LCDR De Loach relieved LCDR John D. Holland, USN during a Change of Command ceremony July 1968 in Barcelona, Spain. The ADROIT was the Flagship for Mine Division 44. However, the division was represented by the USS ADROIT and the USS VALOR (MSO 472)only. Operability complications while in Charleston, SC and Bermuda, occurred with the USS STURDY (MSO 494) and the USS SWERVE (MSO 495). These two warships could not make this particular deployment. When ADROIT and VALOR arrived for operations in the Mediterranean, the USS NIMBLE (MSO 459) and the USS PINNACLE (MSO 462) were assigned to Mine Division 44. These ships were released from Mine Division 84, which were returning to the States. A 'provisional' squadron was formed which was called Mine Division 484. We continued our operations on to Tangier, Rota, and back to the United States.
I can think of a few other 'milestone' silver bullets like our services to MineWarfare School; MineDefence Lab in Panama City; our journey up the 'wonderful, winding, Wando River' to Denton's bicycle shop for our long overhaul ⁄conversion; trip to Florida to escort the MSS-1 (experimental Liberty ship hull sweeper) back to Charleston and suffering the indignity of her offer to tow us after our numerous casualties to two officers, evaps, lube oil pump, gyro, both engines to one shaft, and, finally, radar. Amazing that through all our mishaps during 68-69, we still made every commitment and won the Battle Efficiency E. We repeated the 'meatball' again for 69-70 as well as the Minesweep M, Engineering E and Communications C, and were lacking only one exercise to 'three peat' when I was relieved after Thanksgiving 1970. I never knew how they came out that competitive year since I was six months into a two-year Vietnam tour by then and had other things to think about.
Jesse (Jay) Howell De Loach was born 20 August 1930 in Philadelphia, PA, the first child of Chief Machinist Mate Jessie H. De Loach of Bulloch Country, GA and Maude Juanita (Harvey) De Loach of Bryan County, GA. De Loach attended 15 schools due to his father's Navy career but was fortunate to attend only one high school where he lettered in four sports and attained the rank of cadet lieutenant colonel commanding the Jr. ROTC battalion. While attending North Central College in Naperville, IL, De Loach served in the Illinois National Guard as a PFC until June 1949 when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy as a High School Seaman Recruit.
De Loach served as Recruit Chief Petty Officer of his boot company in San Diego, CA, and upon graduation, attended Yeoman "A" School. In January 1950, he was assigned to the Staff Allowance of Commander Amphibious Force, Pacific Fleet until transfer to the U.S.S. LST 1079 in June 1951 as Yeoman Third Class. He subsequently was assigned as Leading Yeoman of the U.S.S. LST 1071. Upon advancing to Yeoman First Class in October 1952, he was reassigned to the Staff Allowance of Commander Landing Ship Flotilla TWO at Little Creek, VA until ordered to Instructor duty at Yeoman "B" School at NTC, San Diego, June 1953. Following a three-year Instructor tour, De Loach subsequently was Honor Graduate of the U.S. Naval School of Justice with further assignment to U.S. Antarctic Programs as Admiral's Writer to the famed explorer RADM Richard E. Byrd. De Loach was advanced to Chief Yeoman in 1957 and returned in February 1959 to a second tour of Instructor duty at Yeoman "B" school. In June 1960, Chief De Loach was commissioned an ensign in the Limited Duty program.
Ensign De Loach's first billet was in the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington, D.C. from August 1960 to July 1963 where he was Control Officer for one-third of the SEAVEY ⁄SHOREVEY ratings and all divers. In July 1963. Lieutenant (junior grade) De Loach was augmented to Unrestricted Line and assigned to the U.S.S. LAWRENCE (DDG 4) in Norfolk, VA. where he served as Gunnery Assistant, then ASW Officer and, from April 1965 to June 1966, as Weapons Officer. Lieutenant De Loach next attended the U.S. Naval Post Graduate School in Monterey, CA, receiving a BA in International Relations in June 1968. Following PG School, Lieutenant De Loach assumed command of the U.S.S. ADROIT (MSO 509) at Barcelona, Spain, returning with it to homeport of Charleston, S.C. In November 1970, Lieutenant Commander De Loach reported to Staff, Commander Naval Advisory Group ⁄Commander Naval Forces, Vietnam, as Manpower Allocations Officer for all in-country Navy personnel. Commander De Loach was subsequently reassigned in November 1971 to the Delta area as Senior Advisor Fourth Riverine ⁄Area Operations Coordinator EAST/CTG 116.6 ⁄Senior Advisor, Tran Hung Dao 26 ⁄and Commanding Officer, U.S. Navy Advisors in AOC EAST
Returning to the United States, he was assigned in July 1972 as Flag Secretary/Aide and ACOS for Personnel ⁄Admin ⁄Medical on the Staff of Commander Naval Inshore Warfare Command, Atlantic, Little Creek, VA. During a 5-month period, he was Acting Chief of Staff due to a "gap" situation. Commander De Loach ended 26 years of active duty l September 1974 and relocated to Laredo, TX, his wife's hometown.
Shortly after arriving in Laredo, Commander De Loach was granted Permissive Orders by Commander Eighth Naval District to affiliate with the Laredo-based Naval Reserve Unit. He served in that unit as its Training Officer until accepting assignment as Commanding Officer ⁄Naval Science Instructor with a Naval Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (NJROTC) unit at Mooseheart, IL, in July 1978. At the end of the third year and winning the Ninth Naval District first place "Admiral's Trophy," Commander De Loach returned to Texas, taking up residence in San Antonio.
In August 1981, Commander De Loach resurrected a previous membership in the Navy Recruiting District, San Antonio, Assistance Council (RDAC) subsequently becoming the Incentives and Awards Director/Deputy Chairman. In 1985 he and two other RDAC officers were founders of the Alamo Division of the Sea Cadets. As the Recruiting District serves 175,000 square miles of Texas including the Texas Panhandle, from 1993 to 1995 Commander De Loach had the rare opportunity to work in recruiting with his son, Naval Reserve Commander Jay De Loach; while the latter was assigned by the D.C. based Defense Nuclear Facility Safety Board to the Pantex Corporation in Amarillo.
In 200l, Commander De Loach retired from the RDAC board, thereby essentially ending 52 years of active/reserve/recruiting service with the U.S. Navy--all beginning with the Illinois National Guard. During this total period, he was awarded 37 personal and service medals/ribbons including, the Legion of Merit with V, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with numeral 1, two Navy Commendation Medals, Combat Action Ribbon, and 4 Good Conduct Medals. He also earned the Surface Warfare Officer and Command-at-Sea designations as well as 26 Recruiting Gold Wreaths. His honorary awards include commissioning in 1990 as an "Admiral in the Texas Navy" by then Governor Clements.
On 29 June 1952 in San Diego, CA, then Yeoman Second Class De Loach married the former Berta P. Merriweather of Laredo, TX. Together they have four children, ten grandchildren and five great-grandchildren living in California, Texas, Ohio, Indiana and Virginia.
Before signing off the net, believe me when I say any success I have had has been due to the shipmates who put up with me at sea and ashore, my mentors at every stage of my career, and, of course, my wife and family who probably endured our separations with more ease than with my "in port" periods. Those times I have "run aground"--which you don't find listed in the foregoing--the fault was ⁄is entirely my own.
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