USS John W. Thomason DD760 Association

Dear Dependent:

Once again the JOHN W. THOMASON is commencing another tour of duty with the Seventh Fleet in the Western Pacific and in support of our struggle in Vietnam.   It has been a year since the ship was last out here and a year since many of you received my last FAMILYGRAM.   For you that had no affiliation with the ship during our last cruise, I would like to welcome you as a subscriber to my dependents letter which is sent out periodically to all wives, sweethearts and parents.  The purpose of this letter, better known as a FAMILYGRAM, is to keep you abreast of the THOMASON's movements and some of the unusual happenings aboard ship.   Before I give an account of our voyage thus far, I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to those who wrote me letters during our last cruise.   Your letters were well received and read with interest.   Thank you.

As many of you already know, we departed San Diego on 17 August in company with the carrier KEARSARGE, the destroyers LYNDE MC CORMICK, JAMES T. KYES, FRANK E. EVANS, EVERETT C. LARSON, and WALKE.   The group is known as an Anti-Submarine Group (better known in short as the ASWGROUP).   This group of ships will probably remain together during our entire cruise except for short periods of time when certain units will be detached to conduct special assignments.   The mission of this Task Group is to seek out and track down submarines and protect other naval units of the Seventh Fleet against possible attack by enemy submarines.   This group is capable of being deployed to any part of the Western Pacific in which a submarine threat exists.   At the present time the ASWGROUP spends the majority of its time in the Gulf of Tonkin.

Now that you have been given a quick brush over of our mission, I will tell you what the THOMASON has been doing since departure San Diego.   While en-route to Pearl Harbor, our first port of call, the ship suffered a steering system casualty and was directed to proceed to Pearl Harbor ahead of the rest of the group in order to effect repairs.   We arrived in Pearl Harbor on 23 August where the shipyard commenced repairs immediately.   We remained in Pearl Harbor until 30 August and then rejoined the Task Group at sea where they were engaged in extensive submarine training and operations.   We returned to Pearl 1 September for the Labor Day weekend, getting underway 5 September.   During our stay in Pearl Harbor many tours were conducted and the crew enjoyed the sandy beaches of Waikiki Beach.   Some of the boys enjoyed the swimming so much they suffered from sunburns but not to the extent that they didn't go back for more.   Many athletic events were also conducted.

Upon departure Pearl Harbor the Task Group headed west and engaged in further training exercises with submarines.   All this training is conducted for the purpose of enhancing our operational ability to meet any type of commitment that might be encountered in the future.   Many types of emergency drills were held in addition to various types of gunnery exercise. During one day's operation, the THOMASON refueled 8 helicopters in-flight during a six hour period while holding a submarine down.   In-flight refueling is conducted by the helicopter hovering over the stern of the ship and lowering a hook to pick-up a fueling hose from the ship.   As soon as the hose has been inserted into the fuel tank of the helo, the helo moves out over the water adjacent to the ship and the ship commences to pump fuel (JP-5).   It takes about 5 to 10 minutes so refuel a helo, dependent on his requirements.   With the ship refueling helos in-flight when the carrier is many miles away, the helo is able to remain on his assigned station for several hours.

The Task Group made a rendezvous with the fleet oiler USS MATTAPONI on 19 September and refueled.  Normally we refuel from the carrier, but after several refuelings by the carrier to keep the destroyers going he must find an oiler to replenish his tanks.   The destroyers usually refuel about every third day, as our fuel tanks are not too big and with the high speeds we are making you can understand why the necessity of refueling so much.   As we continued our westward movement to our next port of call at Yokosuka, Japan, we were required to pass between two typhoons.   We passed to the south of typhoon Saraha and to the north of typhoon Wanda.   Rough seas were encountered for about 24 hours but the ship rode relatively comfortably with the exception of a few rolls of about 45 degrees.   Yes, there were a few sick people on board, but they soon recovered from the effects and were back to battery before too long.

The ship arrived in Yokosuka at 0900, 24 September and spent only 7 hours in port when we received emergency orders to get underway as soon as all ships refueled and took on a few fresh provisions.  The emergency orders were of a classified nature and took us down to the area between the Philippine Islands and Guam.   The crew was a little disappointed about not getting liberty but were glad we had an important mission assignment.   It was on this special mission that the THOMASON went to the rescue of a downed aircraft at sea.   At about 2200 (10:00 PM) a helicopter from the carrier plummeted into the sea about two miles from the THOMASON.   The word was passed over the ship's internal speaker that an aircraft had crashed and the rescue detail manned their stations within minutes.   The ship headed for the crash scene and picked up all four survivors of the downed helo within 12 minutes after they hit the water.  They were in good shape but wet and very happy to be aboard ship in one piece.   You can be mighty proud of the crew on the THOMASON when you see them respond to such an emergency.   Every man had a job to do and every one of them did their job in an outstanding manner.   It is for emergencies such as this that we constantly train, and of course the training paid off with the saving of four lives.

This unexpected mission assignment kept the ship at sea until the 5th of October when we returned to Yokosuka for a well earned rest and a little recreation.   With all this time at sea, encountering quite a bit of rough weather, the ship did not look as well as it should, so many hours were spent putting fresh paint back on the areas that lost their paint to the weather elements.   Many repairs were also accomplished in Yokosuka to prepare us for the next underway period.   In addition to preparing the ship for its next at sea period as much liberty as possible was granted.   Tours were taken to Tokyo, Yokohama, Mr. Fuji and other placesof interest.   Yes, the 3 days in port were well spent and by the time we departed Yokosuka for the South China Sea on 18 October the crew was ready to resume their at sea business and meet their obligations of providing support to the South Vietnam struggle.   While in Yokosuka many dollars were spent in purchase of Christmas gifts to send home plus souvenirs but not all money was spent on purchases, as the crew donated $2006.00 to the Combined Charity Campaign. It is this type of support that makes me proud of the THOMASON crew.

At the present time we are en-route to the Gulf of Tonkin.   We will not know what type of mission we will have until we arrive there on 23 October.  In the mean time just keep writing to your loved ones on board ship.   Letters mean so much to our people on board ship because we spend many days at sea without word from our loved ones.   The first thing a man looks forward to upon arrival in port or the arrival of a replenishment ship when at sea, is the mail from home.   So write often and keep his morale up with your cheerful letters of home life.  The letters that you send usually take about four days to get from the west coast to the Philippine Islands, the central distribution point for Southeast Asia.   From the Philippines it takes an average of another five days before it is actually delivered to the ship at sea, dependent upon mode of transportation and location of the ship.   The same time is true for our letters to reach you.

That about winds up this, my first FAMILYGRAM, so until my next one, say a prayer for your loved ones on board, as they will be saying a prayer for you.   Your men on board the THOMASON are one of the finest groups of people to sail with and I am mighty proud of every one of them.   They all know they have a job to do and are doing it with enthusiasm, spirit, and know-how.   You can be mighty proud of them.

So until next time - God be with you.......