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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive

Left ship's patch courtesy of James M. Strong, remainder from Mike Smolinski

USS Kretchmer (DE329)

Flag Hoist / Radio Call Sign:
N - T - E - E
Tactical Voice Radio Call: "Mystic Isle"

Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row: China Service Medal - American Campaign Medal
Second Row: Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal - World War II Victory Medal
Third Row: Navy Occupation Service Medal - National Defense Service Medal w/ 1 star - Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
Fourth Row: Vietnam Service Medal w/ 5 stars- Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation w/ 1 star - Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Specifications:
Class: Edsall
Type: FMR (geared diesel, Fairbanks-Morse reverse gear drive, 3" guns)
Displacement: 1200 tons (light), 1590 tons (full)
Length: 300' (wl), 306' (oa)
Beam: 36' 10" (extreme)
Draft: 20' 6" (draft limit)
Propulsion: 4 Fairbanks-Morse Mod. 38d81/8 geared diesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6000 shp, 2 screws
Speed: 21 kts
Range: 9,100 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: 8 / 201

Kretchmer (DE329) Building and Operational Data:

28 June 1943: Keel laid at the Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange Tex.

31 August 1943: Launched and christened, sponsored by Miss Betty Kretchmer, sister of the ship's namesake

13 December 1943: Commissioned at Orange, Tex., Lt. Robert C. Wing, USNR, in command

20 September 1946: Decommissioned at Charleston, S.C., towed to Green Cove Springs, Fla. for storage

20 June 1951: Loaned to USCG and Recommissioned WDE429

12 August 1954: Returned USN and Decommissioned

21 October 1955: Reclassified and converted to DER329

22 September 1956: Recommissioned, Lcdr Charles F. Fadeley in command, assigned to Newport, R.I. as a unit of the Northern Radar Barrier

2 August 1965: Arrived at her new homeport; Apra, Guam

September 1969: Homeport assignment changed to Pearl Harbor, Hi.

November 1969: Homeport assignment changed to Key West, Fla. as a unit of DesDiv 601

1 October 1973: Decommissioned at the Key West Naval Station

1 October 1973: Struck from the Naval Vessel Register

14 May 1974: Sold for scrapping

Size	Image Description	Contributed By And/Or Copyright
23k	in dazzle camouflage, 1944	-
60k	circa 1946	Robert Hurst
116k	August 1960: Charlestown, Mass. - USS *Kretchmer* (DER329) at the Boston Naval Shipyard. (Both Photos © Richard Leonhardt)	Richard Leonhardt
93k		Richard Leonhardt
93k	undated, as DER329	-
113k	undated, as DER329	Robert Hurst
50k	28 July 1965: Pearl Harbor, Hawaii - *Kretchmer, USS Camp* (DER251), and USS *Hissem* (DER400) mooring at Pearl Harbor Naval Station. All three ships left Newport, R.I. on Wednesday 7 July 1965 headed for Operation Market Time in South Vietnam. Note the Battle "E" on the bridge wing and also on gun mount #31. They were earned in 1964 under the command of Lcdr Stephan A. Wise, denoting *Kretchmer* as the most "battle ready" of the eight DER's in CortRon 16. (U.S. Navy Photo by PH3 Robert L. Ziesler)	Allan M. Wilson USS Kretchmer 1964 - 1968
291k	July 1966: Subic Bay Naval Station, The Philippines - *Kretchmer* in a floating dry dock. WestPac '66 - '67: Additional Cruise Photos from Lcdr Pillow	George E. Pillow, Jr. Captain, USN (ret.) Kretchmer's CO as a Lieutenant Commander April 1966 - July 1968
291k
228k
258k
246k
227k	late 1966 - early 1967: WestPac - *Kretchmer* at anchor.
237k	circa 1968: *Kretchmer* underway (Note that the AN/SPS-8 height finder radar has been removed from the after deckhouse).
142k	1971: Key West Naval Annex, Fla. - A picture of *Kretchmer* tied up at the Naval Annex. Along side *Kretchmer* is USS *Forster* (DER334). Behind her is USS *Thomas J. Gary* (DER326) and outboard of *Gary* is USS Calcaterra (DER390).	David Learn ('70 - '72) USS Kretchmer USS Thomas J. Gary
53k	September 1972: location unknown	Robert Hurst
216k	16 June 1972: USS *Kretchmer* near Key West, Fla. (U.S. Navy Photo by PH3 Thomas C. Faught)	Alfred D. Noyes EN3, DER329, 1959-60

Additional Memorabilia
souvenir ashtray with ship's emblem, circa 1964 Courtesy of Allan M. Wilson	Coastal Division 15 patch click on patch for explanation Courtesy of Allen M. Wilson	lighter with ship's emblem Courtesy of Mike Smolinski

View the USS Kretchmer (DE329) DANFS history entry
located on the Naval History and Heritage Command web site.

Crew Contact And Reunion Information

USS Kretchmer's 22nd Reunion
16 - 20 September 2009 at Westport, Mass.

Contact Name: Jim Strong
Address: 7248 Resinda Dr. / Dayton OH 45459
Phone: (937) 436-1245
E-mail: J. Strong

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 or rosters available. Please see the Frequently Asked
Questions section on Navsource's Main Page for that information.

Additional Resources

USS Kretchmer Reunion Group Website
USS Kretchmer Unofficial Information Center
USS Kretchmer Shipmates Page at Tin Can Sailors
Destroyer Escort Sailors Association

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Page Last Updated 3 June 2009