Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
	203k	Kay Kopl Vesole was born on 11 September 1913 in Przedbórz, Russia (now part of Poland). In 1922, his family immigrated to the United States and settled in Davenport, Iowa where he later attended the State University of Iowa. On 19 October 1942, he accepted an appointment as an ensign in the United States Naval Reserve. ENS Vesole studied at a series of naval training schools during the remainder of 1942 and the first part of 1943. Beginning at the Naval Training School, Tucson, Arizona, he transferred to the Naval Training Station (Local Defense) at Boston, Massachusetts, in January 1943. The following month, he moved from Boston to Gulf Port, Mississippi, to enter the Armed Guard School. In April, he moved to the Armed Guard Center located at New Orleans, whence he was routed to Panama City, Florida, to take command of the armed guard gun crew on board a merchant ship. By December 1943, ENS Vesole commanded the armed guard crew assigned to the Liberty ship SS John Bascom. On the night of 2 December, his ship was riding at anchor in Bari, Italy, when a massive air raid of 105 Ju. 88 medium bombers attacked the port. During that raid, Vesole's ship was bombed and sunk. However, before she went down, ENS Vesole heroically directed the defense of the ship despite severe multiple wounds. When it became apparent that the ship would sink, he led a party below and supervised the evacuation of the wounded. Once in the lifeboat, he manned an oar and helped to row the boat ashore even though he had only one functional arm. When he reached land, ENS Vesole still disregarded his wounds in order to help pull survivors out of the oil-covered and flaming waters and to get them safely into a nearby bomb shelter. Finally, an ammunition explosion inflicted still further wounds on the officer —wounds that soon proved fatal. For ". . . his exceptional fortitude and self-sacrificing concern for others . . .," Ensign Vesole was awarded the Navy Cross, posthumously. Photo from the U.S. Merchant Marine Association.		Robert M. Cieri/Bill Gonyo/Robert Hurst/Wolfgang Hechler
	90k	Undated, location unknown.		Frank Doherty
	126k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	114k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	127k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	83k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	127k	Christening December 29 1944 at Orange, Texas by Mrs. Kay Vesole.		-
	245k	Launching, December 29 1944 at Orange, Texas. Acme Newspictures photo		S. Dale Hargrave
	98k	Brooklyn Navy Yard, April 29 1947.		Pieter Bakels
	75k	Brooklyn Navy Yard, April 29 1947.		Pieter Bakels
	137k	A series of six photos of the Vesole taken by George Panos QM2 of the USS Baltimore (CA-68) during the 1952 Med Cruise.		George Panos
	151k	As above.		George Panos
	168k	As above.		George Panos
	137k	As above, in Venice.		George Panos
	135k	As above, in Venice.		George Panos
	115k	As above, in Venice.		George Panos
	84k	Circa 1952, location unknown.		Robert Hurst
	158k	Postcard of the USS Vesole (DD-878), USS Cone (DD-866) and USS Newman K. Perry (DD-883) alongside the USS Shenandoah (AD-26) in Cannes, France, July 1952.		Steven W. Orvis
	76k	Valletta, Malta December 12 1953.		Marc Piché
	132k	Circa 1954, Valletta, Malta. Photo courtesy of A. & J. Pavia.		Robert Hurst
	63k	1956, The picture is unoffically titled "Washdown '56". The purpose was to decontaminate the ship after a nuclear attack		Art Pratt
	165k	USS Vesole (DD-878) During Gunnery Shoot in Atlantic, June 1961 picture taken from USS Boston (CAG-1).		Roy Williams
	212k	At Genoa February 10 1962.		Carlo Martinelli
	98k	USS Vesole (DD-878) alongside the Soviet freighter Polzunov as it carries its cargo of ballistic missiles away from Cuba, on 9 November 1962. Photo from "Battle at Sea: 3,000 Years of Naval Warfare" by R G Grant.		Robert Hurst
	103k	USS Vesole (left, foregound) alongside the Soviet vessel Volgoles, outbound from Cuba, with missiles on deck, 11 November 1962.		Robert Hurst
	71k	Off Cuba on November 11 1962.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	66k	In drydock at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, April 13 1964.		Ron Reeves
	74k	Entering New York, August 12 1965		© Richard Leonhardt
	23k	Montreal July 1967.		Marc Piché
	60k	Boston, MA April 12 1968.		Marc Piché
	179k	At Genoa March 17 1973.		Carlo Martinelli
	83k	1976 Med Cruise, alongside the USS Saratoga.		Bob Royes
	127k	As above.		Bob Royes
	115k	Nearing the end of her final deployment, and only five months before being decommissioned, USS Vesole (DD 878) sits pierside at Barcelona, Spain, on June 29, 1976.		Fabio Peña
	74k	At Barcelona, Spain, on July 4, 1976. She is full-dressed for Bicentennial Day.		Fabio Peña
	61k	Ship's patch.		Mike Smolinski
	48k	Ship's patch.		Mike Smolinski
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CDR Harry Edson Townsend    Apr 23 1945 - Sep 28 1946

CDR David Sugget Brown    Sep 28 1946 - Oct 1947

CDR John Corry    Oct 1947 - Nov 1948

CDR Robert Rutherford Craighill    Nov 1948 - Oct 8 1949 (Later RADM)

CDR Robert Edward Sinnott    Oct 8 1949 - Aug 1951

CDR Parker Lowell Folsom    Aug 1951 - Apr 1953

CDR William Wade Gentry    Apr 1953 - 1953

CDR Edward John Fruechtl    1953 - 1955

CDR Oscar Jerome Beavers    1955 - 1956

CDR William Alexander Robie    1956 - Oct 16 1958

CDR Buford Denty Abernathy    Oct 16 1958 - Nov 8 1960

CDR Richard Street White III    Nov 8 1960 - Sep 1962

CDR John Irvin Bryan    Sep 1962 - Oct 1963

CDR Gene Trayser Dunaway    Oct 1963 - Jul 1964

CAPT Thomas Joseph Quarton    Jul 1964 - Feb 4 1966

CDR Clarence Earl Boger    Feb 4 1966 - Apr 1968

CDR Peter Hill Orvis    Apr 1968 - Aug 1969

CDR Stephen Leo Hart    Aug 1969 - Jun 1971

CDR Daniel Chase Dennison    Jun 1971 - Nov 1 1972

CDR Alban Thompson McIsaac    Nov 1 1972 - Sep 6 1974

CDR Charles Wible Truxall Jr.    Sep 6 1974 - Sep 1975

CDR Paul Ishan Bledsoe    Sep 1975 - Sep 30 1976

CDR Philip William Athanas    Sep 30 1976 - Dec 1 1976