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Museum History Activities
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USS Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. DD850 Destroyer Museum
at Battleship Cove, Fall River, Massachusetts.
History of USS Basilone DD824 Basilone (DD-824) was launched 21 December 1946 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Tex.; sponsored by Sergeant Lena Mae Basilone, USMCWR, widow of Sergeant Basilone. The vessel was deactivated for a period of time and was then moved from Orange, Tex., to the Quincy Yard of Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass., for conversion to an escort destroyer (reclassified DDE-824, 28 January 1948). Conversion completed, Basilone (DDE-824) was commissioned 26 July 1949, Commander M. E. Dennett in command. Assigned to Destroyer Force, Atlantic, Basilone has operated out of Norfolk on local operations and competitive exercises; with the Operational Development Force, Surface Anti-Submarine Development Detachment, and as a school ship for the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, Fla., and in the Caribbean on anti-submarine and hunter-killer exercises. At frequent intervals between March 1952 and September 1964 she conducted four tours of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. Between 6 June and 4 August 1955 she served as a unit of midshipman cruise Able which visited Spain, England, and Cuba. In 1956, between October and December Basilone made a cruise of Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, after which she returned to Norfolk. Stricken November 1 1977 from US service and sunk as target off Florida on April 9 1982. However, much of her original equipment and documentation is preserved and was utlized in the restoration of USS J.P. Kennedy Jr. DD850 at Battleship Cove.
Copyright ©2001 |
