Ready Eddie Reader!!! VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2 SPRING 2001 Cal DeKnikker-THEN Cal DeKnikker-NOW PRESIDENTS MESSAGE First, I want to thank all of those who took Mike Lillie-THEN Mike Lillie-NOW time to fill out and mail in the R.S. Edwards Association membership form for this year (July Back to the past!!! 2000-June 2001) and for your donations to our Greetings!!! Welcome to you and to Spring. I think group. These donations and our ships store sales for the majority of us this was a tougher winter than are some of the ways in which our association weve had in the past. Different issues and situations can remain active. Another key component has depending on your area of the country, but a challenge been the aid of our volunteers. These many peo- nonetheless. In this issue I hope to get back to the history of the ple continue to be the cornerstone of the R.S. Edwards. The reunion issue had so much important new Edwards Association. Their work is very much info to pass on, I had to put the past on hold. In pre- appreciated. vious issues I brought the official command history, as One of the more current things happening for told by Uncle Sam, through 1974. Thankfully made the association is the updating of our mailing list. interesting enough to read, by the real story, as told by We want members to know that this is one of the you. Keep jotting down your memories and/or sea sto- only ways that the group can keep track of its ries (same thing?) and share them with us. The govern- ments command history for 1975 is almost 1-1/2 type- members and be able to maintain current R. S. written pages. Take out the headings and the de-classi- Edwards Association information.Since the year fied stamps and it would fit on an 8 1/2 X 11 page. ends for the association in June, 2001 and the Thats pretty much the average for all years. A year of new year begins a month later for our group, our lives reduced to a single typewritten page. We all please help keep the R. S. Edwards Association know there was more to it than that for any given year. list current. Please help keep our membership The two gentlemen above, EN Mike Lillie and BT Cal address list correct by filling out another member- DeKnikker were members of the 1975 crew, are mem- bers of the association, and were generous enough to ship form after July, 2001 and mailing it in. Thank share past and current photos. Id love to feature more you for doing this. then and nows, and profiles on your naval careers (2- See you all at Reunion 2002 (Seattle- 20+ years. Length is not a prerequisite for an interest- Tacoma area) in just 16 months. ing career). Many people have great profiles since leaving the service, also. Document them and send Jack L. Sanders them along. Make them history. Thanx, TUT The Ready Eddie revisited.....1975 Command History, 1975 (1975 was a year spent mostly dockside. The drydock period being the toughest. With the entire crew living off the ship, either in barracks, base housing or rented apartments I think we grew apart as a full team, but became closer to each other on an individual basis as we spent more time together on a personal level away from RSE. Tough for a destroyerman to get excited Big Sal retires about a ship not able to go to sea, though. The most Dry Dock #4 important decision made while on duty at Dry Dock #4 On 8 April, EDWARDS covered with staging, red- was whether to chance the box lunch for dinner or call leaded and her engineering plant disassembled by the for a pizza delivery. Many people used this period to first moves toward overhaul, was moved by harbor tugs enjoy as close to a normal life as possible. It was a job to Dry Dock #4 and set on keel blocks to provide the you went to every day, and went home from in the eve. necessary access to the hull. Holes were cut in the port Not exactly the exotic lifestyle of the Navy side of the ship to gain access to the forward and after Destroyerman, but Hawaii made it easy to deviate from firerooms. In drydock, the ships boilers and other vital the norm. Crewmembers had a chance to settle down propulsion systems were overhauled. In addition, work and get to know the area, buy cars, meet people, enjoy was accomplished on the sonar dome, propeller shafts, paradise. Lets hear about your 1975.) propellers, rudders and various intakes. The ship was This was a year of overhaul and testing for the USS un-inhabitable. All air conditioning was shut off due to Richard S. Edwards. Eight months of the year were lack of chill water, the galley was closed due to lack of spent in the ships regularly scheduled overhaul period steam and only the duty section lived onboard to pro- at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard; 12 million dollars vide the needed manpower in case of an emergency. were to be spent and numerous hours utilized to With the crew living in barracks, work progressed upgrade the ships engineering plant, replace old around the clock to meet the undocking date. weapons systems, improve habitability, and install new All work required to be accomplished in the dry dock electronic equipment. The ship was then to enter a was completed on 25 July and the ship undocked on 26 period of testing and training that would stretch well July. At 0748 the ship was away from her keel blocks into the New Year. and once again afloat. The months of January and February 1975 were During August the ship prepared for the Propulsion months of routine steaming in the Hawaiian Operating Examining Boards LOE (light off exam) in the forward Areas. The ship was underway from 6 to 9 January, 13 engineering plant. The month of September was to 16 January, 4 to 7 February and 10 to 12 February marked by the successful completion of the Light Off for independent steaming exercises which were used Exam in the forward engineering spaces. In early for training at General Quarters stations and in October after receiving an unsatisfactory on the after Engineering Casualty Control drills. engineering plant LOE, the ship successfully passed the LOE re-examination. The ship was now finally ready to steam. Fast cruising on 20 and 21 October, the EDWARDS tested all overhauled systems and equipment. On 31 October a second fast cruise was held and the ship was found to be fully ready to commence sea trials. On 5 November, Sea Detail was set and EDWARDS was readied for her first sea period in 8 months. The first Sea Trial lasted two days while engineering boiler Above: Chuck See and flex tests and casualty control drills were conducted. Lt. PKA Vosseler. Right: The newly installed 5/54 MOD 10 gun mounts were Dan James and Larry test fired and all electronic systems were tested. A sec- Jackson at Bellows ond Sea Trial was held on 13 and 14 November. Beach(brews and BBQ) (CONTINUED-PG 3) (CONTINUED FROM PG 2) (MTT), followed by nine days of upkeep and OPPE On 18 November, EDWARDS completed the overhaul preparations and four more days of MTT training begin- on schedule and again joined the fleet. ning 2 August. Engineering training continued in full On 21 and 22 November the ship conducted Sonar force while EDWARDS joined various other units of the and Fire Control systems accuracy checks, and a full Pacific Fleet on 6 August for a major fleet exercise, power trial in the local Hawaiian operating areas. The COMTUEX 1-77, during the week of 6 August. full power trial was extremely successful with the ship COMTUEX 1-77 was followed by nine days of inten- attaining speeds in excess of 32 knots, making sive inport OPPE preparations. EDWARDS got underway EDWARDS the fastest surface ship in Pearl Harbor. on 23 August with the OPPE board embarked. By 25 On 24 November, EDWARDS departed Pearl Harbor August, EDWARDS had satisfactorily completed the enroute to the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking OPPE with the exception of the boiler flexes, and Sands, Kauai to conduct weapons systems accuracy returned to Pearl Harbor. Technical problems with the tests (WSAT). During the transit an ASROC motor pre- automatic combustion control equipment resulted in the maturely ignited and seriously burned one man. An EDWARDS being awarded a conditional satisfactory by investigation into the cause of the rocket motor ignition the OPPE board which provided that EDWARDS would was conducted. Investigators found that the accident undergo boiler flex tests at a future date. was caused by a manufacturing defect in one of the From 26 August until 9 November, EDWARDS alter- rocket motor components. nated between upkeep periods in Pearl Harbor and During the first two weeks of December, EDWARDS Type Training. On 10 November, Refresher Training conducted independent ships exercises (ISE) in the Phase II recommenced, completing on 16 November. local Hawaiian operating areas. Upon completion of EDWARDS received a grade of satisfactory on all phas- ISE, the Richard S. Edwards commenced a holiday es of Refresher Training. On 17 November, EDWARDS leave and upkeep period throughout the Christmas hol- departed Pearl Harbor for a ten day transit to San idays. Diego, CA. Upon arrival in San Diego, EDWARDS partic- ipated in five days of inport Type Training.