Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By
	110k	Richard Somers was born in 1778 or 1779 at Great Egg Harbor, N.J. and was appointed midshipman on 25 April 1797 and served in the West Indies during the Quasi War with France in frigate United States commanded by Captain John Barry. Promoted to lieutenant on 21 May 1799, Somers was detached from United States on 13 June 1801 and ordered to Boston on 30 July 1801. He served in the latter frigate in the Mediterranean. After Boston return to Washington, Somers was furloughed on 11 November 1802 to await orders. On 5 May 1803, Somers was ordered to Baltimore to man; fit out; and command Nautilus; and when that schooner was ready for sea, to sail her to the Mediterranean. Nautilus got underway on 30 June; reached Gibraltar on 27 July; and sailed four days later to Spain. He then returned to Gibraltar to meet Commodore Edward Preble, in Constitution, who was bringing a new squadron for action against the Barbary pirates. Nautilus sailed with Preble on 6 October to Tangier where the display of American naval strength induced the Europeans of Morocco to renew the treaty of 1786. Thereafter, Tripoli became the focus of Preble's attention. Somers' service as commanding officer of Nautilus during operations against Tripoli won him promotion to master commandant on 18 May 1804. In the summer, he commanded a division of gunboats during five attacks on Tripoli. On 4 September 1804, Somers assumed command of bomb ketch Intrepid which had been fitted out as a "floating volcano" to be sailed into Tripoli harbor and blown up in the midst of the corsair fleet close under the walls of the city. That night, she got underway into the harbor, but she exploded prematurely, killing Somers and his entire crew of volunteers.		Bill Gonyo
	118k	Undated, location unknown.		-
	137k	Undated, location unknown.		-
	145k	Undated, location unknown.		-
	86k	Undated, location unknown.		-
	58k	Undated, location unknown.		James W. Oden, Jr.
	45k	Undated, location unknown.		James W. Oden, Jr.
	104k	Undated image from the NAVSEA Journal.		Bob Bush
	76k	Undated, location unknown.		Robert M. Cieri
	172k	Undated, location unknown.		Wolfgang Hechler
	81k	Undated, location unknown.		Charlie Fatumn
	56k	Undated, location unknown.		Charlie Fatumn
	137k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	91k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	117k	Undated, off Point Loma.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	130k	Undated, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	101k	Undated, USS Somers (DDG-34), USS Morton (DD-948) and USS Richard S. Edwards (DD-950) at Pearl Harbor.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	143k	Undated, location unklnown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	132k	Undated, location unklnown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	117k	USS Du Pont (DD-941) outboard & USS Bigelow (DD-942) at the fitting out pier of Bath Iron Works in 1957. On the building ways are (from right to left) Hull (DD-945), Edson (DD-946) and Somers (DD-947).		Robert Hurst
	35k	1959 at Gitmo Bay, Cuba, Somers collided with a camel at the pier and punctured a hole in her port side spilling 50,000 gal of oil into the Bay.		Jerry Daugherty
	36k	Circa 1960s, location unknown.		Cuneyt Demir
	184k	April 4-13 1961, a SEATO grouping in Sembawang Basin, Singapore, seen from HMAS Melbourne [II], USS Somers (DD-947) and USS Gurke (DD-783).		Kimberley Dunstan, RAN, 1958-67
	60k	Circa 1965, location unknown.		Robert Hurst
	39k	Commissioning Day 2-10-1968. San Franciscio Bay Naval Shipyard at Hunters Point.		James Oden SK3 10/67-8/69 Plank Owner
	219k	As above.		Darryl Baker
	112k	May 2 1968, location unknown.		Wolfgang Hechler
	82k	USS Parsons (DDG-33), USS Somers (DDG-34) and USS Turner Joy (DD-951) at San Francisco June 1969.		Marc Piché
	144k	Circa 1970, location unknown.		Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
	113k	USS Somers (DDG-34) underway off Vancouver BC on May 8 1970. Source: City of Vancouver Archives, Photo No. AM1506-S3-3-: CVA 447-8223, by Walter E. Frost.		Mike Green
Welcome Aboard pamphlet - circa 1979				Wolfgang Hechler
	101k	DN-ST-86-09571. June 24 1986, a view of several mothballed ships at anchor near Beckoning Point, in the East Loch of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. They are, left to right, the guided-missile destroyer Somers (DDG 34), and the destroyers Morton (DD 948) and Richard S. Edwards (DD 950). U.S. Navy Photo by Don S. Montgomery.		Robert M. Cieri
	76k	In reserve atPearl Harbor East Loch, July 1988.		Robert M. Cieri
	45k	Six views of the sinking of the Somers.		Gerd Matthes
	45k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	71k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	53k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	64k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	44k	As above.		Gerd Matthes
	88k	Ship's patch		Mike Smolinski
	44k	Ship's patch		John Starace

CDR Edward Joseph Cummings Jr.    Apr 3 1959 - Oct 28 1960

CDR Wayne Douglas Surface    Oct 28 1960 - Oct 13 1962

CDR Vincent Douglass Maynard Jr.    Oct 13 1962 - Jul 18 1964

CDR Jackson Edward Vereen    Jul 18 1964 - Jun 16 1965

LCDR Tyrone Gabriel Martin    Jun 16 1965 - Jun 26 1965

CDR Herbert Emil Reichert    Jun 26 1965 - Apr 11 1966

(Decommissioned Apr 11 1966 - Feb 10 1968)

CDR Randall Wayne Young    Feb 10 1968 - Apr 11 1969

CDR Hugh Larimer Webster    Apr 11 1969 - Dec 19 1970 (Later RADM)

CDR Charles Henry Ulrich    Dec 19 1970 - Mar 4 1972

CDR William Elwell Vollmer Jr.    Mar 4 1972 - Sep 29 1973

CDR Howard Lloyd Pabst    Sep 29 1973 - Oct 7 1975

CDR Harry J. Hansen III    Oct 7 1975 - Oct 22 1977

CDR John William Shillingsburg    Oct 22 1977 - Oct 20 1979

CDR Willard Ernest Siepel    Oct 20 1979 - Sep 25 1981

CDR Thomas David Kenneally    Sep 25 1981- Nov 19 1982

Back To The Main Photo Index

To The Destroyer Index Page

Comments and Suggestions about this page, E-mail DestroyerInfo
Problems and site related matters, E-mail Webmaster