USS Semmes DDG-18 Crew Diaries 1963

DATE

ACTIVITY

          
Jan 1st  
Jan 2nd  
Jan 3rd have copy of POD indicating we are still in Charleston.
Jan 23rd Around this date we commenced a 3-week "Ready For Sea" period
Jan 28th Took the Semmes to sea for the first time (sea trials, etc)
Jan 31st Returned to Charleston
Feb 14th Out to sea
Feb 15th Out to sea
Feb 16th Back in Charleston
Feb 18th Out to sea - storm. Around this date scheduled for "Ships Qualifications Tests"
Feb 19th Out to sea - storm. Around this date scheduled for "Ships Qualifications Tests"
Feb 20th Loading ammo. Left Charleston at 3:30 for Mayport.
Feb 21st In Mayport at 11:00. It snowed!
Feb 23rd out to sea again
Feb 25th Returned to Mayport
Feb 27th Going back to Charleston. Heavy seas, 40 degree rolls.
March 10th in Charleston this date
March 13th left Charleston for Norfolk. Weather bad, visibility zero.
March 14th Rendezvous with sub, USS Trigger
March 15th Storm at 0002, taking 40 degree rolls
March 16th Arrived in Norfolk (Mitch on one day liberty to NJ)
March 23rd Left Norfolk at 1700
March 23rd Arrived in Charleston after a good trip
Apr 9th Underway for P.R & Cuba for 6 week shakedown
Apr 10th at sea. Thresher sunk
Apr 11th Scheduled to be in Cuba for 6 weeks
Apr 16th cruised past Virgin Islands
Apr 17th Anchored about 3000 yards from Culebra Island
Apr 20th In port, San Juan
Apr 21st In port, San Juan
Apr 22nd Semmes underway for Cuba
Apr 23rd At 0800 we passed Haite. Arrived at GITMO
Apr 27th at sea
May 2nd Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
May 6th Tied up at pier in Cuba today. Been at sea about two weeks
May 8th liberty on base
May 13th Scheduled for Missile Shakedown & Final Acceptance Trials at Roosevelt Rhodes
May 14th
May 15th
May 16th Left Cuba for Culebra and San Juan
May 17th Santo Domingo off our starboard side & Haiti on a 23-mile range
May 18th Arrived in San Juan for weekend liberty
May 19th Puerto Rico, Cuba and Haiti
May 20th Puerto Rico
May 21st
May 22nd
May 23rd left Puerto Rico. Arrived at Charleston for yard period
May 26th Shakedown completed. Joined DesDiv62, DesRon 6 at Charleston
June 3th still in Charleston
June 6th still in Charleston
June 18th still in Charleston
June 20th scheduled for "Post Shakedown Availability" at Charleston
June 26th in Charleston. It rained all day until the afternoon
June 29th still in Charleston
Jule 9th scheduled to go to North Atlantic. Mitch has duty
July 12th in Charleston
July 25th in Charleston
Aug 3rd in Charleston
Aug 9th scheduled to go to sea, but maybe for only the next 24 hours
Aug 22nd in Charleston
Aug 30th Putting out to sea, going to Fort Lauderdale, FL
Aug 31st Arrived in Fort Lauderdale
Sept 3rd Putting out to sea for St. Thomas
Sept 6th Arrived St. Thomas
Sept 9th Left St. Thomas for Santo Domingo
Sept 13th Arrived Santo Domingo
Sept 16th left Santo Domingo at 0330 to find pilot that went into sea. Not found
Sept 19th Arrived Cuba for refresher training
Sept 26th Bad Hurricane Edith
Sept 27th At 1600 left Gitmo for Bermuda
Oct 1st At 0900 arrived in Port Royal, Bermuda
Oct 3rd pulled out of Bermuda, enroute to Boston
Oct 4th At 1400 the Jersey shore is off Port side, 250 miles away
Oct 5th Arrived in Boston at 0900. It's COLD!
Oct 6th Mitch enjoying liberty
Oct 10th still in Boston. Mitch has "Sunset Liberty"
Oct 14th On our way to Newport, RI. Pulled in same day
Oct 15th Left Newport, on the way to New York
Oct 18th Arrived in New York in the morning
Oct 23rd Pulled out of NY (Brooklyn Navy Base)
Oct 24th Gunfire support off Little Creek, Virginia
Nov 8th Arrived in Charleston
Nov 23rd On Dependant's Cruise. President Kennedy killed. We returned to port.
Dec 25th In port, Charleston

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