View source for USS Leary (DD-879)

{{Short description|Gearing-class destroyer}}
{{other ships|USS Leary}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=[[File:USS Leary (DD-879) underway at sea, circa in 1972.jpg|300px|USS Leary DD-879]]
|Ship caption=USS ''Leary'' underway in 1972
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag}}
|Ship Call Sign=Home Run
|Ship name=''Leary''
|Ship namesake=[[Clarence F. Leary]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Consolidated Steel Corporation]]
|Ship laid down=11 August 1944
|Ship launched=20 January 1945
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=7 May 1945
|Ship in service=23 June 1945
|Ship decommissioned=31 October 1973
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NBHS
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Sierra}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-879
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Transferred to [[Spain]], 1978
|Ship reclassified=DDR-879, 1949
|Ship motto=''No Quarter''
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=[[File:USS Leary (DD-879) insignia, 1966 (NH 67994-KN).png|80px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Spain
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Spain|naval}}
|Ship name=''Langara''
|Ship namesake=[[Juan de Lángara]]
|Ship acquired=17 May 1978
|Ship commissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship decommissioned=1992
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=1992
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=[[Ship breaking|Scrapped]], 1994
|Ship identification=[[Hull number]]: D-64
|Ship motto=
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=*{{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}}
*[[Churruca-class destroyer (1972)|''Churruca''-class]] [[destroyer]]
|Ship displacement=3,460 tons
|Ship length={{convert|390|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|41|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|18|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*{{convert|60,000|shp|abbr=on}}
*Westinghouse turbines;
*2 screws
|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn}}
|Ship range={{convert|6500|nmi|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=367 officers and enlisted
|Ship sensors=*SQS-23 Sonar System<ref>[http://www.gyrodynehelicopters.com/gearing_class.htm ''Gearing'' class article at GyrodyneHelicopters.com]</ref>
*SPS-10 Surface Search Radar
*SPS-29 Air Search Radar
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*'''As built:'''
*6 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|adj=on|0}} guns]],
*12 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] AA guns,
*11 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] AA guns,
*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|{{convert|21|in|adj=on|0}}]] [[torpedo]] tubes,
*6 × [[K-gun]] [[depth charge]] projectors,
*2 × depth charge tracks
*'''Post-FRAM:'''
*4 × {{convert|5|in|adj=on|0}} guns,
*1 × Mk 112 [[ASROC]] launcher
*6 × [[Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes|Mk 32]] torpedo tubes
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=2 × [[QH-50C DASH]] Drone Helicopters
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=All specifications are post-FRAM except as noted
}}
|}
'''USS ''Leary'' (DD/DDR-879)''' (radio call sign: "'''Home Run'''"), one of the longest-lasting {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}}s, was the second ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for Lieutenant [[Clarence F. Leary]] USNRF (1894&ndash;1918), who lost his life in the line of duty.  He was posthumously awarded the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]].

==Construction and career==
===Commissioning and deployment===
''Leary''{{'}}s [[keel]] was laid down by the [[Consolidated Steel Corporation]] at [[Orange, Texas]] on 11 August 1944. The ship was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 20 January 1945 and was christened by Mrs. Theodore S. Wilkinson, wife of [[Vice Admiral (United States)|Vice Admiral]] [[Theodore S. Wilkinson]]. ''Leary'' was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] by the United States Navy on 7 May 1945. On 23 June 1945 ''Leary'' completed her shakedown off the US Naval base at [[Guantanamo Bay Naval Base|Guantanamo Bay]], Cuba and proceeded to her home port of [[Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]].

In 1945 the Navy began converting 24 out of the 98 ''Gearing''s to radar picket ships (designated DDR in 1949) that could provide early warning of massed attack without overwhelming their Combat Information Centers. ''Leary'' was overhauled to upgrade her to a [[radar picket]] destroyer, which included installing the most advanced radar systems at the time. She then departed for [[Boston]], Massachusetts where some fire control work was done. This work was interrupted by [[V-J Day]] celebrations.  Later, the ship steamed to [[Casco Bay]], Maine where she operated with a task force to assigned to develop defenses against [[kamikaze]] attacks.

Upon completion, the destroyer returned to [[Boston Navy Yard]] again where the ship was painted to participate in a Presidential Review of the Fleet in New York City on [[Navy Day]] 1945. After the Presidential review, she returned to Norfolk and joined DESRON 1. While there, she picked up some army troops. The squadron proceeded through the [[Panama Canal]] and docked at [[San Diego]], where the army troops disembarked. Soon after, she proceeded to [[Pearl Harbor]], then on to [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]].

===Occupation of Japan===
After Christmas at Yokosuka the squadron broke up into [[destroyer division]]s for occupation duty. ''Leary''{{'}}s division, Task Force 69 (TF 69), was composed of the ''Gearing''-class destroyers {{USS|Vesole|DD-878|6}}, {{USS|Dyess|DD-880|2}}, and {{USS|Bordelon|DD-881|2}}. The division reported off the coast of [[Kure]]. After a few months, the division went back up towards Yokosuka. During exercises the faceplate on the MT 51 caved in, requiring a stay in Yokosuka for repairs. The rest of the division departed for [[Guam]], with ''Leary'' joining them later after repairs were complete.

[[File:USS Leary (DD-879) at Venice in 1949.jpg|thumb|left|''Leary'' in Venice, 1949.]]

Once in Guam, she joined the WESPAC Strike Force, [[Task Force 77 (United States Navy)|Task Force 77]], consisting of the [[aircraft carrier]]s {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|6}} and {{USS|Antietam|CV-36|2}}, the [[heavy cruiser]] {{USS|Boston|CA-69|2}}, the [[light cruiser]]s {{USS|Topeka|CL-67|2}} and {{USS|Duluth|CL-87|2}}, and the rest of the destroyer division which included the {{USS|Blue|DD-744|2}} and three other destroyers.  The task force usually operated out of [[Saipan]], and occasionally out of [[Apra Harbor]], Guam.<ref name=DesOrg1>{{Cite web |url=http://www.destroyers.org/Histories/h-DD-879.htm |title=USS ''Leary'' article at Destroyers.org |access-date=2009-04-11 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303232735/http://www.destroyers.org/Histories/h-DD-879.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During this time, her division escorted the carriers to [[Hong Kong]]. After the rest of the task force joined up, they steamed to [[Qingdao]], China, with an overnight stay in Buckner Bay, [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]]. During that stay the cruisers and destroyers carried liberty parties (sailors on leave) from the carriers to [[Shanghai]]. The voyage home began at Qingdao on 4 June 1946, with operations and stops en route. ''Leary'' moored at San Diego on 21 December 1946. She departed early January 1947 and later transited the [[Panama Canal]] to return to Norfolk and then [[Newport, Rhode Island]] before beginning [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]] operations.<ref name=DesOrg1/>

''Leary''{{'}}s first Mediterranean deployment began in October 1945. Departing Newport on 29 October, ''Leary'' joined the U.S. [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]] and made visits to ports in Algeria, Greece, Italy, and the island of [[Rhodes]]. She returned home on 14 February 1948. These missions were ''Leary''{{'}}s routine in succeeding years. In 1949, ''Leary''{{'}}s official designation was changed from '''DD-879''' to '''DDR-879''' to reflect her status as a [[radar picket]] destroyer. With the exception of 1957, ''Leary'' spent most of her time on active duty with the 6th Fleet, including the [[Suez Crisis]] of 1956, and the Lebanon landings of 1958.

===Cuban Missile Crisis===
[[File:USS Leary (DDR-879) underway at sea, circa 1960 (NH 81814).jpg|thumb|USS ''Leary'' in the early 1960s.]]
On 22 October 1962, the crew of ''Leary'' listened to President [[John F. Kennedy]] declare a quarantine of the island of Cuba in what became known as the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]]. She was immediately paired with the US [[flagship]] for the quarantine, the heavy cruiser {{USS|Newport News|CA-148|2}}. ''Leary''{{'}}s orders were to enforce the quarantine and assist ''Newport News'' in the missile count. From 22 October to 24 November 1962, ''Leary'' was continuously active in the US Navy blockade.

Tensions were running high when on 9 November, ''Leary'' and ''Newport News'' were operating in the waters northeast of Cuba. Suddenly, one of the first [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] vessels, ''Labinsk'', was detected by ''Leary''{{'}}s advanced radar as it approached the Navy blockade.  Three minutes later, ''Leary'', along with ''Newport News'', surprised the Soviet vessel and quickly intercepted it. While ''Leary'' trained her heavy guns on ''Labinsk'', ''Newport News'' went alongside and ordered the Soviet vessel to halt.  Two Soviet [[ICBM]] missiles, without any payloads, were discovered on the deck of ''Labinsk''.

After the missiles were inspected and photographed, the Soviet ship was permitted to turn around and steam away due east from Cuba, with ''Leary'' trailing close behind. 21 minutes later when ''Labinsk'' was safely away from Cuba, ''Leary'' radioed a warning to ''Labinsk'' not to return to Cuban waters. ''Leary'' then discontinued the trail and returned to the waters around Cuba to resume her patrol line in the picket.<ref name="abbey">{{cite web|title=The Naval Quarantine of Cuba, 1962: Abeyance and Negotiation, 31 October -13 November|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/cuban-missile-crisis/abeyance-and-negotiation.html |publisher= Naval History and Heritage Command |date=2 April 2015 |access-date= 27 January 2019}}</ref>

Individual details on ''Leary''{{'}}s intercept from the US Navy, times are Romeo (UTC -5 hours):<ref name="abbey"/>
* 090300R ''Leary'' and ''Newport News'' assigned to intercept the Soviet ship ''Labinsk''
* 090615R Intercept made.
* 090730R Outer covers on missiles removed.
* 090748R Request to remove inner cover ignored.
* 090854R Deck cargo reported by ''Newport News'' as 2 missiles without nose cones. Outer cover removed for 1/3 of length from after end.
* 091100R 090836 posit 22-55N, 72-31W reported by CTG 136.2 Photos obtained
* 091113R ''Leary'' trailing.
* 091134R ''Leary'' discontinued trail. Labinsk proceeding

On 24 November President Kennedy declared the quarantine successful, and ordered the quarantine line disbanded after the Soviet MRBM's were dismantled and removed from Cuba. ''Leary'' and ''Newport News'' arrived in Norfolk the day before Thanksgiving, having successfully completed their mission.<ref>[http://www.historycentral.com/navy/cruiser/NewportnewsII.html USS ''Newport News'' (CA-148) at HistoryCentral.com]</ref>

===Refit and Vietnam War===
The ship underwent an extensive [[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization]] I (FRAM I) overhaul between April 1964 and January 1965. This removed her DDR radars, and ''Leary'' was redesignated as '''DD-879''' again on 1 July 1964.<ref>{{cite book | last = Bauer | first = K. Jack | author-link = K. Jack Bauer | author2=Roberts, Stephen S. | title = Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1990: Major Combatants | publisher = Greenwood Press | year = 1991 | location = [[Westport, Connecticut]] | page = 206 | isbn = 0-313-26202-0 }}</ref>

Between 24 April 1965, and 3 September 1965, she served on a [[peacekeeping]] mission off [[Santo Domingo]] as American troops were landed to prevent political chaos and subversion.<ref>{{cite web|title=Caribbean Tempest: The Dominican Republic Intervention of 1965|url=https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/c/caribbean-tempest.html |publisher= Naval History and Heritage Command |date=3 February 2017|access-date= 27 January 2019}}</ref>

''Leary'' saw active combat duty during the war in the [[Vietnam War]]. The standard rotation for destroyers was a few months combat [[tour of duty]] at sea, usually around five months. At the conclusion of her tour of duty, the destroyer would return to port for maintenance, usually her [[home port]]. While in port the crew would receive [[Leave (military)|leave]] and go ashore. When maintenance was complete, the crew would return from leave and the ship would spend a period of time undergoing tests or exercises near port.  When exercises were finished, the ship would receive their orders and then return to sea for a new tour of duty. This was ''Leary''{{'}}s routine for her entire operational life.

She was among the destroyers that protected aircraft from the carriers on [[Yankee Station]] in the [[Tonkin Gulf]]. During periods of sustained air operations against [[North Vietnam]] ''Leary'', along with the other destroyers on patrol, were responsible for providing protective cover for as many as three aircraft carriers at once. This included firing her guns and destroying missile placements in North Vietnam that were firing at the fleet. Her guns were often fired during [[naval gunfire support]] missions. ''Leary'' was also regularly called upon to provide emergency [[search and rescue]] duties, and was responsible for saving the lives of many who would otherwise have been lost at sea.

''Leary'' was rotated out of combat in late 1965, and at the conclusion of her tour of duty, returned to her home port in Norfolk for routine maintenance. Afterwards, the destroyer participated in extensive antisubmarine warfare exercises off the coast of North Carolina and Puerto Rico. She then returned to Norfolk on 16 December 1965.

Following another month of operations, she once again readied for deployment. ''Leary'' departed Norfolk on 4 March 1966 for a five-month tour of duty in the Mediterranean on patrol with the 6th Fleet.  Afterwards, ''Leary'' returned to Norfolk on 12 August 1966 for a month of leave and regular maintenance. The remainder of the year was spent conducting local exercises, including an extensive evaluation of her two advanced [[QH-50 DASH]] helicopter drones.<ref>[http://www.gyrodynehelicopters.com/gearing_class.htm Gyrodyne DASH Helicopters on Gearing-class destroyers]</ref>

From 3 to 17 March 1967, ''Leary'' briefly served as a [[Sonar]] School Ship at [[Key West, Florida]]. On 5 July ''Leary'' once again passed through the Panama Canal and was quickly en route to an extended tour of duty off the coast of Vietnam. She was accompanied by the destroyers {{USS|Cony|DD-508|2}}, {{USS|Waldron|DD-699|2}}, and {{USS|Damato|DD-871|2}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.destroyers.org/histories/h-dd-508.htm |title=USS ''Cony'' (DD-508) at Destroyers.org |access-date=2009-04-11 |archive-date=2021-10-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016201341/http://www.destroyers.org/histories/h-dd-508.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref> On arrival, she was immediately assigned to provide needed gunfire support off the Vietnamese coast as she alternated duty with the carriers on Yankee Station. Periodically, ''Leary'' reinforced the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] cruisers and she provided naval gunfire support to allied forces in [[South Vietnam]]. On 9 October ''Leary'' operated on Baie de Ganh Rai of the [[Mekong River Delta]] in South Vietnam.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.veterans.senate.gov/upload/01_06_11_VA_BlueWaterNavyShipList.pdf |title=Navy and Coast Guard Ships Associated with Service in Vietnam and Exposure to Herbicide Agents |access-date=2012-08-12 |archive-date=2013-10-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019145220/http://www.veterans.senate.gov/upload/01_06_11_VA_BlueWaterNavyShipList.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 1967 ''Leary'' was active in [[Operation Sea Dragon (Vietnam War)|Operation Sea Dragon]] and was responsible for using her guns to destroy land targets, as well as interdict sea lines of communication between North and South Vietnam. Steaming generally in pairs, the two to four American and Australian destroyers and one cruiser worked with carrier-based spotter planes, such as the [[Douglas A-1 Skyraider]] and [[Grumman S-2 Tracker]], to find, identify, and destroy infiltrating vessels and shore targets. The destroyers took heavy fire from North Vietnamese coastal batteries, and ''Leary'' would immediately return fire. Although it was reported that life aboard Sea Dragon destroyers proved stressful and tiring, morale consistently remained high because of the operation's effectiveness. While several ships were hit, no U.S. or Australian vessel was sunk during the two-year-long Sea Dragon operation and ''Leary'' remained undamaged. ''Leary'' remained active in Sea Dragon until the end of October 1968.

Then in January 1969 ''Leary'' again passed through the Panama Canal and was deployed for duty with the 7th Fleet providing gunfire support to U.S. operations in Vietnam until October 1969, after which she returned to her home port in Norfolk.

===Return home and longevity===
From January through October 1969 ''Leary'' made a Western Pacific cruise for extended deployment with the 7th Fleet providing gun fire support to US operations in Vietnam.

On 5 November, the {{convert|632|ft|m|adj=on}} Liberian [[Tanker (ship)|tanker]] ''Keo'' broke in half about {{convert|30|mi|km}} east of [[Cape May]], [[New Jersey]].  First reports were that 36 crewmen were safe on the stern section of the ship. ''Leary'' was immediately dispatched to the scene, along with two [[United States Coast Guard]] cutters, two [[C-130]] aircraft, the destroyer {{USS|Hugh Purvis|DD-709|2}}, and the cruiser {{USS|Fox|DLG-33|2}}. However, before any of the ships or the aircraft arrived, the stern quickly sank, and all 36 crewmen were lost.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/humanitarian.htm |title=Sampling of US Navy Humanitarian Missions |access-date=2009-04-11 |archive-date=2014-12-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141225055037/http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/humanitarian.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>

From May through October 1970 ''Leary'' performed a Mediterranean cruise and from December 1971 to June 1972 the destroyer made another Mediterranean cruise which would be her final major cruise before conducting operations off the East Coast, which continued to her decommissioning on 31 October 1973. ''Leary'' returned one last time to Norfolk, and on 31 October 1973, stood-to for her [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioning ceremony]] as she was recognized for her 28 years of distinguished and honorable service to the United States Navy. ''USS Leary DD/DDR-879'' was recognized as one of the longest serving Gearing-class destroyers in the Navy.

''Leary'' was carefully examined for weapons effects testing, and provided vital information on structural integrity and survivability which assisted in the design and planning of later destroyers.  After the tests were completed, she was transferred to the inactive fleet and stricken from the U.S. [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 2 June 1975.

===Transfer to Spain===
{{Main|Churruca-class destroyer (1972)}}

In 1978 Spain ratified a new constitution, and was now a newly free democratic state. The United States had pledged the new government their support. On 17 May 1978, ''Leary'' once again took to the sea and was loaned to Spain to [[Spanish transition to democracy|aid in the transition of the new Spanish democracy]]. She was renamed ''Langara'' (D64) in the [[Spanish Navy]].

She was part of Spain's battle to suppress [[piracy]] and [[smuggling]], which were very serious threats from opponents of the new free Spanish government.  After Spain joined [[NATO]], the destroyer found herself once again serving alongside other United States naval vessels. ''Langara'' spent the next fourteen years serving with NATO and insuring the survival of the new Spanish democracy until the effects of age overcame the ship.  In 1992, she was stricken and broken up for scrap by Spain after a marathon 47 years of service on the Earth's oceans, having protected two democracies and visited every sea at least once.

==References==
{{reflist}}

*{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/l/leary-ii.html}}
* [https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/cuban-missile-crisis.html Cuban Missile Crisis from Navy.mil]
* [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/sumner-gearingclass/gearingclass.html Gearing-Class Destroyers Design and Development]

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Leary (DD-879)}}
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/879.htm USS ''Leary'' photos and history at NavSource.org]
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd879txt.htm USS ''Leary'' DANFS entry at HazeGray.org]
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/a-record/allow-lo/1965-68/jan1966.pdf Allowances and Location of Navy Aircraft]

{{Gearing class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leary (DD-879)}}
[[Category:Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Orange, Texas]]
[[Category:1945 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gearing-class destroyers of the Spanish Navy]]