USS MULLINNIX DD-944

1965 (Jan-Jun)
Burmuda Ops Area, Gemini, Gitmo, VA Capes Ops Area
Dominican Republic Crisis

Mullinnix Postmark 23 March 1965

Mullinnix practicing on a Gemini dummy capsule (.MPG)



1965 Mullinnix Deck Logs

January 1965 (PDF)
February 1965 (PDF)
March 1965 (PDF)
April 1965 (PDF)
May 1965 (PDF)
June 1965 (PDF)
July 1965 (PDF)
August 1965 (PDF)
September 1965 (PDF)
October 1965 (PDF)
November 1965 (PDF)
December 1965 (PDF)



Excerpt from "The Last Gun Ship - History of USS Mullinnix DD-944"
A Historical Novel By Frank A. Wood

January 1965 found Mullinnix steaming in the Burmuda Ops Area (sorry mates, no liberty on this go around).

February found her opeating off the Virginia Coast per CTG 83.2 OP-ORD 5-65 from 23 February through 12 March. Following this ASW training, she was involved in the two man Gemini Space Shot between 19 March and 26 March. The crew was granted liberty @ US Naval Station, Bermuda 5-8 March, then back to D&S Piers.

Mullinnix was in the primary recovery area during the two-man Gemini space shot and host to press, TV media, and NSAS representatives. Like the other ships, Mullinnix had a designated "Gemini Recovery Detail".

Later that spring, more earthly problems led the MULLINNIX to assist in the Dominican Republic crisis and to remain in the vicinity of Guantanamo Bay ready to render aid where needed. In this endeaver, she left D&S Piers once again on 26 April. The ship experienced heavy fog on 27-28 April that reduced her speed significantly as she steamed through a thick marine layer that surrounded the ship - a day without sunshine. The crew thought they were inside a bag of cotton balls. Would they ever see the sun again?

1 May saw her arrive in Gitmo. The ship was called upon to assist in the Dominican Republic crisis (Operation Power Pack) in April. During the crisis she steamed off Guantanamo, patrolling the waters and helping to stabilize the tense situation in the Caribbean, ready to render possible aid and protection to the Naval Base.

The second American occupation of the Dominican Republic, code named "Operation Power Pack", began when the U.S. Marine Corps entered Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on 28 April, 1965, in the Dominican Civil War. Marine Medium Helicopter squadron HMM-264, from the deck of the USS Boxer CV-21, airlifted 530 U.S. Marines of the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Marine Regiment into Santo Domingo. It was the first night U.S. Marine all-helicopter assault into an unsecured landing zone during actual combat conditions. By 1 May, they were joined by VMM-264, 6th Marine Regiment, most of the United States Army's 82nd Airborne Division and its parent XVIIIth Airborne Corps.

The Inter-American Peace Force was established, by the Organization of American States, on 23 May 1965, after the American intervention and it was composed of over 42,600 United States military personnel, 1,130 Brazilian, 250 Honduran, 184 Paraguayan, 160 Nicaraguan, 21 Costa Rican and 3 El Salvadorian personnel. The American intervention ended in September 1966 when the 1st Brigade of the 82nd Airborne, the last remaining American unit in the country, was withdrawn. The Brazilian government took over the operation from the United States in 1966 and the IAPF was disbanded in 1967. Mission accomplished, she was back to Virginia Capes Op-Area on 12 May. 2 days later (14 May), she was docked at D&S Piers. She stayed at D&S until she left for the Med on 11 June, 1965.

Sometime in April, in the South Atlantic, Mullinnix participated in reliability tests of the new Apollo space capsule.

To be continued...

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Recovery of the Gemini Capsule by Jim Allbright

Captain Tisdale volunteered the Mullinnix for the Gemini recovery mission while the rest of Squadron 32 remained in Norfolk. This was the first manned Gemini flight. A crane was attached to the starboard side of the fantail about even with the forward edge of the 5-inch gun mount. Walter Cronkite was on the Intrepid and Edward Neuman was on the Mux along with many other journalists. It was the best cruise we were ever on because we had light duty. The Admiral on the Intrepid gave us direct orders not to be the first ship to the capsule. Captain Tisdale was known to be a Maverick. He had the boilers cranked up until the entire ship shuddered. He ordered full speed ahead when mission control announced retro fire to send the shuttle to earth. We had a rooster tail at least twenty feet above the fantail. But it was to no avail since the time to fire the retro rockets was miscalculated and the Gemini capsule landed 150 miles from the primary recovery area where we were stationed. A helicopter picked up the crew and a Coast Guard cutter retrieved the capsule.

_______________

The Dominican Civil War also known as the April Revolution, took place between April 24, 1965, and September 3, 1965, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. It started when civilian and military supporters of the overthrown democratically-elected president Juan Bosch ousted the militarily-installed president Donald Reid Cabral from office. The second coup prompted General Elías Wessin y Wessin to organize elements of the military loyal to President Reid, initiating an armed campaign against the so-called "constitutionalist" rebels. In riposte, the dissidents passed out Cristóbal carbines and machine guns to several thousand civilian sympathizers and adherents. Allegations of foreign communist support for the rebels led to a United States intervention in the conflict (codenamed Operation Power Pack), which later transformed into an Organization of American States occupation of the country by the Inter-American Peace Force. Elections were held in 1966, in the aftermath of which Joaquín Balaguer was elected into the presidential seat. Later in the same year, foreign troops departed from the country. _______________









Plan of the day 22 March 1965 - Page 1

Plan of the day 22 March 1965 - Page 2

Plan of the day 22 March 1965 - Page 3

Stars & Stripes, 19 March, 1965 (pdf)

Stars & Stripes, 25 March, 1965 (pdf)


Mullinnix Postmark 23 March 1965






Typical 1965 Wage & Tax Statement From Mullinnix Disbursing Officer



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