A History of the DD777

The USS Zellars was a Sumner Class destroyer named for Lt.(jg)Thomas Edward Zellars. He was born Aug.11, 1898 in Grantville, Ga. Lt. Zellars was asphyxiated extinguishing a fire in a turret on the battleship Mississippi. His namesake was commissioned Oct.25, 1944 in Seattle. After a short shakedown cruise she sailed for Pearl to join the Pacific Fleet. Cmdr. Leon S Kintberger also joined us there. Capt. Kintberger had just completed his survivor's leave after the USS Hoel, his previous commmand, had been sunk in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. He flew out to Pearl to meet us as we prepared to head West.

After additional training at Hawaii the Zellars left for Ulithi Atoll in the Western Carolines. A huge fleet was assembled there.We arrived in the Ryukyus on Mar. 25 and commenced firing on Kerama Retto which is an anchorage about twenty miles S.W. of Okinawa. For the next week we were assigned to shore bombardment and fighting off air attacks. One unusual duty was to closely support an Underwater Demolition Team and to protect them by suppressing any gunfire from the beach.

Fortunately, it was rainy and stormy the nights we were assigned to radar picket duty. (Radar picket duty destroyers were deployed on various stations about fifty miles North of the beachhead to warn the troopships of impending air attack. Once a destroyer was hit by a Kamikaze and on fire, you made a good target, and many others could and did pile in.)

On the sixth, the Japanese Super-Battleship Yamato and surviving elements of the Japanese fleet attempted a suicide attack on troop transports at the beachhead. The old Battleships and we started to steam North to meet them. We were not disappointed when our carrier planes stopped them cold.

The "Z" was credited with shooting down seven Japanese planes at Okinawa.

Ships Log Thursday, 12 April 1945

Patrolling in company with TF 54 to the westward of the transport area. 0302 Enemy aircraft approaching, went to General Quarters. 0504 Aircraft retiring, secured from General Quarters. 0903 Designated to effect transfer of official mail from flagship to other ships in formation. 1330 Discontinued mail transfer. Large group of enemy aircraft approaching area. Proceeding to station in screen. 1340 On station. 1349 Secured from General Quarters. 1444 Observed enemy aircraft shot down by C.A.P. about 15,000 yards on port beam. Went to General Quarters. Increased speed to 20 knots. 1450 three torpedo planes believed to be Jills, sighted about 4000 yards distance on port side making coordinated attack. Planes are only 15 feet or so above the surface so did not make radar contact until time of sighting and then on SG radar. Two of the planes were hit by AA fire and crashed but the third approaching from about 300 degrees relative crashed into the base of five inch mount number two. His torpedo released just prior to the crash slid across the main deck through wardroom country and exploded on the starboard side. 1515 Fires under control and wounded under treatment. 1540 Underway proceeding Kerama Retto anchorage. 1625 Anchored Keramo Retto.

Our shipmates who made the Supreme Sacrifice are

Avrett, Willard FC/1C---Bieber, William S/2C---Bradley, Andrew ST/1C
Brockman, F.C. ENS.---Burdette,Charles CCS---Coleman, Henry SK/1C
Craig, David S/1C---Dankert,Fred S/2C---Ensley,John PHM/3C
Ferrell, James F/1C---Fletcher, Arthur EM/1C---Gedman, Stanley CTM
Gray, Robert S/1C---Gunther,W.M. LT.[jg]---Harris, Charles EM/2C
Hawes, Donald SOM/3C---Horist, Joseph FC/3C---Hughes, Charles F/1C
Jones, William TM/2C---Keane, Clair S/2C---Kincaid, J.F. LT.
King,Alfred S/1C---Kramer, John BM/1C---Liston,J.M. S/1C
Harmon, Chester S/1C---Merriman, Jack F/1C---Mohr, Charles FCR/3C
Moore,Howard S/1C---Murphy, Raymond F/1C---Nava, Juan SC/1C
Pitts, Elvin COX---Roach, Billy Joe FCR/1C---Rohlfer, Dermit FC/2C
Schulman, Lester MM/2C---Thompson, Earnest S/2c---Wallace,Walter ST/2C
Watt, Samuel Y/1C---Wilbanks, Dwight F/1C---Willis,Erville BM/1C
Wolf, Paul S/2C---Wooten, Fred S/1C---Wyatt, Chester S/2C
Young, William S/1C

Taps!

After a complete overhaul at Long Beach, the Zellars transferred to the Atlantic. We were in New York for Navy Day 1945 when President Truman reviewed the Fleet. We were anchored just below the George Washington Bridge, "Manning the Rail" and firing a twenty one gun salute as the Commander in Chief steamed by. Our next big assignment was escorting the new carrier USS Franklin D Roosevelt to Rio de Janeiro for the inauguration of a new Brazilian president.

When North Korea attacked, the Zellars answered the call and remained in the Korean combat zone for nine months. During that time her primary missions were gunfire support for U.N. troops ashore and coastal surveillance. As soon as she arrived on station in Oct. 1950, she took part in the opening of the Wonson harbor. Late in Nov. the Communist Chinese intervened in the conflict, driving the UN troops into a Southward retreat. Zellars, initially supported the retirement of a South Korean Division down the East Coast and then provided gunfire support to the Marines in the defensive perimeter around Wonsan. When the Army's 3rd Div. was evacuated by sea in mid-December the Zellars moved north to Hungman to provide gunfire support during the evacuation of another coastal enclave held by the retreating UN Forces. She remained in Korean waters and ranged both coasts, delivering gunfire support for the ground forces and interdicting coastal logistics. For her efforts in Korean waters she received the battle E award.

The USS Zellars earned four battle stars in the Korean conflict.

Anyone with additions or corrections to this page
please E-Mail me.

Stricken from the rolls March 19 1971, To Iran March 19 1971. Renamed Babr,
Still active in Iranian Navy.

Our 1999 reunion will be held in Traverse City, Michigan Sept. 23-26, hosted by Terry and Joanne Herban.

Y2K, Paul Gowen will be our host in San Antonio.

Any interested shipmates please contact
USS Zellars Association
11980 Civic Circle
Mooresville, Indiana 46158

Zellars earned one battle star during World War II and four battle stars during the Korean War.

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