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Alfred Naifeh was born in Covington, Tenn. to a Lebanese family on 05 January 1915 and grew up in Norman, Oklahoma. He graduated from the University of Oklahoma
with a law degree in 1940 and served as law clerk for Federal Judge Alfred P. Murrah in Oklahoma City. After completing his training in the Reserve Officers Training Corps program he received
his commission as an Ensign on 05 July 1941. On 27 February 1942, he reported on board USS Meredith (DD 434) as the Destroyer Division Disbursing Officer. He was promoted to
Lieutenant (junior grade) on 01 October 1942. After Meredith sank in the Battle of the Solomons, Lt. Naifeh worked for two days and nights keeping wounded and exhausted survivors
on life rafts. As a result of his continuing valiant efforts to save his shipmates, he was completely overcome by exhaustion after fighting off shark attacks, which ultimately resulted in his
death on 16 October 1942. For his devotion to duty and courage, Lt. Naifeh was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal as well as a Purple Heart. Two years later, the U.S. Navy
named a destroyer escort in his honor.
USS Naifeh (DE 352) (1944-1960) was the first ship to be named in his honor.
(Images courtesy of the University of Oklahoma) |
Bill Gonyo
Downey, Cal.
Assoc. Researcher
Navsource |
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undated wartime image |
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26 January 1951: San Diego, Cal. - The crew of USS Naifeh (DE 352) salutes the National Ensign as Naifeh is recommissioned for Korean
War service. Her Commanding Officer is Lcdr. Cornelius J. Smits. Escort Ships (DE) and Fast Transports (APD) laid up in reserve in the background are (from left to right):
USS Cook (APD 130);
USS Blessman (APD 48);
USS Gosselin (APD 126);
USS Gantner (APD 42);
USS Dufilho (DE 423);
USS Eugene E. Elmore (DE 686);
USS William C. Cole (DE 641);
USS Metivier (DE 582);
USS McNulty (DE 581);
USS Thomason (DE 203);
USS Peiffer (DE 588); and two unidentified ships at far right. |
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Naifeh in the early 1950s. Note clear fantail for after 5"/38 gun, one set only of depth charge rails. Lower trunked funnel of this class is clearly
visible. No 20 mm Oerlikons are fitted, newer type of radar aerial.
(Photo from Real Photographs) (Photo and text taken from "American Destroyer Escorts of World War 2" by Peter Elliott). |
Bob Hurst
Worksop, Nottinghamshire,
England, United Kingdom |
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26 March 1957: San Diego Bay - Two views of USS Naifeh (DE 352) alongside USS
Dixie (AD 14) anchored in San Diego. The following ships are alongside (L-R): the Peruvian DEs: Rodriguez (DE-3, ex USS Weaver, DE 741),
Aguirre (D-2, ex-USS Waterman, DE 740), Castilla (D-1, ex-USS Bangust, DE 739). Naifeh moored alongside Dixie
on 23 March and was joined by the Peruvian escorts on 25 March. The Peruvian units departed from Dixie on 29 March, followed by Naifeh on Saturday, 30 March.
(U.S. Navy photos #80-G-1013562 and 80-G-1013561 from the National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, Md.)
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Mike Smolinski
Clifton, N.J.
Manager, Navsource
DE / FF / LCS Archive
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September 1957: San Francisco Bay (© Allied Photographers, San Francisco, Cal.) |
Robert Cieri |
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1958: San Francisco Bay (© Allied Photographers, San Francisco, Cal.) |
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September 1958: Treasure Island, Cal. - USS Yarnall (DD 541) and
Naifah moored together at the Treasure Island Naval Station. You can see the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in the background.
(Photo © Roy Preston) |
Roy Preston
USS Yarnall ('56-'58) |
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circa early 1960's: location unknown |
Nick Tiberio
Shelton, Conn. |
Naifeh's Commanding Officers
Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler |
| Dates of Command |
Commanding Officers |
| 1.) 07 Jul. 1944 - Nov. 1945 | Lt. / Lcdr. John Seaman Albert III, USNR (Wallingford, Pa.) |
| 2.) Nov. 1945 - May 1946 | Lcdr. William M. Stucky, USNR |
| 3.) May 1946 - 27 Jun. 1946 | Ens. R. F. Knapik, USNR |
| 4.) 26 Jan. 1951 - 1952 | Cmdr. Cornelius Johannes Smits, USN |
| 5.) 1952 - 1953 | Cmdr. James V. Grealish, USNR (OCS '42) (San Francisco, Cal.) (ret. as Radm., USNR) |
| 6.) - 03 Jul. 1956 | Cmdr. Ralph Strafford Wentworth Jr., USN (USNA ‘44) (Navy Jr. / Annapolis, Md.) (ret. as Radm.) |
| 7.) 03 Jul. 1956 - 20 Jun. 1958 | Lcdr. Robert Edward Adamson Jr., USN (USNA ‘44) (Flushing, N. Y.) (ret. as Vadm.) |
| 8.) 20 Jun. 1958 - 24 Apr. 1959 | Lcdr. Richard D. Dickson, USN |
| 9.) 24 Apr. 1959 - 17 Jun. 1960 | Lcdr. Porter Eugene May, USN |
Crew Contact And Reunion Information
Naifeh is having annual reunions
Contact Name: John Downes
Address: 613 Del Mar Drive
City/State: Champaign IL 61822-2330
Phone: (217) 352-7529
or
Contact Name: Frank McKernan, Treasurer.
E-mail: frankm31@pon.net or fnlmcmail@pon.net
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
Comments, Suggestions, E-mail: Webmaster.
This Page Created And Maintained By Mike Smolinski
by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved.
Page Last Updated: 04 April 2023
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