_off_the_San_Francisco_Naval_Shipyard%2c_12_December_1956_(7575334).jpg) USSCook (APD-130) in December 1956 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSCook |
| Namesake | Andrew F. Cook, Jr. & Dallas H. Cook |
| Ordered | 1942 |
| Builder | Defoe Shipbuilding Company,Bay City, Michigan |
| Laid down | 7 May 1944 |
| Launched | 26 August 1944 |
| Commissioned | 25 April 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 31 May 1946 |
| Recommissioned | 6 October 1953 |
| Decommissioned | Date unknown |
| Stricken | 15 November 1969 |
| Honors and awards | 7campaign stars (Vietnam) |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 24 July 1970 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Crosley-classhigh speed transport |
| Displacement | 1,450 long tons (1,473 t) |
| Length | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m) |
| Draft | 13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 23knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) |
| Range |
|
| Boats & landing craft carried | 4 ×LCVPs |
| Troops | 162 troops |
| Complement | 204 (12 officers, 192 enlisted) |
| Armament |
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USSCook (APD-130) was aCrosley-classhigh speed transport of theUnited States Navy, named after two brothers:Second Lieutenant Andrew F. Cook, Jr. (1920–1942) andSergeant Dallas H. Cook (1921–1942). Both served in theMarine Corps, and both were awarded theNavy Cross, posthumously.
Cook was laid down at theDefoe Shipbuilding Company inBay City, Michigan on 7 May 1944 and partially completed as aRudderow-classdestroyer escort with the hull numberDE-714. A month before launching, on 17 July 1944, it was decided thatCook would be completed as a high-speed transport, with the designationAPD-130. She was launched on 26 August 1944, sponsored by Mrs. A. F. Cook, mother of Second Lieutenant Cook and Sergeant Cook. She was commissioned on 25 April 1945, at theTodd-Johnson Dry Dock Company inNew Orleans,Louisiana.
Andrew Fred Cook Jr. was born on 2 January 1920 in Alpoca,West Virginia. He enlisted in theUnited States Marine Corps on 15 September 1938. He served in the field from 10 May 1942, and he was promoted to second lieutenant on 14 July 1942. He was killed in action in theGuadalcanal Campaign on 4 November 1942, receiving theNavy Cross for gallantry and self-sacrifice in the action in which he died.
Andrew Cook's younger brother, Dallas Harry Cook was born on 19 May 1921. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on 14 August 1940. After service atQuantico,Guantanamo Bay andPuerto Rico, he served in the field from 14 February 1942. He was promoted to sergeant on 21 May 1942 and was killed in action in theRaid on Makin Island on 18 August 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his actions during the raid.
On 17 February 1945 Cook left Bay City, Michigan for New Orleans, Louisiana by way of the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River for outfitting. On the 25th the USS Cook was commissioned and set sail for a shakedown cruise to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Cook departed Guantanamo Bay as a fighting ship for Norfolk, Virginia and arrived there on 4 June.Cook sailed fromNorfolk,Virginia, on 19 June 1945 carrying 100 US Army passengers forSan Diego, via the Panama Canal, arriving at San Diego on 2 July for training. On 16 August 1945 Cook, along with other APD's, was dispatch on a high speed run to Tokyo, Japan. On 4 September, she arrived in Tokyo Bay carrying men of theUnderwater Demolition Teams. After transporting troops toOkinawa,Cook reconnoitered and landed UDT 20 atHakodate, Hokkaidō before its occupation on 27 September. She sailed home fromYokohama by way ofGuam,Eniwetok, andPearl Harbor, to San Diego, arriving there on 13 November. After repairs, she spent the month of January transporting troops along the west coast.Cook was placed out of commission in reserve on 31 May 1946, berthed at San Diego.
Cook was recommissioned on 6 October 1953, and took part in training and landing exercises off San Diego. She enteredMare Island Naval Shipyard for conversion to an APDflagship between 28 November 1953 and 15 March 1954, and continued training operations out of San Diego until 19 November, when she sailed for theFar East. After participating in amphibious exercises on the west coast ofKorea, she operated from 21 January 1955 to 19 May as flagship for "Operation Passage to Freedom", the evacuation of refugees fromNorth Vietnam.
Cook returned to San Diego on 12 June 1955, and sailed in various landing and training exercises as primary control vessel oranti-submarine ship. In November, she joined in a combined amphibious operation withCanadian forces. Local operations offCalifornia, including a period of service as a submarine target vessel, continued until 21 March 1956, when she sailed toKauai,Hawaii, for an amphibious exercise in which she served as control vessel.
Cook returned to San Diego on 23 April 1956 for maintenance anti-submarine exercises, and public orientation cruises, until 22 August 1957, when she departed for a tour of duty in the westernPacific based atYokosuka. She stood by offBorneo during theIndonesian crisis from 14 to 22 December. Back home in San Diego on 10 April 1958,Cook participated in operations along the west coast, including major interservice exercises, and between 13 October 1959 and 29 April 1960 cruised in the Far East once more. Returning to theUnited States,Cook operated along the west coast for the remainder of 1960.
Cook made three cruises to Vietnam between 1966 and 1969, carrying underwater demolition teams.
Cook was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 15 November 1969, and sold for scrapping on 24 July 1970, toNational Metal and Steel Corporation,Terminal Island, California.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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