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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

Top Left Ship's Patch Courtesy of Robert P. Pallat, TMC(SW), USN (ret.)
Remainder from Mike Smolinski

USS J. Douglas Blackwood (DE 219)

N - W - M - U
Tactical Voice Radio Call: "Waterbury" ("Jangle How", early 1950's)

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: Navy Expeditionary Medal - American Campaign Medal
Second Row: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 3 stars - World War II Victory Medal - National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 star

"Dedicated - Dauntless"

Specifications:
Class: Buckley
Type: TE (turbine-electric drive, 3" guns)
Displacement: 1400 tons (light), 1740 tons (full)
Length: 300' (wl), 306' (oa)
Beam: 36' 9" (extreme)
Draft: 10' 6" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 2 "D" Express boilers, G.E. turbines with electric drive, 12000 shp, 2 screws
Speed: 24 kts
Range: 6,000 nm @ 12 knots
Armament: 3 x 3"/50 Mk22 (1x3), 1 twin 40mm Mk1 AA, 8 x 20mm Mk 4 AA, 3 x 21" Mk15 TT (3x1), 1 Hedgehog Projector Mk10 (144 rounds), 8 Mk6 depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks
Complement: 15 / 198

J. Douglas Blackwood (DE 219) Building and Operational Data:

22 February 1943: Keel laid by the Philadelphia Navy Yard, Philadelphia, Pa.

29 May 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Mrs. J. Douglas Blackwood, widow of Cmdr. Blackwood

15 December 1943: Commissioned, Cmdr. R. V. Randolph in command

14 April 1947: Decommissioned at Charleston, S.C. after 3 years and 4 months of service

05 February 1951: Recommissioned, Lcdr. J. R. McKee in command, assigned to Norfolk, Va. as a unit of Escort Squadron 8

15 November 1957: Assigned to NRT, 4th Naval District at Philadelphia, Pa.

01 August 1958: Decommissioned at the North Keystone Ship Repair and Drydock Co., Philadelphia, Pa., placed "in service" as a unit of the Selected Reserve Force, 4th Naval District at Naval Base, Philadelphia

02 October 1961: Recommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for the Berlin Crisis, Cmdr. J. J. Grelis III, USNR, in command; homeport changed to Newport, R. I. as a unit of Escort Squadron 8

01 August 1962: Decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, placed "in service" at NRT Philadelphia, Pa., Lt. W. D. Wilson, USNR assumed command as Officer in Charge

18 October 1968: NRT assignment changed to 3rd Naval District at U. S. Naval Reserve Training Center, Whitestone, N.Y.

30 January 1970: Placed "out of service, in reserve" at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, and struck from the NVR with a total of 22 years and 4 months of service, custody to CO, Philadelphia Group, U. S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet

20 July 1970: Sunk as a target

Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
0621602	82k	29 May 1943: Philadelphia Navy Yard - The christening of six destroyer escorts in a dry-dock at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. The three ships in the foreground are (from left): USS *Enright* (DE 216), USS *Coolbaugh* (DE 217) and USS *Darby* (DE 218). Those in the background are (from left), USS *J. Douglas Blackwood* (DE 219), USS *Francis M. Robinson* (DE 220) and USS *Solar* (DE 221). (U.S. Navy Photo #NH 75610 from the Naval History and Heritage Command, Courtesy of James Russell, 1972)	Bill Gonyo Downey, Cal. Assoc. Researcher Navsource
0621902	62k	Undated Wartime Image	Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
0621903	173k	02 November 1945: Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, Cal. - Aft plan view of USS *J. Douglas Blackwood* (DE 219) at Mare Island. USS *Darby* (DE 218) is inboard and USS *Mansfield* (DD 728), USS *Stanly* (DD 478) and USS *Evans* (DD 552) are forward of *Blackwood. Blackwood* was in overhaul at the yard from 4 September to 17 November 1945. (U.S. Navy photo #DE-219-6946-45)	Darryl Baker PNCM, USNR (ret.) Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum
0621904	150k	02 November 1945: Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, Cal. - Forward plan view of *J. Douglas Blackwood* at Mare Island. USS *Darby* (DE 218) is inboard and USS *Harmon* (DE 678) is outboard of USS *Coolbaugh* (DE 217) in the background. (U.S. Navy photo #DE-219-6947-45)
0621912	520k	13 November 1945: Vallejo, Cal. - A port quarter view of *J. Douglas Blackwood* stopped off the Mare Island Navy Yard. (Photo courtesy of Chris Wright)	Ed Zajkowski Narvon, Pa.
0621916	432k	13 November 1945: Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, Cal. - *J. Douglas Blackwood* at Mare Island post-overhaul testing her smoke generators. (U.S. Navy photo #DE-219-7075-45)	Darryl Baker PNCM, USNR (ret.) Vallejo Naval & Historical Museum
0621905	157k	15 November 1945: Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, Cal. - After plan view of *J. Douglas Blackwood* at Mare Island. USS *Darby* (DE 218) is inboard and USS *Harmon* (DE 678) is outboard of USS *Coolbaugh* (DE 217) in the background. (U.S. Navy photo #DE-219-7188-45)
0621906	157k	15 November 1945: Mare Island Navy Yard, San Francisco, Cal. - Forward plan view of *J. Douglas Blackwood* at Mare Island. USS *Darby* (DE 218) is inboard and USS *Harmon* (DE 678) is outboard of USS *Coolbaugh* (DE 217) in the background. (U.S. Navy photo #DE-219-7190-45)
0621907	75k	Undated Postwar Image	DESA archives
0621908	34k	(early 50's): Undated Images	David Titus Crewmember 1952-1955
0621909	35k	(early 50's): Undated Images	David Titus Crewmember 1952-1955
0621910	61k	early 50's	Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
0621915	449k	1958: Starboard bow view of the destroyer escort USS *J. Douglas Blackwood* (DE 219) underway. (U.S. Navy National Archives photo #USN 1035698 from the Naval History and Heritage Command)	Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Navsource Archive Manager DE / FF / LCS Archive
0621911	283k	02 May 1964: USS *J. Douglas Blackwood* (DE 219) at Philadelphia. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Ian S. Pearsall; from "Jane's Fighting Ships, 1964 - 65")	Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
0621913	219k	September 1966	Nick Tiberio Shelton, Conn.
0621914	244k	Undated Postwar Image	Nick Tiberio Shelton, Conn.

J. Douglas Blackwood Memorabilia
News Article May 1960 Courtesy of Mike Smolinski	Ship's Matchbook Courtesy of Mike Smolinski	Ship's Plaque Courtesy of Mike Smolinski	Ship's Lighter (early) Courtesy of Mike Smolinski	Ship's Lighter (later) Courtesy of Mike Smolinski	Squadron Plaque, late '50's Courtesy of Bob Hurst

J. Douglas Blackwood History
View the USS J. Douglas Blackwood (DE 219) DANFS history entry located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.

J. Douglas Blackwood's Commanding Officers
Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler

Dates of Command	Commanding Officers
1.) 15 Dec. 1943 – 05 Aug. 1944	Cmdr. Ralph Baker Randolph, USNR (Comm. CO)
2.) 05 Aug. 1944 – 01 Nov. 1945	Cmdr. James Lamont Johnston, USNR (Chattanooga, Tenn.)
3.) 01 Nov. 1945 – 20 Apr. 1946	Lcdr. Everett Allen (Dusty) Rhoades, USNR (Wyeth, Mo.)
4.) 20 Apr. 1946 – 14 Apr. 1947	Lcdr. Robert Sherwood Tackaberry, USN (Decomm. CO) (USNA ‘40) (Evanston, Ill)
5.) 05 Feb. 1951 – 08 Jan. 1952	Lcdr. John Raymond McKee, USN (Recomm. CO)
6.) 08 Jan. 1952 – .. .... 1953	Lcdr. Edwin Miller Rosenberg, USN (USNA '41) (Moscow, Id.) (ret. as Radm.)
7.) .. .... 1953 – .. Jul. 1954	Lcdr. Francis Albert Lewis, USN (Woodbine, Md.)
8.) .. Jul. 1954 – 17 Jul. 1956	Cmdr. James Woodleigh Short, USN (USNA ‘43) (Fort Worth, Tex.)
9.) 17 Jul. 1956 – 31 Jan. 1958	Lcdr. Frederick Phillip McDermott, USN
10.) 31 Jan. 1958 – 01 Aug. 1958	Lcdr. Thomas George Miskill, USN (Washington, D. C.)
11.) 01 Aug. 1958 – 14 Apr. 1959	Lcdr. William Harold Gatts, USN (Moundsville, W. V.)
12.) 14 Apr. 1959 – 28 Apr. 1960	Lt. Fredric Jonasz, USNR (OinC)
13.) 28 Apr. 1960 – 15 Sep. 1961	Lt. Lloyd Winther Rasmussen, USN (OinC)
14.) 15 Sep. 1961 – 02 Oct. 1961	Lt. John David Allemang, USN (OinC)
15.) 02 Oct. 1961 – 01 Aug. 1962	Cmdr. John Joseph Grelis III, USNR (Recomm. / Decomm. CO) (Philadelphia, Pa.)
16.) 01 Aug. 1962 – 06 Dec. 1963	Lt./Lcdr. William Drayton Wilson, USN (OinC) (USNA ‘48-A) (Newberry, S. C.)
17.) 06 Dec. 1963 – 20 May 1965	Lt. Raymond John Harbrecht, USN (OinC) (St. Paul, Minn.)
18.) 20 May 1965 – 04 Jan. 1968	Lt. George Stefencavage, USN (OinC) (Gilberton, Pa.)
19.) 04 Jan. 1968 – 04 Oct. 1968	Lt. George Vincent Reilly Jr., USN (OinC)
20.) 04 Oct. 1968 – 30 Jan. 1970	Lt. John Carl Darwin, USN (Decomm. OinC) (OCS '61) (Fairhaven, Mass.)

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

None

Note About Contacts

Contact information is compiled from various sources over a period of time and may, or may not, be correct. Every effort has
been made to list the newest contact. However, our entry is only as good as the latest information that's been sent to us. We list
only a contact for the ship if one has been sent to us. We do NOT have crew lists, rosters, or deck logs available. Please see the
Frequently Asked Questions section on NavSource's Main Page for that information.

Additional Resources

Tin Can Sailors
The U.S. Navy Memorial
Destroyer Escort Sailors Association
The Destroyer Escort Historical Museum
The Destroyer History Foundation

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