USS FALGOUT DE-324/WDE-424/DER-324 | |
Displacement 1,250 Tons | |
Dimensions, 306' (oa) x 36' x 10' 5" (Max) | |
Armament 3 x 3"/50, 2x 40mmAA,10x 20mm AA, 3 x 21" TT, 1 Hedgehog, 8 DCT's 2 DC racks | |
Machinery, 6,000 SHP; 4 Fairbanks Morse Model 38d81/8 Geared Diesel Engines, 2 screws | |
Speed, 21 Knots | |
Crew 186 | |
Laid down by Consolidated Steel, Orange Texas on May 24 1943 | |
Launched July 24 1943 | |
Commissioned November 15 1943 | |
Decommissioned April 18 1947 | |
Loaned to USCG and Recommissioned WDE-424, August 24 1951 | |
Returned to USN and Decommissioned May 21 1954 | |
Reclassified and converted to DER-324, October 28 1954 | |
Recommissioned June 30 1955 | |
Decommissioned October 10, 1969 at 1000 hours | |
Stricken from Navy Register June 1, 1975 | |
Final Disposition: SUNK AS A TARGET | |
Date: 01/12/1977 | |
Location: 030° 47' North, 120° 20' West (off coast of Southern California) | |
Depth: 2110 fathoms |
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At Pearl Harbor in the early '60s. |  | One of our duties during Market Time patrols off Viet Nam. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
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Ain't she pretty? (Photo courtesy of Morper Pictures) |  | The old gal laid up in a drydock on Guam in 1965. (Photo courtesy of Lee Danner AG3) | ||
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Steamin' in circles? |  |
Where are the heck are we heading to? (Photo courtesy of Morper Pictures) | ||
 | Lee Danner and Linsey Thomas by the giant 3" peashooter on the stern in 1965. (Photo courtesy of Lee Danner AG3) |  | A minesweeper getting refueled by the Falgout in 1965. (Photo courtesy of Lee Danner AG3) | ||
 | Checking out a suspicious craft during the Falgout's first Market Time patrol in 1965. (Photo courtesy of Lee Danner AG3) |  | Meeting up with the Special Forces in 1965. (Photo courtesy of Lee Danner AG3) | ||
 | Bio of CDR Robert E. Klee, Falgout captain (1966-1968). He made Admiral and became Commander Amphibious Force United States Pacific Fleet (COMPHIBPAC). |  | My shellback certificate. It proved that I crossed the equator with the approval of Neptunus Rex, Ruler Of The Raging Main. | ||
 | CDR Klee in 1971 when he was the CO of the USS Joseph Hewes DE-1078. The photo was taken off of Viet Nam. (Photo courtesy of Rob Summerhill) |  | My trusty Falgout Zippo lighter. It served me well until I quit smoking in 1978. | ||
 | Capt. Klee watching manuevers on the Hewes. (Photo courtesy of Rob Summerhill) |  |
Tied alongside the USS Fred T. Berry DDG-858 in Hong Kong harbor July 1966. (Photo courtesy of Richard Leonhardt) | ||
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"Sailing, sailing o'er the bounding main......." |  | Some hard working Falgout boys catching some rays off of Oahu in 1964. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
 | Typical calm seas while Falgout was on patrol in Feb. 1964, heh heh. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | Not the best place to be if you get seasick real easy! (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
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| A nice head-on shot. | The fastest ship in the Navy? Not with a top speed of only 21 knots! | ||||
 | Whoa! I think I'm going to be sick. On picket duty in May of 1964. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | A pooped-out albatross getting a free ride in July of 1964. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
 | Kickin' back and relaxing in June of 1964. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | The boys of the Falgout chowing down during a fantail cookout in August of 1964. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
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Ship's patch for the mighty "Fightin' Falgout". (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | 31 for 2! Playing a game of Cribbage, August of 1964. I learned the game when I was on the Falgout. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
 | Doing a highline maneuver between the Falgout and the USS Brister DER-327. I did one once and it's scary, let me tell you! (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | In the "M" Division berthing area, August of 1964. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
 | Calm seas while on picket duty, heh heh. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | A forward lookout enjoying a nice warm day on picket duty, heh heh. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
 | Pass the crackers, heh heh! (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) |  | Another view of the peaceful sea from the fantail. (Photo courtesy of Bob Kelly EN3) | ||
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The Falgout in the Coast Guard fleet. Seen here in early '53 relieving the Durant WDE-489 on Ocean Weather Station "SUGAR" in the North Pacific. (Photo courtesy of Tom McGuire ET3) |  |
Another view of the old gal. (Photo courtesy of Tom McGuire ET3) | ||
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Seasick pills were passed out this day, heh heh. It was a typically rough North Pacific sea. (Photo courtesy of Tom McGuire ET3) |  |
Check out the ocean breaking over the bow. Not a good place to be! (Photo courtesy of Tom McGuire ET3) | ||
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Lee Ruhlman, SK1 watching the Falgout coming into Tacoma, Wash. after another patrol in early 1953. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) |  |
Lowering a boat to take mail to the Winona WPG-65 while on patrol in mid 1953. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) | ||
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Another view. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) |  |
Another view. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) | ||
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View of the Winona. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) |  |
A small boat in a BIG ocean, heh heh. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) | ||
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Hope the boat doesn't sink! (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) |  | Falgout as a Coast Guard ship in 1952 at Tacoma, Washington. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) | ||
 | Moored at Seattle, Washington in 1952. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) |  | Jim writing home like a good sailor should, ha ha. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) | ||
 | Jim proudly wearing his Falgout ballcap recently. (Photo courtesy of Jim Hopper, SK2) |  | The Falgout WDE-424 steaming into Havana, Cuba in early February 1952. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) | ||
 | WDE-424 on a patrol. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) |  | Bill Diamond as a young Coast Guard sailor in 1952. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) | ||
 | Bill in his present role as Flotilla Staff Officer-Finance USCGAux Flotilla 36 Boca Raton, Fl. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) |  | Bill (back left) and his wife (foreground) enjoying a day with some RVing friends. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) | ||
 | Film legend Humphrey Bogart's yacht, Santana, as she was being guided to safety by the Falgout during a heavy fog in 1952. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) |  | Another view of Bogie's famous 55' sailing yacht. Bogie served in the Navy during WW I as a coxswain on the USS Leviathan, a troop transport. (Photo courtesy of Bill Diamond, YN2 USCG) | ||
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Riding out another Pacific storm sometime in the middle 1960s. They were great fun, weren't they? Especially late at night when we were trying to sleep. (Photo courtesy of Tom Oliver, QM3) |  |
A great shot of the Falgout sailing in Puget Sound, Wash. when she was a Coast Guard ship in the early 1950s. Didn't she look pretty? (Photo courtesy of Kim Levinson on behalf of her father, Connie L. Sample, FN1 USCG) | ||
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