft and missile targets, successfully intercepted a target drone using a Standard Missile. The event marked the first at-sea firing of the Standard Missile with AEGIS. Early operational testing of the Harpoon missile, now in full-scale development, was recently completed on the Pacific Missile Range. Eight test firings were conducted and results exceeded operational requirements for this stage of development. The missile will be used by ships, submarines and aircraft for defensive action against surface vessels. The NATO Seasparrow surface missile system successfully completed operational evaluation and is now being produced for fleet introduction in 1976. This lightweight, fast reaction Point Defense Missile System will ultimately be mated with the Target Acquisition System, which has been installed in USS DOWNES (DE-1070) for technical testing and evaluation in 1975.

33 The new Mark 71, 8-inch gun was installed aboard USS HULL (DD-945) for at-sea testing and evaluation. The mount is a prototype of the major caliber lightweight gun designed to give ships of the destroyer and ocean-escort a “big gun” capability. The gun is automatic and allows the operator to fire 75 rounds without the normal four-man crew. A test program to evaluate the feasibility of launching Standard missiles from fixed vertical launchers rather than shipboard movable launchers, was begun during the year. The concept of vertical launchings of the Standard Missile is to provide a surface-to-surface or surface-to-air missile system capable of being fired without having to aim a launcher or turn a ship to allow the missile to clear the ship’s superstructure. During 1974, the Chief of Naval Operations approved the consolidation of six existing Type Command into two major Surface Commands. The Cruiser-Destroyer Force, Service Force and Amphibious Force Commands of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets were combined into the Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet (COMNAVSURFLANT) at Norfolk, Va., and the Commander Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet (COMNAVSURFPAC) at San Diego.

34 18: Origins: The Early History (Part 1) December 2007

There were many reasons and events that occurred which necessitated the establishment of NEMESIS. I have written about them in the past and will do so in the future to ensure that we don’t forget our heritage. The Navy had a need for a field activity to concentrate on the development and installation of highly complex surface missile systems. This led to the appointment of Rear Admiral Reich as the Director of the Surface Missile System (SMS) Project to establish an ad-hoc task force to make recommendations concerning establishment of a Navy in-house Engineering Center. Subsequently, the task force recommended immediate establishment of such a center at Port Hueneme, California. This location was selected because of location with a deep water port, centralized between two major shipyards, next to the Naval Complex at Point Mugu and the Oxnard Plains that offered a labor pool of highly skilled technical and professional people. On 16 May 1963, the Secretary of the Navy, Fred Korth, directed the establishment of the Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station (NSMSES). The acronym was pronounced "NEMESIS," after the mythological Greek Goddess of Retribution. The original mission of the Station was to provide support to the Naval Ordnance Systems Command in matters of the G Fleet, relative to research, development, quality control, logistics support, procurement, test and evaluation, training and a "get-well" program. NSMSES's beginning was very austere and involved some luck regarding facilities. In that same time frame, it was learned that the Yards and Docks Supply Office at Port Hueneme was being disestablished on 20 June 1963. The three buildings vacated were suited for engineering office space. These buildings were Buildings 442, 444 and 445 that formed the nucleus of the Station's facilities for years. The old furniture, desks and office equipment were available for use and were not in the best of shape. It cost $10.00 to have a telephone moved, and due to austere times only a few phones were moved. The results were that we had phones where there were no desks and vice-versa, basically some of us had to use a phone on the floor in the corner which was time-shared. The Navy utilized SMS Contractor personnel to supplement military and civil service personnel in establishing and helping manage the Station's efforts in this endeavor. The responsibilities and successes of NSMSES rapidly increased and precipitated the Contractor Conversion Program. This program allowed and encouraged contractor personnel become civil servants and to become permanent members of the Command. This program was also instrumental for the Command to hire technical personnel from the Navy's shipyards. Captain Richard E. Ball was the first Commanding Officer, while Captain Mark Woods was the Deputy Director. NSMSES was formally commissioned on 8 July 1963 followed by a well-publicized dedication ceremony on 25 October 1963.

35 As an additional comment, note that the Station was “in business” immediately, before it was formally commissioned or officially/publicly dedicated. Such was the urgency with which the Navy viewed the need for a Navy in-house engineering activity. You can appreciate that statement by noting three dates: • 1 June 1963 — NSMSES established in an active (fully operational) status • 8 July 1963 — NSMSES formally commissioned • 25 Oct 1963 — NSMSES Dedication Ceremony.

36 19: Origins: The Early History (Part 2) February 2008

As I’ve noted in previous articles, it’s important to revisit events that led to establishment of NEMESIS so we don’t forget our heritage. To this end, the following information was extracted from OPNAV Report 5750-5, dated 8 July 1963 to 31 December 1965. Here is a brief chronological listing of events that led to the establishment of the U.S. Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station: The first motion occurred on 10 March 1962, when the Secretary of the Navy, Honorable Fred Korth issued a memorandum to Admiral George Anderson, CNO; Chief, BUPERS; Chief of Naval Material; Chief, BUWEPS; Chief, BUSHIPS; Chief, BUSANDA; and NAVCOMPT, requesting recommendations to be coordinated by CNO covering all facets of Surface missile Systems. He expressed concern regarding the critical nature of the existing situation regarding TERRIER, TARTAR and TALOS (3T) missile systems and the need for both immediate and long range programs, providing remedial and corrective action. CNO responded to the SECNAV memorandum with a consolidated report on 12 April 1962. The report encompassed recommendations submitted by the Bureau Chiefs to CNO. CNO recommended establishment of a missile engineering center to analyze surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems and associated equipments. The center would provide a sound technical program for improving reliability, maintainability, and performance of the 3T Guided Missile Weapon Systems. It would also to be empowered to initiate corrective measures. The Chief of Naval Operations proposed to fund such an activity with RDT&E funds. In May 1962, in response to the CNO recommendation, the Head of Surface Missile Task Force (RADM Eli T. Reich) in the Bureau of Naval Weapons (Code G) initiated discussions with Bell Laboratory and Western Electric Company regarding the need to have mature electronic firms actively assist the Navy in the Code G directed program of surface to air missile systems. Bell Laboratory and Western Electric assigned senior consultants to Code G in June 1962. They undertook a SAM study to determine if and how Bell/Western could assist the Navy. Bell Laboratory and Western Electric made their report to SECNAV on 28 June 1962 that outlined the seriousness of the problems of SAM systems. Secretary of the Navy issued SECNAVINST 05430.56, dated 20 July 1962, to establish the Special Navy Task Force (SNTF) for surface missile systems (with RADM Reich as its director). In a 1 August meeting with SECNAV, Bell/Western expressed the belief that, notwithstanding the critical nature of 3T problems, planning for organizational changes should proceed concurrently with specific actions to handle immediate problems. Through Western Electric, Bell accepted a letter of intent on 3 September, though their support to the SAM program had actually started on 1 September. Just a few weeks later, on 17 September, Western Electric agreed to furnish about 90 engineers to the Navy to assist in developing optimum utilization of TERRIER, TARTAR, and TALOS Missile Systems.

37 It was on 14 December 1962 that the Director, Surface Missile Systems Project, established an Ad Hoc Task Force team to study, inquire into and make recommendations with regard to establishing a Navy in-house missile engineering center. The ad hoc team consisted of senior personnel from Bell Laboratory, Western Electric, Applied Physics Laboratory, Bureau of Ships and the Bureau of Naval Weapons. When the team submitted their report on 15 February 1963, it included 11 recommendations that were supported by specific findings. Among those recommendations was the immediate establishment of such a missile engineering center at Port Hueneme, California. It was just three days later, on 18 February, that the Head, Special Navy Task Force approved that report and directed immediate steps for SECNAV to establish the Engineering Center (later called the Engineering Station) as soon as possible but not later than 1 July 1963. It was also in February 1963 that the U. S. Naval Construction Battalion Center (NCBC), Port Hueneme, California, was selected as the location for the Missile Engineering Station on the basis of the availability of buildings, a deepwater harbor, and proximity to the Pacific Missile Range as well as to a large segment of the electronics industry. Western Electric Company delivered a detailed report on 15 March to SNTF regarding recommendations for Information Management on the TERRIER, TARTAR and TALOS Programs. The next significant step occurred on 19 April, when RADM K.S. Masterson, Chief, Bureau of Naval Weapons, requested CNO to establish the U.S. Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station instead of the proposed Surface Missile Systems Engineering Station. Recommendations were approved by the Director, SMS Project; the U.S. Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station (NSMSES) was authorized on 16 May 1963 (by SECNAV Notice 5450) and it was to be established in Port Hueneme, effective 1 June 1963. As authorized, U.S. Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station was established on 1 June 1963 as a tenant activity at the U.S. Naval Construction Battalion Center. NSMSES was commissioned under the command of Captain R. E. Ball on 8 July 1963. Dedication ceremonies were held on 25 October 1963. The Secretary of the Navy established the Missile Engineering Station on 1 June 1963, a time when there were 55 surface missile ships in commission, 26 more authorized and under construction or conversion, and ship deliveries progressing at the rate of approximately one ship per month. On 8 July 1963 a nucleus group placed the Station in commission and commenced operations. Initial assets included office facilities for 350 persons and a staff of 58 persons consisting of 6 officers, 38 civil service personnel, and 14 contractor engineers.

38 20: The Ninth Birthday (1974) April 2008

Looking back at years gone by often makes me wish that I could relive some of those times. There is no exception - even when reflecting on my years at NEMESIS. Many of us were new to the area and didn’t know many folks. But we worked hard, played hard, made friends quickly and developed a camaraderie that was hard to match. So it’s nice to read about those early days and the “can-do” attitude of those who helped establish the Station which became so successful in providing engineering, technical and logistical support to the missile ships of the U.S. Navy. Below is an article about those first few months and some of the people who helped put it all together. It was published in the Interface issue of July 7, 1972, and it’s also fitting as the Station approaches its 45th anniversary… HAPPY BIRTHDAY! THE STATION WILL BE NINE YEARS OLD TOMORROW! Nine years ago tomorrow, 36 employees gathered in the courtyard of Bldg. 445 for the commissioning of Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station (NSMSES). Officially, the NSMSES date of birth is listed as July 1, 1963, but the actual commissioning ceremonies were held a week later. The occasion will be marked by 35 Plankowners, an association of original employees formed this year. There were 36 members, but Maurice Clifton retired on June 30, earning him the distinction of being “the first man out.” Among the NSMSES pioneers are those who were aboard even before there was a NSMSES. Richard Arthur Riebow, personnel management specialist in the Civilian Personnel Department, was assigned physically to NSMSES a month prior to the commissioning but officially remained an employee of the Pacific Missile Range, Point Mugu, until January 1966. “There was never any doubt that the new organization would fly. The biggest problem was that there was nothing on which to base procedures. We were going into something brand new with no precedent in the Navy system. But the attitude was that it can be done and it will be done. We went into it with wide-open minds,” Riebow recalls. From that beginning, “we started with a ceiling of 58, but the body count was not nearly that high,” Riebow has witnessed the growth of NSMSES today to 1,647 employees. Riebow had transferred from Puget Sound Shipyard to Naval Air Missile Test Center, Point Mugu, in 1948, 10 years before the name was changed to Pacific Missile Range and 15 years before a two-man task force arrived at Port Hueneme from Washington, D.C. to establish a new command. The two men were Mark van de Erve, now deputy of NSMSES Point Defense Systems Department, and Jack Voris, who has retired from Civil Service. One of the main jobs of the task force was arranging for certain cross services, including personnel, which could be utilized by the new command. Because of similar functions of Point Mugu and NSMSES, Point Mugu was selected as the personnel office and Riebow was assigned the task of setting up personnel procedures. The arrival of van de Erve and Voris at Port Hueneme was the result of a concept proposed by the Chief of Naval Operations in 1962. The objective was to combine numerous scattered activities of the Surface Missile System.

39 More specifically, the mission of the Station was, and is, to provide support to the Naval Ordnance Systems Command, the Naval Ship Systems Command and other system commands “in matters relative to research, development, test and evaluation, procurement, production, quality control, logistic support, training and service use aspects of all elements of Navy ship guided missile weapons systems.” “You can say that we had a very austere beginning,” smiled van de Erve when questioned about the Station’s founding. “We started with eight engineers, including myself, and 12 technicians. We had 75 Western Electric employees under contract.” Van de Erve came to Port Hueneme from the Naval Weapons Service Office (NWSO), Washington, D.C. “Not one of us received a promotion in making the move. It cost $10 to have each telephone moved, so we had some phones where we didn’t have desks. We moved as few phones as possible. We even traded furniture from the NSWO office in Washington with the Yards and Docks Supply Office which was disestablished here but had some of its billets moved to Mechanicsburg, Pa. It was much cheaper to ship furniture from Washington to Mechanicsburg than from Washington to Port Hueneme. We knew we didn’t have much money with which to work and we were determined to make it go as far as possible.” The Chief of Naval Operation’s proposal in 1962 led to the appointment of an ad hoc committee by then RAdm. Eli T. Reich. The committee selected Port Hueneme as a site for the proposed station because appropriate facilities were in existence at the Seabee base and the adjacent naval complex at Point Mugu, including a deep-water harbor, and because of Port Hueneme’s proximity to labor pools of highly skilled engineering, technical and professional people. Van de Erve recalls that the establishment of the Station was a combination of several fortunate events. Subsequent to the recommendation of the Port Hueneme site by the ad hoc committee, it was learned that the Yards and Docks Supply Office at Port Hueneme was being disestablished on June 30, 1963. The three buildings vacated were suited for engineering office space and provided growth potential for several years. These are buildings 442, 444 and 445 which form the nucleus of NSMSES facilities today. “Many valuable months were gained by acquiring the furniture and hiring 18 administrative employees of the Yards and Docks Supply Office,” said van de Erve. “We were also fortunate in another respect,” van de Erve added. “Adm. Reich wore four hats in Washington at that time — Bureau of Naval Weapons, Bureau of Ships, Bureau of Supplies and Accounts and Bureau of Naval Personnel. This enabled us to enjoy the unique advantage of being able to work across bureau lines as required to coordinate the interfaces so often encountered in complex weapon systems.” VAdm. Reich is now Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (Production Engineering and Materiel Acquisition). Both Riebow and van de Erve are quick to point out, however, that the Station was not established without its share of problems.

40 “One of our biggest non-technical problems was a name,” said van de Erve. “When we recommended a name we had to be careful to not interfere with Naval Missile Center Point Mugu - for instance, we could not use the word ‘center’ and we had to be careful with the use of the word ‘missile.’” “The major problem was finding enough engineers and technicians,” Riebow stated. “Adding to this problem was the fact that we were in the middle of the space engineering boom. It caused a real drought in engineering graduates. Young engineers were not interested in government employment. The turning point came with the beginning of the Junior Professional Program which enabled us to recruit on college campuses. The program was aimed at hiring inexperienced engineers off campus and offering on-the-job training and some types of academic training. “Changes occurred so fast during those early days,” said Riebow, “that there was once a joke about time stamping organizational changes. It was only natural, starting an organization from scratch, that we would go through many changes.” Riebow concluded: “At times, it has been a little disconcerting and frustrating, but the results have been realized, and it is personally satisfying that we have gained the reputation of being a solid organization. It has been self-satisfying to see all the changes, to see the mission we have been given to do to be accomplished. We were looked on to provide help to the fleet and we have provided it.”

41 42 21: The Founding Documents June 2008

Every so often someone wants to know why NEMESIS was established, what were the official documents that established the Command, and what was our mission. This has occurred several times since I retired 10 years ago (that long?? Wow!) - and most recently it happened again. I worked with the Command Historian, Craig Hodson, to pull the information together so he could provide it to NAVSEA. Therefore, I feel it is appropriate to document this information in our Newsletter so next time it will be easier to locate. Keep in mind that there were other documents issued during these earlier days, but those listed herein are felt to be the most important ones — and, of course, many new directives/NOTICES were issued that updated and/or superseded many of the earlier documents as the Station matured. The information regarding the establishment of NEMESIS (in summary format) is provided here. 1. NSMSES was established in an active (fully operational) status effective 1 June 1963 by the Secretary of the Navy in letter SECNAV 5450 OP-09B23C ser 435 dated 16 May 1963. The letter was signed by Kenneth E. Belieu, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Installations and Logistics) and identified as SECNAV NOTICE 5450. In that document, the Station’s mission was stated: “Mission. The mission of the subject activity is: To provide technical and engineering assistance to the Special Navy Task Force for Surface Missile Systems, the Bureau of Naval Weapons and the Bureau of Ships in matters relating to the research, development, test and evaluation, procurement, production, quality control, logistic supply, training and service use aspects of all elements of Navy ship guided missile weapons systems.” 2. The tasks to be performed to accomplish the specified mission were identified in detail by BUWEPS INSTRUCTION 5450.92, promulgated by SECNAV letter BUWEPS 5450.92, G-11 dated 8 July 1963. The letter was signed by Admiral Eli T. Reich, Assistant Chief for Surface Missile Systems. Specific categories of tasks were identified in detail, with major categories identified as: a. In-Service Engineering b. Weapons Performance Evaluation c. Test and Evaluation d. Procurement Support e. Production and Quality Assurance f. Logistics Support g. Training Support h. Fleet Introduction i. Research and Development

43 3. To implement the assigned mission at the Command level resulted in the NSMSES Organization Manual that was promulgated by USNSMSES INSTRUCTION 5450.1 dated 8 July 1963, signed by NSMSES Commanding Officer, CAPT R. E. Ball. The Table of Contents outlined NSMSES’ organizational structure, identified various positions for contract personnel, a roster of key personnel, etc. The first block diagram organization chart, approved by Admiral Reich, dated 14 June 1963, was also included. 4. Three important dates/events in NSMSES’ early history are: • 1 June 1963 - NSMSES was established in an active (fully operational) status by the Secretary of the Navy. • 8 July 1963 - NSMSES was formally commissioned. • 25 October 1963 - The Dedication Ceremony for NSMSES was held on this date. Many dignitaries and civic leaders from Ventura County and presidents of many large corporations were in attendance. Participating in the ceremony were Under Secretary of the Navy, Paul B. Fay, Jr.; NSMSES Commanding Officer CAPT Richard Ball; NSMSES Executive Officer CAPT Mark Woods; and the Director of the Navy’s Special Task Force for SMS, Admiral Eli T. Reich. Guided missile cruiser USS OKLAHOMA CITY (CLG-5) was in the Port Hueneme harbor and provided the traditional ship gun salutes for this significant occasion.

44 22: Underway Replenishment October 2008

The UNREP Department is still an active department here at NEMESIS. The department has received many awards and recognition over the years for cost savings and technical improvements of the UNREP equipment installed in the US FLEET. One article acknowledging one of the many achievements was printed in the Interface Bulletin on July 21, 1972. This article is quoted below: UNREP ENGINEERING PROJECTS TO SAVE NAVY $7 MILLION A team of NSMSES engineers has developed modifications to shipboard winches and new transfer heads which will save the Navy more than $7 million by fiscal year 197 5. The key engineers on the projects, all of the Underway Replenishment Department (UNREP), are Charles T. Boyle, Ventura; Richard K. Takashima, Camarillo; Paul C. Kastriades, Ventura; Mark S. Hutchenreuther, Oxnard, and Daniel L. Gregg, who has transferred to another position in the San Francisco area. About a year ago, the Underway Replenishment Department was faced with an identified major fleet problem. The U.S. Navy had nine modern service force ships with an installed total of 79 winches which had recognized operational deficiencies under certain environmental conditions when used in conjunction with the latest underway replenishment system techniques. Underway replenishment is that capability of a service force ship to transfer supplies, ordnance or fuel to a combatant ship while underway at sea. This problem stemmed from 1968 when the Navy decided to drastically simplify FAST (Fast Automatic Shuttle Transfer) and an alternate system, STREAM (Standard Tensioned Replenishment Alongside Method) was developed. STREAM transfer could be accomplished with less complex equipments. After the implementation of STREAM, increased emphasis was placed on the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet ships to utilize STREAM rigs but nine modern UNREP ships were unable to fully provide all the new rig configurations to customer ships and were forced to restrict their replenishment capability to past conventional methods and to a reduced number of STREAM methods. These ships were equipped with "first generation" winches (open hydraulic transmissions with mechanical controls) while other STREAM ships employed later generation winches ( open and sealed hydraulic transmissions with electronic controls.) In 1971 the Navy proposed a long-term solution to the problem by either replacing the "first generation" winches with "fourth generation" winches or with a new design winch to be developed. The cost of replacement was estimated at $6,965,114. The Underway Replenishment Department engineering team conducted an equipment improvement study typical of similar past efforts put forth as a portion of the NSMSES Value Engineering (VE) Program. The team developed a modification for the existing winches which eliminated the requirement to replace them. The key to the modification was the design and development of a spring tower which acts as a wire rope take-up device to permit the winch drum to overcome operating inertia and the automatic sensing system to establish desired line tension.

45 Raymond E. Reid, UNREP value engineering coordinator, estimates that it will take $493,200 to manufacture and install the spring towers and to fabricate and install the associated hydraulic modification kits on the nine ships. Cost of the engineering study and design was about $50,000, resulting in the total savings during four fiscal yeas of $6,422,000. Of this total, $3,802,000 will be saved during fiscal year 1972, and another $2,620,000 during fiscal years 1973, 1974, and 1975. The modifications have already been installed aboard the USS Camden, USS Mars and USS Sacramento, and installation is continuing onboard other affected ships as they began their regular overhauls. Many of the same engineering team personnel had been instrumental in the development of a Simplified STREAM Transfer head which resulted in an additional $255,000 savings during fiscal year 1972, and is expected to save more that $690,000 through the next five fiscal years.

46 23: Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich March 2009

I'm sure everyone will agree that we presently live in a dangerous world with terrorist threats and activity in many places world wide, the war in and on and on. So one may wish for simpler times of years gone by - but looking back history indicate that we lived in a dangerous world then as we do now. Our founding father, Vice Adm. Eli T. Reich who died in November 1990 puts the world situation in perspective in his article in the NEMESIS Interface on July 17, 1987. This article is quoted herein as follows. NSWSES ON CALL: SUSTAINING COMBAT CAPABILITY In the early period there was only one major naval power - the U.S. Navy. Today, it is generally recognized that the Soviets are a major naval as well as a major military power, while it is debatable, some would say the Soviets are the number one military and naval power today. Why? For the following reasons: With the exception of large aircraft carriers - the Soviet Navy outnumbers the U.S. Navy in most other combat types - especially so in submarines. The Soviet merchant marine today is the largest, measured in number of merchant type ships in world wide trade. By contrast, the U.S. merchant marine is in a very depressed state. Many U.S. shiplines are in very dire financial shape. With the exception of vacation cruise ships (mostly operated under foreign flags), there are no U.S. passenger lines in operation. Unfortunately, the NATO allies merchant ship assets are diminishing rapidly also. It is a moot question today whether there is adequate U.S. sealift available to support the strategic mobility requirements of the U.S. armed forces were they to be involved in an overseas war or wars. The Soviets have been and are now engaged in many parts of the world in support of military operations (open and covert) which have very important strategic consequences. These include Cuba, North and South Vietnam, North , the , Afghanistan, Angola, Mozambique, Grenada, Nicaragua, Chile, and several small African nations under the sway of the African National Congress - a communist dominated political organization. The Soviets NRM and merchant marine working in concert with a large network of relatively small specially fitted surveillance ships (less than 1000 tons) have been in the marine intelligence gathering business world-wide for the past 25 years. The Soviets apparently believe in mass coverage. They are not easily discouraged in their mission as many of our Navy commanding officers at sea have observed and duly reported. In covert operations (spying), there are a few recent incidents. The Walker family operations over a sustained period of time; the large number of KGB personnel employed in the in New York for the past 10 years or more; the FBI agent who fled to the USSR last year. In the USSR, secret operations, spying, and special operations have been a part of their intelligence gathering for a long, long time. Contrast the forgoing with the Clarke amendment in regard to Angola - the several Boland amendments re Central America (i.e., Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras). Also, recall in the 1970s Senator Church's investigation and then the subsequent dismantling of the covert and counter- 47 intelligence capabilities of the CIA. It's reminiscent of Mr. House, President Wilson's Chief of Staff - who in reference to active intelligence operations said, "Gentlemen, don't read other people's mail." "I'm afraid that by now you are thinking that Admiral Reich is either balmy or he is a first class pessimist who is lamenting the size of the U.S. Navy in 1945 (over 1200 combat ships) with today's almost 600 ship Navy. If so, you are almost right. Most particularly, the immediate reason for these observations is the direct result of watching the T.V. special these last few weeks produced by the Congress of the United States - both live in real time and featured at length on all the major network evening news hours. It suggests to me that the Congress believes it should have final and unilateral control of the foreign policy of the U.S. and that the president - as the chief executive officer and commander-in-chief of the armed forces - should only act with the prior authority and concurrence of the Congress. If the Congress prevails in their present spasm of outrage, my sympathies are for the president. We live in a very dangerous world today. Your job at NSWSES is most demanding. You have and you must continue providing the operating forces at sea "on call" in-service engineering support. Without such continuing support the Navy's real combat capability cannot be achieved or sustained.

48 24: Wayne E. Meyer December 2009

It is with great sadness to report the death of Admiral (Ret) Wayne E. Meyer on 1 September 2009. Most everyone in our organization worked for and/or with Wayne during those early days when NEMESIS was established in the mid and late 1960's. His strong leadership and Weapon System technical knowledge was almost legendary through the Navy's SMS technical community and the operating fleet. Without his vision, dedication and skill as Project Manager of AEGIS Shipbuilding Project, the Navy would not have the state-of-the-art AEGIS Weapon System that is installed in our Guided Missile Destroyers and Cruisers today. He was known as the "Father of AEGIS Weapon System." We can all be very proud of Admiral Meyer and all he did for the US Navy and for NEMESIS. He loved the Navy and served his country in a superb manner. He was a great patriot. Considering this, it seems in order to provide more detail of his early days in the Navy and up to his retirement in 1985. The following sketch of this time frame was provided in our Alumni newsletter dated April 2003. This article is quoted below: Most everyone remembers when Capt Wayne E. Meyer was our Chief Engineer, frequently acting CO/ XO, during his assignment to NEMESIS in the 1967-1970 time frame. Anyone who gave a technical pitch to CAPT Meyer (usually using "butcher paper " charts) certainly will not forget the experience, which was indeed exciting an challenging...to be sure. CAPT Meyer was selected for Flag rank in January 1975 and became known as the father of the AEGIS Weapon System He retired in 1985, and a retirement ceremony was held for the Admiral at the Washington Navy Yard. In attendance at the ceremony ware RADM Alvin B. Koeneman, Deputy Chief of Chaplains; VADM Joseph Metcalf III, Deputy Chief of Naval Operation; ADM James B. Busey, Vice Chief of Naval Operations; VADM William H. Rowden, Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command; and RADM John W. Adams, Commandant, Naval District Washington. An article was published in the December 1985 edition of (NAVSEA's) The Observer that covered the ceremony and is quoted here: QUOTE At a retirement ceremony held recently at the Washington Navy Yard, Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, Deputy Commander for Weapons and Combat Systems, Naval Sea Systems Command, retired from the Navy after 42 years of service. In his farewell address, RADM Meyer attributed his success to the support he received from the people with whom he worked, and spoke of the importance of engineering as the key to future success. Success depends on teamwork by all the people," RADM Meyer said. "It is people who have been at the center of all the accomplishments, so it is people who have meaning to our individual personal lives. They must work together, combining the contribution of engineer and fighter, government and laboratory. Looking to the future," RADM Meyer continued, "engineering is the battleground for 'keeping ahead' and the one in which we must not lose out . . . In the future, as in the past, defense can match the threat, the nuclear shadow will not destroy us, and the United States can continue to lead the way. 49 RADM Meyer began his Navy career as an apprentice seaman and was commissioned Ensign in the U.S. Navy Reserve in 1946. He was transferred to the regular Navy in 1948. His career has taken him to Sea in GOODRICH, SPRINGFIELD, SIERRA, STRICKLAND and GALVESTON. Some of his duties ashore have included Staff Commander, Destroyer Force, Atlantic; Director of Engineering, Naval Ship Weapon Systems Engineering Station, Port Hueneme, California; and Manager, AEGIS Weapon System. Naval Ordnance Systems Command. Continuing his work in ordnance, RADM Meyer became Project Manages for Surface Missile Systems, and in 1974, was assigned as the first Director of Surface Warfare. After his selection for flag rank in January 1975, he assumed duties as Project Manager, AEGIS Shipbuilding. His accomplishments in the development of AEGIS was recognized by the Navy League earlier this year when he was awarded the RADM William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress. He was cited for his determined and dedicated development and deployment of the AEGES weapon system aboard TICONDEROGA class cruisers and credited with applying the new tools of system engineering, computer science and information processing to the development of weapons, combat systems, and battle force engineering endeavors.

50 25: USS FOX; Harpoon March 2010

This section of the newsletter will consist of two shorter articles noting how involved NEMESIS was in providing direct shipboard fleet support. The first article, from the Interface bulletin of 1 June 1984, concerns the USS FOX (CG-33) which was in the NEMESIS CSSQT program at the time she visited NEMESIS. The second article, from the Interface bulletin of June 29, 1984, concerns the Harpoon Weapon System which NEMESIS was responsible for technical certification of the system. USS FOX HOSTS NSWSES TODAY The guided missile cruiser USS FOX (CG-33) will visit Port Hueneme this weekend in conjunction with its Combat System Ship Qualification Trials on the Pacific Missile Range. FOX will host a general ship visiting for NSWSES personnel from 1300 to 1500 today. NSWSES and Construction Battalion Center personnel and their dependents are invited to visit the ship from 0900 to llOO on Saturday. The ship will not be open to the general public. The ship will be docked at Wharf 4. FOX was commissioned on May 28, 1966 at Long Beach Naval Shipyard, and was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. She is the third ship to be named after Gustavus Vasa Fox, President Lincoln's Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War. Through Secretary Fox's encouragement, the Navy was committed to the use of "Ironclads," and he was responsible for naval engineering being added to he curriculum at the U.S. Naval Academy. FOX is 547 feet long, 55 feet wide and has a full load displacement of 7,900 tons. Her speed is in excess of 30 knots. FOX recently completed a Baseline Overhaul (BOH), during which her Terrier system was upgraded to Mod 9, Standard Missile Two capability. Her Combat System Ship Qualification Trials (CSSQT) will be a "first." FOX CSSQT has been expanded to include an evaluation of the communication and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) equipment, as well as Anti-Air Warfare systems. HARPOON was certified in the 174th ship Harpoon officially became the most populous surface weapon in the Fleet at San Diego Naval Station on Thursday, June 21, when USS MCCLUSKY (FFG 41) became the 174th ship to be certified. The certification lifted Harpoon ahead of ASROC as the anti-air, anti-submarine or anti-ship missile installed in the most number of ships in the Fleet. Attending the ceremony were representatives from NSWSES, Naval Sea System Command, Naval Air Systems Command, and McDonnell-Douglas Astronautics Corp. Representing NSWSES and the Naval Sea Systems Command at the ceremony was Commander Charles C. Faison, Cruise Weapons Systems Department officer. He was accompanied by Mark F. Wagemaker, acting head of the Trainable Launcher Branch. Captain Wallace C. Courtney, deputy Harpoon Program manager, represented Naval Air Systems Command. Attending from McDonnel-Douglas were R. W. Lowe, vice president/Harpoon program

51 manager, A. Bruce Craddock, directory program development/Harpoon, and George Cookse, Harpoon Western representative. Representing MCCLUSKY were Commander Robert Lynch, commanding officer, Commander Fred Mitchell, executive officer, Lieutenant Commander James Annis, combat systems officer, and Lieutenant Junior Grade Randy Snyder, ordnance officer. NSWSES became involved with Harpoon in 1976 when the Chief of Naval Operations assigned the Naval Sea Systems Command as overall development agent for shipboard combat weapons systems, the responsibility for technical certification of the Harpoon Weapons System hardware and verification of ships personnel on maintenance procedures, safe creation and employment of the weapon system. The Station has been involved with Harpoon from concept through the certification of MCCLUSKY. There will eventually be more than 200 ships in the Fleet certified with Harpoon. Harpoon can be used by surface ships as an anti-ship, surface-to-surface missile; by aircraft, as an air-to-surface missile, and by submarines. It was the first strike capability weapon developed by the Navy since World War II.

52 26: Commander Don Pette June 2010

It's always enjoyable to look back on the history of NEMESIS and recall those early days when the Station was being established and many of us were new to the area when joining and forming the NEMESIS team. A team of engineers, technicians, logisticians, clerical, financial etc, whose mission was to improve the maintenance, reliability and ensure operation of the Shipboard 3-T Weapon Systems. Of course looking back is also sad sometimes because the number of those folks who formed the early cadre are becoming fewer and fewer as the years go by so very fast. I could provide a long list of over 120 people who have passed away but I'd inadvertently omit some names so I won't do it at this time. However, I will identify one of the recent ones, namely Cdr Don Pette. He was the TERRIER Department Officer from 1966 to 1968 during the time he was also assigned as the Director of Engineering (Chief Engineer) for several months during the time awaiting the arrival of Cdr W. E. Meyer (Capt Select). Cdr Pette passed away April 5, 2010 in and will be interred with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington Virginia. Cdr Pette had a very interesting background and distinguished naval career. I think it would be appropriate to review this career as it was presented in his obituary, which is listed below: "PETTE, Donald C. Sr. 85, of Clearwater, passed away at his home Monday, April 5, 2010. He was born in Princeton, NJ and was a 20 year resident of Pinellas County. Don grew up in rural Dayton and Cranbury, NJ than graduated from Jamesburg High School. He was a very gifted athlete and excelled in track, baseball, golf and basketball. Don enlisted in the U.S. Navy in December 1942, a year to the day after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Don served on Destroyers in the North Atlantic in search of German U boats. After WWII, he attended the University of Miami and graduated in 1950 with BS degree in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation Don rejoined the Navy as an Ensign and served on many cruisers and destroyers in the Pacific during the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Don was selected to attend the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, CA. Upon his graduation he was designated Weapons System Engineer with specialty in Guided Missiles and Nuclear Weapons. His sea tours included assignments as the Air Defense Officer on the USS LOS ANGELES, Executive Officer on the USS NEWELL, Weapons Officer n the USS ENGLAND and Guided Missile and Nuclear Weapons Officer for the Commander Cruiser and Destroyer Force, Pacific. At the time of his retirement from the Navy on June 1, 1968, Don was the Director of TERRIER Missile Program at the Weapons System Engineering Station, Port Hueneme, CA. After his Navy career Don worked for RCA Corporation in the Aegis Weapon Systems Program Office. Later Don helped to form privately owned System Engineering Associates (SEACOR) and later was President of Precision Systems Engineering. Don was a member of IEEE, ASQC, ASNE, and SNAME. Don was a boat owner and with his wife Phyllis lived aboard their boat "Ichi Ban" for two years. They cruised the inter-coastal waterway from the Chesapeake Bay to Florida's gulf coast. Don was an avid golfer and shot his age or better numerous times at the age of 76 while a member of Countryside CC. He was also an active supporter of the University of Miami alumni association and enjoyed attending Hurricane football and basketball games.

53 He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Phyllis Marie; three sons, Donald Charles Jr. and his wife, Cathy and their children, Robert, Michael, Jennifer and husband, Michael Fiels and great-grandson, Landon of Severna Park, MD; William Asher and his wife, Debbie and their children, Geoff and Greg of Tarpon Springs; James Daniel and his wife, Cathy and their child, Kristen of LaPlata, MD. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 17, 2010 at 2 p.m. at the Holloway Funeral Home, 112 Bayview Blvd., Oldsmar, FL 34677. As was Don's wish, he will be interred with Full Military Honors at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA on Monday Aug. 9, 2010 at 11 a.m. The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Don's honor to the Hospice of the Florida Suncoast."

54 27: Early History September 2010

The following tidbits of information are a cross section of items of various interests that I pulled from Interface Bulletins of years gone by, reminiscent of those days when NEMESIS was very young. The Station's first Change of Command ceremony was held on July 30, 1965 with Capt Harry H. Seymore relieving Capt Richard E. Ball. Henry (Hank) Morris, the head of the Missile Engineering Branch of TARTAR Systems Department, received the 1980 Eli. T. Reich Award. The Guided Missile Frigate USS WADSWORTH held open house for NEMESIS personnel and their guests on Family Day August 9, 1980. The ship was berthed at Port Hueneme. Capt Donald Gunderson, XO of NEMESIS, was reassigned to Surface Combat Systems Division, AAW Branch, Chief of Naval Operations, Washington DC. His farewell party was on August 13, 1980. A model of the first AEGIS Cruiser, USS TICONDEROGA (CG-47), was presented to the Station on August 1, 1980. It was presented to Capt E. W. Hays, NEMESIS CO, by Richard Rice of AEGIS Weapon Systems Department. Harvey Scheer, NEMESIS Technical Director, presented William (Bill) Keating, TART AR Systems Department Manager a Sustained Superior Award on August 8, 1980. Ted Olcovich, former head of the TARTAR Weapons Direction and Fire Control Division (Code 4510) will head the new Engineering Support Department (Code 4900) at NEMESIS. The new department will provide engineering and technical services relating to Surface Missile fleet 2D/3D search radars. This occurred in July 1971. Capt William Sigman reported for duty as Director of Logistics. He succeeded Capt William 0. Foulkes who retired November 1, 1971. Families and friends were dockside on September 1, 1971 to greet the crew of USS NORTON SOUND when the guided missile test ship pulled into its home port, Port Hueneme. The ship had departed Port Hueneme on June 10, 1971 for Pearl Harbor and for the South Pacific. A former CO of River Division 533, which during a 6 week period in Vietnam in 1968 suffered 40 percent casualties, became the new head of the Systems and Equipment Training Management Department. He is LCDR Eugene N. Whitt. LCDR Whitt succeeds LCDR William Lockie who was reassigned as Weapons Officer aboard the USS NORTON SOUND, the Navy's ordnance test ship. LCDR Whitt was awarded the Bronze Star medal with a combat V device, two Vietnamese Gallantry Crosses, the Presidential Unit Citation and the US Navy Unit Commendation for service in Vietnam. LCDR Whitt reported onboard NEMESIS in February 1972. The May 12, 1972 Interface Bulletin noted that Capt William Kanakanui, Jr., Director of Engineering will leave NSMSES for Japan in early June to assume command of the Guided Missile Cruiser, USS OKLAHOMA CITY. Succeeding Capt Knakanui at NSMESES will be Capt John Beecher. Capt W. E. Meyer, Engineering Director at NSMSES, was commended by Adm I. J. Halantin, Chief of Naval Material Command, for his outstanding work as head of the Missile Systems Technical Planning Group. The Admiral cited Capt Meyer for effectively directing the efforts of senior scientists,

55 engineers and naval officers from various commands, field activities and contractors to enhance the capability of TERRIER, TARTAR and T ALOS Weapon Systems to combat future AA W threats. This technical planning group met in Washington DC between September 6 and December 15, 1968. Fire aboard the nuclear aircraft carries USS ENTERPRISE on January 14, 1969, knocked out the missile defense system of the ship. NSMSES was partly responsible for expediting the restoration of the heavily damaged Basic Point Defense System. Adm. Gralla commended the Station for teamwork with other naval installations in repairing the systems. The admiral stated NEMESIS effort was "highly commendable and exemplifies the can do attitude and inherent technical expertise" of the Station.

56 28: Early History (continued) December 2010

As provided in the last newsletter, here are more tidbits of information which are a cross section of items on various interests that I pulled from our Interface Bulletins of years gone by. You can reminisce in those days when we and NEMESIS were very young. T. A. Olcovich, former head of the TARTAR Weapons Direction Division (Code 4510) will head the new Engineering Support Department (4900). The new department will provide engineering and technical services for the SMS fleet 2D/3D search radars. His three division Heads are Marsden Busch, Roy Calzada and Earnest Dahl, as reported on July 23, 1971 by Capt. Kanakanui Jr., Director of Engineering. The first 3-T Surface Missile System Steering group, to improve the reliability and operation of 3-T Missile Systems, was held February 14 and 15, 1963 at the Raytheon Company, Waltham, Mass. This group was headed up by Rear Admiral Eli T. Reich, Special Navy Task Force for Surface Missile Systems. In attendance were top management personnel from the following companies: General Electric Co., Bendix, General Dynamics, The Raytheon Co., Bell Telephone Labs, Westinghouse Electric Corp., Western Electric Co., Sperry Rand Corp., and Northern Ordnance. Gary Hibner has been named Deputy Head of the Station Maintenance Support Department. The appointment also meant promotion from GS-13 to GS-14 and he will assume his new duties August 26, 1968. In the Information Bulletin of September 2,1968, several feature events were publicized as follows: September 2 - October 11, SQT in USS WILLIAM V. PRATT (DLG-13); September 5 and 6, USS WOEDEN (DLG-18) Pre-deployment Ordnance review; September 5 and 6, T ALOS ARM Coordination meeting at APL/JHU, Silver Springs Md.; September 6, personnel from USS SCHOFIELD will visit for a SMS briefing; September 11, TERRIER monthly review at Washington DC; September 12, TARTAR monthly review, Building 445; October 1 - November 1, SQT in USS BENJAMIN STODDART (DDG-22). "The Honor Scroll" noted that the outstanding performance award was received by Gary Nuibe (4430). A QSI was received by Ted Olcovich (4510), John (Jack) Bower (4000), Norm Lemieux (4000), I. T. Pullen (4410), Leroy Snyder (4410), Tom Myers (4430), and Ken Miller (4430). Lt W. D. Bell retired from the Navy on November 5, 1968 with 20 years of active service. He was a TALOS (4600) missile systems project officer. LCDR Sam Ferguson was promoted to Commander Sam Ferguson, head of Point Defense Dept. on November 25, 1968. This is quite an accomplishment in itself as during his 26 year Navy carrier, he has held every enlisted rank, those of Warrant and Chief Warrant Officer and up the commissioned officer ladder to his present grade. He made Chief Petty Officer in 1945, Warrant Officer in 1952 and appointment to Ensign in July 1955 and 13 years later promoted to Commander. He came to NEMESIS in 1963. CDR Loren Kinne, with 29 years of experience in Navy weapon systems, was named head of the Point Defense Systems Dept. He succeeded CDR Sam Ferguson on December 9, 1968. CDR Kinne was onboard USS PORTLAND when she was hit on November 13, 1942 during the engagement at

57 between American cruisers and Japanese battleships. Two years later, on October 13, 1944, his second ship, the USS CANBERRA was torpedoed off the coast of Formosa. She was towed nearly 2000 miles to a dry dock at for repairs. From January 13 to 21, 1969 SQT were held in USS CHICAGO (CG-11). Officer in Charge (OIC) was LT Horton and the Technical Coordinator was A. B. Guerra. In January 1969, Code 4000 personnel receiving 20 year pins from Capt Meyer were: Glen Chappell, Robert Mac Donald, Ed Webster, Elizer Hernandez, Arthur Hutton, Jack Guertler, Emile Lee. Receiving 5 year pins were: Ed Webster, Walter Howe, John Kerwein and Jessie Martin. How about this, listed in the Information Bulletin of January 27, 1969 in the Classified Ads section. For sale: 1965 VW Deluxe Bus, luggage rack, new tires $1295.00. Also listed for sale: Luxurious 1966 Plymouth VIP, excellent condition, auto transmission, etc. at $1900.00. Also for sale, Pontiac 1966 GTO 4-speed, bucket seats and new tires $1995.00. CDR Alvin Brand became the new head of the Technical Data Dept. (5100) on March 14, 1969. He succeeded LCDR J. W. Edgemond who was appointed Fleet Project Officer, TARTAR Missile Systems. This occurred in March 1969. The Information Bulletin of March 14, 1969 noted that the Navy had successfully completed initial shipboard test of the lightest mid-caliber automatic gun ever constructed by the US. Final evaluation of the Mark 45's performance is being done in USS NORTON SOUND which is homeported here at NSMSES/Port Hueneme. The compact rapid fire gun, 5 inch 54 caliber Mark 45 is the first completely new major shipboard gun system produced in 18 years. On May 2, 1969, six employees of the TARTAR System Dept. were promoted or commended for their outstanding work by Capt Wayne Meyer, Director of Engineering and Harvey Scheer, Deputy Head of the Dept. Those receiving the awards were: Gene Fisher, Paul Wright, Clark Ball, Gary Meyers, Gerald Logner and Michael Ching.

58 29: Early History (continued) March 2011

As provided in the last two newsletters, here are more snap shots of information which are a cross section of items I pulled from our Interface Bulletins of years gone by. You can reminisce about those days when we and NEMESIS were very young. As noted in the July 28, 1972 Interface, RAdm Mark W. Wood was relieved as Commander of NAVORD, Washington DC, to become Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Force Pacific, with headquarters in San Diego. RAdm Wood was the first Executive Officer of NSMSES in 1963. In August 1972, the Navy successfully launched the first of a series of developmental Harpoon missiles from Point Mugu, California. Harpoon, the first of a family of anti-ship cruise missiles, is designed for launch against surface vessels from virtually all US Navy ships and aircraft. Technical test and evaluation of the surface-to-surface Harpoon Weapon System is the responsibility of NSMSES. Danny Lopez, who worked his way through Oxnard High School during the 1950's as a field laborer, has been named Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) coordinator for NSMSES. He is an equipment specialist for the Aircraft Maintenance Department at Point Mugu and will start work at NSMSES on September 5, 1972. Captain John Beecher, Director of Engineering, presented $350 awards for outstanding performance and sustained superior performance to Norman Lemieux (Code 4004C) and Ted Olcovich (Code 4900) in August 1972. RAdm William Harnish, Commander, Pacific Missile Range pinned the Legion of Merit on Captain Edward Christofferson Jr., NSMSES Commanding Officer in September 1972. Billie Edwards, NSMSES Woman of the Year, will be honored at a luncheon in the West Room of the CBC Officers Club on September 29, 1972. When Captain Edward Christofferson Jr., NSMSES Commanding Officer, and Henry Muller, Deputy, Logistic Support Director, visited ships off Southeast Asia during August 1972, they encountered a familiar face aboard USS OKLAHOMA CITY. They met with Captain William A. Kanakanui, former NSMSES Directory of Engineering. Captain Kanakanui is the Commanding Officer of the USS OKLAHOMA CITY, flagship of the 7th Fleet. Milton Scaturro, a General Engineer, in Code 4642 has been selected as a Certified Manufacturing Engineer by the Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME). Scaturro joined NSMSES in 1968 and previously was a project engineer in private industry in the field of oceanography. He also worked in design engineering in the Apollo Program and is a member of six engineering societies.

59 60 30: Vice Admiral Reich’s Speech, 1975 June 2011 (reprinted September 2015)

The following are excerpts from the speech by Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich (USN-Ret) at the second annual NSWSES Awards Dinner on May 30, 1975. VADM Reich reminds NSWSES: "Your origin was born in the ships at sea." Good evening Captain Walters, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight I have many thoughts, quite a few memories, and some concerns which I would like to share with you. First, I am very pleased and honored to have been invited to be with you on this day. I recall quite vividly the events of 1962 and 1963 that brought about the establishment of NSWSES. You were, and are, a child born of the new age of Naval missilery. It is true, of course, that much missile systems development work was going on in the naval shore establishment and certain associated contractor laboratories and facilities much before 1963 (such as NOTS, Lake, White Sands, APL, JHU, Sperry, Raytheon, Bendix, Western Electric). However, NSWSES was founded with a most necessary and unique mission: the over-all in-service support of the Navy's ship missile systems. The mission is unique because you have been charged with supporting systems made up of a platform (in the ship), radars, fire control equipment, launchers and mounts, missiles, magazines, maintenance and test equipment, training devices, etc. Further, this support includes on board assistance to the operation crews in training, maintenance, and with casualties. Indeed - your face must always focus to seaward - to the ships in the Fleet. And I would remind you, that you were born of adversity. In 1956-57 Boston and Canberra with their Terrier systems, joined the Atlantic Fleet and ushered in the missile age to the operating Navy. In the next five years, about 40 SMS ships joined the Fleet with Terrier, Talos, and Tartar systems - in addition there were almost 50 SMS ships in the active building program in various stages of construction. In mid-1961, the Navy became painfully aware that the SMS program was in deep trouble. Unfortunately, this awareness had to be surfaced by the manifold problems and casualties which the Fleets experienced and reported. Washington and the Naval shore establishment were slow in appreciating the true depths of the problems. In a sense this is surprising. For the Navy had most successfully developed the Polaris system - FBM's were operating and operating well. It is also true that the Special Projects Office had from the beginning planned to provide for more complete and competent logistic system to support the Polaris boats. As you know, the milestone that marked this painful awareness was the establishment of the Navy's 3- T's Program in February 1962. I can tell you that at that time I was personally well aware of the Terrier ship problems. In the next six months, as we began delineating the Talos, Tartar ship problems, I had much difficulty in maintaining a cheerful perspective of life in general, or the Navy in particular. Everywhere we saw problems - design, installation, testing, spares, training, technical, personnel shortages, technical data, maintenance, etc., etc. Our constant concern was the identification of resources - men, money and material - to cope with these problems.

61 It is out of this travail, this deep and painful recognition of what is required (logistically speaking) to deploy and operate ships armed with modern sophisticated weapon systems that NSWSES was born. I hope you won't ever forget this heritage.

62 31: Vice Admiral Reich’s Speech (continued) September 2011

The following are excerpts from the speech by Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich (USN-Ret) at the second annual NSWSES Awards Dinner on May 30, 1975. It is out of this travail, this deep and painful recognition of what is required (logistically speaking) to deploy and operate ships armed with modem sophisticated weapon systems - that NSWSES was born. I hope you won't ever forget this heritage. I have watched your progress over the past 12 years and I must say I'm quite proud of you. I know that your name has been changed - Naval Weapon Systems Engineering Station. This I believe came about when you were assigned the in-service support of gun fire control systems and switchboards. I think this was a logical step for the Navy - for it is my view, guns and gun fire control have too long been neglected. You can do much to contribute in this field. I expect to see a renaissance in naval gunnery, if and when the Navy puts the proper attention and funding support to the Light Weight Major Caliber Gun Program. I am very familiar with the Typhon system. But you are very familiar with and very much apart of the AEGIS system. Rear Admiral Wayne Meyer calls me occasionally - it never is a short call - he literally bubbles over with his enthusiasm and determination as regards to AEGIS. It is of interest that the H.A.S.C. has placed $60 million in the FY76 budget for long lead procurement for a strike cruiser, SCGN; they expect to authorize in FY77. I am also aware that serious planning is afoot to modernize the LONG BEACH (CGN-9) as the prototype AEGIS strike cruiser. You will play a role in these projects and the work you have in hand now in NORTON SOUND is excellent preparation for you. Now about my concerns - a week ago I read the Commanding Officer's Narrative Report from the USS SOUTH CAROLINA- a DLGN. Without going into detail, I must say I was dismayed. I recall our initiation of these reports in 1962 and the many headaches we used to have reading them in 1963, 4, and 5. But things slowly improved. In 1965, we didn't believe we had the answers to all problems - but we were encouraged, almost optimistic. We felt we were making progress and we could cope. And one of the big reasons was we had NSWSES established. You were developing rapidly, we were getting results! With the recent SOUTH CAROLINA report, however, I am beginning to be uneasy. Are we so interested in new developments, in things going on in-house, that we've lost interest in the ships at sea? I am aware that you have been growing here at Hueneme. Your manpower is up, your project load is increasing, and you are expanding your capabilities with many new test facilities and range equipment. This growth is logical. However, there is a danger in this that has been always a matter of concern to me - in the early days we talked much about this. The danger is that you here at Hueneme unconsciously turn inward. You become pre-occupied with on-Station problems and growth - you become more and more like any other activity of the Navy Shore Establishment. Your origin was born in the ships at sea. Your present and future are intimately involved in the Fleet of today and the new ships coming. I pray that you believe this.

63 64 32: Message for the Fleet Sailors March 2012

This article was printed in the August 7, 1987 Interface: MESSAGE FOR THE FLEET SAILORS By J. Metcalf Ill, Vice Admiral, US Navy, Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Surface Warfare) Exactly a year ago in the July/August 1986 issue of Surface Warfare magazine, I rendered a well earned and deserved salute to our Persian Gulf Surface Warriors...past, present and future who ply those waters to keep the peace. At that time, our attention was focused on the events in the Mediterranean and not on the surface warfare "peace keepers" diligently and quietly in harm's way on watch in the world's most explosive hot spot. In May, that hot spot erupted with an unprovoked and indiscriminate attack on USS STARK. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, armchair strategists, self-styled defense "gurus" and self- proclaimed "naval experts" emerged to second-guess and speculate about the mission of our Persian Gulf ships, the clarity of their operation guidance and their ability to defend themselves in a very ambiguous tactical environment in which we are not at war. Most of those people have never been responsible for anything more stressful in a 60-second time frame than trying to get rid of the dog that's chasing their bicycle. Our ships operate in the Persian Gulf to represent, immediately and directly, America's commitment to stability in the region and our deep concern over the threat to that stability posed by the senseless Iran-. The more fundamental issue is leadership, the leadership of the free and civilized world to resist anarchy and tyranny. If we, as a nation, abrogate those responsibilities of leadership, the Soviet Union stands ready to fill the void and impose its will over the region. This is why our ships are there ... to keep the peace. Everyone on the STARK was mindful both of the immense importance of their mission and of the stress of hazards that such a mission entailed. STARK's crew understood the risks and being surface warriors, they took pride in meeting the challenge. Despite their vigilance, there was a strike of madness. Ships have been lost in less dangerous conditions and as the damage control training and discipline took hold, the crew saved her. She was badly damaged but sail again. In the terrible moment of the attack and in the damage control efforts that ensued, 37 sailors gave their lives. With heavy hearts, we mourn their tragic loss. They were 37 good men on a good ship. They were doing a tough job as well. They were faithful to their ship and their shipmates and they died in the service of their country, believing to the end in its wonderful ideals. As we have for almost half a century in the oceans of the world where freedom and security are at stake, U.S. Navy ships remain on deployment, with renewed dedication to the principles of which the surface warriors of the USS STARK made the ultimate sacrifice. Remember, sailors, the United States Navy is the iron fist inside the glove of peace. You make the difference. It is you, the Fleet Sailor, "the unsung hero," that I salute as the real peacekeeper in these violent times.

65 This significant event as described above by Admiral Metcalf, which many of you may remember, resulted in NEMESIS sending 6 personnel to Bahrain to conduct the unloading of 39 live missiles from the MK 13 GMLS from the damaged USS STARK (FFG -31). This was a difficult and dangerous job, as so described in the following article which was printed in our Alumni newsletter dated April 2007. This article is reprinted herein to emphasize the importance of NEMESIS in providing direct shipboard support to the operating fleet and deck plate sailor.

66 33: USS OKLAHOMA CITY June 2012

Letting your memory go back in time is somewhat sad to recall those days gone by, but by the same token recalling some of those favorite memories is also enjoyable. So this brief memory tour is focused on the former USS Oklahoma City (CLG-5), as was noted in the PHD NSWC CoastaLink dated 25 June 1993, as follows: REUNION HELD FOR EX-USS OKLAHOMA CITY PERSONNEL “The scene played out like a group of fraternity brothers coming together for a class reunion. The gathering was not a reunion of university alumni. These alumni were of a different sort. This reunion was of PHD NSWC personnel who had served and worked onboard ex-USS Oklahoma City (CG-5). On the day of the photo shoot, those 21 employees who served and worked onboard USS Oklahoma City reminisced about some of their fondest memories. Bill Bell, of Code 5F13, was a missile fire control officer onboard Oklahoma City from 1962 -64. He remembered when he and his co-workers were at Point Mugu conducting missile range operations the day President Kennedy was assassinated. “We were on the range firing when Kennedy was killed,” Bell recalled. “There was sadness.” Bell was also present the day “NSMSES” was commissioned in 1963. He said Oklahoma City fired a saluting battery during the ceremony. The ship will again fire, with the help of a saluting battery from Naval Air Weapons Station Pt. Mugu, as part of the P-12 dedication ceremony on July 9. The dedication will be held during the station’s 30th Anniversary celebration. The ship is a guided missile cruiser that is a partial conversion. The ship has retained much of the original superstructure and twin-funnel arrangement. The after 6-inch gun turrets were replaced by a TALOS missile launcher; the forward superstructure was enlarged for flag accommodations and only one forward 6-inch gun turret with one 5-inch gun mount was retained. The original armament was 12 6-inch guns, 12 5-inch guns, 28 40-mm guns, plus 20-mm AA guns. Original pole masts were replaced by elaborate lattice masts and platforms for radar. Two Baltimore-class heavy cruisers were similarly converted in the 1950‘s. Oklahoma City was built as the CL 91, reclassified as a CLG 5 upon conversion to missile configuration and subsequently changed to CG 5 on June 30, 1975. Three other ships were fitted as Fleet flagships with enlarged bridges, additional accommodations and communications spaces and special electronic equipment. Oklahoma City is the only survivor of six Cleveland (CL 55)-class cruisers and was converted to a “single-ended” TALOS missile ship in September 1960. “Okay City,” as it is commonly referred to, was based in , Japan and decommissioned on Dec. 15, 1979. The ship served as flag-ship of the Seventh Fleet in the during the . Oklahoma City is presently in Port Hueneme Harbor being converted to a target ship. During the 30th Anniversary celebration, Oklahoma City will be decorated and may be viewed from pierside. However, target conversion work now in progress, precludes boarding the vessel.

67 Gerry Roberts, of the Terrier Systems Department which was the former TALOS Missile System Department, was heard saying, “This was quite a ship at one time.” Those members who served or worked onboard ex-USS Oklahoma City (CG 5), are Paul Gagnon, Herb Maron, Tony Pizza, Vito Jankovskis, Bob VanDermay, Elson Rogers, John Caudell, Charles Fletcher, Bob Kight, Paul Ryan, Homer Middaugh, Jim Brewer, Ted Soppeland, Sperry Morton, Loren Melton, Jerry Barrick, Armando Guerra, Steve Slater, Bill Bell, Bob Denny and Dennis Allred.

Subsequently the Oklahoma City was sunk at sea on 25 March 1999. Somewhat a violent “burial” but nevertheless she provided support and training for the USS NAVY plus other multi-national forces during her last moments of “life” at sea – as noted below by LT CDR Ed Zeigler, Task Force 70, Public Affairs: Former flagship for 7th Fleet sunk in missile exercise Multi-national naval forces put ex-USS Oklahoma City at the bottom of the ocean in the Western Pacific, in the vicinity of the . Naval forces from the United States under the command of Task Force 70 joined naval forces from , Republic of Korea, Canada, and in a Multi-national Training Exercise 1999. The live-fire missile exercise was held in a naval operation area near the Mariana Islands. Ships, submarines, and numerous tactical and maritime patrol aircraft from the five nations fired Harpoon, Penguin, and Maverick missiles, torpedoes, and shipboard guns at the ex-USS Oklahoma City, a former Seventh Fleet flagship. 68 Rear Adm Timothy J. Keating, the commander of Task Force 70 said the training exercise was “a tremendous opportunity for us. We exercised a great deal of command and control with several nations, and we accomplished our objectives.” The first day of the exercise began with a NATO Sea Sparrow shoot by USS Kitty Hawk (CV 63). HNAS Perth (DDG 38), HMAS Newcastle (FFG 06), and HMAS (FFG 03) followed with Standard missiles fired at aircraft launched drones. USS Mobile Bay (CG 53), USS Curtis Wilber (DDG 54), and USS Vandergrift (FFG 48) also fired Standard missiles at air launched drones. Remote radio-controlled targets were used for gunnery exercises on the second day. Several vessels honed their targeting skills while firing at a moving surface target. On the third day a “fouled range” prevented scheduled Harpoon shots at ex-Oklahoma City. For ship and aircraft safety, the Task Force had to ensure the Harpoon firing range was clear of all vessels in a 10,000-square mile area around the target. “With all the fishing and pleasure craft, it was tough to clear the range,” said Cmdr Al Elkins, the senior exercise planner for Task Force 70. “Safety is much more important in an exercise environment than getting the shot off. Even with this setback, we were still able to achieve our goals,” said Elkins. P-3 aircraft from Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron (based at Misawa Air Base, Japan), and Patrol and Reconnaissance Squadron 4 (from ) launched one Maverick each at ex-Oklahoma City, but the 55-year-old vessel stood firm. The ship was still afloat on the final day of the exercise. With USS Columbus (SSN 762), Republic of Korea Submarine Lee Chun shot a torpedo, scoring a direct hit. Twenty-five minutes later, at approximately 11:03 a.m., the former Seventh Fleet flagship disappeared below the surface, sinking down in 6,000 feet of water.”

69 70 34: Praise September 2012

This article was printed in the August 3, 1984 Interface wherein COMNAVSURFPAC praised and stressed the importance of NEMESIS’s commitment to the direct shipboard support of the operating fleet. COMNAVSURFPAC PRAISES NSWSES EFFORT “I sleep better at night when I hear NSWSES is going to that ship to fix that problem….”

Station managers heard this praise July 26 from Vice Admiral Harry C. Schrader, Jr., Pacific Fleet. VAdm Schrader was the guest of honor and principal speaker at the 1984 NSWSES Management Dinner held at the Point Mugu Officers’ Club. More than 80 persons attended the event, which was organized by Command Staff, the Senior Line Managers Association and the First Level Supervisors Association. Captain Gerald A. Fulk, commanding officer, was master of ceremony. Seated at the principal table were VAdm Schrader; Ted Rains, technical director, and his wife, Val; Capt Fulk with his wife, Carol, and their daughter, Kathleen; Earl Tranby, chairman of the Senior Line Managers Association, and his wife, Jeri; and Vito Jankovskis, chairman of the First Level Supervisors Association, and his wife, Inara. In his remarks prior to introducing VAdm Schrader, Capt Fulk announced an organizational change to be implemented October 1 to support the Station’s emerging roll as Combat Systems In-Service Engineering Agent. “As we move into our 22nd year of supporting the Surface Fleet,” said Capt Fulk, “we are seeing our biggest challenge since the commissioning of the Station in 1963. That challenge is to execute the responsibilities of Combat Systems In-Service Engineering Agent for assigned ship classes. This must be accomplished while continuing to meet our responsibilities as the In-Service Engineering Agent for Weapon Systems and associated equipment.” He closed his brief remarks by pointing out that the Station faced a similar challenge, 21 years ago, that of Surface Missile Systems. “That challenge was met by the ‘can do’ spirit of its employees,” said Capt Fulk. “Because of your dedication, this ‘can do’ spirit is as strong as ever. This, and your vast knowledge of Fleet systems and requirements will be critical to our mastering of Combat Systems.” In his remarks, VAdm Schrader compared NSWSES’ 21st anniversary with the 21st anniversary of marriage, at which time a couple can look back on identify things that were done right and things that were done wrong. “You can take pride in a long list of things you have done right,” said the admiral. He explained that he first visited the Station in 1975 on his way to assume command of USS LONG BEACH (CGN9). Since that time, he said, there have been instances when he did not agree with NSWSES. However, he added; “I want to thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ve been a CO who has benefitted. You have made my job easier as a captain when you came on board and helped me. You 71 have made my job easier as a Cruiser/Destroyer Group Commander when you came on board and helped my ships, you have made my job easier as a Type Commander when you came on board and helped my ships. And I mean it, very sincerely from the bottom of my heart, I thank you and I wish you would pass that to all your people.” He explained that he deals with a large number of commands as Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet. “Altogether, I have 180 ships and 200 commands. I also deal with a number of military and civilian organizations, that adds about 100 to that, … about 300 operative organizations I do business with on a day-in, day-out basis. I don’t think any of them can claim to equal this degree of enthusiasm and motivation that we see here. I am not being critical of anybody else .. I am just lauding you. The quality support that I enjoy from you is absolutely superior across the board. “It is very rare to see so many dedicated individual professionals walk aboard a ship from the outside of the command, … walk aboard and genuinely convey their expression and their concern that the problems on that ship are theirs and they are going to fix them … and they do. I’ll tell you one and all, I sleep better at night when I hear NSWSES is going to that ship and fix that problem. I tell you that, believing it is the absolute truth.” VAdm Schrader reviewed the history of naval surface missiles and pointed out that NSWSES had come a long way … that the Navy has come a long way. “I don’t think that I am exaggerating when I say that NSWSES has had a lot to do with the way the Navy has progressed through the missile age,” he said. He lauded the performance of the Standard Missile II and said that 11 of his ships have the capability already installed and two more are scheduled. Returning to the subject of combat systems, VAdm Schrader said he would define combat systems as “the total war fighting capability of the total sum of equipment aboard a hull.” He added that all of our planning and design efforts should be done from the systems standpoint and that our maintenance and upgrading philosophies should be based upon the entire system rather that “nickel and diming an individual piece of equipment.” The admiral offered special praise for the Station’s Underway Replenishment Department. “You don’t get enough credit. Everyone talks about weapons. I love you UNREP guys because we have the best UNREP people in the whole world.” The program closed with a presentation plaque to VAdm Schrader by Capt Fulk.

72 35: Captain David M. Altwegg December 2012

Capt Altwegg was a very energetic and talented Commanding Officer of NEMESIS, our seventh C.O. He was selected for Admiral, while still our C.O., and therefore took command of both the Point Mugu and Port Hueneme navy bases. An article of when he took command of the Station was printed in the Interface bulletin on June 20, 1975, as noted below. (There sure were a lot of guests.) CAPTAIN DAVID M. ALTWEGG ASSUMES COMMAND OF THE STATION More than 500 persons, including distinguished military and civilian guests attended a colorful ceremony this morning at which Captain David M. Altwegg assumed command of Naval Ship Weapon Systems Engineering Station. Guest speaker at the ceremony was Rear Admiral Walter Dedrick, Deputy Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command. Capt Altwegg succeeds Rear Admiral Robert L. Walters, who has been assigned to Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C., as Deputy Commander (Surface Ships). He will also report to Chief of Naval Material for additional duties as Project Manager Major Surface Combatant Ships Project. RAdm Walters received his promotion to flag rank after relinquishing command of NSWSES. Officiating at the frocking ceremony was RAdm Dedrick. He was assisted by Mrs. Walters and Master Chief Gunner’s Mate Donald Poague. The Third Marine Aircraft Wing Band from El Toro Marine Base and the 31st Naval Construction Regiment Color Guard, Port Hueneme, participated in the ceremonies. The invocation and benediction was delivered by Chaplain (Lieutenant Commander) Charles L. Lapp of the Naval Construction Battalion Center, Port Hueneme. Distinguished military and civilian guests attending included Rear Admiral Mark W. Woods, Staff, Surface Forces Pacific; Rear Admiral John W. Thomas, commander Pacific Missile Test Center, Point Mugu; Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, AEGIS Project Officer, Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington D.C.; Captain Paul W. Forehand, commanding officer, Naval Construction Battalion Center; Captain I. N. Schwarz, vice commander, Pacific Missile Test Center; Captain J. E. Krimmel, commanding officer, Naval Air Station, Point Mugu; Captain W. A. Lebert, commanding officer, Naval Astronautics Group, Point Mugu; Captain William A. Kanakanui, deputy commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force, Pacific, San Diego, and Commander James R. Poole, commanding officer, USS NORTON SOUND. Former NSWSES command officers attending were Captain Harry A. Seymour (USN-Ret.), Captain William A. Arthur (USN-Ret.) and Captain Edward A. Christofferson Jr., (USN-Ret.) Civilian dignitaries were Mayor Dorill B. Wright, Port Hueneme; John K. Flynn, Ventura County Supervisor 5th District (Oxnard-Port Hueneme); Mrs. Robert Speights, president, Port Hueneme Chamber of Commerce; Leo Ramirez, Oxnard Harbor District commissioner; Bob Wilson, representing U.S. Senator John Tunney; Captain Robert Carter (USN-Ret.), Dean Green, Ray Prueter and Dr. Herbert Templeman, from the Ventura County Navy League, and Gene Norman, chairman of the Military Affairs Committee, Ventura Chamber of Commerce.

73 Capt Altwegg comes to the Station following a tour of duty as commanding officer of the guided missile frigate USS HORNE. He is a native of Atertown, N.Y., and enlisted in the Navy on May 8, 1947. He received a Fleet appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy in 1948 and was graduated with the class of 1952. Capt Altwegg is married to the former Rosina Soulillace. They have a daughter, Shauna, attending Sophie Newcomb College at Tulane University. The new NEMESIS commanding officer earned a master of science degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also attended the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif., from 1956 to 1958, and was graduated from the U.S. Nuclear Power School, West Milton, N.Y. He is also a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, Class of 1971.

74 36: Commanders Selected for Captain March 2013

It’s interesting to look back at many of the folks that played an important role in the success of NEMESIS in providing In-Service Engineering and direct shipboard support to our operation fleet. From the military side, three Commanders come to mind and were selected for Captain as noted in the Interface Bulletin dated September 13, 1974. From the civilian side of the Command, two folks were given special NEMESIS development assignments as noted in the Interface Bulletin dated September 27, 1974. Each of these articles are listed respectively as follows: THREE COMMANDERS SELECTED FOR CAPTAIN (September 13, 1974). Two Naval Academy classmates assigned to NSWSES have been selected for promotions to captains. They are Commander John F. Higgins, head, Tartar Systems Department since 1970, and Commander James R. Wright, head, Terrier/Talos Systems Department since June. He previously headed the Engineering Support Department. A third naval officer, Lowell J. Holloway, who was reassigned in June from NSWSES to the Naval Sea Systems Command, Washington, D.C., has also been selected for promotion to captain. Cdr Higgins and Cdr Wright graduated from the Naval Academy in 1954. Both subsequently attended the Naval Post Graduate School, Monterey, Calif., and in 1962 were granted, respectively, master’s degrees in chemistry and ordnance engineering. Cdr Higgins’ assignments since being commissioned include those as executive officer of the Naval Ordnance Systems Support Office, Pacific; executive officer of the tank landing ship USS PENDER CITY; Terrier battery officer in the attack USS CONSTELLATION; and weapons officer in the guided missile frigate USS HALSEY. Cdr Higgins and his wife, Margaret, have five children; Kathleen, Matthew, Mary, Michael and John. Cdr Wright is presently serving his second tour of duty at NSWSES. He was project officer with the former Ship Qualification Department from August 1964 to September 1966. Cdr Wright’s assignments during the past 20 years include tours as commanding officer of the destroyer USS SHELTON and the patrol craft escort USS PORTAGE; executive officer of the destroyer USS PORTERFIELD; combat information center officer in the cruiser USS TOLEDO; and weapons officer in the guided missile destroyer USS TOWERS. Cdr Wright and wife, Jean, have two children, Cynthia, and Bryan. Cdr Holloway was head of the Terrier/Talos Department. He returned to Washington after a four-year assignment at NSWSES. Prior to his departure he was cited for his outstanding managerial and technical leadership. As a result, he was one of two Station managers to be awarded the Eli T. Reich Award. He began his naval career upon graduation from the University of Wisconsin in 1955. He is also a 1964 graduate of the Naval Post Graduate School where he earned a masters degree in electrical engineering.

75 BOGUE NAMED TO HEAD CODE 0300; COHEN HEADS CODE 0500 (September 27, 1974) John R. Bogue and A. Ross Cohen have been given special NSWSES executive development assignments, Captain Robert L. Walters, commanding officer, has announced. Bogue previously headed the Data Management Division, Code 5120. He also served as acting head of the Configuration Management Division, Code 5130. Cohen was formerly head of Development, Test and Evaluation Division of the Tartar Systems Department, Code 4540. Under the Station’s Executive Development Program, Bogue and Cohen will serve in the assignments for six months to one year. During this time they will receive extensive formalized and on-the-job training. In addition, they will be given first consideration for selected executive training programs. Upon completion of this temporary assignment, it is expected that they will be returned to their former positions. Bogue, a native of Southern California, was graduated from John Marshall High School, Los Angeles, and received his bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from West Coast University. He has taken graduate work at both the University of Southern California at Los Angeles. He worked in private industry for 15 years in various engineering and management capacities prior to joining Civil Service. He was employed by Applied Research Laboratories, the electronics division of Hall-Scott Motors, Teledyne Corporation and in the Special Space Projects Office of Douglas Aircraft. Bogue joined Civil Service in 1965 with Naval Ship Engineering Center (NAVSEC), Port Hueneme. He came to NSWSES in 1967 and has been assigned to the Technical Data Department for the past several years. He and his wife, Wanda, are residents of Thousand Oaks. They have a son and daughter who are attending college. Cohen is a native of Baltimore, Md., where he attended high school and receiving his bachelor of engineering science degree in mechanics from the The John Hopkins University. Cohen has also taken graduate courses in engineering and engineering management at the University of Southern California. During college years, Cohen worked in engineering jobs with Martin-Marietta and with Aircraft Armaments, Inc. After graduation, he joined Vitro Laboratories, Inc., at Silver Springs, Md. He worked at General Dynamics, Pomona, from 1960-62, and returned to Silver Spring for a short time prior to being assigned to Vitro, Oxnard late in 1963. He joined Civil Service in April 1965. As a Vitro employee, Cohen’s first assignment on Station was with the former Ship Qualification Assistance Trials (SQAT) Department, working on test and evaluation projects for Tartar and Terrier. As a NSWSES employee, he was first assigned to the Engineering Directorate staff where he was involved in Standard Missile and test and evaluation projects. He was reassigned to the Tartar Systems Department during an engineering code reorganization and became head of the Advanced Projects Division. In June, Cohen received one of the first Eli T. Reich Awards presented by the Station. Cohen and Commander Lowell Holloway, then head of the Terrier/Talos Systems Department, were selected for the awards for their outstanding managerial and technical leadership. Cohen was specifically cited for playing a key role in every major Tartar/Terrier/Standard missile improvement since 1965. 76 37: Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich June 2013

This July 2013 NEMESIS will celebrate its 50th anniversary/birthday here at Port Hueneme, Calif. Therefore it is fitting that we briefly recall those early days when NEMESIS was established and the vision and dedicated support of our “founding father”, VADM Eli T. Reich (deceased). We are re- printing an article about the Admiral from our Alumni Newsletter dated February 2000. It was sad to learn of the death of Eli T. Reich (VADM Ret.) on 30 November 1999. He has been known as the founding father of NSMSES. The Admiral’s efforts as the Director of the Special Navy Task Force under SECNAV directly resulted in the establishment of NEMESIS in 1963. Even after his retirement ADM Reich would frequently visit the Command to offer advice and participate in NEMESIS Anniversary celebrations. He was an advocate of NEMESIS and participated as keynote speaker starting at the commissioning if the Command July 1963, the Anniversary Celebration in 1973, 1983, and 1993. He also was at the Command for Building dedications plus other occasions. His vision and tireless effort toward establishment of NEMESIS can somewhat be put into perspective by his remarks at the 20th Anniversary celebration in July 1983. A recap of the Admiral’s comments are as follows. “I am delighted to be here with you on your 20th birthday. Ten years ago, July 1973 I was on hand for your tenth birthday and twenty years ago in July 1963 I was on hand for the commissioning of NEMESIS. I can tell you in all sincerity that NEMESIS has more than lived up to the hopes and plans of the architect, the founders of this station. “And while I take pride in the role of the “G” group in establishing NEMESIS I want all to know that planning and establishing overall policy for the Station was an important ingredient; however, the success of NEMESIS has been accomplished by the people (military and civilian) who have manned NEMESIS these past twenty years. “Let me recall some of the events that preceded the establishment of the Station in 1963. The first SMS ships in the Fleet were the Boston and Canberra, and Gyatt in 1955-56. By 1961 there were 34 3T ships in the fleet and 36 more in the building yards. Unfortunately, as the number of 3T ships increased in numbers, problems in operations, maintenance, and support of the 3T Systems became evident. “In late 1961 the Navy leadership, the Secretary and the CNO, recognized that the situation was most serious and determined that extraordinary measures should be taken. In January 1962 I was directed by VADM Strook, Chief of Bureau of Naval Weapons, to prepare a plan for a special program/ organization within BUWEP and BUSHIPS to have overall material cognizance of the Navy’s 3T Systems. In February 1962 after approval of the recommended organization the “G” Group was activated in BUSHIPS with special ties to BUSHIPS. “In July 1962 SECNAV and the CNO reviewed the “G” Group organization and determined a special Navy Task Force reporting directly to the Secretary of the Navy; and the “G” organization should take steps to gain an overall system engineering capability, both for system design problems and in-service engineering support to the fleet.

77 “For the system design problems, the Navy looked to Applied Physics Laboratory/John Hopkins University. For in-service engineering support and engineering we contracted with Western Electric Co. and Bell Telephone Laboratory. “In October 1962 a small ad-hoc group was formed in the “G” Group (three Navy and three Western Electric/Bell Telephone Laboratory personnel) to initiate planning and action towards establishing a Navy in-house capability to do system engineering, maintenance and logistics support of Navy’s SMS Ships. “The ad-hoc group made many field trips and in March 1963 I joined the group and revisited the Construction Battalion Center, the Bureau of Yards, and Docks Supply Cen-ter. The Supply Center at Port Hueneme was in the last stages of phasing out and being transferred to Philadelphia. “This was an ideal situation as we could take possession of the vacated building and because of the deep water port, the Naval complex at Point Mugu, and the labor pool of higher skilled technical and professional people on the Oxnard Plain. Thus, this location was selected. “As so, twenty years ago, in July 1963 NSWSES was commissioned at Port Hueneme, Calif. with CAPT Ball as the Commanding Officer and Mr. Joe Merchep of the Western Electric Company as the Technical Director. It was a modest beginning, 85 regular government people (military and civilians) and about 100 Western Electric people. From that modest beginning you have grown in many ways. Today you are a major field station of the Naval Sea Systems Command, with nearly 1800 people, military and civilian. “You have expanded greatly your areas of responsibility in Ship Weapon Systems, so in 1972 your name was changed to Naval Ship Weapon System Engineering Station.”

78 38: The 50th Anniversary September 2013

This seems to be the season for remembering those early days when the Command was established. We just celebrated the 50th anniversary of NEMESIS during July 2013. Additionally, the Alumni Association held a special luncheon at the Bard Mansion. Rear Admiral Richard Williams III (retired), the 14th Commanding officer of NSMSES, gave an excellent talk of those early days when NEMESIS was founded and the various officers who were instrumental in its establishment. In similar manner it’s interesting to note that the last active Plank Owner of NEMESIS retired this month, August 2013. This is none other than Jessie Gracia who retired with 56 years of dedicated service. She was the first TERRIER Department secretary to Cdr R.W. Scott who was the Department head. Jessie was the first person of the Command I met when reporting onboard in April 1964. Our TERRIER group at that time consisted of a large percentage of contractors and new Civil Servants (like myself) who were not familiar with navy protocol, correspondence/administration, procedures, etc. Jessie provided considerable guidance and instruction on how we were to prepare and address our letters, messages, correspondence, etc., to NAVSEA, Fleet Commanders and various TERRIER ships. Her guidance was indeed substantial in the early success of the TERRIER Department. So in the interest of those early days gone by, I’m repeating an article from the Alumni Newsletter dated June 2002 which covers the 2nd anniversary of NEMESIS, July 1965. I find these early day memories and history of what made NEMESIS so successful to be very interesting – I hope you do too. The following article was written by the Public Information Office for a July 1965 release: PORT HUENEME, Calif. – One of the Navy’s unique commands. The U. S Naval Ship Missile System Engineering Station, observes its second anniversary this week. The Station, a tenant of the Construction Battalion Center and under the military command of the Pacific Missile Range, was commissioned on July 8, 1963, to provide technical and engineering support for the Surface Missile Systems program of the Navy. This support includes research, development, test and evaluation procurement, production, quality control, logistics, training, and service use aspects of surface missile systems, primarily, TERRIER, TARTAR and TALOS. Captain Richard E. Ball, Commanding Officer of NSMSES since its commissioning, noted the giant strides the command has made in its short two years of existence. “From a small nucleus of people,” he said, “we have built a strong aggressive command made up of some 950 dedicated professionals. “We are providing engineering and other support services to the Navy’s fleet of 59 surface missile ships in commission. We are also assisting nine shipyards in the construction or conversion of 22 more ships. “The initials of our name, NSMSES, produced an unpronounceable acronym which we have converted into an asset,” Captain Ball explained. “The Greek goddess NEMESIS, symbol of retributive justice, provides us inspiration and a pronounceable name. It is our objective to become NEMESIS of any unsolved problem in the 3T weapon systems.”

79 During the two years since the establishment of NSMSES, an organization has evolved which is based primarily on its responsibility to provide assistance to ships carrying the 3T missile systems. In addition, the Station is assisting various offices and bureaus of the Navy Department in research, development, test and evaluation of new and modified missile systems. NSMSES was established as an in-house service organization as a key part of a Navywide program to improve the combat effectiveness of TERRIER, TARTAR and TALOS. This campaign was initiated under the direction of Rear Admiral Eli T. Reich, named head of the Special Task Force for Surface Missile Systems (SMS). Following an organizational change in the Navy Department, he was appointed Director of the SMS Project Office, under Vice Admiral I. J. Galantin, Chief of Naval Material. Admiral Reich maintained that positive control and direct supervision was essential for long range planning and missile system progress. With this in mind, he worked for the establishment of an engineering center which would work across Material bureau lines to achieve the desired goals on a weapon system basis. In early 1963, Port Hueneme was selected as the site of the new facility because of its deep water harbor, availability of space, its proximity to the Pacific Missile Range at Point Mugu and other West Coast naval activities, as well as a large segment of the missile and electronics industries. In November 1963, a NSMSES detachment was established at the to extend the capabilities of the Station to Atlantic Fleet SMS ships and East Coast naval activities. Since NSMSES was formally established in July 1963, its responsibilities have increased with growth of the Station. At present, the command has more than 50 specific projects and tasks assigned to it by the Director, SMS Project Office, Bureau of Naval Weapons and the Bureau of Ships. “Although it will be another two years before the Station achieves the full capability originally planned,” Captain Ball said, “It has already gained significant stature. During the last year, it has been visited by Admiral Galantin and by the Chiefs of the Bureau of Naval Weapons and the Bureau of Ships, as well as numerous other Navy Flag Officers. “Late this month the missile research ship USS NORTON SOUND returns to Port Hueneme equipped with a major new experimental radar. The ship will add significantly to the technical resources of the Station.” The U. S. Naval Ship Missile System Engineering Station has had a dynamic growth in its brief history. When Captain Ball commissioned NSMSES and assumed command, he said, “…since there is no other organization of its kind in the Navy, there are no ready-made precedents to follow. We are going to have to exercise our Godgiven ingenuity. We will have to write the book ourselves.” The Station is still busy writing that book.

80 39: TERRIER’s Motto: Keep the Ships Shooting December 2013

NEMESIS was established in an active (fully operational) status on 1 June 1963 by SECNAV NOTICE 5450 dated 16 May 1963. NEMESIS was formally commissioned 8 July 1963. The mission was to provide technical and engineering assistance in matters relating to research development, T & E, procurement, production, quality control, logistic supply, training and service use of all Navy Ship Guided Missile Weapons Systems. The backbone of these systems at the time, was TERRIER, TARTAR, and TALOS Weapon Systems. I usually describe our mission in fewer words as providing In Service Engineering and System Integration assistance to the US Fleet, to the deck plate sailor. TERRIER’s motto was “Keep the Ships Shooting.” Tom Meyers, when he was Associate Director for Weapon Systems, wrote to me on 29 April 1985 and stated this about NEMESIS, “We are the eyes and ears of the sponsors, the voice of the Fleet, and the conscience of the Technical Community.” These comments, and many others could be used to describe the mission and attitude of NEMESIS engineers, technical and logistical personnel providing Fleet support to the operating SMS Fleet. No matter what words were used, it always boiled down to the skills and attitude of the NEMESIS personnel going aboard ships to provide Fleet support. This can be easily demonstrated as noted for the work that was done in USS MAHAN back in 1979 wherein the skills and help provided are identified to the specific folks by name doing the onboard assistance. This event was covered in NEMESIS Interface dated November 2,1979 and is quoted below: 13 COMMENDED FOR WORK IN USS MAHAN Thirteen men from NEMESIS have been commended for their work in USS MAHAN by Rear Admiral W. E. Meyer, Project Manager for AEGIS Shipbuilding Program, NAVSEA. Receiving letters of appreciation from the admiral are: Commander Sheldon Margolis, Code 4100; Stanley Greenway, Code 4411; Kevin Lu, Code 4421; Arthur Mansfield, Code 4421; David Darmstadt, Code 4421; Keith Plogsterd, Code 4421; Richard Jackson, Code 5543; Forrest Sickler, Code 4421; Mark Johnson and James Laulainen, Code 4411; Virgil Elkins, Code 4414; David Otto, Code 4431; and James Brewer, Code 4432. Completion of Operational Evaluation in USS MAHAN (DDG42) marked the culmination of the CG/ SM2 Combat System development effort. The outstanding successful results attained during this operation will ensure expeditious deployment by our Navy of the most significant advancement in antiair warfare capability in the history of the TERRIER Fleet. “The Navy Ship Weapon System Engineering Station played a significant role in the successful test and evaluation of the CG/SM2 Combat System,” wrote RAdm Meyer. Each person’s contribution was especially recognized in the individual letters of appreciation. Excerpts from the letters follow. Cdr Margolis, project leader directed all onboard development test and evaluation operations to prepare MAHAN to demonstrate the operational effectiveness and suitability of the CG/SNM2 Combat

81 System. “This included ship’s team training, system checkout, scheduling of in-port and at-sea evolutions, tactical doctrine development and the conduct of system technical evaluation. His leadership, attention to detail and professionalism ensured the smooth integration of the project team and ship’s company, resulting in total achievement of project objectives.” Greenway, lead AN/SPG-55B radar engineer, ensured that ship’s personnel were properly trained to operate and maintain the fire control radars. His “technical skills were essential to the rapid resolution of radar casualties throughout the intensive installation and testing schedule.” Lu “provided the required data analysis to ensure proper operation of the AN/SYR1 Communications Tracking Set and its associated computer program. Mansfield coordinated and directed all involved Navy activities and equipment manufacturers in the implementation of the CG/SM2 project in MAHAN. “This included installation and checkout, generation of support documentation and maintenance requirements, crew training, logistic support, development of new missile simulator and missile load outs.” His efforts “were significantly responsible for the overall completion on the CG/SM2 Program.” Darmstadt, during the installation phase of the CG/SM2 project in MAHAN contributed directly to the success of the program. He coordinated the effort from the initial planning stage through the actual installation. Plogsterd’s “extensive knowledge of the Weapon Direction System MK 14, AN/SPS48C, the MK 76 MOD 9 computer programs enabled him to analyze extracted data and provide program modification recommendations which ensured proper computer operation.” Jackson’s, CG/SM2 Program logistics representative, “expertise and dedication enabled the prompt location and delivery of parts to MAHAN, thus precluding the loss of valuable test and evaluation time.” Sickler’s “efforts in coordinating missile load outs, expediting missile shipments and dispatching spare parts contributed significantly to the success of this program.” As missile manager for NSWSES, his knowledge of procedures enabled him to “effectively coordinate Special Assignment Air Missions with high level officials of the US Air Force, US Navy and the missile manufacturer to ensure on-time delivery to Charleston and Roosevelt Roads.” His efforts in coordination of spare parts shipments from various equipment manufacturers, including helicopter delivery of these parts to the ship on the range resulted in minimal loss of time awaiting parts delivery.” Johnson and Laulainen, AN/SPG-55B Missile Fire Control Radar engineers, “ensured that the radar modifications were properly installed and ship’s personnel were thoroughly trained in the operation and maintenance of the system. Their technical skills were essential to the rapid resolution of radar casualties throughout the intensive installation and testing schedule.” Elkins, System MK 10 systems engineer, “provided essential support that ensured all launcher modifications were properly installed, developed and taught an intensive training program for launcher personnel.” Otto, test team leader and system engineer, ensured the proper introduction and execution of the System Maintenance Test package. The rapport he established with ship’s personnel and his “enthusiastic leadership of the test procedure problems they occurred” enabled MAHAN to meet all program requirements. He was “the acknowledged SMT expert in the CG/SM-2 program.”

82 Brewer’s, system engineer and launcher simulator project engineer, knowledge and instructional abilities “ensured that ship’s personnel were able to operate and maintain the modified Guided Missile Launching System MK 10 and the new Guided Missile Simulator MK 74. The training he provided and his “rapid response to simulator and launcher simulator design and documentation material were essential to the meeting of every operational requirement.” RAdm Meyer wrote to all of the men: “It is therefore with great pleasure that I express my appreciation for a job well done. I am confident that your future efforts will assure effective and timely introduction of this new capability into the Terrier ships.”

83 84 40: Veteran’s Day; Harpoon March 2014

My article this quarter is divided into two parts: the first part concerns information about the history of “The 11th Hour” provided by Nick Strangio and published in NEMESIS Information Bulletin on November 1968. I find this part very interesting about the establishment of Veterans Day. The second part concerns the involvement of NEMESIS in the Harpoon Weapon System. A lot of folks may not remember that we indeed provide engineering ISEA support for many other systems. Harpoon is one of those systems. FIRST PART: THE 11TH HOUR by Nick Strangio On the 11 hour of the 11th day on the 11th month a half century ago Monday, the first of the so called world wars came to an end. The Allies – Great Britain, France, Italy and the United States – and Germany signed the document which terminated the most disastrous war known to man. Millions of Americans fought in the “war to end all wars.” There were to be no future conflicts such as . The world wanted peace. Because of its importance, it was decided in 1926 to set each November 11 aside to commemorate the end of the “great” war. It was appropriately called “Armistice Day.” But as the years passed, a new group of fanatics sprung up. Their desire for conquest, expansion and the establishment of a “master race” once again brought chaos to the world. Unprotected countries fell one by one: Manchuria, Eritrea, Austria, Czechoslovakia and finally on September 1, 1939 Poland was invaded by Germany and World War II was on its way. Six years later the second “great” war came to an end. But before victory could be achieved, millions of Americans had to be mobilized to stop the aggressors. Many of them perished to preserve our cherished ideals. The world conflict was followed by another in June 1950 – Korea. Once again, our citizenry was called upon to bear arms in support of a just cause, and once again their willingness to fight to restore peace brought out the desired results. A new generation is again fighting for the same goals in Vietnam. During the first half of the Twentieth Century, our veterans – both man and women – went unnoticed. There was no special day or occasion set aside to honor their efforts. The special “Armistice Day” established 42 years ago to celebrate the end of WW I was antiquated. And so it was that in June 1954, “Armistice Day” was renamed “Veterans Day” in order to honor all men and women who have served America as members of its Armed Forces. Next Monday, the Nation will celebrate its 14th Veterans Day with parades and other apropos ceremonies. Here in Ventura County and Southern California the main attraction is the Space Fair at Point Mugu which starts Friday. The tribute which Americans confer upon their veterans on this occasion is justly deserved.

85 SECOND PART: HARPOON CELEBRATES 55TH AND COUNTING. The day started with a message of official certification from Naval Sea Systems Command. A lunch for Code 4600 personnel and invited guests followed in the West Room of the Port Hueneme Officers’ Club. The occasion was the celebration of the 55th Harpoon Weapon Systems certification in the U.S. Fleet. Why is the 55th such an important milestone? Fifty-five was the number of ships in the Surface Missile System Fleet when NSWSES was commissioned in July 1963, or the total number of ships supported by the Station. The milestone was reached in late October. The ship was USS PHARRIS (FF-1094). Since USS PHARRIS, other ships certifications have brought the total number to more than 60. Harpoon is scheduled for installation in more than 150 ships. Because of certain characteristics of the Harpoon system, the certification program is scheduled for ships upon completion of the system’s installation. Shortly after a Harpoon ship completes an overhaul that includes installation of the system and a time established by the Type Commander, a NSWSES team consisting of four engineers visits the ship to verify that it has met the requirements of the certification plan. The ship visit is normally scheduled for four work days with a fifth remaining for backup. The basic requirements to be met to ensure the ship can safely employ the weapon includes: • Logistics support verification. • System installation and checkout verification. • Personnel training requirements verification • System/equipment maintenance proficiency verification. • System capabilities and limitations briefing. • Weapon firing procedures verification utilizing ship developed firing doctrine and real time targeting scenarios. Each of these requirements are detailed in the certification plan which is sent to the ship well in advance of the NSWSES team in order to prepare for the visit. As an example, the ship must have two personnel who have attended the Harpoon maintenance training course and three who have attended the operator course, all of whom must be scheduled to be aboard the ship at least a year. Since the maintenance course is six weeks, this requirement imposes a considerable planning effort by the ship. The ship installation schedule requires on the average of three certifications a month. The Cruise Weapons Department has qualified seven team leaders in order to minimize the individual travel burden. Other team members are designated from department personnel.

86 41: CNO Admiral James Holloway June 2014

With all the unsettling events and activity going on in the world today, with Iran, North Korea, , etc., - especially with Russia moving into and possibly Ukraine and maybe more – and now the Department of Defense is planning to reduce or military to pre-WWII strength. I think this article covering a former CNO’s first news conference is most appropriate. This article was published in our NEMESIS Interface of November 15, 1974. NEW CNO MEET THE PRESS AND TELLS DIRECTION OF THE NAVY. On October 30, Admiral James L. Holloway held his first news conference since becoming Chief of Naval Operations. Following are excerpts from the news conference: Adm Holloway: I really don’t have any opening remarks except to say that as you know as well as I this is my first appearance here in front of this group since becoming Chief of Naval Operations. I know that you are interested in what direction the Navy will go and what changes I intended to make. Those of you who happened to be present at my swearing-in ceremony heard me sort of take refuge in an old seaman’s adage, that the on-coming officer of the deck normally doesn’t change the set of the sails in the first fifteen minutes of his watch. I feel very comfortable in taking refuge in that bit of stalling because I had served as Admiral Zumwalt’s Vice Chief of Naval Operations for the year prior to my relieving him and I felt fairly comfortable with the state of affairs in the Navy as I saw them and felt that no immediate changes were necessary. I did feel, however, that the time had come, as a matter of principle, that the Navy was entering a period when it would probably be wise to slow down the rate of change and that we probably ought to consolidate our gains. I guess consolidation also means to discard those programs that sort of have a marginal payoff. Now, that was the phase-in. I have been in office now since the first of July and, obviously, there have got to be changes made in the Navy as circumstances are altered. So I am here today to answer any questions that you may have as to what the Navy is going to do about certain things. Q: Admiral Holloway, is the Mod Squad out? A: Yes, but not entirely. I would like to trace that story a little bit with you. The Navy, under Admiral Zumwalt’s initiative, really had a two-part program to encourage and to push forward junior officers of talent and ability. One of those was to broaden the command opportunity throughout the Navy and give lieutenant commanders commands that would normally go to a commander. This is called the broadened command opportunity. Set that aside. The other was a so-called Mod Squad, Bobby-Socks effort in which we took specific ships and specific squadrons and if normally it would have been commanded by a commander, we dropped that rank to lt. commander. If the exec was to be a commander, we also dropped that. In other words, we dropped the squadron commanders, the execs and the heads of departments, all one grade and put bright, young people into those ships and squadrons. That’s the Mod Squad and the Bobby-Soxers. That is the part of the program that has been discontinued.

87 The reason it was discontinued is because like everything we do, we try a new initiative and then we examine the effects of it and we analyze it to determine whether, on the whole, was it good or bad. This is what we found: We found that by putting all our bright young people on one ship and one squadron, it had two effects. The first was that we kind of had a team of quarter-backs; leaders were leading leaders and we weren’t really getting the most out of the people. We found that in the long run we needed those guys in other ships and squadrons that didn’t have so much talent so that these bright young guys could get out and lead the average person. That was from a Navy-wide point of view, and the reason we wanted to go that direction. On the other hand, we found that it wasn’t particularly good for the individuals involved because, normally, their fitness reports would probably contain the expression, “This is the most outstanding officer in this squadron.” Well when everybody in the outfit is outstanding, somebody’s got to be subordinate to the most outstanding guy and on a comparative basis it was difficult for these young gentlemen to emerge as “head-and-shoulders” type. So, we tried it. It was successful. We made it work. The ships operated in fine fashion, but on balance we do not think it is the way to go and we are spreading these people throughout the fleet. We are maintaining that early command opportunity, however, that I mentioned to you previously, in fact, I think, it is for our aviation squadrons that are normally commanded by commanders will be commanded by bright young lieutenant commanders. I think ten per cent of our total surface units will be commanded by people one grade lower than the organization charts calls for. We think that this is a reasonable compromise between giving these young guys an opportunity to seek for and to maintain fleet readiness. I need to make this point. If you have a very bright young lieutenant commander and you put him in command, you must realize he is probably two years from now going to be a very bright young commander and he is going to have two more years of experience under his belt, which on a ship may mean that he has had additional engineering duty; in an aircraft squadron he has got 200 more carrier landings, and a lot more flight time. So we’re balancing these two things. Q: Earlier when you said you are quite comfortable with the state of the Navy, that’s the first time I’ve heard of a high naval officer say that in a long, long time. Would you elaborate on that. A: Can I take things back up here? When I say that I was comfortable with the state of things in the Navy, and by that I meant that I feel that the organization is sound. Essentially our morale is good. Our materiel equipment, is satisfactory. We have new weapons systems coming into the fleet that I think will be superior to any of those that our competitors will be introducing, those are on the plus side. On the other side, I recognize the fact that we still have lots of work to be done in recovering from the erosion of personnel readiness, personnel morale, ship maintenance, that occurred as a result of the very high operating tempo of the Vietnam war. The foundation is there. I think that we’ve got a great service; we’ve got to work to recover from our overtempoing of the past eight or nine years and move on into the future. Q: This is in relationship to the Soviet threat. Do you feel not uncomfortable with that? A: No, I really wasn’t relating my remarks to the Soviet threat. I was thinking in terms of fleet readiness and morale and materiel readiness. I believe that the threat is another consideration over with the Chief of Naval Operations has a great deal less control. For example, in the next year our force levels will drop below 500 ships. That is of great concern to me as I see the continued build-up of the Soviet maritime capability, because that’s what I like to think in terms of. The Navy is just one of the services and CNO can in the immediate future reverse the trend from going below 500 ships up to 88 where I think it is. That’s a national problem. It’s my responsibility to clearly state my concern as a chief of service and with the advocacy of the Department of Defense and the action of the Congress, I think that these will be turned around. Q: Earlier this year, Admiral Zumwalt told the Congress, “I find that the U.S. Navy is today possibly at its nadir of its capabilities vis-à-vis the Soviet Union which has embraced naval power as a major element of its foreign policy” and he also said that in many respects the Soviet Navy is now at a technological par with its own. Do you agree with that statement? A: There are a lot of points in that statement to agree on. I would say that I must concur arithmetically that we are at a nadir in numbers. I think that it bears a more careful analysis. If we say that we are worse off with 496 ships than 508, it depends on what new ships are coming in and what their individual capability is compared with the ships that are dropping. I would say in overall capability we are probably even and that the ships that are going out are the older ships. When we say vis-à-vis the Soviet Navy, I think that that is a correct statement because my judgment is that we continue to go down in numbers. We are approximately level in capability, but we see the Soviet Navy continuing to increase in capability. When I say in capability, I’m not talking in terms of numbers necessarily. I’m talking in terms of a lot of things: numbers of ships, quality of ships and the ability of the Soviet Navy to properly operate their ships in a professional manner. (Ed.—We will publish the remainder of this interview in the next newsletter.)

89 90 42: CNO Admiral James Holloway (continued) September 2014

With all the unsettling events and activity going on in the world today, with Iran, North Korea, Syria, etc., - especially with Russia moving into Crimea and possibly Ukraine and maybe more – and now the Department of Defense is planning to reduce or military to pre-WWII strength. I think this article covering a former CNO’s first news conference is most appropriate. This article was published in our NEMESIS Interface on November 15, 1974. Q: Let me ask you this. What do you view as the greatest strengths of the U.S. Navy and the greatest weakness of the Soviet Navy? A: I would say the greatest strengths of the U.S. Navy are the fact that we have a force of, 15 aircraft carriers, and they have none in the attack carriers as we visualize them, talking about at this point of time. I see a great strength in the U.S. Navy as a superiority in our submarine force in quality. I see a great strength in the U.S. Navy in the quality of our ships across the board, in their design for the tasks for which they are intended. We don’t build ships the same way the Soviets do, because we intend them for different purposes. Finally, I think probably one of our greatest assets is I feel that our people are better. They are more imaginative, greater resourcefulness, and we have veterans. We have pilots who have flown over 200 missions in combat. We have destroyer skippers who have spent four and five years on the gunline in Vietnam exercising their equipment. We have an awful lot of combat veterans in the United States Navy. Q: We missed the second half of the question – the weaknesses of the Soviet Navy and their strengths. A: Let me take the strengths because I don’t like to talk about weaknesses. They’ve got very few weaknesses. But their strengths, I would say, number one, is their submarine force, as it exists, and also their submarine production capability. A second great strength is their technological position with regard to surface-to-surface anti-ship missilery. I think a third strength is their air-to-surface missilery, or the air-launched anti-ship missile weapons which they have. Q: Can I get back to the future force level. You obviously have got problems with inflation and shortage of funds for ship construction. Do you see a possibility here that you are going to be forced to swallow some of the inflation by reducing the fleet level below 496 ships? A: There is a possibility of everything and as you know there are several ways to handle inflation and the Navy is hit very hard by it because inflation hits at capital intensive services and procurement accounts. So those are the two extremes. There are many variables in between because you break down the shipbuilding inflation problem into three pieces, past years, because a ship that we started that took four years to build and we started it two years ago, is 50 per cent completed, but in another year we are going to run out of money. If we didn’t get money from some place, it would be a half finished ship on the way so that problem has got to be solved. The Navy’s procurement account for example, runs generally three times as much as the Army’s and one and a half times as much as the Air Force’s. As a result, when we are hit by these inflationary pressures it gets us and in particular, shipbuilding is affected because where we perhaps have

91 experienced a 15 per cent inflationary rise across the board in procurement accounts and in the past year in the shipbuilding area, it has run about 22 per cent, plus the fact that it takes a long time to build a ship – from three to seven years. And an annual inflationary rate will affect the cost of that ship over its total construction period. So that if it’s ten per cent a year for a ship that takes four years to build, what you are going to run into is about a 46 per cent increase in the cost of the ship because it has taken a period and that ten per cent rate is hitting you every year. So, yes, we’re being hit hard and there are a couple of ways the problem can be solved. One extreme is to get no relief whatsoever and the Navy, if it were hit by a certain level of inflation, why we reduce our procurement by that level, which means that we build fewer ships. Very straightforward. On the other hand if this effective inflation is recognized as being beyond the Navy’s control and it is intended that we keep a reasonable shipbuilding program going, we would hope for relief. This relief has got to come from the Congress. Q: There are two more aspects to this problem. A: The other two are what we do with the current year and by that I mean fiscal ’75, for which we have ships authorized and funded. There is not much juggling we can do there because the Congress has limited our ability to reprogram. The third facet is what we plan to do in the future. That, of course, affects the past, because in the future we could do one of two things – either request large amounts of money to compensate for inflation in past years or we can request that and attempt to continue our shipbuilding program. So we are working with the Department of Defense to find a proposal to make to the Congress to solve this very serious inflation problem we have in the Navy. I have given you the two extremes which are getting complete relief and the other is eating it entirely. I would hope to get the complete relief but from a practical point of view I think that it will be something in between. Q: Are you saying, Admiral, that in the unrelieved situation you might have to go below the 496 ships? A: I think it would be a mistake to zero in on that particular number because we could keep that number propped up by retaining in the force ships that we are planning on dropping because new ones came in. In other words, we can adjust force levels but to a certain degree we have a ship which is overage; who is to say whether it should drop at age 23 or 24? Q: One of the changes you made or solution or downgrading of race relations required seminars. What is the status of that? A: This is not a decision on my part. I am simply supplementing a basic decision that was made several years ago. The Navy established an equal opportunities program in two phases. Phase one recognized the fact that an awful lot of people in the Navy didn’t understand we had race problems. So, Phase I was to make everyone conscious of the fact that we had race problems and as a consequence we had encounter groups which included everybody form the CNO on down. Our concept was that Phase I would be sort of a primary education and once we got the leadership of the Navy aware of the fact that we had racial problems, what those racial problems were, how to recognize them, and how to cope with them, then we would move on to Phase II, in which those enlightened officers and the leader-ship of the Navy would conduct an equal opportunity program within the chain of command structure of the Navy. What we’re doing is we’re saying that we completed essentially, Phase I, which was the basic education and we wanted to do this on a time scale. We are now shifting to, I guess, what I would like to call a normalization of the race relations program which means that we are putting the 92 responsibility squarely on the shoulders of the leadership – the Petty Officers, the Officers, the Commanding Officers and the Commanders – to make this program work. That means that we’re making a shift from a primary system to a somewhat more sophisticated system that fits in more with our concept of Naval organization and discipline. Q: In looking at the Soviet ASW submarine force, mainly its diesel and nuclear power and attack submarines. What do you see as their prime mission? Do you see their prime mission essentially as what the Soviets might refer to a strategic defense against our aircraft carriers and our ballistic missile submarines or do you see their prime mission changing and that being more likely to the interdiction of sea lines of communication which had been talked about so much in recent years? A: Let’s just strip it to basics and say that their prime mission is to sink U.S. ships. They would like to sink, depending upon what kind of war it is, if they can sink ammunition ships and troop ships and supply ships, that’s pretty fine, because they are relatively easy to get. They’re undefended. But we have destroyers and carriers and aircraft that are trying to protect those ships so that means in order to get to the soft core, they have got to go through defensive layers. I would say that their tactics are probably – if they can destroy the combat ship in the Navy – carriers, cruisers, destroyers – that makes the rest of it pretty easy pickings. So, that’s kind of a primer and I don’t mean to talk in such basics. I believe that that’s the way the Soviets would operate, that they’re not going to say well, we’re going to avoid the merchantman or the support ships and go out and seek the tough targets. If they can knock off the others, they are going to do it. But our strategy is the reverse. We’re going to go after them with our combatant ships and we’re going to fight it out with them. Q: You have mentioned several strengths of the Soviet Navy earlier, including the submarine force, the surface-to-surface and air-launched anti-ship missiles. Does that mean that you are going to be an advocate of more anti-ship missiles for the U.S. Navy? I gather that you would? Put more Harpoon on more ships and airplanes and perhaps build more submarines and have them planned. Am I right on that? A: I would state it another way. That with the reduction in the total numbers of ships in the Navy, we have got to gain a greater multi-purpose mission capability in each unit. Right now, what we probably lack in some of our ships is a real, offensive capability against the surface ship. This is reasonable to understand. Because we didn’t have a surface target to shoot at until four or five years ago when the Soviet Navy increased in size and potential. Therefore, I believe that we must emphasize in the U.S. Navy a offensive capability and that offensive capability for surface combatants would reside in missiles, such as Harpoon and extended Har-poon or a long-range cruise missile that we might see in the future. I do think that that is an important Navy objective to give or surface combatants a greater, multi-mission capability and offensive ability. VOICE: Thank you very much, Admiral.

93 94 43: Navy Birthday; USS Valley Forge December 2014

CNO NAVY BIRTHDAY MESSAGE: On October 13 we will observe the 211th anniversary of the founding of the Navy. On that day in 1775 the Continental Congress authorized the fitting out of a few tiny sailing ships, armed with cannon and held together with pitch, hemp, and wooden nails. It was a small fleet, but even then it made a difference. In the intervening years, we’ve come a long way from cannons to rifled guns to guided missiles; from privateers to ironclads to dreadnoughts to carrier battle groups. But two things haven’t changed. The first is the influence of sea power on history. All of us know the truth of the prayer: “Oh, Lord, your sea is so great and my boat is so small.” The boat is small, but at its approach good men rejoice and evil men think twice. In our 211th year as in our first, the Navy has been particularly active in defending – not territory, not property, but fragile, indelible ideas; an idea relighted this past summer in the upraising right hand of Lady Liberty. We have been active, and we have been successful, as we must always be successful, because our country counts on us. The second thing that hasn’t changed is the dedication of our Navy people. Life at sea is hard, and waiting at home is hard too. If on October 13 we were to take a global birthday snapshot, what a wide variety of activity we would see: the tanker pilot, orbiting the carrier at night, waiting for the next customer; the sounding and security watch, investigating a parameter for which he feels personally responsible; after lookout, alone on the fantail, life ring at his side who will gladly search a thousand empty wakes in case someday he may be needed to rescue a shipmate; the data processing technician thinking hard at her keyboard, debugging a program that she wrote herself . . . the mural would be endless . . . operators, support personnel, loyal families, civilians, reservists; but in each face we would see the confidence of good training, the determination to do the job right, and a quiet conviction born of love of country and pride in service. People make the Navy, and after 211 years the Navy is still great because you – yes, you! – are great. Happy birthday, and may God bless you all. C.A.H. Trost

95 96 44: Good Old Days March 2015

Now that I’ve been retired about 17 years I often wonder how NEMESIS is doing in providing direct fleet support to our operating ships. Since the Command doesn’t have a “Newsletter” or Information Bulletin any more, it’s hard to know what is going on. So I delve back into NEMESIS early history, when she was young and still establishing herself as the fleet’s best friend in helping to maintain weapon system operational readiness. So to that end, here are two articles to allow one to recall those good ‘ole days: ADM FAHY COMMENDS STATION FOR WORK ON USS ALBANY SYSTEMS Rear Admiral Edward Fahy, commander of Naval Ships Systems Command, has cited NEMESIS and other naval activities for the part they played in the modernization of the guided missile cruiser USS ALBANY. Admiral Fahy said, “the successful final contract trials in USS ALBANY is a major milestone which serves to measure the fine progress of this highly complex modernization. To attain this success, daily hard work throughout several years has been required by hundreds of personnel who provided significant on site assistance to the ship in Boston are Robert Barryman, Charles Coble, Gordon Ashley, Gordon Bergh, Thomas Mapes, William Homer, Fredrick Mohr, Paul Ryan, FTM1 Thomas Rudolph and Charles Morrow of the Talos Systems Department. And Frank Arbogast, Jimmie Stevens, Victor Karlson, Richard Baliman, Don Appling and R. M. Foster of the Tartar Systems Department. In his message to the Station, the Admiral pointed out “the remaining six weeks and the subsequent tests still hold a multitude of tasks to be accomplished which require extensive support. I know you will meet the challenges.” “Please extend,” he said in conclusion, “my sincere well done and appreciation to all personnel for having made this project a success.”

97 98 45: USS Sterett; Captain Kanakanui June 2015

It is interesting to review the history of different events and people who were part of the Command’s past who were instrumental in establishing and sustaining NEMESIS extraordinary support to the Fleet. To that end I’ve chosen one brief event by USS STERETT and one popular and experienced captain who went on to command the Guided Missile Cruiser, USS OKLAHOMA CITY. These two articles were in the Interface Bulletin of May 12, 1972. TERRRIER SYSTEM CREDITED WITH DOWNING MIG-17 A weapon system supported by NEMESIS has been credited with shooting down a MIG in the Tonkin Gulf, the Chief of Naval Operations confirmed this week in his newsgram. The MIG was downed by the guided missile frigate USS STERETT on April 19 with Terrier missiles. The additional information from the CNO states the MIG-17 was only 50 feet off the water when STERETT fired two Terrier missiles at it. Beside the attack by the MIG, STERETT also respond-ed to attacks by North Vietnamese the same day. The Department of Defense has revealed there is evidence of the possible use of multiple rocket launches in the attack. Admiral Bernard Clarey, Commander in Chief of the Pacific Fleet, sent STERETT a message stating, “The low altitude MIG is well known to be one of our most difficult targets. I am tremendously impressed by your quick response in the multi- threat environment.”

CAPT KANAKANUI TO ASSUME COMMAND OF USS OKLAHOMA CITY Captain William A. Kanakanui, Jr., Director of Engineering will leave NEMESIS for Japan in early June to assume command of the guided missile cruiser USS OKLAHOMA CITY. He is the son of Commander (USN-Ret) and Mrs. William Kanakanuia of Punaluu, Oahu, and 312 N. Kanawha St., Beckley, W. Va. Succeeding Captain Kanakanui at NEMESIS will be Captain John Beecher, assistant head of the Sur- face Warfare Department and head of Test and Evaluation Department of the Naval Weapons Laboratory, Dahlgren, Va. OKLAHOMA CITY, homeported at Yokosuka, is the flag ship of the U. S. Seventh Fleet. It provides naval support to American forces in Vietnam and the Western Pacific area. Capt. Kanakanui has served as director of engineering for the past two years and as executive officer for more than a year.

99 During the time he has directed an accelerated in-service engineering program in support of more than 100 ships of the fleet equipped with Terrier, Talos, Tartar, and Point Defense missile systems and other offensive and defensive weapons. Prior to his assignment here, Capt. Kanakanui commanded Destroyer Division 162 whose homeport is Mayport, Fla. Capt. Kanakanui has also commanded the guided missile frigate USS FARRAGUT and was executive officer of the guided missile destroyer USS SELLERS. In addition, he has served in the aircraft carrier USS CORAL SEA as fire control officer, and the destroyer USS CECIL and USS ORLECK as communications officer and gunnery officer respectively. He also served on the staff of the Commander, Destroyer Squadron 25 at Pearl Harbor from 1956-58. Capt. Kanakanui has been closely associated with surface-to-air missile systems since his assignment in August 1958 to the Ordnance Missile Test Facility, White Sands, N. M., where for two years he served as the ground systems officer for the Talos missile research and development program. He later served a three-year tour in Washington as Tartar missile project officer in the Office of Naval Material. The six-foot naval officer attended Punahuu School and graduated from the U. S. Naval Academy in 1948. He is also a 1954 graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, Calif., where he studied ordnance engineering, and a 1961 alumnus of the Naval War College, Newport, R. I. Capt. Kanakanui will be accompanied to Japan by his wife, the former Mary Louise Meyer of Severna, Md., and their son, Jaime, 13. Their two daughters, Carol Lee, 22, and Jennifer Ann, 21, live in Florida.

100 46: Naval Force Essential to U.S. Security February 2016

With the number of ships in the U.S. Navy currently being reduced to pre-WWII level, this article is of considerable interest as it stresses the importance of having a modern and balanced naval force to ensure the nation of security of the United. States. This article was printed in the NEMESIS Information Bulletin of May 9, 1969. MODERN NAVAL FORCE ESSENTIAL TO U.S. SECURITY: With the Soviet Navy presenting a serious and growing threat to continued U.S. supremacy on the seas, a modern and balanced naval force to counter the danger is essential for both U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives. With the framework of current U.S. commitments and the threat posed by the Soviet Navy in mind, Secretary of the Navy John H. Chafee made that point as he testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee April 1 on the FY 1970 budget, its implications and effect on the present and future U.S. posture. Secretary Chafee noted that Secretary of Defense Melvin R. Laird and previously appeared before the committee and addressed many of the political, economic and military considerations affecting the United States. Mr. Chafee said the Navy was guided by these factors in developing programs to provide deterrence or to counter the “formidable threat” to U.S. continued free use of the seas. “Appreciation of the implications of the Soviet Union’s dynamic maritime expansion is fundamental to an understanding of this threat,” Secretary Chafee said. Discussing Soviet seapower, the secretary told the committee that the USSR is alert to the political and psychological potential of the seapower and employ it as a tool to increase their world-wide influence. In terms of merchant and fishing fleets, Soviet ship construction and efforts by sizable margins, he said, adding “the Soviet flag is seen increasingly on the high seas and in harbors throughout the world.” Discussing specific hardware, Secretary Chafee said new guided missile cruisers, frigates, helicopter carriers, amphibious ships, escorts, and patrol craft continue to join the Soviet Navy. “The complementing and modernized auxiliary fleet has enhanced Soviet capability to project sustained naval power further than ever before,” the committee was told. But of even greater importance, he said, was the fact that the Soviets are modernizing their submarine force—the world’s largest. As to Soviet projection of naval power, the secretary told the Senate committee that two cruises of Soviet Navy ships were conducted in 1968 in the -Persian Gulf-Red Sea areas. The first of these unprecedented operations, he said, lasted four months and included “show the flag” visits to ports of eight countries. The second, and still continuing operation, has featured additional precedent-breaking East African port calls by ships from various Soviet fleets.

101 Turning to the Mediterranean, Mr. Chafee noted “we have witnessed intense Soviet naval activity. Of particular interest to our Sixth Fleet and NATO,” he said, “have been the operations of new ships such as the help carrier Moskva, the shadowing of Sixth Fleet units by Russian-made bombers as well as Soviet surface ships, and Soviet access to certain Arab naval and air bases.” “The capability to project military power anywhere on the seas or the littoral areas of the world is an important national security aspect of a nation’s military posture,” the Secretary said, adding, “Soviet recognition of this fact produces a situation for which we must be prepared.”

102 47: The Eli T. Reich Award June 2016

As time passes, it’s easy to forget those early days when ship riding and direct fleet support to keep the 3T and Aegis Weapons Systems working was the order of almost every day. These systems were installed in our Fleet whose ships were deployed throughout the world. Consequently NSWSES recognized these ship riders for their expert knowledge, skills and contribution to fleet readiness by establishing two special awards; the Eli T. Reich Award and the Wayne E. Meyer Award. Three recipients of these awards were acknowledged by NSWSES in the Interface dated June 19, 1987 as noted below: “Aegis, Cruise and Terrier shared honors at the presentation of the 1987 Eli T. Reich and Wayne E. Meyer awards. More than 100 persons, including guests of honor Vice Admiral Eli T. Reich and Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, both retired, attended the ceremony at the Port Hueneme Officers Club. Carl F. Stone, who has worked on the Aegis Combat Systems through design , development, integration, testing and transition to in-service engineering, is recipient of the Eli T. Reich award. James M. Edwards and Kenneth O. Quammen are co-recipients of the Wayne E. Meyer/Mariner Award. Edwards is lead technician in the Armored Box Launcher System Engineering Branch of the Cruise Weapons Systems Department. Quammen was nominated for his work in the Terrier New Threat Upgrade project. Captain D.L. Gurke, the Station’s commanding officer, was master of ceremony. Joe Cipriano, technical director, introduced the nominees. Rear Adm. Meyer was principal speaker. Vice Adm. Reich made some brief remarks prior to announcing the year’s recipient of the award named in his honor. Stone is a 24-year veteran of government service, and for the past 14 years has been assigned to Aegis, actually, before Aegis was recognized as a project. In his role as Engineering Operations Division head, Stone is instrumental in leading the Aegis Combat Systems Department’s effort of fleet introduction of the Aegis ships. Edwards, a Tomahawk technician, has pursued a number of shipboard problems relating to Tomahawk. He has also provided many hours of training and briefings, participated as team leader and systems engineering in the Cruise Weapons Systems Department Certification Inspection Program; provided expertise to the Commander Naval Surface Force Atlantic and Pacific Tactical Qualification teams, and assisted during the installation/checkout periods. Edwards was aboard ship for 327 days during the past three years, 73 of them underway. Quammen, who serves in the Terrier AAW Engineering Branch as a NAVSEA/NSWSES Terrier NTU project leader, is regarded by his supervisors as one of the most knowledgeable combat/weapon system technicians in the Navy today. He has performed as a project leader on Combat System Ship Qualification Trials, Test and Evaluations and numerous special projects. Numerous messages and letters of appreciation attest to the high regard in which he is held by the fleet. During the past three years, Quammen spent 456 days aboard ship, 320 of them underway.

103 Edwards and Quammen were presented with a certificate, the new Wayne E. Meyer/Mariner plaque and pin and a cash award. A pin was also presented to Bill Crier, last year’s recipient, and to Rear Adm. Meyer by Capt. Gurke. Stone was presented with a letter of commendation, the Eli T. Reich plaque, a cash award and the new Eli T. Reich pin. Pins were also presented to Vice Adm. Reich and to the eight past recipients attending the dinner. They were: Dr. A. Ross Cohen, 1974, Doug McAvoy, 1978, Norm Lemieux, 1979, Henry Morris, 1980, Tim Rosemeyer, 1981, James Jones, 1982, Bud Wasgatt, 1983 and Leonard Guzzo, 1985.

104 48: AEGIS May 2017

The status of the development of the AEGIS Weapon System program, under the management of Capt. Wayne E. Meyer, was highlighted in the NEMESIS Interface Bulletin of March 17, 1972. This article is restated below: AEGIS COMPLETED SECOND PHASE AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. Aegis Weapon System MK 7, the Navy’s newest integrated AAW defensive missile system for the surface fleet, successfully completed its second contract event, Milestone B, ahead of schedule on Jan. 26, the Navy and RCA announced this week. The first significant point in its development, Milestone A, was completed on schedule October 1970. Under RCA’s engineering development contract with the Naval Ordnance Systems Command, the Milestone B requirement is defined as the completion of two significant Aegis Program events. First, a series of in-depth critical design reviews of all Aegis Command and Launch Systems elements such as Radar System AN/SPY-1, Fire Control System MK 99, as well as the Auxiliary Equipment and conversion design package for Norton Sound, the Navy’s planned Aegis test and evaluation ship. System compatibility and interface reviews were also conducted on two other Aegis major components, Guided Missile Launching System MK26 and Guided Missile RIM-66B-2, both of which are being separately procured by the Navy from other suppliers. Second, Phase I Tests of AN/ SPY-1 Control Computer Program to demonstrate that the various builds representing combinations of computer program modules have been properly integrated with the equipment and the RCA generated Aegis Tactical Executive Program requirements and are correctly responding to console orders. The Critical Design Review process employed by the Navy Weapons System Program Manager, Capt. Meyer, was designed and implemented from the outset to assure uniformity of review objectives and achieve speedy resolution of outstanding CDR action items. The process was structured around the system nomenclature and each system then broken into specific CDR items based on complexity, interface requirements, design and supporting levels involved, and program schedule constraints. The individual design review teams headed up by the cognizant Navy System Manager and his RCA counterpart operated under the direction of the designated Navy/RCA CDR Directors and from a CDR Policy and Guidance Manual prepared especially of this process. Top technical and management personnel from the Navy and RCA conducted the reviews, supported by experts from Navy commands, field stations and laboratories, the Applied Physic Laboratory, John Hopkins University and consulting firms. The thoroughness and professionalism with which the CDR process was executed demonstrated the “mature status of the Techrep staff” resident at RCA’s facility. “Navy/Contractor Team spirit which now exists” and confidence that the contractor’s design approach reflects Aegis requirements, so said Capt. Meyer in a recent message to his staff and to RCA following completion of CDR. The fast reaction, high firepower and relative ECM immunity of the Aegis defensive missile system will provide our surface fleet with an effective means of dealing with the airborne and surface threats of the 1970s and 1980s. The heart of this system is its computer controlled, electronic scanning

105 AN/SPY-1 Radar System which searches, detects and tracks multiple targets at long ranges and transmits guidance commands to semi-active interceptor missiles. RCA, supported by a team of sub-contractors including the Raytheon Company and Computer Sciences Corporation, was awarded the prime contract for development of the Aegis system in late 1969 by the Naval Ordnance Systems Command. (Note: It is interesting to note that while Admiral Wayne E. Meyer is no longer with us, he has not been forgotten. An Aegis Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG-108) was named WAYNE E. MEYER in his honor and is presently part of the USS CARL VINSON (CVN-70) battle group that is or will soon be in the immediate area of the North and .)

106 49: AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense September 2017

With the activity that is currently occurring in the area near the Korean peninsula, this article published in the NSWC PHD CoastaLink on August 2007 is of particular interest. CAMPAIGN STELLAR ATHENA LED BY NSWC PHD PERSONNEL On June 22, 2007 civilian and military personnel from NSWC PHD led successful completion of the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense (BMD) Test and Evaluation Campaign termed Stellar Athena. The NSWC PHD team was led by Lt. Cmdr. Colin Echols, Stellar Athena Navy test office, A Department, who had this to say about the event, “The NSWC PHD interoperability team and shipboard project teams on Decatur, Port Royal and the Spanish Frigate, Mendez Nunez, were instrumental in leading Aegis BMD to another successful mission. The PHD personnel ensured the ships and their crews were ready to execute the mission and the results exemplify their expertise and leadership abilities. The personnel associated Aegis BMD are top notch and I am privileged to have been able to share in the success of this program with them.” The story below was written by Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet Public Affairs and documents the events of that day. Two U.S. Navy warships, a Spanish frigate and the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) mobile ground-based radar participated in a successful “hit to kill” intercept flight test conducted off the coast of Kauai on June 22. This was the 28th successful intercept in 36 missile defense tests since 2001. The San Diego based Aegis destroyer, USS Decatur (DDG 73), using the operationally certified Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Weapon System (BMD 3.6) and a Standard Missile-3 (SM-3) Block 1A missile successfully intercepted a “separating” target during its midcourse phase of flight. The Pearl Harbor based Aegis cruiser, USS Port Royal (CG 73), used the flight test to support development of the new Aegis BMD SPY-1B radar signal processor, collecting performance data on its increased target detection and discrimination capabilities. The Spanish frigate, Mendez Nunez (F-104), stationed off Kauai, performed long-range surveillance and track operations as a training event to assess the future capabilities of the F-100 Class. The THAAD radar tracked the target and exchanged tracking data with the Aegis BMD cruiser. The “separating” target intercept (meaning that the target warhead separated from its booster rocket) marked the ninth successful intercept in eleven flight tests for the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense Program, the sea-based component of the Missile Defense Agency’s Ballistic Missile Defense System, designed to intercept and destroy short to medium-range ballistic missiles. All target launches managed by the Missile Defense Agency’s Targets and Countermeasures directorate to support the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System have been successful. The event, designated as Flight Test Standard Missile -12, was the third intercept involving a separating target and the first time an Aegis BMD-equipped destroyer was used to launch the interceptor missile. At approximately 4:40 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time, a medium-range ballistic missile with a separating target was launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility Barking Sands, Kauai. Decatur detected and tracked the target and developed a fire control solution. 107 Approximately four minutes later, Decatur’s crew launched the SM-3, and two minutes later the missile successfully intercepted the target warhead outside the earth’s atmosphere more than 100 miles above the Pacific Ocean and 250 miles northwest of Kauai. The intercept used “hit to kill” technology, meaning that the target warhead was destroyed when the missile collided directly with the target, using no explosives. This marked the third time that an allied military unit participated in a U.S. Aegis BMD test, with warships from Japan and the Netherlands participating in earlier tests. Japan has committed to deployment SM-3 interceptor missile aboard its Aegis ships and is working with the U.S. to develop a sea-based interceptor with more advanced capabilities.

108 50: Captain Wayne E. Meyer June 2018

Looking back in time one cannot help but remember two of the pivotal players involved in the development, installation, operation and maintenance of Missile Systems in ships of the U.S. Navy. The “Founding Father” of NSMSES is considered to be Admiral Eli T. Reich, when he was Director of the Special Navy Task Force under SECNAV in 1963, the year NSMSES was established. Without his technical, organization and financial backing, it is doubtful that NSMSES would exist today. The “Founding Father” of the 3T program (Terrier, Tartar and Talos) is considered to be Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, who was a commander at that time in NAVSEA (the Bureau of Naval Weapons) in the early 1960’s. He was NSMSES Engineering Director during the 1969 time frame, and had superb knowledge of weapon system engineering and their installation/operation in the shipboard environment. The 3T program was prominent in the early days of NSMSES and was followed by the AEGIS Weapon System. Wayne E. Meyer was also considered to be the Founding Father of the AEGIS Weapon System, now installed throughout the U.S. Navy. An Arleigh Burke class destroyer was christened on October 18, 2008 and was named USS Wayne E. Meyer (DD-108). A citation from Admiral Galantin for then Capt. Meyer is quoted below, as reported by NSMSES Information Bulletin, dated February 3, 1969, as follows: Captain W.E. Meyer, engineering director of the Naval Ship Missile Systems Engineering Station, has been commended by Admiral I.J. Galantine, chief of the Naval Material Command, for his outstanding work as head of the technical section of a special ad hoc Surface Missile Systems Technical Planning Group. Adm Galantin cited Capt Meyer for effectively directing the efforts of senior scientists, engineers and naval officers from various commands, projects, field activities and contractors “in a projected program to enhance the capability of the Terrier, Tartar and Talos weapons systems to combat the future threats in an air war at sea. “Under your strong guidance and through your extensive technical knowledge of the Surface Missile Systems,” Adm Galantin said, “you were instrumental in forging a technical improvement plan for the Terrier, Tartar and Talos Weapon Systems which was directed at countering the threat of the 1970’s and early 1980’s.” The chief of the Naval Material Command added that the plan when approved and implemented “will have a profound impact on the Surface Missile System equipped shops for years to come.” Many of you may have forgotten some early dates of NSMSES establishment, so hear are a few of these. 1. NSMSES was established in an active (fully operational) status on June 1,1963 by SECNAV Notice 5450, dated May 16, 1963. 2. NSMSES was under the military command of Commander, Pacific Missile Range, Point Mugu, CA and under the management control of Chief, Bureau of Naval Weapons. 3. NSMSES was formally commissioned on July 8, 1963. 4. The dedication ceremony for NSMSES was held on Oct. 25, 1963.

109 5. The mission of NSMSES was to provide technical and engineering assistance to the Special Navy Task Force for missile systems, the Bureau of Naval Weapons and the Bureau of Ships in matters relating to research, development, T&E, procurement, production, quality control, logistic supply, training and service use of all elements of Navy Ship Guided Missile Weapon Systems. The backbone of these systems were the Terrier, Tartar and Also Weapon Systems. 6. Attending the dedication ceremony were Under Secretary of the Navy, Paul B. Fay, Jr., NSMSES commanding officer, Capt Ball, NSMSES XO Cat Mark Woods, and director of Navy’s Special Task Force for SMS, Adm Eli T. Reich . USS Oklahoma City was in Port Hueneme Harbor and provided tours and traditional ship gun salutes for this significant occasion.

110 51: The Mission May 2019

It’s hard to believe but I came to Port Hueneme in 1964, one year after the establishment of NEMESIS. In those days NEMESIS primary mission was to keep the Talos, Terrier and Tartar missile Weapon Systems operation properly throughout the U.S. Navy. In other words, “Keep The Ships Shooting” was the short version of our mission. Since I retired in 1997, the years have gone by quickly and I’ve often wondered what tasks and functions NEMESIS is now doing regarding Fleet support. The magazine/booklet called SENTINEL , issued by NEMESIS, provides a good snapshot of tasks, functions and strategic objectives the command has been doing. Some of these responsibilities were summarized/discussed in an article written by Technical Director, Timothy Troske, in August 2009, as noted below: “July was a busy month with our 46th anniversary events, the All Hands and awards ceremony, and many fleet support accomplishments. Since I was not able to attend the awards ceremony, I want to offer my congratulations to all the award recipients. Our strategic planning process is complete. At the anniversary All Hands, Capt. Ailes discussed the strategic objectives and related goals. We also provided copies of the “Focus on Execution” booklet which provides more background on the planning process and shows our alignment with CNO and NAVSEA goals. As you can see, our objectives are directly in line with the NAVSEA theme and focus for August to “Serve our Customers.” Though we do work for several sponsors, our ultimate customer is the fleet Sailor and no one provides better service than you. Just a few examples of that support: The Virginia Beach BPS radar team received certification of the Voyage Management Systems for navigation on all submarines. This most recent certification will allow use of the VMS during under ice operations. Louisville personnel successfully supported the first gun firing event on USS Freedom (LCS 1) of the MK 110 MOD 0.57mm gun mount. Also, in June, Louisville Decoy Launch System personnel conducted NULKA DT IIIF testing aboard USCGC Bethel (WMSL 750). Air Dominance Department completed successful missile firings as part of USS Stockdale (DDG 106) CSSQT. Their personnel also continue to support CSSQTs for USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) and USS Truxton (DDG 103). Personnel in the Land Attack Department continue to provide 24/7 support to the Fifth Fleet in delivering the Strike over Secret upgrade to the Tomahawk firing units in theater. They are also working the deployment support requirements for USS Freedom and planning the next Harpoon operational test launch. The Ship Defense Department, UNREP Division hosted visitors to discuss future life- cycle support for an old U.S. Navy oiler that is being provided to Chile.

111 White Sands and Test Department are preparing for Airborne Laser testing and supporting Air Dominance Department for upcoming Ballistic Missile Defense and SM-6 testing. The Test Ship and Office of Engineering are in discussions with the Joint Technology office for future laser testing from the Test Ship. The Test Ship is also exploring options for future UAV testing. As you can see, there is a lot going on. The basis for our future has been developed by our Sentinel teams and is supported by our Strategic Plan. We are on our way to becoming the indispensable Warfare Systems Integrator.”

112 For Further Reading

Boslaugh, David L. When Computers Went to Sea: The Digitization of the United States Navy ISBN 0-7695-0024-2 IEEE Computer Society Press Los Alamitos, California 1999

Buell, CDR (Ret) Thomas B. When the Birds Didn’t Fly Naval Institute Proceedings January 19990

Muir, Malcolm Jr. Back Shoes and Blue Water ISBN 1-4102-2228-4 University Press of the Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii 1996/2005

Westrum, Ron Sidewinder ISBN 1-55750-951-4 Naval Institute Press Annapolis, Maryland 1999

113 114 About the Author: Gerald L. Roberts

The articles entitled “Did You Know or Remember” which are contained in this book were extracted from the NSMSES Alumni Quarterly Newsletters that were prepared by Gerry Roberts starting in July 1999 to the present time. Gerry Roberts was born in 1933 in a small town named Blackfoot, Idaho, with a population of about 4000 people. He became an Eagle Scout in 1948 and graduated from high school in 1948. Gerry then joined the Navy in 1951, during the Korean War, at the age of 17. After being honorably discharged he attended the University of Utah for five years and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE). During the summer of each year in college, Gerry worked as an electrician for a company that was manufacturing large, heavy mining equipment. This work was necessary to argument the money he received from the GI Bill for Veterans. Upon graduation in 1959 he accepted a job with Sperry Gyroscope located in Long Island, New York where he learned to maintain and operate the AN/SPG-55B Radar, which was being manufactured by Sperry for the US. Navy’s TERRIER Weapon System. After about six months of training, Sperry assigned Gerry to Bremerton Naval Shipyard located in the state of Washington to provide technical assistance to shipyard personnel on how to align, trouble shoot and integrate the TERRIER radars with the shipboard computers, the TERRIER missile, the ship’s search radars and with Weapons Control on the bridge. While assigned at Bremerton, Gerry provided technical assistance to USS GRIDLEY (DLG-21), USS MAHAN (DLG-11), USS KING (KLG-10), USS REEVES (DLG-24) and other ships. He was also required to provide assistance at different shipyards for ships such as aircraft carrier USS CONSTELLATION (CVA-64) at Brooklyn Naval Shipyard in New York. Additionally Gerry was assigned to deploy with USS LONG BEACH (CGN-9), a nuclear cruiser. The USS LONG BEACH left Norfolk Naval Shipyard and sailed to France, Germany and various places in between. During this deployment Gerry supervised four other Sperry engineers to provide maintenance and operational training to shipboard personnel. Also several missile firing exercises were performed to validate TERRIER Weapon System readiness. Gerry was hired by NSMSES in 1964 during the contractor conversion program, where contractor and shipyard personnel were encouraged to be released to become employees of NSMSES. Gerry was hired as a TERRIER Branch Head for about six years. And then he became a Division Head in the Point Defense System Department. Subsequently he returned to TERRIER, as a Division Head and then was promoted to become TERRIER’s Department Head in 1983. He maintained this until TERRIER was removed from the operating fleet in the 1990s. Gerry retired in 1997. During the time that Gerry was employed he attended at University of California, Berkeley, California; University of California, Los Angeles Graduate School of Management (1982); and two months at the Federal Executive Institute Program Charlottesville, Virginia (1984).

115 He also received many performance awards during his employment to include the prestigious Admiral Eli T. Reich Award in 1990. Since his retirement Gerry maintained contact with NSMSES through the Alumni Association where he writes the “Did You Know or Remember” section of the Quarterly Alumni Newsletter.

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