USS John W. Thomason
24°30′48″N 122°00′00″E / 24.5133333°N 122.0000000°E
USS John W. Thomason underway on 10 March 1958
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | John W. Thomason |
Namesake | John William Thomason Jr. |
Builder | Bethlehem Steel |
Laid down | 21 November 1943 |
Launched | 30 September 1944 |
Sponsored by | Mrs. John W. Thomason |
Commissioned | 11 October 1945 |
Decommissioned | 8 December 1970 |
Stricken | 1 February 1974 |
Identification |
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Fate | to Taiwan 6 May 1974 |
Badge | |
Taiwan | |
Name |
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Namesake | Nan Yang |
Acquired | 6 May 1974 |
Commissioned | 23 June 1975 |
Identification | Hull number: DD-917 |
Reclassified |
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Decommissioned | 16 January 2000 |
Fate | Sunk as target, 3 August 2006 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer |
Displacement | 2,200 tons |
Length | 376 ft 6 in (114.76 m) |
Beam | 40 ft (12 m) |
Draft | 15 ft 8 in (4.78 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) |
Range | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | 336 |
Armament |
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USS John W. Thomason (DD-760), an
Construction and career
John W. Thomason (DD-760) was
The new destroyer conducted shakedown training out of
Korea War
The ship returned to the Far East in early 1950, arriving at
John W. Thomason sailed again for Korea on 4 January 1952 and resumed operations with Task Force 77 off the coast of North Korea. She fired at railway targets 21 February in the
The destroyer operated off the California coast for the remainder of 1952, then sailed once more for Korea 21 February 1953. Formosa Patrol duty alternated with carrier task force operations off North Korea. John W. Thomason arrived at Wonsan harbor on 2 July; while firing at shore targets five days later, she received numerous shrapnel hits in a duel with enemy batteries. Maneuvering in the restricted waters, Commander Ratliff returned the fire until three batteries had been silenced. She continued to operate off Wonsan until the armistice on 27 July, and after a brief stay in Japan arrived at San Diego on 22 September 1953.[1]
From 1954-1956 John W. Thomason returned to the now-familiar waters off Korea and in the Formosa Strait, serving with the 7th Fleet. The first half of 1957 was spent in readiness exercises off San Diego. John W. Thomason then sailed on 29 July for a cruise which took her to Pago Pago, Auckland, and Manus. Upon arrival at Yokosuka on 7 September 1957 she resumed operations in the Formosa Straits and antisubmarine exercises with 7th Fleet ships. The ship returned to San Diego 8 January 1958, and conducted maneuvers off California and Hawaii.[1]
In March 1959, John W. Thomason entered
Extensive conversion and installation of new sonar equipment at Long Beach occupied the ship until July 1962. In December she took part in a massive antiaircraft exercise with units of the
Vietnam War
Most of 1964 was spent in ASW exercises in the Eastern Pacific. On 23 October, she sailed with Destroyer Division 213 for redeployment exercises in Hawaii. Exactly a month later, with four other destroyers, she got under way for the western Pacific screening Yorktown and arrived at Yokosuka, Japan on 4 December, joining the 7th Fleet. In the spring she earned her first battle star for operating in the troubled waters off the coast of Indochina from 21 March to 28 April 1965.[1]
After returning to the West Coast, she departed San Diego for the Far East 22 March 1966 and reached Da Nang 19 April and the same day took station a few miles south of Chu Lai. At the end of April she supported Operation Osage, and landed north of Da Nang. On 13 May she sailed for Sasebo and upkeep. Back in the war zone 6 June, she provided gunfire support and supported Operation Deckhouse 1 from 17 to 23 June. That day she retired toward Hong Kong. The destroyer returned to gunfire support duties off South Vietnam 16 August. From 18 to 23 August she supported the amphibious Ready Group and Special Landing Force in Operation "Deckhouse III." After visiting Guam and Japan, John W. Thomason headed home on 9 September, reached San Diego on 24 August and operated off the West Coast into 1967.[1]
John W. Thomason's 1969 deployment was preceded by a most strenuous overhaul, refresher training, and a multitude of inspections. No sooner had the destroyer and her task group joined the 7th Fleet than the first of more than fifteen schedule changes was received. The ship was diverted to
Six days of leave in Hong Kong and an upkeep period in Sasebo, Japan, followed. John W. Thomason then returned to Yankee Station and provided plane guard services for Hancock. John W. Thomason escorted Hancock to Subic Bay and back to Yankee Station before rejoining Bon Homme Richard in this last line period. On the return home, stops were made in Subic Bay and Yokosuka. The weather demonstrated its capabilities at an inopportune time and delayed the destroyer's return to San Diego until 29 October 1969.[citation needed]
John W. Thomason received seven
Transferred on 6 May 1974 and renamed ROCS Nan Yang (DD-917), taking over the name and pennant number from the ex-USS Plunkett. The ship underwent repair and was commissioned on 23 June 1975.
Her number was changed to DD-954 in the 1970s.
In 1982, she was again reclassified to DDG-917 after completing Wu-Chin I modernization program.[2]
In 1984, a sailor named Huang Guozhang went overboard and was presumed dead, the investigation have not been disclosed.[3]
On 15 August 1991, This ship completed the Wu-Chin II modernization program.[2]
She served in the Republic of China Navy until 16 January 2000, when she was struck from the Navy list and on 3 August 2006, she was towed out to sea to be used as a target ship off Yilan Suao Port during Exercise Han Kwang 22.[3]
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "John W. Thomason (DD-760)". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Navy Department, Naval History and Heritage Command.
- ^ a b "南陽軍艦(二) 南陽沿革史". nmda.teldap.tw. Retrieved 2021-09-10.
- ^ a b 海盜 (seahandjack) (2006-07-02). "DDG-917 海軍南陽軍艦簡史". 隨意窩 Xuite日誌. Retrieved 2021-09-10.