Return to Naval Historical Center home page. Return to Online Library listing

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Photo # NH 99283:  USS Preston in San Francisco Bay, 22 October 1955

Online Library of Selected Images:
-- U.S. NAVY SHIPS --

USS Preston (DD-795), 1944-1969

USS Preston, a 2050-ton modified Fletcher class destroyer, was built at San Pedro, California. Commissioned in March 1944, she arrived in the Pacific combat zone in July 1944, in time to participate in the campaign to recapture Guam from the Japanese. During the last four months of 1944 she supported the landings in the Palau Islands and screened aircraft carriers during the Battle of Leyte Gulf and a campaign of raids against enemy targets in the western Pacific and along the Asian mainland. Preston's carrier escort role continued in the first two months of 1945, as U.S. forces began the reconquest of Luzon, took Iwo Jima and raided the Japanese home islands. Beginning in March she covered the assault on the Ryukyus, providing gunfire support for troops ashore, patrolling against suicide boats, serving as a radar picket ship and escorting shipping in the vicinity of Okinawa.

In September 1945, soon after Japan's surrender, Preston returned to the U.S. West Coast, where she was generally inactive until being formally decommissioned in April 1946. The defense buildup that accompanied the Korean War brought her back into active service. Recommissioned in January 1951, she was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet a few months later. In addition to making Mediterranean deployments in 1952 and 1955, in 1953 Preston steamed to the Far East to take part in combat operations off Korea.

Preston returned to the Pacific Fleet in the spring of 1956. The rest of her long career was marked by regular tours of duty in Asian and western Pacific waters. These included four Vietnam War cruises between 1964 and 1968, during which she performed naval gunfire support missions, served as a plane guard for Seventh Fleet aircraft carriers, and performed search and rescue missions. USS Preston was decommissioned in November 1969 and transferred to Turkey. Renamed Icel, she was part of that nation's navy until 1984.

USS Preston was named in honor of Lieutenant Samuel W. Preston, USN (1840-1865), who was killed in action during the assault on Fort Fisher, North Carolina, in January 1865.

This page features all the views we have related to USS Preston (DD-795).


If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."

Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.

Photo #: NH 73468

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Photographed following conversion to "four-gun Fletcher" configuration, circa the mid-1950s.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Online Image: 95KB; 740 x 600 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99282

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Arriving at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on 19 March 1964.
Taken by Photographer's Mate 3rd Class B.J. Long.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 88KB; 740 x 615 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99283

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Off the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California, 22 October 1966.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 118KB; 740 x 615 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99284

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Off the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California, 22 October 1966.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 103KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99285

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Off the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California, 22 October 1966.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 109KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99286

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Off the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California, 22 October 1966.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 94KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99287

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Off the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California, 22 October 1966.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 129KB; 595 x 765 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99288

USS Preston
(DD-795)

At the San Francisco Bay Naval Shipyard, Hunters Point, California, 22 October 1966.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 113KB; 595 x 765 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99281

USS Markab
(AD-21)

In a Pacific anchorage, with five destroyers alongside, circa 1944 or early 1945.
The destroyer closest to Markab is of the "round bridge" Fletcher class, otherwise unidentified. The others are, from center to right:
USS Longshaw (DD-559);
USS Preston (DD-795);
USS Porterfield (DD-682); and
USS Cassin Young (DD-793).
Wartime censors have retouched the photograph to remove all radar antennas.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 118KB; 655 x 675 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99289

USS Preston
(DD-795)

Anchored off Naples, Italy, circa 1955. USS Irwin (DD-794) is at right, beyond Preston's stern.

Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Admiral Robert B. Carney, USN.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 93KB; 740 x 510 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 99290

Naples, Italy


Sixth Fleet ships in Naples harbor, circa 1955.
Destroyers in left center are USS Preston (DD-795) and USS Irwin (DD-794). Destroyer in the center, slightly to the right, appears to be USS Bordelon (DDR-881). The other U.S. Navy ships present are mainly amphibious types.

Courtesy of the Naval Historical Foundation. Collection of Admiral Robert B. Carney, USN.

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

Online Image: 116KB; 740 x 610 pixels

 
Photo #: NH 67979-KN (Color)

USS Preston (DD-795)

Jacket patch of the insignia used about 1968.

Courtesy of Captain G.F. Swainson, USN, 1969.

U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

Online Image: 125KB; 595 x 765 pixels

 


In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold several other views of USS Preston (DD-795). The following list features some of these images:

The images listed below are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".



  • Photo #: USN 1045263
    USS Preston (DD-795) in harbor, circa 1951. This image was received by the Naval Photographic Center in December 1959, but was probably taken when she recommissioned in 1951.
    Starboard broadside surface view. The ship still has a pole foremast, ten torpedo tubes, and World War II vintage radars.

  • Photo #: 80-G-659251
    USS Preston (DD-795) underway in the Newport, Rhode Island, area, 8 October 1952. Photographed by Seaman E.L. Andrews
    Port broadside surface view. The ship has been refitted with a tripod foremast, newer radars and has had her midships torpedo tubes replaced with quad-mounted 40mm guns, but still has five 5"/38 guns.

  • Photo #: USN 1045262
    USS Preston (DD-795) underway, circa 1952-1954. This image was received by the Naval Photographic Center in December 1959, but was taken several years earlier.
    Starboard quarter low aerial view.

  • Photo #: USN 1078792
    USS Preston (DD-795) at Pearl Harbor, August 1961. Taken by PH3 Hill.
    Port broadside surface view, with palm trees framing the ship.

  • Photo #: Navy K-26778 (color)
    USS Preston (DD-795) alongside USS Yorktown (CVS-10) to refuel, during Operation "Dominic", April 1962.
    Starboard bow surface view, with refueling hoses hanging in the upper left of the image.

  • Photo #: Navy K-26788 (color)
    USS Preston (DD-795) pulls away from USS Norton Sound (AVM-1) after completing refueling during Operation "Dominic", April 1962.
    Starboard quarter surface view, with the ship somewhat backlighted against the sun.

  • Photo #: USN 1073692
    USS Preston (DD-795) alongside USS Constellation (CVA-64) to refuel. Photograph was received by the Naval Photographic Center in 1963.
    Port bow surface view, taken from on board Constellation, with shadows and some clutter in the foreground partially masking Preston.

  • Photo #: Navy KN-9042 (color)
    USS Preston (DD-795) underway off Oahu, Hawaii, 21 March 1964. Taken by PH2 Antoine.
    Port broadside aerial view.

  • Photo #: USN 1119051
    USS Preston (DD-795) in San Francisco Bay, California, 22 October 1966.
    Port bow surface view.

  • Photo #: USN 1119052
    As USN 1119051, but starboard bow (rather toward the broadside) surface view.


    Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center.

    The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".


  • If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions."


    Return to Naval Historical Center home page.

    Page made 30 April 2004