USS NORRIS DD-859

A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS NORRIS DD-859

The Tin Can Sailor, January 2007

The USS NORRIS was commissioned on 9 June 1945 and spent much of her first three years in the Far East along the Chinese and Korean coasts. After her transfer to the East Coast she was reclassified as an escort destroyer (DDE-859) in March 1950. She was in the Mediterranean just after the outbreak of the Korean War and proceeded through the Suez Canal to join the Seventh Fleet in the combat area for blockade, patrol, fire support, and screening duties. She provided gunfire support during the Hungnam evacuation in December 1950.

Returning to Newport early in March 1951, the NORRIS trained in the North Atlantic and Caribbean until sailing in April 1952 for her first Mediterranean deployment until 27 June. She, then, took part in NATO’s Operation Main Brace in the North Sea, between August and October. Her subsequent yearly schedule regularly included Mediterranean cruises and in 1954 she began 15 months of operations with the Atlantic Fleet’s hunter-killer force. During a fleet exercise in November 1954, she collided with the BERGALL (SS-320) as the submarine was attempting
to fire torpedoes at the surface attack force.

In 1955 she continued antisubmarine training in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, broken by a three-week patrol in the North Atlantic during the November 1956 Suez crisis. With DesRon 24, she made an extended training cruise to South America from early January to late March 1957. That year, she returned to the Mediterranean and also served in the Red Sea. On her return, she served with Task Force Bravo, an experimental antisubmarine development group, until her next Sixth Fleet duty in 1960. In 1961, she received a FRAM II conversion at Philadelphia and in August 1962 was reclassified as the general-purpose destroyer DD-859. That October she took station off Cuba during the quarantine provoked by the missile crisis. In August 1963, after another Mediterranean deployment, she received an experimental wire-guided torpedo system and spent much of the next year testing and evaluating the new system.

The NORRIS deployed again to the Mediterranean in the fall of 1964 and spring and fall of 1965. She next served in Polaris support operations as a missile tracking ship in April 1966, and in the primary recovery force for Gemini X, in July. Intensified operations in Vietnam took her and other ships of DesRon 20 to the Far East in November 1966 where her guns supported troops ashore, first driving back Vietcong attempting to overrun Vung Tau on 21 November 1966. After four months on the gun line, the NORRIS was back in Newport in April 1967.

Following East Coast and Caribbean operations, the NORRIS returned to the Mediterranean in April 1968 and again in 1969. She continued her rotation between the Second and Sixth Fleets into 1970. After nearly thirty years as a U.S. Navy warship, the NORRIS was struck from the navy’s list on 1 February and transferred to Turkey on 7 July 1974 to provide spare parts for other ships. She served the Turkish navy for another twenty years as the KOCATEPE (D354), replacing the ex-USS HARWOOD (DD-861), sunk on 21 July 1974 during Turkey’s brief war with Greece over Cyprus.

USS NORRIS DD-859 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (Published 1981)

Norris (DD–859) was laid down 29 August 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Corp., San Pedro, Calif.; sponsored by Mrs. Benjamin Norris, widow of Major Norris, by proxy, Mrs. Charles Browning; and commissioned 9 June 1945, Comdr. T. A. Nisemann in command.

After shakedown off California, Norris served three months with the Pre-Commissioning Training Center, Treasure Island, then sailed for duty off Hawaii and Far Eastern patrol operations, for which she arrived Hong Kong 7 February 1946. Much of this deployment was spent preventing smuggling and privateering along the Chinese and Korean coasts. She returned San Diego 22 February 1947, but was on the China coast again from 8 January to 16 July 1948.

After an overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard which included extensive alterations enhancing her antisubmarine capability, Norris joined the Atlantic Fleet at Newport, R.I., in October. Reclassified escort destroyer (DDE–859) 4 March 1950, she trained for her first Mediterranean deployment, for which she sailed 5 July, just after the outbreak of the Korean Conflict. She was accordingly ordered on through the Suez Canal to join the 7th Fleet in the combat area.

Joining in blockade, patrol, fire support, and screening duties, Norris gave gunfire support during the Hungnam evacuation in early December 1950, and while on blockade rescued 21 South Koreans from a drifting junk off North Korea. Returning to Newport early in March 1951, Norris overhauled at Boston and trained in the North Atlantic and Caribbean until sailing 19 April 1952 for her deferred first Mediterranean deployment. Duty with the 6th Fleet, mighty protector of peace in the critical areas surrounding the Mediterrean, continued until 27 June, when she returned to Newport to prepare for Operation “Main Brace”, a major NATO exercise in the North Sea 26 August–12 October. Mediterrean cruises April 1952–February 1953 and January 1954–May 1954 followed, and from 28 June she operated primarily with the Hunter-Killer Force of the Atlantic Fleet for the next 15 months. During a fleet exercise 1 November, she collided with Bergall (SS–320) when the submarine was attempting to fire torpedoes at the surface attack force.

From 2 May to 4 June 1955 she escorted replacements for the 6th Fleet to Gibraltar, then returned to antisubmarine evaluation and training in the western Atlantic and Caribbean, broken by a three-week patrol in the North Atlantic during the November 1956 Suez crisis. With Destroyer Squadron 24 she made an extended training cruise to South America from early January to late March 1957, visiting ports in Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay between antisubmarine exercises with various Latin American navies.

Returning to the Mediterranean from August to December 1957, she also served in the Red Sea during this deployment, then served in TF Bravo, an experimental antisubmarine development group, until her next 6th Fleet duty, June–August 1960.

After a FRAM II conversion at Philadelphia from March to December 1961, Norris had over a year of intensive Atlantic Fleet training operations, including a midshipman training cruise. She was reclassified a general purpose destroyer (DD–859) 7 August 1962, and in October took station off Cuba during the Quarantine provoked by the missile crisis. With the return of quiet, she was back in Newport in December to prepare for another Mediterranean deployment, 6 February–7 July 1963. In August, an experimental wire-guided torpedo system was installed by Boston Naval Shipyard, and Norris spent much of the next year testing and evaluating the new system.

Deployed again to the Mediterranean 1 October 1964–18 January 1965 and 19 August–7 December 1965, Norris served in Polaris support operations as a missile tracking ship 1 to 15 April 1966, and in the primary recovery force for Gemini X, 12 to 23 July. Intensified operations in Vietnam called her with other ships of Destroyer Squadron 20 and they left Newport 4 October for Panama and Yokosuka, arriving 10 November. As they had in Korea, her guns supported troops ashore, first driving back Viet Cong attempting to overrun Vung Tau 21 November. After four months on the gunline giving major service in the struggle to keep South Vietnam free, Norris completed a circumnavigation by returning via Suez to Newport 25 April 1967. Following east coast and Caribbean operations, Norris returned to the Mediterranean 29 April 1968 for duty through the summer months. Returning to Newport in the fall, she deployed again from 9 May–4 December 1969. Into 1970 she continues on rotation between the 2nd and 6th Fleets.

Norris received two battle stars for Korean service.