USS Hull DD-945
"Last of the West Coast All Gun Destroyers" 

 
The ship that stole my heart!

Ship's Patch

The way Hull looked most of her life - without the 8" gun

The Hull was the second ship in my Navy career. Going from a "bird farm" to a "tin can", what a change!! But Hull soon ended up number one in my heart and she's stayed there. As you can see from the photos, I was onboard during the time this "Great Lady" was a test bed for the 8" 55 Major Caliber Lightweight Gun. The only modern day destroyer to carry that large of a gun!  After being stationed on shore for almost four years, I went aboard in November of 1975 as an Electronics Technician First Class. It took me a few at sea periods but soon I had found my "sea legs". Hull was a great ship! Being small, you knew almost everybody. It was like being a big family. We worked hard but we got to play as well. As OE Division LPO, I made two West Pac cruises to such exotic and wonderful places as Oahu, Kauai, Guam, Hong Kong and, of course, Olongapo, Philippines. I formed many great relationships and the "crew" that I supervised made my life easy, they really knew their stuff. Unfortunately, no matter how "comfortable" you get in a position or on a ship, the time always comes for moving on and mine came in July of 1977 as I transferred back to a short shore duty training period on my way to the USS St. Louis.

EPILOGUE

U. S. S. Hull, after many years of faithful service, was decommissioned and later sunk as a missile test target in 2096 fathoms of Pacific Ocean water. Out of her ashes a phoenix arose! On September 14 - 16, 2004, the plank owners of the new USS HULL DD-945 ASSOCIATION met in Las Vegas, NV for their first reunion. It was attended by more than one hundred people. There were former shipmates representing every year of the ship's service, from pre-commissioning to post decommissioning. A full association governing body was elected by vote of all hands in attendance. Our third reunion will be Oct. 14 - 16, 2008 in San Diego. For further information visit the USS Hull Association website. In the meantime, we'll stay connected via the internet (Yahoo Group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/945hull. ) and by association newsletter. The Hull lives on!!


 (Hull button presented at the reunion by CO/Cdr. George Flanagan)

If you are a former crewmember and would like to join the Association, please contact me for more information. For another great HULL website use the following hyperlink to the USS HULL ASSOCIATION website: http://usshullassociation.org/


To read my poems about the Hull, click on the following links:

"Lady With A Big Gun"

"The Death Of A Queen"

"To The Last Man"

Many thanks to the following:

Marine Photos
(ship photos)

 USS Hull Cruise Book '76 - '77
(8" gun photos)

for their graphic support!

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