https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=16D211010Es<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nIn May 1969, MASSEY again deployed for the fourth consecutive\nyear. Proudly carrying her reputation as\na \u201cSteamer\u201d to sea again, the ship returned to the Med where she escorted\ncarriers USS SHANGRI-LA CVA 38, USS JOHN F KENNEDY CVA 67, and USS SARATOGA CVA\n60 and operated with various surface combatants as part of the SIXTH Fleet Task\nGroup 60.X command element. During this\nstay in the Med, MASSEY sailors had a good opportunity to \u201csee the world\u201d with\nport visits to Rota, Spain; Valetta, Malta; Sfax, Tunisia; San Remo,\nItaly; Palma de Mallorca, Spain; Athens,\nGreece, Golfo Di Palmas, Sardinia, and Barcelona, Spain. Successfully completing another six month\ndeployment to the Mediterranean, MASSEY returned to Newport on 10 October 1969.\n This marked the final deployment of a proud\nTin Can celebrating 25 years of performance excellence. Winning the Battle E in 1968 and the Battle E\nwith Chevron in 1969 (E\/) is hard won testimony to the legacy of excellence of\nMASSEY and her crews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In December of 1969, MASSEY was transferred to Destroyer Squadron\nThirty. Her homeport was changed to Brooklyn, NY where she embarked on a new\ncareer as training ship supporting the Naval Reserve. In her new role, MASSEY\ncontinued to operate along the East Coast\nand in the Caribbean.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 17 December 1969, CDR T. F. Niedbala relieved CDR. William\nV. Garcia as Commanding Officer, USS MASSEY.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In September 1970, MASSEY acted as Navy\u2019s ceremonial ship for\nthe America\u2019s Cup Race off Newport, R. I. After completion of that assignment,\nthe ship spent the latter part of 1970 undergoing a regular overhaul at the\nPhiladelphia Naval Shipyard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MASSEY served as reviewing ship for Commandant, THIRD Naval\nDistrict in a parade, which commemorated National Maritime Day on 22 May 1971.\nIn June 1971, the ship visited Fort Lauderdale, Florida in conjunction with the\nreserve crew annual training cruise. In August MASSEY proceeded to GTMO for\ntwo-months of refresher training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 21 August 1971, CDR T.B. Hudgins relieved CDR T.F.\nNiedbala.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
MASSEY returned to a new homeport at Fort Schuyler, Bronx,\nNew York. In December 1971, MASSEY was reassigned to the administrative command\nof Destroyer Squadron TWENTY-EIGHT (Naval Reserve Forces). In January 1972,\nMASSEY participated in the fleet exercise- Operation Snowy Beach. After\nqualifying in naval gunfire support in March 1972, Massey returned to Fort\nLauderdale with her reserve crew. The remainder of 1972 found MASSEY operating\nextensively until the holiday leave and upkeep period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In January 1973, CDR John D. Eckert relieved CDR T.B. Hudgins\nas Commanding Officer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In February 1973, MASSEY completed a Board of Naval\nInspection and Survey (INSURV) material inspection at Newport, RI and later\nqualified for naval gunfire support at Bloodsworth Island in Chesapeake Bay.\nMASSEY received the operations \u201cE\u201d and the ASW \u201cA\u201d in July of 1973.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In preparation for scheduled decommissioning, the Executive\nOfficer, LCDR R.V. Paul relieved CDR John D. Eckert on 4 September 1973 as the\nlast Commanding Officer of USS MASSEY DD 778.\n\nOn 17 September 1973, MASSEY was decommissioned\nat Fort Schuyler, New York by RADM William B. Phuge USN, Commander, THIRD Naval\nDistrict. USS MASSEY proudly served almost 30 continuous years, over four\ndecades and three wars in the service of her country.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Now approaching a quarter century of service in both Fleets including participation in three wars in the Pacific theater, a Slow Ahead Bell was not to be in MASSEY’s schedule. Having completed a Med Cruise from May to September 1967, MASSEY carried her reputation as a \u201cSteamer\u201d into 1968 with yet another Med Cruise less…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":33,"menu_order":9,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-67","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=67"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":803042,"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/67\/revisions\/803042"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ussmasseyassociation.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=67"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}