Click On Image
For Full Size Image |
Size |
Image Description |
Contributed
By And/Or Copyright |
 |
34k |
Walden "Pug" Lee Ainsworth was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on 10 November 1886. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in June 1910 and was commissioned Ensign on 7 March 1912. Selected to Flag Rank early in World War II, he was transferred to the Retired List and concurrently promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral on the basis of combat awards in 1948. He died on 7 August 1960 and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. Although much of his time at sea was spent in battleships and cruisers, Vice Admiral Ainsworth's "first love was destroyers." These he commanded in various capacities throughout his distinguished career; as ship's Captain, Squadron Commander, Flotilla Commander, Task Force Commander and Type Commander. Aptly described as "a destroyerman's destroyerman" by Theodore Roscoe in his book Destroyer Operations in World War II, he was one of the outstanding bombardment task force commanders of the war in the Far East. "He was new to the South Pacific," wrote historian Samuel Eliot Morrison, "but he entered the arena as if he had been fighting...all his life." His exploits are written in the history of the Solomon's, Marianas, Palaus and Leyte Campaigns. For those he was awarded the Navy Cross, Distinguished Service Medal and Legion of Merit and many of his ships received Navy Unit Commendations and Presidential Units Citations. From 1945 until 1948, Vice Admiral Ainsworth served concurrently as Commander Fifth Naval District and Commander Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Virginia. He retired from naval service on 1 December 1948. Vice Admiral Ainsworth is survived by his wife, the former Katherine Gardner; two children - H. Gardener Ainsworth, Director of the Office of Maritime Affairs, Department of State; and Katherine Ainsworth Semmes, wife of Vice Admiral B.J. Semmes, Jr., USN (Ret.).
USS Ainsworth (DE1090) was the first ship to be named in his honor.
(US Navy photo #NH 85190 from the US Naval Historical Center) |
Robert M. Cieri |
 |
79k |
27 April 1973: USS Ainsworth (DE1090) underway in Chesapeake Bay. (U.S. Naval Historical Centre Photo #K-99628 by Chief Photographer Roger E. Barnes, Photo and text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships) |
Robert Hurst |
 |
37k |
late 1974: Balboa, Panama - Ainsworth tied up at the Rodman Pier on the Pacific side of the Isthmus of Panama. Taken while the ship was participating in the annual Unitas exercise that year. |
Ed Sallia '74 - '76
Ainsworth "Snoopy"
Team Photographer |
 |
90k |
June 1975: Chesapeake Bay |
Richard Leonhardt
(Photos © Richard Leonhardt) |
 |
57k |
June 1975: Chesapeake Bay |
 |
38k |
October 1975: The Lamps helo deck while underway in the Mediterranean Sea. The helicopter is British, but I am not certain off which ship. We were involved in a joint excercise off the coast of
North Africa at the time. |
Ed Sallia '74 - '76
Ainsworth "Snoopy"
Team Photographer |
 |
29k |
October 1975: Looking at the forward gun mount and bridge from the foc'sle. |
 |
71k |
undated image |
- |
 |
link |
Seven (7) YouTube Movies of different evolutions aboard Ainsworth. (Posted these on YouTube and thought everyone might be interested. I took them sometime during the 1977 Med cruise or 1978 Caribbean cruise. They’re a bit shaky, but we didn’t have image stabilization on Super 8 cameras.) |
Chuck Chandler |
 |
147k |
15 October 1981: Yorktown, Va. - A port quarter view of the British frigate HMS Ariadne (F-72), left, in the York River during a re-enactment of the Battle of Yorktown. On the right is a stern view of the frigate Ainsworth. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-86-066750 by JO1 Peter D. Sundberg from the Defense Visual Information Center) |
Navsource |
 |
213k |
1 May 1984: at sea - A port beam view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-88-09148 by PH1 Erickson from the DVIC) |
 |
199k |
1 May 1984: at sea - A starboard bow view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-88-09142 by PH1 Erickson from the DVIC) |
 |
208k |
1 August 1985: at sea - An aerial starboard bow view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-86-00518 from the DVIC) |
 |
122k |
25 August 1986: at sea - A bow view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-87-10542 from the DVIC) |
 |
209k |
25 August 1986: at sea - A starboard quarter view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-87-10546 from the DVIC) |
 |
178k |
25 August 1986: at sea - A stern view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-87-10542 from the DVIC) |
 |
129k |
25 August 1986: at sea - A port quarter view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-87-10540 from the DVIC) |
 |
245k |
17 October 1987: at sea - A port beam view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-90-11745 from the DVIC) |
 |
318k |
17 October 1987: at sea - A port beam view of Ainsworth underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-90-11738 from the DVIC) |
 |
152k |
29 October 1988: Elizabeth River, Norfolk, Va. - A port bow view of Ainsworth undergoing overhaul in a floating dry dock at the Norfolk Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-89-01504 by Don S. Montgomery, USN (Ret.) from the DVIC) |
Bill Gonyo |
 |
99k |
10 November 1989: Norfolk, Va. - The national ensign flies from the stern of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN72), as Ainsworth returns to its home port. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-03549 by PH2 Tracy Lee Didas from the DVIC) |
Navsource |
 |
218k |
10 November 1989: NavSta Norfolk, Va. - A port beam view of Ainsworth returning to home port with its crew manning the rail. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-03550 by PH2 Tracy Lee Didas from the DVIC) |
 |
204k |
10 November 1989: NavSta Norfolk, Va. - A port beam view of Ainsworth returning to home port with its crew manning the rail. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-03998 by PH2 Tracy Lee Didas from the DVIC) |
 |
167k |
10 November 1989: NavSta Norfolk, Va. - The large harbor tug Anoka (YTB810) and Ainsworth pass each other in the harbor. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-90-03999 by PH2 Tracy Lee Didas from the DVIC) |
 |
105k |
2 February 1992: Staten Island, N.Y. - Sailors aboard the Naval Reserve Force training frigate Ainsworth are shown enjoying the noontime meal in the messdeck spaces aboard the ship. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-94-01198 by CWO2 Ed Bailey from the DVIC) |
 |
158k |
4 July 1993: NavSta Mayport, Fla. - The training frigates Ainsworth and USS McCandless (FFT 1084) each display a rainbow of signal flags while moored at the naval station on the Fourth of July. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-93-05527 by OS2 John Bouvia from the DVIC) |
 |
134k |
4 July 1993: NavSta Mayport, Fla. - as in previous photo. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-93-05523 by OS2 John Bouvia from the DVIC) |
 |
163k |
21 May 1994: NavSta Norfolk, Va. - A port bow view of the recently commissioned Turkish frigate Trakya (F-254) tied up at the Norfolk Naval Station. Next to Trakya is Ainsworth which is being prepared for transfer to the Turkish Navy as TCG Ege (F-256). (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-95-00970 by Don Montgomery from the DVIC) |
 |
112k |
undated: a photo of TCG Ege's emblem, as painted on her hangar door. |
Yucel M.Umar
CPO (Ret.), Turkish Navy |
 |
153k |
date / location unknown |
 |
117k |
|
