USS McCAFFERY

The USS McCaffery was laid down in October 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Company in San Pedro California, launched in April 1945, and commissioned in July 1945. McCaffery was a Gearing class destroyer, length 390 feet, beam 41 feet, draft 19 feet, displacement 2,400 tons, armed with 5" dual purpose guns, 40 mm guns, torpedoes, and depth charges, typically manned by 340 officers and enlisted. Over the years in several shipyard overhauls, the 40mm guns and depth charges were removed, replaced by ahead thrown anti submarine weapons called hedgehogs, and a drone ASW helicopter.
The ship is named in honor of Lt Col Joseph P. McCaffery, USMC, commanding officer of 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, who was killed in action on 1 November 1943 on Bougainville, in the Solomon Islands. Lt Col McCaffery was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
The USS McCaffery had a rich and distinguished career in support of our country, sailing all over the world, serving in the Korean War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and Vietnam. In the post WWII era, McCaffery operated in the western Pacific off China and Japan. In 1949 after a shipyard conversion to destroyer escort, McCaffery transferred to the Atlantic Fleet, was home ported in Newport RI, and participated in anti-submarine warfare operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean.
In 1950 and 1951 McCaffery deployed to Korea providing naval gunfire and plane guard support.
Between 1951 and 1961, McCaffery operated in ASW operations in the Atlantic, completed six cruises to the Med, one to northern Europe, and one to South America.
In 1961 McCaffery went through a 7 month FRAM overhaul in the Brooklyn Navy Shipyard, and changed home port to Mayport FL in 1962. After a 6 month Med deployment, she participated in the Cuban Missile Crisis naval quarantine.
From 1963-65, McCaffery served as a communications relay ship for the Mercury space shot, school ship for Fleet Sonar School Key West, and cruises to the Med in 1963, northern Europe in 1964 and the Red Sea and Persian Gulf in 1965.
In 1966 McCaffery operated in the Atlantic supporting space recovery missions and the Fleet Sonar School. In 1967 McCaffery deployed to Vietnam providing naval gunfire, plane guard and carrier screening support.
In 1968-70, McCaffery operated in the Atlantic in ASW operations, as part of a NATO task force, and Polaris submarine test support. In 1971 McCaffery deployed to the Mid-East and Africa for 5 months. In 1972 McCaffery conducted surveillance operations off Cuba, and in late 1972 and early 1973 deployed to Vietnam for the second time.
In August 1973, after 28 years of distinguished service, a Naval Ship Inspection Board determined that McCaffery's steaming days were over. McCaffery was decommissioned on 1 October 1973 and sold for scrap in 1974; a sad ending for a proud ship.

The USS McCaffery was a fine ship with a distinguished history. McCaffery saw combat in Korea and Vietnam, and was awarded two Battle Stars for service in Korea and three Battle Stars for service in Vietnam. McCaffery was part of the Naval Quarantine during the Cuban Missile Crisis. McCaffery sailed the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, the Caribbean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Tonkin. She transited the Panama, Kiel and Suez Canals and had port calls in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. McCaffery crossed the equator several times, making the ship a Shellback, and crossed the Arctic Circle, so she is a Bluenose. A distinguished career indeed, and, most important, she had an outstanding crew.


Homeward bound Pennant Flying February 1947 Approaching San Diego

LAST NAME	FIRST NAME	E-MAIL ADDRESS	YEARS	RATE
ABERCROMBIE	STAN	stanabercro@comcast.net	65-67	QM3
ADAMS	BOBBY W	bobbyadams6@aol.com	68-71	MM1
ADAMS	SAMUEL H	samadams@aceconstructionflorence.com	67-68	YN3
ADCOCK	JERRY L	jerryadcock@sprintmail.com	71-73	STGC
ADGENT	ROBERT B	CaptAdgent@aol.com	62-63	LT
ADKINS	STANLEY L	stanadkins@yahoo.com	64-68	GMG2
AINLAY	JACK	jackainlay@aol.com	62-63	LTJG
ALBERSTADT	RICHARD W	richohmy@aol.com	60-61	SMSN
ALCOTT	ROLLIN J	RollinA@aol.com	63-64	SS3
ALEXANDER	FRANK J	falexander2@ec.rr.com	68-73	ST1
ALFT	DALE D	dalft@aol.com	55-56	BTG3
AMMON JR	RICHARD E	rnsammon@earthlink.net	72-73	BT1
ANGUS	WILLIAM M	sjipper202@aol.com	72-73	FN
ASTARITA	RALPH S	poppiralph6@aol.com	51	FTS3
AZARIAN	EDWARD M	azarian27@hotmail.com	58-60	SK3
BAILEY	JAY K	bbpatch@jett.net	58	EMP3
BARBER	WILLIAM W	squire_will@yahoo.com	71	FTGSA
BARE	CHARLES E	cnpbare@iglide.net	58-60	MM3
BARKLEY	TERRILL S	tbar595@msn.com	63-66	ETR2
BARNES	DONALD W	donbarnes27@q.com	52-53	FT1
BARTELS	THOMAS I	Tom.Bartels@Faa.Dot.Gov	70-73	ETSN
BATTAGLIA	ANTHONY T	tonka5050@gmail.com	68-70	SN
BAYRD	DR GARY	Garrett.T.Bayrd-1@tc.umn.edu	72	PN2
BAZE	IVAN G	ibaze@charter.net	67-68	RM3
BEAL	CARL H	beal1234@aol.com	67-69	BT2
BELL	JAMES E	jbell6496@gmail.com	60-63	MM2
BELL	JOHN M	john65.bell@verizon.net	62-64	LT
BENDER	CHARLES	soncar67@verizon.net	60-63	GMG3
BERNARD	BRADLEY T	BTB322@aol.com	68-71	EM3
BETZ	HEINZ W	ketchup163@comcast.net	53-55	EM2
BIASETTI	PHILIP F	irpi@comcast.net	55	SN
BIEGEN	ROBERT J	biegen@aol.com	71-73	FTG2
BIGHAM	M PAUL	pandjbigham@msn.com	69-70	SN
BINK	TIMOTHY J	binkstert@msn.com	68-70	SN
BIXBY	JOHN C	cats@bixby.org	45-46	TM3
BLACKSTONE	GARY B	gar154@msn.com	72-73	QMSN
BLAIR	JOHN A	blairdeejohn@yahoo.com	45-49	GM3
BLANCHETTE	MICHAEL	mikeb69@msn.com	70-73	STG2
BLESSMAN	DONALD F	djblessman@netcare-il.com	45-47	WT2