The USS Warrington
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The USS Warrington
DD-843
Last Cruise


November DD-843





Bravo


 



Bravo





Whiskey


NBBW

The USS Warrington (DD-843) was hit by Mk36 mines on July 17, 1972, while cruising off North Vietnam. After being towed back to Subic Bay with severe damage, the ship underwent an INSURV board and was decommissioned on October 1, 1972, and sold to the Republic of China in June 1973. Click here for the detailed status of Warrington's ultimate fate.

CS2 Ed Gowan's story and pictures of the USS Warrington's final days tied up at Subic Bay, late in 1972

The photos linked on this page are scanned from the last cruise book of the Warrington, put together in Subic during the last days of her decommissioning. (That's why the quality is pretty poor).

Officers

  • CO, Commander Noel Petree
  • XO, Lieutenant Commander Harvey McKelvey
  • Operations Officer, Lieutenant James "Otto" Honigschmidt (click for his story)
  • Chief Engineer, Lieutenant David Dwyer
  • Weapons Officer, Lieutenant Ed O'Neill
  • Supply Officer, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Ralph Heimlich
  • Former Supply Officer, Lieutenant Thomas Ethier
  • Communications Officer, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Peter Regnier (click for his story)
  • Damage Control Assistant, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Jerry Oliver
  • First Lieutenant, Ensign J. Whittaker
  • ASW Officer, Ensign S. Sheppard
  • EM Officer, Ensign C.P. "Pete" Perkuhn
  • CIC Officer, Ensign W. Waters with OS2 John "Mushy" Callahan (right) and OS2 Richard Crutchley
  • Gunnery Officer, Ensign J. Dillingham
  • M&B Division Officer, Ensign J. Felix

    Recently found pictures of the USS Warrington in drydock at Subic Bay--The Carmack Archive

    Chief Dorado's Photos (contact the Chief in retirement in Jacksonville, Florida)
    • A mess of Chiefs, at ease, before the cruise
    • Some Warrington supply types ashore (Chief Dorado (foreground), Ensign and Mrs. Heimlich (sitting), Rey Mendoza, Chief Dorado's nephew (in red shirt), CS1 Reuben our Master Chef (white shirt), MS2 Rodriguez
    • Warrington supply types singing at Chief Dorado's house
    • More singing
    • CS1 Reuben does the twist
    • The Gatun Locks on the Panama Canal
    • Through the Panama Canal, alongside USS Santa Barbara
    • Entering the lock
    • Inside the lock
    • Plane guard
    • Name that ship USS Harry E. Yarnell (DLG/CG-17), according to RD2 David Dankenbring
    • Alongside Reclaimer (RS-42)
    • Port side crew
    • P-250 pumping
    • Port side crew again
    • Asroc deck
    • Engineers on deck (the seldom seen)
    • Deckhands, at ease
    • Constant bearing on USS Reclaimer
    •     Passing the tow line
    • Whew!! Missed
    • Just in case
    • Tow line watch
    • Warrington arrives at Subic
    • Cubi Point ahead
    • Warrington enters dry dock in Subic
    • Subic CPO barracks
    • On the ground in RI
    • Dorado's reunion

    July 17, 1972

  • Immediately after hitting the mines and moving offshore
  • P-250's strain to keep us afloat
  • An unknow mess cook dishes up steaks salvaged from the reefer spaces and cooked over charcoal--served with canned plums (Yccch!!)
  • Close in unrep to get more P-250s and some hot food
  • Reclaimer gets between an immovable object (us) and a hard place (them)

    Back in Subic

  • Along the bottom of the hull in drydock. This shot doesn't really show the rippled plating from the blast pushing the plates between the frames.
  • Lt. Dwyer (in overhauls), Cdr. Petree and RADM Bulkely, in the drydock talking over Warrington's fate.

    Awards

  • Five hands were awarded Purple Hearts for injuries during the incident: Ltjg Oliver, SN Crandall, Sn Roberts, SN Burke, and FN Whitaker.
  • Citations and medals for Ltjg Regnier, MM1 Smiley, FTG3 Martin and MM3 Charles, and SA Gorman.
  • Master Chief Machinists Mate John F. Rutledge, Jr. won the Admiral Claude Ricketts Award for his role

    The Gouge
  • On August 25, 1972, we finally heard the bad word in an all-ship meeting in the hold of a nearby LST gearing up for CDR Bucher's minesweeping expedition to Haiphong--decommissioning.

    Warrington in the news

    Warrington West Pac Log

     

  • Contact:Ralph Heimlich heimlichfamily@comcast.net

     


  • Last updated March 26, 2006