USS Lynde McCormick DDG 8 History 1966

7 March 1966, arrive Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
9 March 1966, underway.
12 March 1966, arrive Midway Island.
13 March 1966, crossed international dateline.
19 March 1966, arrive Yokosuka, Japan.
20 March 1966, underway.
22 March 1966, arrive Sasebo, Japan for up keep.
27 March 1966, underway for gunfire support.
13 April 1966, arrive Subic Bay, Philippines for upkeep period and a change of command ceremony.
24 April 1966, underway for Yankee Station.
In May 1966 the USS Lynde McCormick sailed up the eastern coast of Viet Nam to support Yankee Station carrier operations against North Vietnam.
31 May 1966, arrive Hong Kong for R&R.
5 June 1966, underway for Yankee Station.
9 June 1966, arrive Subic Bay, Philippines for upkeep.
17 June 1966, underway for Yankee Station.
10 July 1966, arrive Subic Bay, Philippines.
11 July 1966, underway for Yankee Station.
17 July 1966, arrive Subic Bay, Philippines for upkeep.
26 July 1966, underway for Yankee Station.
7 August 1966, arrive Subic Bay, Philippines.
8 August 1966, underway.
12 August 1966, arrive Yokosuka, Japan for R&R.
16 August 1966, underway for San Diego.
26 August 1966, arrive San Diego. The crew enjoyed a month of rest and relaxation.
27 October 1966, the USS Lynde McCormick entered drydock at Long Beach, California, for a thorough overhaul.

I remember the time we stopped at Midway Island for refueling and I had to stay on the ship as part of the refueling work party. A lot of the rest of the crew got together and left the ship to play a baseball game with some of the other ships crew that were in port. I had a birdseye view of the events that followed on the pier that day. Apparently at some point after or during the game, some remarks were made about who was better than who and the other crews didn't take those remarks too well and fisticuffs soon erupted. It is possible that an excess of beer was partially to blame. It didn't long until the whole pier was involved with men letting off steam and their pent up gripes. There were men rolling around in the dirt and in the water. It was quite a site to see. It seemed awfully funny to us on the ship at the time. There were a few lost teeth and many black eyes before it was over. The captain was notified and he became very perplexed and upset when his demands for our crew to return to the ship fell on deaf ears. The color red in his face did suit him well. The excitement came to an end and the baseball game never materialized. I am not sure if anyone won, but the events of that day are what legends are made of and make a good memories for me.

Jim Murch
SN / 1st Division
01/66 - 08/68