USS MULLINNIX DD-944

New York City 1959



Mullinnix & Desron 32 steams into New York City 1958
USS Northampton CLC-1 is the lead ship
Courtesy of Art Salzfass


Mullinnix steams into New York City 1958

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

Under a sky that was a dull gunmetal gray and a light mist hanging in the air, Mullinnix steamed out of Norfolk on 10 June, headed to New York City. This short trip, along with others like it, would become the foundation of one of New York’s biggest events - Fleet Week celebration, which began in 1987, a gathering of ships and their crews from many countries. Before she entered the open sea, Mullinnix anchored at anchorage Foxtrot and loaded 60 plaster loaded Hedge Hogs and twelve cases of hand grenades from Navy YF 328. All the while the crew wondering why they needed armament for this voyage. For the tougher boroughs of New York maybe.

In the company of USS Vogelgesang DD-862, USS Lowry DD-770, USS Stormes DD-780, USS Strong DD-758, USS Owens DD-776, USS Gyatt DDG-1, USS Fox DD-770, and USS Northampton CLC-1, the DESRON 32 ships steamed in formed column or diamond formation in route to the Big Apple. Visibility continued to deteriorate until at 0658 on 11 June the ships commenced sounding international fog signals. The fog smudged out the details that separated sea from sky. The other ships, only noises straining to penetrate the cloak of invisibility.

With slightly better visibility the special sea and anchor detail was set at 0730. With everyone dressed in dress whites, preparations were made for manning the rail for entering New York Harbor. The harbor is huge. Even with the aid of civilian pilot Captain E. Young, Mullinnix didn’t pass the Statue of Liberty until 1217. As the USS Northampton was the first ship in the formation (Mullinnix was second), she fired a nineteen gun salute in honor of the Vice-President of the United States, Richard Nixon. Maneuvering to conform to the Hudson River channel, she passed under the George Washington Bridge at 1325. Due to the number of ships, Mullinnix and USS Vogelgesang had to temporarily anchor at mooring buoy A.

With the aid of Tug YTB 525 and pilot J.V. Cashin, she moved to South Face Pier 88. At 1016 she moored port side to USS Northampton. At 1038 Mullinnix received USS N. K. Perry alongside to starboard. For those unfortunate enough not to have liberty, they stayed on board on greeted 573 of New York’s finest civilians.

For those other shipmates, those able to experience New York, they spread out in its five boroughs. The bars were packed by 1700. In The Village, groups of sailors, in crisp uniforms, polished shoes and white caps were seen ambling down sidewalks carrying opened bottles of beer. Someone proclaimed loudly, "I love this city!" to no one in particular. They others cheered and drank. The locals, young people with beatnik haircuts, also drank. And smoked marijuana. They received the sailors with bemused fascination. No one knew who had invited them, but cameras quickly emerged. Poses were struck. As the night wore on, white hats left the heads of sailors and landed atop the more flirtatious women.

The bars were still full at 0300. Inside, sailors and writers and musicians and poets were all going about the business of forgetting. Some by drinking, some by laughing at underground comics, some by smoking, some by gorging at oyster bars in neighborhood clubs. Some in prohibition era dive bars, listening to incredible live jazz, funk, and blues like at the 55 Bar. Or at Arthur’s Tavern, where they listened to straight-ahead jazz, New Orleans style jazz, real Chicago blues, or Dixieland jazz bands. Some landed in piano bars, some found joints to listen to R&B. Others stumbled onto Charlie “Bird” Parker’s Birdland that featured double and triple bills lasting 'til dawn. They found Cleopatra’s Needle, the C-Note, 3 Deuces, Club Carousel, Club Samoa, Onyx, and B.S. Pully. All were filled with sailors.

Jazz is the art of expression set to music. Jazz is said to be the fundamental rhythms of human life and man’s contemporary reassessment of his traditional values. The crew wasn’t aware of that but they listened to ragtime, Dixieland, boogie-woogie, swing, dance bands, and bebop. They drank strong British ales at Irish Pubs like the Blarney Star, Clancy’s, Dempsey’s Pub, Muldoon’s Irish Pub, Murphy’s Pub, and O’Neill’s.

With all the distractions that the Big Apple had to offer it was a small miracle that all hands were present at quarters the morning of 17 June. At 0904, Mullinnix was underway, with the assistance of civilian pilot Captain Fierce, for Norfolk. The crew saluted the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty one last time and slipped into international waters at 1048. She returned to berth 223, pier 22 at D&S Piers, Norfolk the following morning at 0809.

To be continued...

Back to Liberty Call
Back to 1959 2ND Fleet / NATO Excercises
Back to Ship Company
Home

© 2008 by Frank Wood, All rights reserved