USS Berkeley DDG 15 / Major General Randolph Carter Berkeley / Charles F. Adams class Guided Missile Destroyer – US Navy

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Guided Missile Destroyer
DDG 15 - USS Berkeley
		USS Berkeley (DDG 15)							US Navy photo
Type, Class:		Guided Missile Destroyer; Charles F. Adams - class; planned and built as DDG 15;
Builder:		New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey, USA;
STATUS:		Awarded: July 21, 1959 Laid down: August 29, 1960 Launched: July 29, 1961 Commissioned: December 15, 1962 Decommissioned: May 1, 1992 Fate: Stricken October 1, 1992; sold to Greece; renamed HS Themistocles (D-221); decommissioned: February 18, 2002; sold for scrap in February 2004;
Homeport:		-
Namesake:		Named after and in honor of Major General Randolph Carter Berkeley (1875 – 1960); > see history, below;
Ship’s Motto:		> DIEU AVEC NOUS <
Technical Data: (Measures, Propulsion, Armament, Aviation, etc.)		see: INFO >> Guided Missile Destroyer / Charles F. Adams – Class
Pictures, photos & more ...
HS Themistokles (D 221) >>
Randolph Carter Berkeley
			< Randolph C. Berkeley >
Photo credits: US Navy, US Naval Historical Center,
Namesake & History:
Major General Randolph Carter Berkeley (January 9, 1875 - January 31, 1960);
Commissioned a Marine Corps Second Lieutenant during the Spanish-American War, he completed over 40 years of active service in the Corps, including service at sea and in the Philippines, Cuba, Panama, China, Haiti, Nicaragua and Guam. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he was awarded the Navy Cross as commander of the 11th Marine Regiment in Nicaragua in 1927 and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Marine Brigade in that country in 1928-29. Berkeley, then a Major, was commanding the 1st Battalion of the 2nd Advanced Base Regiment when he took part in the action which earned him the nation's highest decoration on April 21-22, 1914. Relations between the United States and the Huerta government of Mexico had been strained for some time, and a landing force of  Marines and Sailors was ordered ashore at Vera Cruz after a Huerta officer had arrested several U.S. Navy personnel at Tampico. The 2nd Regiment was the first ashore, meeting resistance from Mexican troops about noon on April 21. The citation for his Medal of Honor describes his part in the actions: "For distinguished conduct in battle, the engagement of Vera Cruz, April 21st and 22nd, 1914, eminent and conspicuous in command of his battalion; he was in the fighting of both days and exhibited courage and skill in leading his men through the action. His cool judgment and courage and his skill in handling his men in encountering and overwhelming the machinegun and rifle fire from Cinco de Mayo and parallel streets accounts for the small percentage of the losses of Marines under his command." He was born January 9, 1875 at Staunton, Virginia, where he attended grade and high school. He graduated from the Potomac Academy at Alexandria, Virginia, in 1891 and was appointed a Second Lieutenant of Marines on August 8, 1898, for service during the Spanish-American War. He was stationed at the Navy Yard, Washington, D.C., until he was honorably discharged on January 9, 1899.  He returned to the Corps in April 1899, when he was appointed a First Lieutenant. His subsequent promotions include Captain, July 1900, Major, October 1910, Lieutenant Colonel, August 1916, Colonel, July 1918, Brigadier General, July 1930 and Major General on his retirement, February 1939. In addition to his service at posts in the U.S., he served on a variety of assignments at sea and abroad before the action at Vera Cruz. He served aboard USS Oregon from October 1899 to March 1901; aboard USS Helena from July 1901 to August 1902; on expeditionary duty in Panama from December 1904 to August 1906; on expeditionary duty in Cuba from September to October 1906; aboard USS Kentucky as commander of its Marine Detachment, from December 1907 to November 1909; in the Philippines and China from December 1908 to October 1910. He took command of the 1st Battalion, 2nd Advanced Base Regiment in December 1913 at Pensacola, Florida, and sailed with it for Vera Cruz in March 1914. He returned to the U.S. in December 1914 and was stationed at Philadelphia until June 1915 when he sailed to Guam to command the Marine Barracks on that Island. Returning from Guam in November 1917, he served at the Marine Barracks, New York and Charleston, South Carolina, during the next two years.  He was again ordered to expeditionary duty in October 1919, serving for two years with the 1st Provisional Brigade of Marines in Haiti. He returned from that country in November 1921 and served at New York, Norfolk and Quantico. He completed the Field Officer's Course in August 1925 and completed a year of study at the Army War College in June 1926, returning from there to Quantico as commander of the 1st Marine Regiment. He served in that capacity for the next two years, except for the period from May to August 1927, when he was commanding the 11th Marine Regiment in Nicaragua. He was ordered again to Nicaragua in May 1928, serving there for a year as Chief of Staff of the 2nd Marine Brigade. After his return to the U.S. in April 1929, he commanded the Marine Barracks at Norfolk Navy Yard. He served there until August 1930 when he was ordered to Quantico, Virginia. There he commanded the Marine Corps Schools until November 1931, when he was again ordered to Nicaragua, this time as commander of the 2nd Marine Brigade.  He returned to the U.S. in January 1933 and commanded the Marine Barracks at Parris Island, South Carolina. He was then ordered to Marine Headquarters, Washington, D.C., where he was the President of the Marine Examining and Retiring Boards until December 1938. He reached the statuary age in January 1939 and was placed on the retired list the following month as a Major General.  In addition to the Medal of Honor, his medals and decorations include: Spanish Campaign Medal; Philippines Campaign Medal; Mexican Campaign Medal; Haitian Campaign Medal; World War I Victory Medal; the Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal; the Presidential Medal of Merit. Following his retirement, he lived in Beaufort and Port Royal, South Carolina, until his death at the Naval Hospital at Beaufort, January 31, 1960.  He was survived by two sons, both Marine officers, Major General James Philipps and Colonel Randolph Carter, Jr. He was buried in Section 3 of Arlington National Cemetery on February 4, 1960. His first wife, Carrie Anna Berkeley (October 1, 1884-July 1, 1907) died while giving birth to James Philipps Berkeley. She is buried in a site adjacent to that of her husband and his second wife. His second wife, Bessye Bancroft Berkeley (March 2, 1878-August 23, 1959), is buried with him. She was the wife of a U.S. Naval Officer.
USS Berkeley (DDG 15):
USS Berkeley (DDG-15) was laid down 29 Aug 1960 by New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden NJ; launched 29 July 1961; and commissioned 15 Dec 1962, Cdr W. E. Harper Jr. in command. In March 1964, BERKELEY made her first deployment to the Western Pacific as an operational unit of the U.S. SEVENTH Fleet.  She was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for the role she played in the Tonkin Gulf PT boat incident, the first attack on U.S. warships operating in the gulf, which made her the first Guided Missile Destroyer to be awarded this commendation.   During her second deployment in 1966, BERKELEY participated in a SAR mission involving an F-4G and an HU-16 Albatross in the gulf between Hon Me Island and the North Vietnam coast.  During the rescue effort, BERKELEY silenced enemy batteries the from the coast with accurate counterbattery fire. The period of 1967-1970 proved to be very busy years for BERKELEY as she was repeatedly called to action in the Vietnam War.  During these deployments, she participated in numerous Naval Gunfire Support missions, mostly in response to coastal gun fire. BERKELEY's last deployment to the Western Pacific during the Vietnam era began with just 72 hours notice in April 1972.  During this cruise, she was directly involved in the mining of Haiphong Harbor, providing a protective barrage of fire while carrier based aircraft covered the harbor with mines.  During half an hour of receiving enemy fire from shore gun emplacements, BERKELEY delivered over 280 five-inch rounds before clearing the harbor at 32 knots. For the entire deployment she expended over 11,000 rounds of 5"/54 ammunition.  Following two routine deployments in 1974 and 1976, BERKELEY made her next deployment in 1979.  She was part of the USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63) Task Group which was dispatched to the Arabian Sea in response to the Iranian occupation of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran.  For her participation in the event, BERKELEY received the Navy Expeditionary Medal. In 1981, BERKELEY participated in exercises with the Royal Thai Navy and again operated with the Kitty Hawk Battle Group, patrolling the waters of the Indian Ocean.  During this deployment, BERKELEY was awarded the Humanitarian Service Medal for picking up two groups of Vietnamese refugees. Following an extensive overhaul BERKELEY deployed in March 1984, her eleventh since being commissioned.  During this deployment she participated in Operation Team Spirit '84, a joint exercise with the South Korean Navy.  BERKELEY again deployed in July 1988 with the New Jersey Battle Group and made port calls in South Korea and along the eastern coast of Australia.  While in Sidney, BERKELEY participated in the Sydney Harbor Naval Salute in celebration of Australia's Bicentennial Anniversary. The 1989-90 deployment was BERKELEY's final deployment to the Western Pacific as part of the USS ENTERPRISE Carrier Battle Group.  The highlights of this cruise included participation in PACEX '89, the largest peacetime naval operation since World War II, and joint operations with the Omani Navy.  This latter operation resulted in the awarding of the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal. Following the last Western Pacific Deployment, BERKELEY carried out numerous counter-narcotics and law enforcement patrols in support of national commitments and participated in many public affairs port visits. In 1991 BERKELEY visited Portland, Oregon two times. The first for the Portland Rose Festival which was particularly significant because BERKELEY's first Rose Festival appearance was in June 1963, where she was chosen to be the flagship for Commander, Cruiser-Destroyer Flotilla Three.  The last official tasking of BERKELEY was to return to Portland in December as the Navy's representative for the fiftieth commemoration of Pearl Harbor Day. Most of the year 1992 was spent preparing the ship for turnover to the Hellenic Navy. - H.S. THEMISTOKLES (D-221) is the fourth ship of the Hellenic Navy by the same name. The first one was a brig, which was commissioned in 1830, one of the first units for the newly formed Hellenic Fleet, after the victorious end of the Revolutionary War of 1821 against the Turks.  The second ship was a Destroyer Escort (ex-HMS BRANHAM), which was transferred to the Hellenic Navy by the Royal Navy in 1942. Various tasks were assigned to this ship during World War II for operations in the area of the Mediterranean Sea. The third Themistokles was a Gearing Class Destroyer (ex-USS FRANK KNOX), which was transferred to the Hellenic Navy by the U.S. Navy, in San Diego in 1971 and was decommissioned in April 1992. On 18 February 2002, H.S. THEMISTOKLES (D-221) was decommissioned in Salamis, Greece. On 19 February 2004, H.S. THEMISTOKLES (D-221) was sold for scrap. - Themistokles, the frearian son of Neocles (526 – 461 b.c.) Themistokles was born in Flya, a suburb of ancient Athens, today known as Chalandri. Indefatigable, perceptive, calm and a man of insight, he participated in the Battle of Marathon.  He was elected as the leader of the democratic party, from amongst all the eminent dignitaries of Athens in the elections of 493 B.C.
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