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USS Massey, a 2200-ton Allen M. Sumner class destroyer, was built at Seattle, Washington. Commissioned in November 1944, she went to the Pacific war zone early in the new year and took an active part in the Okinawa campaign. Late in the war, Massey made an anti-shipping sweep in the East China Sea, then operated in support of occupation activities until she returned to the United States late in 1945.
Massey transferred to the Atlantic Fleet in January 1946. Except for a trip to Chile during that year, she operated in the Atlantic and in the Mediterranean area until mid-1950, when she was sent to the Far East for Korean War service. The destroyer returned to the Atlantic in 1951 and resumed her previous operations in that ocean, with regular deployments to the Mediterranean and Northern European waters.
A "FRAM II" modernization in 1963 enhanced Massey's anti-submarine capabilities and extended her service life. In the course of a 1966 Vietnam War deployment, she steamed around the World. She was in the Mediterranean during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and went to the assistance of USS Liberty (AGTR-5) after that ship was attacked by Israeli forces. In 1969, Massey became a Naval Reserve training ship and operated in that role along the U.S. East Coast and in the Caribbean until she decommissioned in September 1973. USS Massey was sold for scrapping in November 1974.USS Massey was named in honor of Lieutenant Commander Lance E. Massey, USN, who was killed in action during the Battle of Midway.
This page features views related to USS Massey.
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Photo #: NH 96844 USS Massey (DD-778) Anchored at Naples, Italy, 5 July 1948. She is using a fire hose, aft, to keep over-enthusiastic "bum boat" peddlers away from the ship. This was done in keeping with current directives from both Navy and Italian authorities prohibiting "bum boat" transactions. Photographed from USS Kearsarge (CV-33). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 121KB; 740 x 620 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 96845 USS Massey (DD-778) Anchored off Tripoli, Libya, which she visited in company with USS Kearsarge (CV-33) in late June 1948. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Note that this photo has been somewhat disfigured by tape lifting the image in two places. Online Image: 71KB; 740 x 615 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 96846 USS Massey (DD-778) Photographed circa the early 1950s, after being fitted with new radar antennas. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 126KB; 740 x 610 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 96847 USS Massey (DD-778) Alongside USS Leyte (CV-32) to refuel during "Operation Frigid" cold weather underway replenishment activities in the North Atlantic, 12 November 1948. The towing cable, used to maintain spacing between the ships, has already been rigged. Messenger lines are visible in lower center. These are employed to bring across telephone lines, refueling hoses and heavier cables that will be used to exchange mail and cargo. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 139KB; 740 x 590 pixels |
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Photo #: USN 1116628 USS Massey (DD-778) Coming alongside USS Kitty Hawk for underway refueling, during operations in the Western Pacific area, 6 April 1966. Photographed by Blukouich. Official U.S. Navy Photograph. Online Image: 133KB; 740 x 625 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system as Photo # 428-N-1116628. |
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Photo #: NH 65341-KN (Color) Insignia: USS Massey (DD-778) Insignia that was on file at the Naval History Division in 1967. It probably dates from the late 1950s or early 1960s. This example has been slightly disfigured by a hole punched in its lower left edge. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 97KB; 650 x 675 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 71848-KN (Color) Insignia: USS Massey (DD-778) Cloth jacket patch featuring the ship's emblem, as used during the 1960s. Courtesy of Captain G.F. Swainson, USN, 1970. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 51KB; 685 x 580 pixels |
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24 May 1999