I originally posted this photo in 2014, as a part of wishing my father a Happy Veterans Day.

Here he is as a newly commissioned Ensign in the US Navy, in 1952. Soon he would be on his way to the Korean War aboard the destroyer USS John W. Thomason, DD-760.

Dad served from 1952 through 1982, and he retired as a Captain.

William Benjamin Abbott III, U.S. Navy (Retired)
1930-2022

LICENSING INFORMATION: This photo is licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Here's what that means:
creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

Tags:   Ensign ENS William Benjamin Abbott III USNR 1952 dad father portrait naval officer

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My father as an Ensign aboard the U.S. Navy destroyer USS John W. Thomason, DD-760.

This photo isn't dated, but there's a good chance that it was taken in the western Pacific in 1953.

Which leads to the story associated with this photo of my mother:

flic.kr/p/2oAWdhi

Tags:   Ensign William B. Abbott III U.S. Navy father dad USS John W. Thomason DD-760 naval officer 1950s 20th Century snapshot remember

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My father took this view toward the bow in calm seas
U.S. Navy destroyer John W. Thomason, DD-760

Sometime between 1952 and 1955, somewhere in the Pacific. I don't have any additional information.

This is dramatically different than a similar view taken in heavy seas: flic.kr/p/2jy4MGx

Photo by my father:
Captain William Benjamin Abbott III, U.S. Navy (Retired)
1930-2022

LICENSING INFORMATION: This photo is licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Here's what that means:
creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

USS John W. Thomason (Wikipedia):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_W._Thomason

Tags:   Pacific Ocean 1950s Korean War Navy ship bow USS John W. Thomason DD-760 destroyer calm sea

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My father took this photograph aboard the destroyer USS John W. Thomason, DD-760, somewhere in the Pacific Ocean in 1953.

He said that he recalled taking the photo from the Mk 37 gun director, which was mounted above and aft of the bridge. (It has really sucked to change the present tense of the verbs in this paragraph from the present tense to the past tense.)

At 376 feet in length and displacing 2200 tons, Thomason was not a small ship. At the same time, *all* ships are small when compared with the forces of nature and the open ocean.

Photo by my father:
Captain William Benjamin Abbott III, U.S. Navy (Retired)
1930-2022

LICENSING INFORMATION: This photo is licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Here's what that means:
creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

USS John W. Thomason, DD-760
(U.S. Navy History and Heritage Command):
www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/da...

USS John W. Thomason, DD-760 (Wikipedia):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_W._Thomason

Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer (Wikipedia):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_M._Sumner-class_destroyer

Tags:   USS John W. Thomason DD-760 Allen M. Sumner class destroyer Korean Vietnam War U.S. Navy 1953 Pacific ocean view from bridge heavy seas green water William Benjamin Abbott III

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Some of my father's fellow officers in the wardroom of the destroyer USS John W. Thomason, DD-760, somewhere off Korea in 1953.

My father remembers the officers around the table, from left to right, as follows:

(Name?) He was a recalled Naval Reserve officer from Southern California. He was an avocado farmer, and a nice guy.

Duane Nuechterlein, our Supply Officer

Dave Pogue, a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, and Gunnery Officer

A young, visiting South Korean naval officer we hosted for a couple of weeks to learn more about how our Navy worked.

Unknown: Could be Bernie Schube or Don Cook. Cook was the Operations Officer at the time.

Bob Woodworth, the incoming Supply Officer sent to relieve Duane. Bob later earned a Ph.D. and became a business professor at the University of Washington

The ashtray in the middle of the wardroom table is the base of a 5" cartridge case. Although expended 5" cartridge cases were returned to ammunition ships or depots ashore, more than a few of their bases were milled off to make ashtrays in those days.

Photo by my father:
Captain William Benjamin Abbott III, U.S. Navy (Retired)
1930-2022

LICENSING INFORMATION: This photo is licensed under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication. Here's what that means:
creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

USS John W. Thomason, DD-760
(U.S. Navy History and Heritage Command):
www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/da...

USS John W. Thomason, DD-760 (Wikipedia):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_John_W._Thomason

Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer (Wikipedia):
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allen_M._Sumner-class_destroyer

Tags:   USS John W. Thomason DD-760 Allen M. Sumner class destroyer Korean Vietnam War U.S. Navy 1953 Pacific ocean view from bridge heavy seas green water William Benjamin Abbott III

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