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Randolph Carter
Berkeley was born on 9 January 1875 in Staunton, Va., where he attended
public schools until 1890. He then spent a year boarding at the Potomac
Academy in Alexandria, Va. With the collapse of his father's real estate
business in 1891, Berkeley returned home to work on a farm near Staunton. In
January 1893, however, he secured a job with the Richmond & Danville
Railroad Co. in Washington, D.C.
When the United States went to war with Spain in 1898, Berkeley applied for
an appointment as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps but did not receive
it until 8 August 1898 just four days before the peace protocol ended
hostilities. He was stationed at the Washington Navy Yard until honorably
discharged on 9 January 1899. When the Marine Corps expanded in 1900, space
opened up for more regular officers; and he was appointed a first lieutenant
on 9 April 1900.
After service at the marine barracks in Norfolk, Va., Lt. Berkeley received
orders to report to Oregon (Battleship No. 3) for sea duty. Reporting to the
2d Marine Regiment at New York in August, he traveled with them by train to
San Francisco and thence by steamer to the Philippines, arriving at Cavite in
October 1899.
In the Philippines, because the McKinley Administration decided to annex the
islands, Filipino insurgents, led by Emilio Aguinaldo, had seized control of
the countryside and set up their own government. After Commodore George Dewey
refused to hand over Manila to him, Aguinaldo then tried to seize the city by
force in early February 1899; and open warfare broke out between the
Americans and the Filipinos. Lt. Berkeley served in Oregon during several
operations against the insurgents, including a landing of bluejackets at
Vigan, Luzon, and another operation against Olongapo.
Lt. Berkeley's duty in Oregon continued - as that warship steamed in Japanese
and Chinese waters - until he left her for duty at Cavite in March 1901.
Later that summer, shortly after his promotion to captain, Berkeley reported
to river gunboat Helena (Gunboat No. 9) in July 1901. He commanded the marine
detachment on board the gunboat at Shanghai and during her frequent cruises
up and down the Yangtze River. Detached from Helena in late July, he returned
home in September.
Capt. Berkeley saw service at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.; at the
Navy Yard in Washington, D.C.; and at the newly established Charleston (S.C.)
Navy Yard before joining the 2d Marines in New York. After sailing to Panama
in the auxiliary cruiser Dixie in January 1904, the battalion helped to
protect American interests and to guarantee Panamanian independence from
Colombia. Then, in February, Capt. Berkeley's company returned to Dixie and
sailed to Monti Christi in the Dominican Republic. His unit remained in the
region for almost two years, serving as a floating reserve in case of civil
unrest.
Returning to Norfolk in October 1906, he served there and at New Haven,
Conn., until taking command of the marine detachment in Kentucky (Battleship
No. 6) in December 1907. Capt. Berkeley then led the detachment during the
first half of the round-the-world cruise of the “Great White Fleet.” After the
fleet arrived at Manila on 7 November 1908, he transferred to the marine
brigade in the Philippines. Capt. Berkeley remained on service there until
returning home in October 1910 to take command of the marine detachment at
the Washington Navy Yard, the same month he received promotion to major.
Following a two-year tour commanding the marine barracks at the Puget Sound
Navy Yard in Bremerton, Wash., Maj. Berkeley took command of the 1st
Battalion, 2d Marine Regiment, at Pensacola, Fla., in December 1913.
By 1914, the political strife in Mexico that followed the downfall of the
Diaz regime in 1911 ripened toward civil war and fanned resentment against
the United States. When these conditions led to the arrest of American
sailors at Tampico on 9 April, the incident provoked Rear Admiral Henry T.
Mayo to land troops at Veracruz on the morning of 21 April. Two marine
battalions, including Maj. Berkeley's battalion, and a party of sailors from
Florida (Battleship No. 30) seized the customs house and other facilities
along the waterfront. Shortly thereafter, Mexican troops counterattacked, and
the marines and bluejackets took part in heavy street fighting. During the
resulting two days of combat, Maj. Berkeley skillfully led his battalion
against machinegun and rifle fire on Avenida Cinco de Mayo and other nearby
streets - suffering few casualties in the process - and helped to clear the
city of Mexican troops on 22 April. For his distinguished conduct in battle,
Maj. Berkeley received the Medal of Honor.
Although an armistice ended the fighting on 30 April, the 2d Marine Regiment
remained in Veracruz for the next nine months. Maj. Berkeley returned to the
United States in December 1914 and was stationed at Philadelphia until 5 June
1915 when he sailed for Guam to take command the marine barracks on that
island. While serving there, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel in August
1916. The following spring, with the United States on the eve of hostilities
with Germany, Lt. Col. Berkeley helped set up gun batteries overlooking the
interned German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran. Following American entry into
World War I on 7 April 1917, Lt. Col. Berkeley's marines prepared to sink the
ship if the Germans did not answer a summons to surrender. The German sailors
refused to turn over the ship and set off scuttling charges, sinking Kormoran
in the harbor. After being rescued from the water, the Germans were made
prisoners of war and sent to the United States for internment. Lt. Col.
Berkeley returned home in November 1917 and served successively at the marine
barracks at the New York and Charleston Navy Yards until October 1919.
Ordered overseas for expeditionary duty, he served for two years with the 2d
Marine Regiment at Cap Haitien in northern Haiti, where he received promotion
to colonel. Returning to the United States in November 1921, he saw duty at
the marine barracks in New York as well as at Norfolk and Quantico, Va. After
graduate studies at the Army War College, he took command of the 1st Marine
Regiment at Quantico in June 1926.
Following a ceasefire in the civil war raging in Nicaragua, Col. Berkeley
took command of the 11th Marine Regiment at Corinto on 19 May 1927. As part
of the armistice agreement, the marines received orders to disarm the
factions, to suppress banditry, and to assist in the creation of a local
police force. Although the marine presence temporarily calmed the region,
enough so that most of the force departed by the end of July, the renewal of
banditry and civil unrest brought the regiment back to Nicaragua in January
1928. Col. Berkeley was ordered to Nicaragua again in May, and he served
there for almost a year as chief of staff to the 2d Marine Brigade's
commander. The brigade made antibanditry patrols, protected polling places
during the national elections of November 1928, and helped organize the
Nicaraguan militia. For his role in these missions, Col. Berkeley received
the Navy Distinguished Service Medal.
After his return to the United States in April 1929, Col. Berkeley served at
Norfolk and Quantico, Va.; and, at the latter post, he commanded the Marine
Corps Schools and received a promotion to brigadier general in July 1930.
During his term there, Brigadier General Berkeley helped sponsor a study
group on amphibious operations; which later produced the important Tentative
Manual for Landing Operations.
In November 1931, Brigadier General Berkeley again received orders to
Nicaragua where he took command of the 2d Marine Brigade. At this stage of
the intervention, the main American effort was to oversee the upcoming
November 1932 elections and to shift responsibility for maintaining order to
the Nicaraguan government. Brigadier General Berkeley remained there until
the entire marine force was withdrawn from that country immediately following
the inauguration of President Anastacio Somoza on 1 January 1933. He then
took command of the marine barracks at Parris Island, S.C., serving there
until May 1936 before transferring to Washington, DC, to become president of
the Marine Corps Examining and Retiring Board. He held that position until
his retirement on 1 February 1939.
Promoted to the rank of major general on the retired list, Berkeley lived in
San Diego, Calif., and Beaufort and Port Royal, S.C., until his death on 31
January 1960.
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Berkeley (DDG-15)
was laid down on 1 June 1960 at Camden, N.J., by the New York Shipbuilding
Corp.; launched on 29 July 1961; sponsored by Mrs. James B. Berkeley, Major
General Berkeley’s daughter-in-law; and commissioned at the Philadelphia
Naval Shipyard on 15 December 1962, Commander Wyatt E. Harper in command.
After fitting out at Philadelphia, Berkeley set out for her assigned homeport
of Long Beach, Calif., mooring there on 16 March 1963 after visits to Port
Royal, S.C.; Kingston, Jamaica; and Acapulco, Mexico. Designed primarily to
provide long-range antiaircraft cover for task forces at sea, Berkeley
devoted the next six weeks testing her TARTAR antiaircraft missile system's
proficiency in that role. The warship's crew also conducted gunnery,
engineering, and communication systems trials. In early May, the
guided-missile destroyer demonstrated her capabilities to President John F.
Kennedy, knocking down two jet drone targets with two TARTAR missiles. At the
end of a short visit to the Rose Festival at Portland, Oreg., in early June,
Berkeley entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard for a three-month
availability. At the end of the repair period, she became a unit of Destroyer
Division (DesDiv) 12 and spent the rest of the year engaged in local
operations in the Long Beach area.
The warship remained in southern California waters for the first 10 weeks of
1964, preparing for a Far East deployment. On 13 March, Berkeley stood out of
Long Beach in company with Topeka (CLG-8) and 11 other destroyers bound for
her first tour of duty with the 7th Fleet. After calling at Pearl harbor,
where Midway (CVA-41) joined company, the task group steamed to the East
China Sea for a month of training. Detached on 18 April, Berkeley proceeded
to Hong Kong, where she embarked Vice Admiral Thomas H. Moorer, and sailed on
to Bangkok, Thailand, for the annual South East Asia Treaty Organization
(SEATO) conference. After rejoining her task group in late April, the
guided-missile destroyer spent the next two months screening Kitty Hawk
(CVA-61) and Ticonderoga (CVA-14) and participating in a SEATO landing
exercise in the Philippines.
After spending Independence Day in Sasebo, Japan, she put to sea with the
Ticonderoga task group on 5 July for routine operations. This quickly
changed, however, when the warships received orders diverting them to the
South China Sea where they joined other Navy units off the South Vietnamese
coast and in the Gulf of Tonkin. As part of President Lyndon B. Johnson's
effort to limit North Vietnamese attacks on Laos and South Vietnam, the
carrier launched Vought F-8 "Crusader" jet aircraft to reconnoiter
suspected communist infiltration routes in eastern and southern Laos.
Berkeley continued to screen Ticonderoga throughout that summer. On 2 August,
she provided antiair protection to the task group during air strikes against
North Vietnamese missile boats during the Tonkin Gulf incident. After
American warships reported more attacks on the 4th, the guided-missile
destroyer again screened the carrier during extensive retaliatory strikes on
North Vietnamese gunboats and torpedo boats on 5 August. Berkeley remained in
the South China Sea during the relative lull that followed, patrolling the
region during the slow buildup of American naval forces in Southeast Asia.
The warship joined Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) while there and sailed for home
on 10 October, mooring at Long Beach, via Yokosuka, Japan, on 21 November.
After leave and upkeep, the guided-missile destroyer entered the Long Beach
Naval Shipyard for a restricted availability. Following these repairs,
Berkeley spent the next six months carrying out training missions, passing
various communications and engineering inspections, and preparing for her
next deployment to the Far East. This pattern of activity - combat service in
Vietnamese waters followed by repairs and training to prepare for her next
deployment - characterized her service for the next ten years.
Underway with Hancock (CV-19) in late November 1965, Berkeley made a brief
stop at Subic Bay in the Philippines before proceeding to the South China Sea
for combat operations off Vietnam. Upon arrival on "Yankee Station"
on 16 December, Berkeley joined Task Force (TF) 77 in support of Operation
"Rolling Thunder." This naval air campaign, begun the previous
March, sought to cut the flow of munitions and supplies to the Viet Cong
insurgents in the south by interdicting North Vietnam's logistics pipelines
through Laos and across the demilitarized zone (DMZ). Assigned to the
northern search-and-rescue (SAR) station in the Gulf of Tonkin, Berkeley, in
company with Topeka (CLG-8) and Brinkley Bass (DD-887), patrolled the area
through the end of January 1966.
Following minor repairs at Sasebo in early February, and a port visit to Hong
Kong, the guided-missile destroyer returned to the Gulf of Tonkin for a
second SAR tour on 26 February. Her first rescue mission took place on 14
March when Berkeley received notice that a McDonnell F-4C "Phantom"
had ditched off Hon Me Island. In company with Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869),
Berkeley coordinated rescue helicopter flights, and those of fighter aircraft
from Ranger (CVA-61) and Kitty Hawk (CVA-63), as the two warships closed the
ditch site. Before they arrived, an Air Force HU-16 "Albatross"
amphibian - which had landed to pick up the two "Phantom" crewmen -
was taken under fire by North Vietnamese shore batteries. The amphibian was
hit shortly thereafter, killing two crewmen and the aircraft burned and sank.
Berkeley then closed Hon Me Island, drawing the enemy fire to her, and
engaged in a 22-minute gunnery dual with the coastal batteries. At the same
time, her combat information team directed friendly air strikes against enemy
gun emplacements and coordinated three SH-3 helicopters from Yorktown
(CVA-10) and England (DLG-22) as they retrieved the six survivors from the
water. Although repeatedly straddled by enemy fire during this action,
Berkeley suffered only minor damage from shell fragments.
Relieved two weeks later by Coontz (DLG-9), the guided-missile destroyer
proceeded to Qui Nhon, where she joined Operation "Sea Dragon" for
a week of call-fire missions against communist supply craft and coastal
infiltration routes. After completing this mission on 8 April, she steamed to
Subic Bay where the crew began preparing the warship for visits to Australia
and New Zealand. Departing the Philippines on 17 April, Berkeley crossed the
equator north of the Admiralty Islands and moored at Sydney, Australia, on
the 29th. Over the next three weeks, the warship's crew took part in the
annual "Coral Sea Celebration" - which honored the victory won by
the Allied navies in May 1942 - and visited Sydney, Adelaide, and Hobart in
Australia as well as Auckland, New Zealand. Underway for home on 22 May, the
guided-missile destroyer stopped at Suva in the Fiji Islands and at Pearl
Harbor before arriving at Long Beach on 6 June.
Subsequent to a leave and upkeep period, Berkeley entered the Long Beach
Naval Shipyard for a restricted availability on 19 July. During that yard
period, workers installed the new Standard missile system, including launch
rails and guidance equipment. Upon leaving the shipyard on 25 August, the
warship commenced a three-month missile development test and evaluation
program. This entailed weekly cruises in southern California waters and the
firing of Standard missiles at air and surface targets. Following the removal
of test equipment in mid-December, the guided-missile destroyer spent the
rest of the month getting ready for upcoming fleet exercises.
Following the early January 1967 Exercise "Snatch Block," which was
devoted to SAR and electronic countermeasure (ECM) procedures, Berkeley spent
the next three months preparing for another Far East deployment. This
included many local evolutions - such as shore bombardment, carrier
screening, and ASW exercises - as well as numerous operational readiness
inspections. During this period, her engineers and technicians busied
themselves maintaining and improving the warship's complex electronic and
fire-control systems, a task abetted by a three-week tender availability in
early February.
Underway for the western Pacific on 29 April, the guided-missile destroyer
crossed the central Pacific; and, after a short liberty period at Yokosuka,
Japan, the warship headed south to Subic Bay, arriving there on 24 May.
Underway again three days later, Berkeley sailed with Constellation (CVA-64)
to the Gulf of Tonkin before joining Saint Paul (CA-73) and TU 77.1.1 for a
"Sea Dragon" patrol. The task unit cruised off North Vietnam near
Hon Me and Hon Matt Islands, searching for enemy waterborne logistics craft
and firing on designated targets ashore. This pattern - small craft search in
the morning followed by shore bombardment missions later in the day - became
the daily routine of Berkeley's later "Sea Dragon" patrols.
After routine upkeep and replenishment at Subic Bay in late June and early
July, the guided-missile destroyer commenced her second "Sea Dragon"
patrol on 12 July. Detached 10 days later, she sailed north to the Tonkin
Gulf SAR station where she monitored daily strikes over North Vietnam. During
three weeks on station, Berkeley participated in seven SAR incidents and
helped to rescue four pilots. Relieved on 11 August by Pratt (DLG-13), the
warship sailed to Hong Kong for a week of rest and recreation.
Following a tender availability at Kaohsiung, Taiwan, the guided-missile
destroyer returned to the gunline on 22 September. Berkeley alternated duty
between gunfire support for the 3d Marine Division in the I Corps area and
night harassment and interdiction missions against coastal infiltration
routes. Detached on 1 October, the warship visited Nagoya and Yokosuka before
departing Japan on the 12th. Berkeley arrived at Long Beach on 25 October and
spent the remainder of the year conducting post-deployment maintenance and
preparing for various service inspections.
The guided-missile destroyer carried out local operations through April 1968
before moving into Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a maintenance overhaul. Upon
completion of these repairs on 3 June, Berkeley loaded supplies and
ammunition before steaming west on 5 July. After fuel stops at Pearl Harbor,
Midway, and Guam - as well as a diversion south to avoid a typhoon near the
Philippines - the warship arrived at Subic Bay on the 28th. Four days later,
the guided-missile cruiser departed for the coast of Vietnam and duty on
"Sea Dragon" patrol. Over the next two months, Berkeley conducted
three gunline patrols - firing nightly interdiction missions, searching for
waterborne logistics craft, and bombarding supply routes - off both North
Vietnam and the Vung Tau Peninsula. In between these missions, she retired to
Subic Bay for upkeep. Her best hunting took place on the night of 10 and 11
September, when she and Harwood (DD-861) combined to sink or damage 58 enemy
supply boats.
After calling at Keelung, Taiwan, in late October and at Hong Kong in early
November, Berkeley sailed back to Vietnam on the 11th. The rest of November
passed uneventfully, with the warship on planeguard duty on "Yankee
Station." Departing the area on 1 December, she stopped at Guam and
Pearl Harbor before mooring at Long Beach on 20 December.
Aside from a few periods of underway training, which included her annual
missile-firing exercises in late February, the warship spent the first three
months of 1969 preparing for an extensive overhaul. Entering the Long Beach
Naval Shipyard on 27 March, Berkeley received new weapons and communications
systems as well as a general rehabilitation of all internal spaces in the
warship. With this work completed, the guided-missile destroyer commenced sea
trials and post-overhaul refresher training on 24 July. The warship also
tested her new Standard missile system in September before turning to
preparations for another Far East deployment which took up the remainder of
the year.
Departing Long Beach on 13 February, the guided-missile destroyer made fuel
stops at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Guam before arriving at Yokosuka on 4
March. After two weeks of upkeep, she sailed to "Yankee Station" -
arriving there on the 23d - and provided planeguard support for Constellation
and Coral Sea. Then, starting on 10 May, the warship provided two weeks of naval
gunfire support off South Vietnam. Between 25 May and 15 June, Berkeley
visited Hong Kong and Kobe for rest and recreation before returning to South
Vietnam for four weeks of gunline operations. Next came a port visit to
Bangkok, Thailand, in mid-July, followed by three days of upkeep at Subic
Bay. From there, the warship sailed for home on the 27th and moored at Long
Beach on 14 August. The remainder of the year was dedicated to type training
and upkeep in preparation for another western Pacific deployment in early
1971.
Those preparations continued into the new year, occupying her time for the
first 11 weeks of 1971. Berkeley set sail on 16 March and, after brief stops
at Oahu, Midway, and Guam, arrived at Subic Bay on 7 April. Following a brief
upkeep period, she steamed to "Yankee Station" on the 10th and
began escort duty for Kitty Hawk (CVA-63). During this tour, the
guided-missile destroyer's crew welcomed on board three Vietnamese midshipmen
and provided them with six weeks of underway training. In May, after a brief
period of PIRAZ duty with Truxtun (DLGN-35), Berkeley steamed to Japan,
arriving in Sasebo on the 19th.
Fitted out with specialized reconnaissance equipment, the warship steamed to
the Sea of Japan on 10 June for service as Pacific Area Reconnaissance
Program (PARPRO) picket ship. She collected intelligence off the Korean
peninsula for the next 10 days before mooring at Yokosuka on 19 June. The
PARPRO equipment was quickly unloaded, and the warship moved south for a
visit to Hong Kong.
Returning to "Yankee Station" on 5 July, Berkeley spent the next
two weeks working on the northern SAR station. Heading south on the 18th, the
warship passed through the Strait of Malacca and moored at Penang, Malaysia,
for a port visit on 23 July. Following four days there, and just over a week
in Singapore for upkeep, Berkeley returned to the Vietnam war zone on 7
August. Assigned to a naval gunfire support mission, the warship cruised off
Cua Viet for the next three weeks in support of friendly forces near the
demilitarized zone (DMZ). During this time, she fired 2,143 5-inch rounds at
enemy targets. After a brief stop at Subic Bay, the guided-missile destroyer
retraced her path across the Pacific and arrived in Long Beach on 16
September.
Following a tender availability alongside Piedmont (AD-17), Berkeley remained
in port, aside from a few type training days at sea, for the next six months.
On 20 March 1972, the warship steamed to the Pacific Missile Range for three
days of weapons systems exercises - including an ASW drill with Caiman
(SS-323) - and, later that month, the warship conducted gunnery drills in the
southern California operating area. These evolutions proved timely when, on 7
April, the warship received word to get ready for an emergency deployment to
Vietnam. After a feverish 72 hours of preparation, Berkeley departed Long
Beach on 10 April.
The guided-missile destroyer arrived in the Gulf of Tonkin, via Pearl Harbor,
Guam, and Subic Bay, on 3 May. There, she joined other 7th Fleet units in
heavy attacks against North Vietnamese military units pushing south along the
coast. After firing numerous bombardment missions against enemy troops and
tanks advancing toward Hue, Berkeley joined Operation "Pocket
Money," the mining of the river approaches to Haiphong, North Vietnam,
on 9 May. In company with five other destroyers, the warship closed Haiphong
to provide a protective barrage of 5-inch shells as A-6 "Intruders"
and A-7 "Corsairs" from Coral Seas dropped magnetic-acoustic sea
mines off that port.
Shortly thereafter, Berkeley moved to a surveillance position about 25 miles
to the south and kept foreign merchant shipping informed of the newly
cordoned waters. In mid-June, an attempt by the North Vietnamese to ferry
supplies ashore was foiled when Berkeley, supported by helicopters and two
other destroyers, sank over 30 small craft. After a brief upkeep period at
Subic Bay in mid-July, the guided-missile destroyer moved to the gunline and
fired daily missions against enemy targets near the DMZ. Following a short
yard period at Sasebo late in August, the warship conducted a final five-week
gunfire support tour off North Vietnam.
After a five-day visit to Hong Kong in mid-October, Berkeley steamed for home
and arrived at Long Beach on 10 November. With the signing of the cease-fire
agreement at Paris in January 1973, American involvement in the war ended,
making this last tour Berkeley's final Vietnam deployment. After a long
holiday and post-deployment standdown period, the guided-missile destroyer's
crew began preparations for a complex overhaul scheduled for early January.
On 5 January 1973, Berkeley moved to Bremerton, Wash., and, on the 12th,
moved into drydock at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. The overhaul gave the
guided-missile destroyer the new tactical data system, a sonar upgrade, new
communications and electronic warfare gear, and two new 5-inch gun mounts.
After five months in drydock, the warship moved pierside to finish the
installations, which were finally completed on 1 November. Berkeley then
spent the next eight weeks conducting sea trials.
Departing Bremerton on 4 January 1974, the warship sailed south to her new
home port of San Diego, arriving there on the 18th. With the end of American
participation in the Vietnam war following the previous year's cease-fire
agreement, the Navy concentrated on improving overall operational readiness,
a routine markedly different from earlier training which had focused on
preparing warships for combat duty off Vietnam. Berkeley, therefore, spent
the next five months taking part in a series of fleet-wide inspections and
maintenance programs. The guided-missile destroyer finally got underway to
deploy on 19 June, steaming across the Pacific and arriving in Subic Bay on
10 July.
Sailing north on the 14th, Berkeley embarked American and Japanese midshipmen
at Yokosuka and Kure for two weeks of training with units of the Japanese
Maritime Self-Defense Force in the Inland Sea. Returning to Subic Bay on 7
August, the warship spent the next 10 weeks operating locally with
Constellation. Then, in response to the growing Soviet Navy presence in the
Indian Ocean, several American warships - including Berkeley - received
orders to "show the flag" in the region. Departing Subic Bay on 27
October, she conducted a four-day port visit to Singapore, before getting
underway for the Indian Ocean on 8 November.
In company with Constellation and the rest of TG 77.6, Berkeley conducted 11
days of operations with Pakistani, Iranian, and British naval units before visiting
Karachi, Pakistan, on the 19th. The task group then sailed into the Persian
Gulf for another week of exercises before returning to Singapore on 6
December. After an upkeep period there, the guided-missile destroyer sailed
for home, via Subic Bay, and arrived in San Diego on 28 January 1975.
Following a two-month, post-deployment standdown, Berkeley spent the next
four months engaged in a series of inspections, engineering tests, and
exercises aimed at improving her overall readiness. In August, she completed
various weapons and engineering training requirements and, in September,
concentrated on ASW exercises. Following several missile-firing exercises in
October and an extensive alignment of all weapons systems in November,
Berkeley began preparation for her next deployment.
On 30 January 1976, Berkeley departed San Diego and set course for Hawaii on
the first leg of the voyage to the Far East. Once at Pearl Harbor, however,
the warship suffered several engineering failures which kept her in that port
through February. Finally repaired in early March, she got underway on the
12th and, after a fuel stop at Guam, moored at Subic Bay on 1 April. Over the
next three months, the guided-missile destroyer conducted several
"war-at-sea" exercises in the Philippines, including a missile
firing exercise in late May and an ASW exercise with Sample (FFG-1048) and
Lang (FFG-1060) in mid-June. Sailing north on 14 July, she visited Kaohsiung,
Taiwan, and took part in Exercise "Sharkhunt XVI" - an ASW exercise
with naval units from Taiwan - before returning to Subic Bay on the 29th.
Underway again on 3 August, Berkeley carried out another missile exercise -
knocking down one drone with two missiles fired - before sailing for home on
the 8th. Following stops at Guam - where she received 10 days of tender
availability - and at Pearl Harbor, the warship returned to San Diego on 6
September. Save for a brief two-week planeguard exercise with Constellation
in early December, the guided-missile destroyer spent the remainder of the
year in port.
Over the first five months of 1977, Berkeley stood several inspections and
made other preparations in anticipation of an overhaul in Bremerton. Entering
the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 6 June, the warship received new
turbo-generators, a satellite communications system, and upgrades to her
tactical data system. Floated out of drydock on 16 December, she remained
pierside until dock trials were complete on 4 May 1978. Underway for sea
trials the following day, the warship finally sailed home to San Diego on 13
June, arriving there on the 23d, after stops at Seal Beach and Long Beach.
She spent the rest of the year testing her weapon systems and training with
the newly installed equipment.
Early in 1979, Berkeley helped to test and evaluate two new missile systems.
In February, she test-fired the "Tomahawk" cruise missile; and, in
April, she made eight "Standard" missile evaluation launches. After
passing a combat systems readiness test in May, the warship then prepared for
its first overseas deployment in almost two years. Departing San Diego on 8
August, the guided-missile destroyer transited the Pacific and arrived in
Yokosuka on 1 September. There, she joined Kitty Hawk and put to sea for
seven weeks of operations in the East China Sea. During this time, Berkeley
also made port visits to Hong Kong and Subic Bay. On 22 October, following
the assassination of South Korean President Park Chung Hee, the task group
took up a position south of the peninsula. The crisis eased after a few weeks,
and the task group resumed normal operations. On 10 November, the Kitty Hawk
group steamed south for operations in the South China Sea. On 21 November,
the warships received orders to proceed west in response to the takeover of
the American embassy in Tehran, Iran. Arriving in the Indian Ocean on 5
December, the task group sailed to the Arabian Sea and took up a position
south of the Iranian coast.
Following six weeks of contingency operations, Berkeley began her long
transit home on 24 January 1980, arriving in San Diego via Subic Bay and
Pearl Harbor on 19 February. Later that spring, the warship conducted several
gunfire and missile-firing exercises before beginning a restricted
availability at Long Beach on 5 May. During the ensuing six weeks, Berkeley
received extensive engineering work, including some new boiler tubes, and
equipment upgrades to her weapons and operations departments. The
guided-missile destroyer then spent the rest of the year conducting
engineering tests and working out her new combat systems in air and surface
gunnery and missile shoots.
Underway on 27 February 1981, Berkeley sailed to Pearl Harbor and then on to
Guam, mooring there on 21 March. While enroute to Subic Bay in early April,
she conducted both antisubmarine and antiair warfare exercises, an underway
routine that became the pattern for this deployment. The warship then joined
other 7th Fleet units for a port visit to Pattaya Beach, Thailand, before
participating in Exercise "Sea-Siam 81-2." Berkeley joined Royal
Thai Navy warships in a variety of maneuvers, including tactical
communications, formation keeping, and antisubmarine warfare. The
guided-missile destroyer then moved back to Subic Bay, after diverting for
stops at Sattahip, Thailand, and Hong Kong, where she joined the Kitty Hawk
battle group. Departing on 13 May, the group sailed into the Indian Ocean for
six weeks of antiair and surface warfare exercises before putting in to
Geraldton, Australia, for a week-long port visit in mid-July. Berkeley
returned to Subic Bay on 4 August for three weeks of maintenance before
steaming for home on 1 September.
Arriving in San Diego on 21 September, the warship spent the next six months
engaged in local operations and preparing for a regular overhaul. This
routine was only broken by a call at San Francisco in late January 1982 and
four-day visit to Mazatlan, Mexico, starting on 20 February. Entering the
Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 29 March, Berkeley received new engineering
controls, upgrades to her electronic warfare, communications, sonar, and
weapons systems--including the new Harpoon weapons system. Perhaps even more
important to her crew, she also received a brand new air conditioning system.
Underway for sea trials on 18 March, the guided-missile destroyer carried out
a series of evaluations, local operations, and refresher training over the
summer and fall in preparation for her next deployment. These included
underway exercises with the Kitty Hawk battle group in September and
November.
After a flurry of preparations in the new year, she finally put to sea for
the western Pacific on 13 January 1984. Arriving in the Philippines on the
30th, Berkeley trained on the Tabones gunfire range during February; and,
following a 12-day visit to Subic Bay, the guided-missile destroyer steamed
to Pusan, South Korea, in early March. There, between 19 and 29 March, she
participated in amphibious Exercise "Team Spirit 84." She then
sailed to Subic Bay, for brief repairs, before steaming west for the Strait
of Malacca on 7 April.
With the establishment of the United States Central Command (CentCom) the
previous year--partly in response to the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war in
1980--Navy warships began patrolling the Arabian Sea in support of CentCom's
mission to protect American security interests in the Middle East. Berkeley
arrived in the Arabian Sea on 16 April and served there for the next six
weeks, helping to assure Western access to oil and seeking to stem the spread
of Soviet influence in the region. During this period, she visited Al
Masirah, Oman, for tender availability alongside Hector (AR-7).
After another tender availability at Diego Garcia during the second week of
June, the warship sailed for home on 15 June. Enroute, she stopped at
Fremantle, Australia; Subic Bay, Philippines; and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii
before arriving in San Diego on 1 August. Berkeley spent the next nine months
conducting local operations in California waters, the highlight of which was
the mid-October surveillance of a Soviet intelligence gathering trawler
prowling the missile-test range at San Clemente Island. The warship then
operated locally that spring until entering the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on
3 May 1985 for repairs to her sonar dome. Resuming local operations on the
20th, Berkeley followed the familiar duty pattern - independent steaming off
southern California punctuated by regular upkeep periods in port.
The warship's first exercise in the new year took place between 14 and 22
January 1986 when Berkeley conducted a naval gunfire support exercise at San
Clemente Island. Then, after a mid-March command inspection and upkeep early
in April, she took part in "RimPac 86," an international naval
exercise held in Hawaiian waters between 21 May and 12 June. After two more
months of local training operations and other preparatory tasks, Berkeley got
underway for a Far Eastern cruise on 12 August.
In a change of pace from her usual route, the guided-missile destroyer
followed a great circle route through the northern Pacific and the Bering Sea
before arriving at Pusan, South Korea, on 1 September. After an ASW exercise
with units of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force at mid-month, and
another ASW exercise with South Korean warships in mid-October, Berkeley
sailed south for the Philippines on 7 November. Following a brief stop at
Subic Bay to refuel, the warship conducted Exercise "Burgonex 86"
with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces between 15 and 23 November. Afterwards,
she visited Pattaya Beach, Thailand, and then made a "freedom-of-navigation"
demonstration off the coasts of Kampuchea and Vietnam in early December.
Berkeley then stopped at Hong Kong and Subic Bay for port visits, before
ending the year on her way to Chinhae, South Korea.
Arriving there on 3 January 1987, the warship conducted an ASW exercise in
the Sea of Japan in early January before heading for home on the 12th. The
next day, however, she suffered a pressure failure in her sonar dome and
diverted to Guam for temporary repairs. Underway again on the 24th, Berkeley
returned to San Diego, via Pearl Harbor, on 12 February. After a two-week
leave and upkeep standdown, the warship resumed her familiar west coast
routine. This included various weapons and supply inspections, equipment
alterations in the shipyard - including more repairs to her sonar dome that
summer - and training ashore for crew members. She rounded out the year with
refresher training off southern California punctuated by minor repair periods
alongside Acadia (AD-42).
Berkeley spent the spring of 1988 preparing for her next overseas deployment,
on which she embarked on 6 July. In company with New Jersey (BB-62) and TG
70.1, the warship took the great circle route to South Korea, arriving at
Pusan on the 24th. The group participated in surface warfare exercises with the
South Korean Navy before heading south to Subic Bay on 5 August. Following a
short availability there, Berkeley detached from the task group and continued
farther south, arriving in Darwin, Australia, on 26 August. As part of
Australia's bicentennial celebration, the guided-missile destroyer spent the
next five weeks visiting ports on Australia's northern and eastern coasts.
Starting with a visit to Cairns from 4 to 8 September, she moved on to stops
at Townsville, Mackay, and Gladstone before putting into Sydney on the 26th
for a week-long naval celebration with over 60 warships from 16 countries.
Berkeley then made a visit to Bell Bay in Tasmania before rendezvousing with
New Jersey (BB-62) on 18 October for the transit home, arriving in San Diego
via Pearl Harbor on 9 November.
Following a tender availability, the guided-missile destroyer spent the first
nine months of 1989 conducting local training operations, standing combat
systems' inspections, and undergoing a phased maintenance availability at the
Continental Marine Shipyard between 17 April and 5 July. After a final series
of inspections in August, Berkeley got underway on 18 September in company
with Enterprise and six other warships bound for the Far East once more.
Steaming north to the Sea of Japan, the warship participated in "PacEx
'89," a joint exercise with units of the South Korean and Japanese
Navies. During most of October, she carried out antiair, surface, and
subsurface warfare exercises off the coasts of Korea and Japan, including
four SEAL team insertions, before putting into Hong Kong on the 31st.
Sailing south, Berkeley arrived in Subic Bay on 11 November. After a two-week
availability there, she moved to the Tabones training range to keep up her
gunnery prowess. On the 30th, in response to a coup attempt against the
Aquino government in Manila, the warship put to sea with the Enterprise
battle group for contingency operations. As the crisis eased, Berkeley
detached from the battle group on 12 December and sailed east to Thailand. Enroute,
the guided-missile destroyer took part in more
"freedom-of-navigation" missions off Vietnam and Kampuchea, before
arriving at Pattaya Beach on the 14th. After four days there, the warship
moved on to Singapore for a week of upkeep.
Passing through the Strait of Malacca in late December, Berkeley and the
Enterprise battle group sailed into the Indian Ocean and moored at Diego
Garcia Island on 5 January 1990. Next, the group operated in the northern
Arabian Sea and Persian Gulf - keeping an eye on the still-tense ceasefire
between Iran and Iraq - until putting in to Muscat, Oman, for a port visit on
the 20th. Following exercises with the Sultan of Oman's Navy, Berkeley left
the battle group on 1 February and headed back east. She participated in exercises
with the Royal Thai Navy on 3 February and, after a five-day visit to Phuket,
Thailand, steamed into Subic Bay on the 18th. From there, the warship
continued toward home and arrived at San Diego on 15 March.
After a four-week leave and upkeep period, Berkeley resumed local operations
out of San Diego. In addition to her usual training activities, however, the
warship made several short indoctrination cruises for midshipmen. She also
got underway in mid-July for a week of law enforcement operations with the
Coast Guard. During these missions, which were intended to help interdict
drug smuggling, the warship used surface-search radars and other equipment to
spot small craft, which were then boarded by Coast Guard detachments.
Although no drug seizures occurred, the warship did help the Coast Guard
enforce maritime safety regulations. After returning to port on 23 July,
Berkeley spent the rest of the year engaged in engineering inspections and
exams.
On 11 February 1991, the warship embarked on another Coast Guard law
enforcement mission off Central America. Berkeley began counternarcotics
patrols off Baja California in mid-February; and, save for a 22 February
visit to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, there she remained for the next five
weeks. Returning to San Diego on 8 April for maintenance, the guided-missile
destroyer then set out on a two-week Coast Guard law enforcement patrol on
the 26th. This was followed in mid-May by a gunnery and missile exercise.
In early June, Berkeley departed San Diego and headed north to Oregon for the
Portland Rose Festival, remaining there until the 12th. The warship returned
to San Diego three days later and, over the next six weeks, conducted two
midshipmen training cruises and another law enforcement patrol. In August and
September, the guided-missile destroyer concentrated on refresher training
and, in early October, she participated in underway training while in transit
to San Francisco for "Fleet Week '91." Returning to San Diego on 25
October, the warship carried out a succession of engineering drills in the
southern California operating area through November. Heading back to Portland
on 2 December, Berkeley took part in the city's 50th anniversary
commemoration of the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
In light of the defense budget cutbacks following the end of the Cold War,
the Navy made its 1990 decision to retire 54 ships. Thus, Berkeley was tapped
for deactivation and eventual foreign transfer. Inactivated at San Diego on 1
May 1992, she spent the summer preparing for transfer to the Greek Navy.
Berkeley was decommissioned at San Francisco on 30 September 1991, and her
name was struck from the Navy list on 1 October 1991. She was transferred to
the Hellenic Navy that same day and served as Themistoklis (D 221).
Berkeley received 11 battle stars for Vietnam service.
Commanding
Officers
From To Name
DEC 1962 JUL 1964 CDR
Wyatt E. Harper, Jr.
JUL 1964 JAN 1966 CAPT Michael D. Ricinak
JAN 1966 JUL 1967 CDR
William R. Smedberg IV
JUL 1967 AUG 1969 CDR
Thomas M. Ward, Jr.
AUG 1969 JUN 1971 CDR
John F. Frost III
JUN 1971 OCT 1972 CDR
Jerry A. Dickman
OCT 1972 MAR 1974 LCDR Jerry S. Jones
MAR 1974 JAN 1975 CAPT Jonathan T. Howe
JAN 1975 JAN 1975 CAPT Richard B. MacFie
JAN 1975 JAN 1977 CDR
Clifford F. Homan
JAN 1977 FEB 1979 CDR
Jack E. Helmann
FEB 1979 JAN 1981 CDR
Kenneth R. Sydow
JAN 1981 MAR 1983 CDR
Joseph L. Lockett III
MAR 1983 JUN 1985 CAPT Robert W. Reighley
JUN 1985 JUL 1987 CDR
Richard K. Farrell
JUL 1987 SEP 1989 CDR
Charles R. Girvin III
SEP 1989 JUL 1991 CDR
Ronald R. Peterman
JUL 1991 OCT 1992 CDR
Fred J. Mallgrave III
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