USS HARRY E. HUBBARD DD-748
"Packsaddle"
(Hubbard's radiotelephone call sign during the Korean Conflict).
 

Sea of Japan, 1952, distance: 1/2 mile.  Photo by Roy Thomas, DD-725.

KOREAN CONFLICT
          .

"Men mean more than guns in the rating of a ship"
-- John Paul Jones

Captain Burris D. Wood, Jr.
Died April 26, 2002
Dallas, Texas

 

 

Commanding Officer, USS Harry E. Hubbard DD-748, 1950-1952
Awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service.
Retired 1965 with 30 years of dedicated service to his country
 

Thanks to Roy Thomas for sending us this photo and the following information:

I served on USS O'Brien DD-725 from 12/51 - 12/54  sailing many miles alongside Hubbard.
I attached a pic showing our div tied at Pearl homeward bound from WestPac in Jan 1953.
The ships shown are  O'Brien DD-725 (fwd, outboard), Hubbard DD-748, (fwd, inboard),
Brown DD-546, (aft, outboard), and Walke DD-723, (aft, inboard).
Philippine Sea, CV-47 is in background.
                                                                       Roy C. Thomas  SO1 USN  (long ago)

 Following the invasion of South Korea, USS Harry E. Hubbard was recommisioned 27 October 1950. Commander Burris D. Wood in command. After initial shakedown along the coast of California she departed San Diego 2 January 1951 for two months of training in Hawaiian waters. She then steamed to assist the U.N. forces in Korea. Besides helping guard the fast carrier task force making repeated air strikes against the enemy, she
frequently joined in gun strike missions to bombard coastal rail and communication centers and performed as sea-going artillery to support the advance of land troops. Her bombardment missions were conducted against targets at Yongdae Gap Wonsan, Songjin, Chingjim, Kyoto, Chako, Bokoko, Chuminjin and other enemy strongholds of supply an reinforcement. When destroyer Walke DD-723 was heavily damaged by underwater explosion off Wonson 11 June 1951, Harry E Hubbard, with the same skill as off Okinawa in 1945, moved to render effective medical and damage control assistance. She returned to the California coast in October 1951 for overhaul and completed a similar tour of duty with the 7th fleet off Korea July to December 1952.  Hubbard was with the helicopter carrier USS Siapan CVL 48 during the prisoner exchange in Inchon in the fall of 1953.

She returned to San Diego in January 1953 but again departed 11 July to guard fast carrier task groups watching over the uneasy truce in Korea. Intervened by patrol in the Taiwan Straits, this duty continued until 13 January 1954. She returned to San Diego for overhaul and refresher training along the western seaboard.

Hubbard & Walke 1953 contributed by Barb and Gene Gerwe

Hubbard at Wake Island 1953 contributed by Barb and Gene Gerwe

Hubbard receives mail 1953 contributed by Barb and Gene Gerwe

Hubbard's sister ship from the bridge 1953 contributed by Barb and Gene Gerwe

For an account of Hubbard's attack on a Russian submarine read:

 Inchon to Wonson From the Deck of a Destroyer in the Korean War

CARRIERS WITH TASK FORCE 77
KOREAN CONFLICT

USS Essex CV 9        USS Yorktown CV 10        USS Boxer CV 21        USS Bataan CVL 29
USS Bon Homme Richard CV 31        USS Kearsarge CV 33        USS Princton CV 37
USS Coral Sea CV 43        USS Valley Forge CV 45          USS Philippine Sea CV 47
  USS Siapan CVL 48      USS Leyte CV 32

USS Lake Champlain, CVA39

planes from VF111, flying from the Lake Champlain, dropped the last bombs of the Korean War.