Click On Image For Full Size Image	Size	Image Description		Contributed By And/Or Copyright
0602108301	382k	Wilmer Paul Cook was born on 01 October 1932 and attended high school in Annapolis, Md., graduating the U.S. Naval Academy with the class of 1956. He became a naval aviator and an expert in the A-4E Skyhawk, serving in Attack Squadrons 125, 216, 192, and 112 before joining VA-155. He took command of VA-155 after the loss of the unit's commanding and executive officers. On 22 December 1967, Lcdr. Cook perished when his plane was hit by enemy fire. (click on the photo for a more complete biography of Lcdr. Cook.) USS Cook (DE 1083) (1971-1992) was the first ship named in his honor. "Cook has the distinction of being the only ship in the history of the U.S. Navy to have buried her own namesake. Lcdr. Cook was shot down on 22 December 1967. In 1989 his remains were returned to the United States, and a memorial service was held on board Cook on 24 November 1989, at which time his ashes were buried at sea." (Jim Lavelle's note at Whatever Happened)		Robert M. Cieri
0602108323	536K	January 1973: the Pacific Ocean - USS Cook (DE 1083) underway off Pearl Harbor. (Photo by Dick Hanover, USS Coral Sea 1973 WestPac Cruise)		Dick Hanover USS Coral Sea (CVA-43)
0602108321	93k	11 November 1979: San Diego, Cal. - Cook photographed in port at San Diego.		Carl T. Orbann
0602108302	423k	01 May 1981: At Sea - A port bow view of USS Cook (FF 1083) underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-82-00680 by PH3 Robert Swinland from the Defense Visual Information Center)		Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Navsource DE/FF/LCS Archive Manager
0602108303	206k	12 May 1981: At Sea - A port bow view of Cook underway while en route to Hawaii. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SN-90-11728 by PH3 Robert Swinland from the DVIC)
0602108304	149k	04 September 1981: At Sea - left rear view of an SH-2F Seasprite helicopter from Light Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron 35 (HSL-35), assigned to Anti-submarine Warfare Wing Pacific, preparing to land on the helicopter pad aboard Cook. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-82-01147 by PH1 L.B. Foster from the DVIC)
0602108305	175k	08 September 1985: At Sea - A starboard beam view of Cook, foreground, and a Charles F. Adams class guided missile destroyer underway. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-87-10741 by PH3 Fred Brewer from the DVIC)
0602108320	66k	January 1987: Southbound at 21 knots along the California coast enroute from Weapons Station, Seal Beach to San Diego. Picture was taken from the ship's gig and prints were included in the decommissioning ceremony program. (caption supplied by former CO Bob Lang)		Walter Bengtson
0602108306	186k	January 1987 (exact date shot unknown): At Sea - Cook, (foreground) and the Forrestal Class Aircraft Carrier USS Ranger (CV 61) underway. Airborne is a H-3 Sea King helicopter. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-05-06694 from the DVIC)		Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Navsource DE/FF/LCS Archive Manager
0602108310	188k	01 June 1987: Diego Garcia - Cook is moored alongside the fast combat support ship USS Camden (AOE 2) in the lagoon at Diego Garcia with the Constellation Battle Group. USS Ouellet (FF 1077) is moored to the quay wall in the background. (This photo and the next were originally dated 01 June 1990. According to Bob Lang, CO at the time, Cook did not deploy to WestPac in 1990 and these photos are from 1987.)
0602108311	159k	01 June 1987: Diego Garcia - Cook is moored alongside the fast combat support ship USS Camden (AOE 2) in the lagoon at Diego Garcia with the Constellation Battle Group. The bow of USS Constellation (CV 64) can be seen in the background of this photo. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-93-01107 from the DVIC)
0602108307	219k	01 August 1987: At Sea - A starboard beam view of Cook underway with the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV 64) battle group. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-89-08858 by PH1 Barrett from the DVIC)
0602108308	130k	01 August 1987: At Sea - A port view of Cook underway with the aircraft carrier USS Constellation (CV 64) battle group. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-89-08881 by PH1 Barrett from the DVIC)
0602108309	103k	July 1988: At Sea - A bow view of the ships composing the battleship USS Missouri (BB 63) battle group participating in the multinational Exercise RIMPAC '88. They are, front to back: Cook, the guided missile frigate USS McClusky (FFG 41), the destroyer USS John Young (DD 973) and the nuclear-powered guided missile cruiser USS Long Beach (CGN 9). (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-89-05371 by Terry Cosgrove from the DVIC)
0602108319	139k	July 1988: Pearl Harbor, Hi. - Cook with USS Joseph Strauss (DDG 16) outboard of her at Pearl Harbor during RIMPAC '88.		Robert M. Cieri
0602108322	211k	circa late 1980's: the Pacific Ocean - USS Cook (FF 1083) Underway. (U.S. Naval Historical Center photo #NH 107461-KN from the Naval History and Heritage Command)		Bob Hurst Worksop, Nottinghamshire, England, United Kingdom
0602108313	138k	July 1988: Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hi. - A port beam view of Cook departing Pearl Harbor through the channel. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-SC-92-04843 by OS2 John Bouvia from the DVIC)		Mike Smolinski Clifton, N.J. Navsource DE/FF/LCS Archive Manager
0602108312	94k	24 May 1991: Naval Station San Diego, Cal. - A crew member climbs scaffolding as he prepares to paint the bow of Cook. In the background, sailors man the rails aboard the guided missile frigate USS Mahlon S. Tisdale (FFG 27) as the vessel enters port following deployment in the Western Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo DVID #DN-ST-91-11786 by JO1(AW) Joseph F. Lancaster from the DVIC)
0602108314	91k	25 March 2006: Keelung, Taiwan - ROCS Hae Yang (FFG 936) moored in Keelung Harbor.		Perry Huang
0602108315	70k	20 June 2006: Suao, Taiwan - Hae Yang moored in Suao Harbor.
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0602108317	84k
0602108318	81k
1.) 240k    2.) 407k 27 June 2020: Kaohsiung Harbor, Taiwan - Two views of the decommissioned Taiwanese Navy frigates Chih Yang (FF-932) (ex-USS Robert E. Peary, FF 1073) and Hae Yang (FF-936) (ex-USS Cook, FF 1083). (Photos taken by and used with the permission of Ching Chun Tseng) 0602107322        0602107325				Chin Yu Chu Brunei Darussalam South East Asia

Cook Memorabilia

Commissioning Booklet Cover Courtesy of Robert M. Cieri

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

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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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This Page Created And Maintained By Mike Smolinski by Paul R. Yarnall, All Rights Reserved. Page Last Updated: 06 August 2023