USS Leary (DD-879)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Leary.

USS Leary (DDR-879), Call Sign: Home Run
History
US
Namesake	Clarence F. Leary
Builder	Consolidated Steel Corporation
Laid down	11 August 1944
Launched	20 January 1945
Commissioned	7 May 1945
Decommissioned	31 October 1973
In service	23 June 1945
Motto	No Quarter
Fate	Transferred to Spain
Badge
General characteristics
Class and type	Gearing class destroyer
Displacement	3,460 tons
Length	390 ft 6 in (119.0 m)
Beam	41 ft 1 in (12.5 m)
Draft	18 ft 6 in (5.6 m)
Propulsion	60,000 SHP (45 MW) Westinghouse Turbines; 2 screws
Speed	34 Knots (65km/h)
Range	6500 nmi
Complement	367 officers and enlisted
Armament	6 × 5 in./38 guns (127 mm), 12 × 40 mm AA guns, 11 × 20 mm AA guns, 10 × 21 in. torpedo tubes, 6 × depth charge projectors, 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Leary (DD/DDR-879) (radio call sign: "Home Run"), a Gearing-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Clarence F. Leary USNRF (1894–1918), who lost his life in the line of duty. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

Commissioning and Deployment

The USS Leary (DD/DDR-879) was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Orange, Texas on 11 August 1944. The ship was launched on 20 January 1945 after being christened by Mrs. Theodore S. Wilkinson, wife of Vice Admiral Theodore S. Wilkinson. The USS Leary was commissioned by the United States Navy on 7 May 1945.

On 23 June 1945 Leary completed her shakedown off the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay and proceeded to her home port of Norfolk. After an overhaul to convert her to a radar picket destroyer, she reported for duty with Task Force 69 (TF 69) the day before the Japanese surrendered. After a period of training off the coast of Maine, she proceeded to New York and on 27 October took part in a presidential review.

Leary's first Mediterranean deployment began in October 1945. Departing Newport October 29, Leary joined the 6th Fleet and made visits to ports in Algeria, Greece, Italy, and the island of Rhodes. She returned home on February 14, 1948. These missions became commonplace in succeeding years. With the exception of 1957, Leary spent most of her time operating with the U.S. 6th Fleet.

In 1949, Leary's designation was changed from DD-879 to DDR-879 to reflect her status as a radar picket destroyer.

The USS Leary DDR-879 took part in peacekeeping efforts with the 6th fleet during the Suez Crisis of 1956, and the Lebanon landings of 1958.

Cuban Missle Crisis

From October 22 to November 24, 1962, Leary participated in the US Navy blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile crisis. On Friday, November 9, the Soviet vessel Labinsk approached the blockade. At 0800, the Leary, along with the USS Newport News, intercepted the Labinsk. While the Leary trained her guns on the Soviet ship, the USS Newport News went alongside and ordered the Soviet vessel to halt. Two missles were later discovered on the deck of the Labinsk. After the missles were inspected and photographed, the Soviet ship was permitted to turn around and steam away from Cuba, with the Leary trailing close behind. After 21 minutes, the Leary discontinued the trail and returned to the waters around Cuba to resume her participation in the picket.

Individual details on the Leary's intercept, times are Romeo (UTC -5 hours):

090300R Leary and Newport News assigned to intercept the Soviet ship Labinsk
090615R Intercept made.
090730R Outer covers on missiles removed. 
090748R Request to remove inner cover ignored. 
090854R Deck cargo reported by Newport News as 2 missiles without nose cones. Outer
        cover removed for 1/3 of length from after end. 
091100R 090836 posit 22-55N, 72-31W reported by CTG 136.2 Photos obtained 
091113R Leary trailing. 
091134R Leary discontinued trail. Labinsk proceeding

Peacekeeping

From August 6 to 27 1962, she served on a peacekeeping mission off Santo Domingo as American troops were landed to prevent political chaos and subversion.

The ship underwent extensive Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul between April 1964 and January 1965, and served as plane guard for carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf. She later participated in Sea Dragon operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out Naval Gunfire Support missions during the conflict in Vietnam.

Leary returned to her home port in Norfolk Virginia on December 16, 1965 after completing extensive antisubmarine warfare exercises off the coast of North Carolina and Puerto Rico. Following another month of operations and a month readying for deployment with the 6th Fleet, Leary departed Norfolk March 4, 1966 for the Mediterranean. After 5 months of operations, Leary returned to Norfolk on August 12 for a month of leave and upkeep. The remainder of the year was spent conducting local exercises, including an extensive evaluation of her DASH system. From March 3 to 17, Leary was a Sonar School Ship at Key West, Florida.

On July 5, 1967 Leary passed through the Panama Canal for an extended deployment in the Far East. On this cruise she alternated duty with the carriers on Yankee Station, and provided gunfire support off the Vietnamese coast. Arriving back at Norfolk January 30, 1968, the destroyer resumed Atlantic coast operations until entering the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard June 14 . In early September, after her yard period, Leary returned briefly to Norfolk before conducting training in the Caribbean through October and November. Operations off the east coast continued into 1969.

Leary was honorably decommissioned on 31 October 1973.

On May 17, 1978, the Leary was was loaned to Spain and renamed SPS Langara (D64). She was stricken from the U.S. Naval Vessel Register on 2 June 1975 and scrapped in 1992.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• Cuban Missle Crisis from Navy.mil
• Gearing-Class Destroyers Design and Development

External links

• navsource.org: USS Leary
• hazegray.org: USS Leary