USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8) was one of the 29-strong Charles F. Adams-class of guided missile cruisers utilized primarily for the United States Navy (USN) in the years following the Korean War (1950-1953). The Charles F. Adams-class became a relatively large post-war class of surface fighting ships, one that was also eventually adopted by the navies of Australia, Greece, and West Germany. McCormick was ordered on March 28th, 1957 and contracted out to the Defoe Shipbuilding Company which began her construction on April 4th, 1958. She was launched on July 28th, 1959 and commissioned on June 3rd, 1961. As the United States commitment in Southeast Asia grew during the years following, USS Lynde McCormick was eventually deployed to Vietnam during the Vietnam War (1955-1975).
During her career, USS Lynde McCormick fought under the motto of "Sine Timore", this appropriately translating to "Without Fear". She was named after USN Admiral Lynde Dupuy McCormick (1895-1956), a decorated veteran of both World War 1 (1914-1918) and World War 2 (1939-1945).
The Charles F. Adams-class marked the first USN destroyer-type vessels to be developed specifically for the guided missile destroyer role - prior to this, all were gun-laden vessels. Destroyers were historically developed as the "Torpedo Boat Destroyer" and posed a grave threat to capital ships at the turn of the 20th Century. Built on speed and good armament qualities with short endurance, the type evolved to become the "destroyer" classes of today. The USN evolved ships was fast surface-going warships with a multi-mission approach in both offensive and defensive departments - capable of handling a variety of mission types and targets, whether as part of the fleet or independently of it.
For the Adams-class, their design was influenced by the preceding Forrest Sherman-class ships with some 19 feet of hull length added amidships, more powerful boilers installed and anti-submarine rocket launchers fitted - as well as other potent missile armament ultimately reinforcing their "guided missile cruiser" name. The Adams-class became the last steam-turbine powered destroyers for the USN.
As built USS Lynde McCormick displaced 3,280 tons under standard load and 4,525 tons under full load. The profile included a raise bow with a deck gun aft followed by the primary superstructure featuring the bridge, main mast, and first of two smoke funnels. At center was the ASROC (Anti-Submarine ROCket) launcher which could traverse to either side of the ship as well as elevate as required. Its position amidships created a noticeable gap in the profile between the frontal superstructure and the aft one. The aft superstructure held a lower mast configuration as well as the second smoke funnel. Still aft of this superstructure was another deck gun emplacement followed by another missile launcher system. McCormick did not carry any aircraft on the stern deck. Dimensions included a length of 437 feet, a beam measuring 47 feet and a draught of 15 feet. Her total crew complement numbered 354 including 24 officers.
Warring vessels like the McCormick were more than just their armament. Sensors and processing systems proved the other half of the equation and, as such, McCormick was outiftted with the AN/SPS-40 or AN/SPS-39 3D air-search radar system alongside the AN/SPS-10 surface-search radar. Missile fire control was handled by the AN/SPG-51 series suite utilizing a pulse-Doppler radar control system. This system was also taken on by the navies of France and the Netherlands. The deck guns were managed through the AN/SPG-53 control radar. The vessel was also equipped with its own sonar facilities that included the hull-mounted AN/SQS-23.
Her other key internal component became her propulsion system, this headed by 4 x Babcock and Wilcox boilers feeding 2 x General Electric steam turbines generating 70,000 horsepower to 2 x shafts. Maximum speed in ideal conditions was 33 knots with a range out to 4,500 nautical miles at 20 knots.
McCormick's official naval career began when she left Boston in mid-August of 1961 on a roundabout trip to the American West Coast - a journey undertaken by many warships of World War 2. Once there, she was assigned to the home port of San Diego and evaluated her missile systems in live-fire actions. She then left home waters in November of 1962, joining the 7th Fleet after arriving in Japan during early December of that year. Back home in June of 1963, McCormick was then kept stateside for several local USN-related functions including training. During the early part of 1964, several changes to her weapons suite were undertaken, broadening her defensive capabilities.
The situation in Vietnam was becoming ever more perilous both on the ground and on the water. The Gulf of Tonkin incident (August 2nd, 1964) exacerbated the situation in Southeast Asia to the point that McCormick was assigned to Vietnam waters to protect American interests and maintain the rocket peace between the North and the South. McCormick undertook a six-month long tour in these parts before being reassigned home for February of 1965. Additional testing of her weapons suite and training of personnel then followed into 1966.
In April of that year, MCormick took part in the offshore shelling of Viet Cong positions along the Mekong Delta waterway. During May, she was reassigned to support carrier airstrikes in the north. Following these actions, she made the journey back to San Diego and arrived there in October for a scheduled overhaul. The work went into March of 1967 to which then she was training crews again heading into the summer. McCormick managed to survive all of the Vietnam War before returning to most peace-time minded functions during the American drawdown in Southeast Asia and the "Vietnamization" for South Vietnam forces.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
USS Charles F. Adams (DDG-2); USS John King (DDG-3); USS Lawrence (DDG-4); USS Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5); USS Barney ()DDG-6; USS Henry B. Wilson (DDG-7); USS Lynde McCormick (DDG-8); USS Towers (DDG-9); USS Sampson (DDG-10); USS Sellers (DDG-11); USS Robison (DDG-12); USS Hoel (DDG-13); USS Buchanan (DDG-14); USS Berkeley (DDG-15); USS Joseph Strauss (DDG-16); USS Conyngham (DDG-17); USS Semmes (DDG-18); USS Tattnall (DDG-19); USS Goldsborough (DDG-20); USS Cochrane (DDG-21); USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDF-22); USS Richard E. Byrd (DDG-23); USS Waddell (DDG-24) Ships-in-Class
Offshore Bombardment
Offshore bombardment / attack of surface targets / areas primarily through onboard ballistic weaponry.
Land-Attack
Offshore strike of surface targets primarily through onboard missile / rocket weaponry.
Maritime Patrol
Active patroling of vital waterways and maritime areas; can also serve as local deterrence against airborne and seaborne threats.
Airspace Denial / Deterrence
Neutralization or deterrence of airborne elements through onboard ballistic of missile weaponry.
Fleet Support
Serving in support (either firepower or material) of the main surface fleet in Blue Water environments.
437.0 feet (133.20 meters) Length
47.0 feet (14.33 meters) Beam
15.0 feet (4.57 meters) Draught
4,000 tons Displacement
4 x Babcock and Wilcox boilers with 2 x General Electric steam turbines developing 70,000 horsepower to 2 x shafts. Propulsion
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.
