USS Vesole

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USS Vesole (DD-878) was a Gearing-class destroyer in the United States Navy. It was laid down on July 3, 1944, launched on December 29, 1944, and commissioned on April 23, 1945. The ship was named for Kay Kopl Vesole, a Navy Reserve officer who earned the Navy Cross for his heroism during a 1943 air raid on Bari, Italy, where he fought to defend his ship and helped evacuate the wounded before dying of his injuries.

Vesole served along the U.S. East Coast and in the Caribbean with the 2nd Fleet, and deployed to the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet. It helped enforce the blockade during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and later received a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) overhaul in 1964 to extend its life.

During the Vietnam War, Vesole acted as a plane guard for aircraft carriers at Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in naval gunfire support missions, and took part in Operation Sea Dragon and Operation Market Time, as well as search-and-rescue duties.

In early 1969, Vesole joined Standing Naval Force Atlantic (STANAVFORLANT), a NATO multinational squadron, making port calls across Northern Europe. From April to September 1970, Vesole deployed from Charleston, South Carolina, to the Persian Gulf, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean as part of the Middle East Force (MIDEASTFOR), conducting six-month rotations and visiting many ports along the way.

Vesole was decommissioned on December 1, 1976, and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register the same day. It was sunk as a target off Puerto Rico on April 14, 1983.

Specifications in brief: Vesole displaced about 2,616 long tons (standard) and up to 3,460 long tons full load, was about 390.5 feet long, 40.9 feet beam, and 14.3 feet draft. It could reach speeds near 37 knots, powered by four boilers and geared steam turbines, with a typical crew of about 350. Its original armament included several 5-inch guns, multiple anti-aircraft guns, and depth charges, later adjusted for its radar-picket role.