USS JOHN R. PERRY (DE-1034)

John R. Perry (DE-1034) was laid down 4 January 1956 by Avondale Marine Ways, Avondale, La.; launched 29 July 1958; sponsored by Mrs. John R. Perry, widow of Rear Admiral Perry; and commissioned 5 May 1959, Lt. Comdr. W. L. Atkinson in command.

John R. Perry made a shakedown cruise to Northern Europe and Scandinavian countries, thence sailed to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She then became a school ship for the Fleet Sonar School, basing at Key West, Fla., for antisubmarine warfare operations that took her to principal Caribbean and Gulf ports, sailing as far east as the Azores, and up the eastern seaboard to Norfolk. She was one of the Atlantic Fleet's warships responding to the President's call for a quarantine of Cuba (24 October-20 November 1962), which was being developed as a Soviet offensive base. She patrolled off the island to help choke off the flow of military supplies to Cuba and enforce American demands for the withdrawal of Soviet missiles. After American demands were substantially complied with, the persuasive tentacles of force were withdrawn.

John R. Perry resumed sonar school ship duties out of Key West which continued through 1965. This principal service was interrupted by overhauls in the Charleston Navy Yard, special antisubmarine warfare tactics in the Caribbean and along the eastern seaboard with Task Force Alpha, and joint operations with units of the Venezuelan Navy (2-8 February 1964). During these years John R. Perry has helped train the men of the Navy in the latest ASW techniques and has steadily perfected her own ability to defend the Nation against the threat of a growing Soviet submarine force.

John R. Perry was transferred to the Pacific Fleet 1 May 1966. She departed Key West on the 16th, transited the Panama Canal 3 days later, and arrived Pearl Harbor 4 June to operate in the Hawaiian area through mid-1967.