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USS MADDOX DESTROYER ASSOCIATION | ||||
In Memorial
To the men of the USS Maddox who gave their lives in defense of the United States of America.
DD 622, July 10, 1943
Two hundred and ten officers and men
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| Displacement: 1,154 Tons (Full) Dimensions: 314' 5" (oa) x 31' 8" x 9' 10" (Max) Armament: 4 x 4"/50, 2 x 1pdr AA (1 x 3"/23AA), 12 x 21" tt. Machinery: 24,200 SHP; Geared Turbines, 2 screws Speed: 35 Knots Crew: 103 Laid down by Fore River, Quincy on July 20 1918. Launched October 27 1918 and commissioned March 10 1919. Decommissioned June 14 1922, Recommissioned June 17 1940. Decommissioned September 23 1940. To Britain September 23 1940, renamed HMS Georgetown. Stricken January 8 1941. To Russia in July 1944, renamed Doblesnyi. Fate Broken up for scrap in 1949. |
Displacement: 2395 Tons (Full) Dimensions: 348' 4"(oa) x 36' 1" x 13' 2" (Max) Armament: 4 x 5"/38AA, 6 x 0.5" MG, 10 x 21" tt.(2x5) Machinery: 50,000 SHP; Westinghouse Geared Turbines, 2 screws Speed:, 35 Knots, Range 6500 NM@ 12 Knots Crew: 208 Laid down by Federal Shipbuilding, Kearny NJ May 7 1942. Launched September 15 1942 and commissioned October 31 1942. Fate Sunk by German aircraft off Gela Sicily July 10 1943. 210 of her crew were lost with the ship and remain on duty. |
Displacement: 3218 Tons (Full) Dimensions: 376' 6"(oa) x 40' 10" x 14' 2" (Max) Armament: 6 x 5"/38AA (3x2), 12 x 40mm AA, 11 x 20mm AA, 10 x 21" tt.(2x5) Machinery: 60,000 SHP; General Electric Geared Turbines, 2 screws Speed:, 36.5 Knots, Range 3300 NM@ 20 Knots Crew: 336 Laid down by Bath Iron Works, Bath ME October 28 1943. Launched March 19 1944 and commissioned June 2 1944. Decommissioned and stricken July 2, 1972. To Taiwan July 6 1972, renamed Po Yang. Stricken in 1985. Fate Transfered to Naval Weapons school and then scraped. |
Photographs from the 2007 Reunion are here!
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Unrep Photos
Click on the link for some really great photos of Maddox during unrep with USS Ticonderoga
Invitation to the Ship's Company Party - December 1945
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I was given the pictured USS Maddox, USS Nelson Commissioning Pin from Ms. Mary McNamara, the Historian for the USS Conklin (DE-439) Association. The Pin was presented to Hugo Meurer, a survivor of the sinking of both the DD-622 and the Nelson. Lucky guy!
Gulf of Tonkin Websites
The following web links provide various information and opinions about the Gulf of Tonkin Incident. The Webmaster provides these links for your general interest and does not in any way support, defend, propose, or advance any of these sites as true accounts. Rather they are the opinion of their various authors. They are provided here because of the general interest of our Association members in the topic.
USS Maddox (DD-731), 1944-1972 -- Actions in the Gulf of Tonkin, August 1964
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, 40 Years Later
Gulf of Tonkin - 11/30/2005 and 05/30/2006
New Light on Gulf of Tonkin
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My name is John A. Ciancio, STGCS(SW), USN RET. I happened upon your website while doing research on Destroyers and was delighted to read of the exploits of the USS MADDOX. My father, Louis John Ciancio, HMC, USN RET., retired aboard USS MADDOX DD-731 on 13 December 1967 after serving the final two years of his 26 year Naval career aboard her. I have his cruise book from the 1966-67 deployment that went to Adelaide, Australia. In 1980, my ship, USS OLDENDORF DD-972 also visited Adelaide. While attending a luncheon given by the Mayor at the city hall, I was viewing some pictures in the lobby of the MADDOX and the cruiser USS OKLAHOMA CITY CLG-5 taken in early to mid 1967 when the Mayor stopped by and told me that he was a young man when the two ships visited and it appeared that more people were visiting MADDOX than the cruiser. Among the pictures was one of some of the crew of MADDOX walking the ships dog, LB, clad in her dress blues, on the pier which was crowded with visitors. I remember my father telling our family that the XO picked-up LB (short for Long Bitch), a female Dachshund, from the Long Beach pound and adopted her as the ships dog. She lived in Sick Bay and the only place she was not allowed was in the Galley Area. He also told us that the dog was taken to Captains Mast for chewing up the Skippers white shoes and was busted to BMSN. I remember when the MADDOX was turned over to the Taiwanese Navy in July of 1972. I was serving aboard USS TRUXTUN DLGN-35 at the time just prior to our 4th deployment. We were tied up on one side of Pier 15 on the Long Beach Destroyer Mole and the MADDOX was on the other side. My ship was tasked with providing personnel for pier duties during the ceremonies. I would like to ask that my fatherís name be added to your list of Shipmates. As I noted above, he served aboard MADDOX from late summer of 1965 to December of 1967. Sadly my father passed away in February 1998 and was buried, as he requested, in his Dress Khakiís at the National Cemetery in Riverside, CA. I know he would have appreciated and enjoyed your website as well as the sentiments of Master Chief Hughes, I certainly do.
Thank You,
John A. Ciancio, STGCS(SW) USN, RET.
Did you serve on more than just Maddox? Interested in other ships' reunions? Then visit the
Retired Enlisted Association's website for the latest reunion information. Also check: U.S. Navy Ship Rosters. And here's another website to keep old seadogs in touch with each other: http://navy.togetherweserved.com/usn/index.jsp Another great link to other ships and shipmates is HullNumber.com
Depending upon the speed of your connection, downloading these issues could take a couple of minutes.
We need you all to send us your
gossip, travel adventures, family doings, general life-style tips, etc. Longer
articles can be posted on the website, while shorter items will be published
in the Howgoesit. Mary Raines and I cannot make up all the articles
ourselves, so we absolutely need your input. Don't blame us when you don't get
an newsletter for awhile - simple, no input. So send your website articles to
me and your Howgoesit input to Mary. Remember, this is a joint effort; it's how we all stay in touch and everyone needs to contribute to make it successful and lasting ---------Ben
Gold
The following was received from Mr. Paul Gilmore Now official, I have named my dog with the AKC. She’s a Chesapeake Bay Retriever Female, born on October 27, 2006. Her name - Breakwater Salutes the USS Maddox. At her first AKC show in Lyden, WA, Breakwater Salutes USS Maddox, aka Kaie, (gaelic name meaning combat), was awarded best in breed.
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HOWGOESIT Archives![]()
The breeder and my close friend, Mary Grace Wallace, informed me she wanted her dogs’ AKC registered names to have a patriotic, American theme. I thought of my Great Uncle, GILMORE, Russell Martin, EM3, who was lost at sea on the USS Maddox. I decided to incorporate the ship name into the AKC registered name. In the process, I spoke with Mary about my intentions. She then recollected her grandfather had a brother who served on a ship that was also sunk in WWII. She spoke with her grandfather and confirmed that it was indeed her great uncle, STROUD, W.B.D, LT who also had served on the USS Maddox. It seems to have been a strange coincidence that both of our Great Uncles served aboard the same ship. To our knowledge, neither lived near each other or knew each other prior to serving aboard the ship.

PaulG@NorthWestLinings.com
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Take a look at the USS Hanncock Association website.
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How To Simulate The Life Of A Sailor on a destroyer
Buy a steel dumpster, paint it haze gray inside and out, and live in it for six months.
Run all the pipes and wires in your house exposed on the walls and ceiling.
Repaint your entire house outsides every month with the same haze gray color.
Renovate your bathroom. Build a wall across the middle of the bathtub and move the showerhead to chest level. When you take showers, make sure you turn off the water and step out while you soap down.
Raise the thresholds and lower the headers of your front and back doors so that you either trip or bang your head every time you pass through them.
Disassemble and inspect your lawnmower every week.
On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, turn your water heater temperature up to 200 degrees. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, turn the water heater off. On Saturdays and Sundays tell your family they use too much water during the week, so no bathing will be allowed.
Raise your bed to within 6 inches of the ceiling, so you can't turn over without getting out and then getting back in.
Sleep on the shelf in your closet. Replace the closet door with a curtain. Have your spouse whip open the curtain about 3 hours after you go to sleep, shine a flashlight in your eyes, and say "Sorry, wrong rack."
Make your family qualify to operate each appliance in your house - dishwasher operator, blender technician, toilet technician etc.
Have your neighbor come over each day at 0600, blow a whistle loudly, and shout "Reveille, reveille, all hands heave out and trice up."
Have your mother-in-law write down everything she's going to do that day, then have her make your family stand in your back yard at attention at 0700 while she reads it to you.
Submit a request chit to your father-in-law requesting permission to leave your house before 1500.
Make a recording of "Sweepers sweepers, man your brooms...." and play it loudly throughout your house three times each day while you empty all the garbage bins in your house and sweep the driveway, whether it needs it or not.
Have your neighbor collect all your mail for a month, read your magazines, and randomly lose every 5th item before delivering it to you.
Watch no TV except for movies played in the middle of the night. Have your family vote on which movie to watch, then show a different one.
Make and post your family menu a week ahead of time without consulting the pantry or refrigerator.
Post a menu on the kitchen door informing your family that they are having steak for dinner. Then make them wait in line for an hour. When they finally get to the kitchen, tell them you are out of steak, but they can have dried ham or hot dogs. Repeat daily until they ignore the menu and just ask for hot dogs.
Bake a cake. Prop up one side of the pan so the cake bakes unevenly. Spread icing real thick to level it off.
Get up every night around midnight and have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on stale bread. (midrats)
Set your alarm clock to go off at random times during the night. At the alarm, jump up and dress as fast as you can, making sure to button your top shirt button and tuck your pants into your socks. Run out into the backyard, uncoil the garden hose and stand by for an hour.
Every week or so, throw your dog in the pool and shout, "Man overboard port side!" Rate your family members on how fast they respond.
Put the headphones from your stereo on your head, but don't plug them in. Hang a paper cup around your neck on a string. Stand in front of the stove, and speak into the paper cup "Stove manned and ready." After an hour or so, speak into the cup again "Stove secured." Roll up the headphones and paper cup and carefully stow them in a shoebox.
Place a podium at the end of your driveway. Have your family stand watches at the podium, rotating at 4 hour intervals. This is best done when the weather is worst. January is a good time.
When there is a thunderstorm in your area, get a wobbly rocking chair, sit in it and rock as hard as you can until you become nauseous. Make sure to have a supply of stale crackers in your shirt pocket.
Make coffee using eighteen scoops of budget priced coffee grounds per pot, and allow the pot to simmer for 5 hours before drinking.
Have someone under the age of ten give you a haircut with sheep shears.
Sew the back pockets of your jeans on the front.
Lock yourself and your family in the house for six weeks. Tell them that at the end of the 6th week you are going to take them to Disney World for "liberty." At the end of the 6th week, inform them the trip to Disney World has been canceled because they need to get ready for an inspection, and it will be another week before they can leave the house.
In this space over the past year, I have run a piece entitled, I LIKE THE NAVY, by an anonymous author. Recently, I was contacted by retired FTCM (SS), USN, E. A. Hughes, who copyrighted the following as early as 1958, and subsequently in 1978. It is apparant that this is the original piece from which I Like the Navy and some similar pieces floating around on the internet were derived. So with appreciation and full credit to Master Chief Hughes, his essay, Once I Was a Navyman, is presented.
E. A. Hughes, FTCM (SS), USN (Retired)
Copyright, 1958, 1978
Philip Norman Willette, 81, of Bucksport, Maine, passed away Thursday February 22, 2007.
He was born to Arthur and Annie Ouellette of East Millinocket on July 24, 1925. He attended Schenck High School where he graduated with honors. After graduating high school he enlisted in the United States Navy and served proudly on the USS Maddox (DD-731) during World War II. After the war he attended The Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta Georgia where he graduated in 1950 with a BS in electrical engineering. Norman reentered the Navy at the outbreak of the Korean conflict and served proudly on the USS Vogelgesang (DD-862) as a commissioned officer with the rank of Lieutenant Junior Grade. Upon completion of his service to the Navy he returned to Maine and worked in the paper industry as an engineer. He retired in the late 80's.
The location of the gravesites for veterans and their dependents in VA National Cemeteries, state veterans cemeteries and various other Department of Interior and military cemeteries can be found at the National Gravesite Locatorwebsite maintained by the VA. This site also contains a link to the American Battle Monuments Commission information on service members buried in overseas cemeteries. In addition, their are links to information on burial benefits.

Recognize the sailor on the right? He's Ed Walsh who served aboard Maddox from 1944 until 1946. Ed now lives in Florida and would like to hear from any old shipmates who might remember him. You can contact him at rparnham@pcsonet.com
We have a page for those of you looking for old shipmates, or for those relatives of shipmates who have passed on, but who would like to get some information from those of you who might have known them. Click on this link: Looking for Shipmates.
For a history of the three ships to bear the name, USS Maddox, click on History.
DD-622; Missing-in-Action status changed. 210 Officers
and Enlisted Men declared Killed-in-Action. Read
the findings and other related letters.
DD-622;
Survivors
and those Killed In Action
DD-731; Official
Report of Damage; Killed and Wounded in Action
See the Maddox photo gallery:
Sinking of DD-622
Ship Photos
Action in
the Pacific
More
Action in the Pacific
People
- Interesting Collection
Visit the Chaplain's Corner - March 10, 2007
This photo was sent to me by Scott Martin BT3, the webmaster for USS
DeHaven (DD-727). It was taken by one of the DeHaven crew, Dave Anderson.
Thanks a lot Dave, we really appreciate the fine photo.

These photos were sent to me by Dorman McGinty, who was a RM2 stationed at Cincpacflt in Hawaii.

This photo shows the Maddox preparing to go alongside.

Look up your shipmates. The lists carry information about our shipmates, both members of the Association, and those who are not, but that we have information about. If a shipmate is deceased, and their wife is a member of the Association, then I have included the name and addresses of the wife and have indicated that they are the member.
If this is your first visit to this page of all shipmates who have served on the DD-128, DD-622 and DD-731, please take the time to first carefully review your own listing. If your listing is incorrect, or your name does not appear in the list, please register. Please let me know what I can do to improve the lists or make them more useful for you.
There are likely errors in the attached lists
of shipmates. Please review your listing carefully and submit any changes to
me at: Shipmates
Listing.
2007 Appointed 2008
Here are links to web sites dealing with various
aspect of USS MADDOX and destroyers.
All
Shipmates Listed Alphabetically
All
Shipmates Listed Chronologically
Roster
of Commanding Officers
Maddox
Destroyer Association Bylaws
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History
of the Little Beavers, DESRON 23
National
Museum of the Pacific War
USS
Maddox, Naval Art - Note: As so many of you have pointed out, this is not
USS Maddox, but a Fram destroyer. For the price, the artist should have gotten
it correct.
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Any question,
comments or suggestions about this site, please e-mail Ben
Gold