Commander Stephan entered the Naval Service during World War II, serving on USS Iowa (BB-61) as a radarman and electronics technician. Returning to the Navy during the Korean conflict as a Lieutenant Junior Grade, he served first on USS Mississippi (EAG-128) participating in "Terrier missile" test and evaluation program.
His first destroyer tour as Operations Officer of USS Shields (DD-596) was followed by General Line School and a three-year tour in the fleet ballistic missile program. He returned to destroyers as Executive Officer of the USS Lyman K. Swenson (DD-729), homeported in Yokosuka, Japan. While in Japan he commanded the tank landing ship Tom Green County (LST-1159).
After two years in Washington, D.C., again in the FBM program, he was ordered to VIetnam as senior Naval advisor in the I Corps area to the Vietnamese Navy, and commanded the U.S. Naval Coastal Surveillance Group (CTG 115.1) in that area. In addition CDR Stephan was instrumental in establishing the I Corps River Patrol Group and was assigned to be its operational commander.
The Vietnamese government awarded him the National Order of Vietnam and the Cross of Gallantry with Palm for commanding the task unit which captured a North Vietnamese resupply trawler attempting to infiltrate arms into the I Corps area.
The United States government awarded him the Bronze Star Medal with Combat V for his service in Vietnam and the Meritorious Unit Commendation for commanding the staff of the I Corps Coastal Surveillance Center at Danang, one of his duties as CTG 115.1. CDR Stephan became Commanding Officer, USS Duncan on 8 March 1968.

Upon receiving his commission in October, 1956, Lieutenant Commander Ake received orders to teh USS Teaberry (AN-34) at San Francisco where he served as Engineer Officer and later as Executive Officer until July, 1959. After six months duty at CIC Officer's School, Glynco, Ga., Lieutenant Commander Ake reported to the USS Dupont (DD-941) in January 1960, at Norfolk, VA. for duty as Operations Officer. In March 1962, Lieutenant Commander Ake was ordered ashore to instructor duty at Navy OCS, Newport, R.I., serving there until April, 1964. He was next ordered to the Staff, Destroyer Squadron 20 in Newport for duty as Squadron Operations Officer. Lieutenant Commander Ake returned ashore in April 1966 as ASW Officer on the Staff, Commander Training Commands, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, in Norfolk.
In April 1967 he reported to the Staff of General Westmoreland at Headquarters, U.S. Military Assistance Command in Saigon. His primary staff responsibility at MACV concerned the coordination and distribution of all naval gunfire support assets throughout South Vietnam. Following his duty, Lieutenant Commander Ake reported on board Duncan in May 1968. Lieutenant Commander Ake now lives with his wife, the former Nancielu Inman of Muskegon, Michigan, and three sons in Chula Vista, California.

Duncan Officers

Officers (as they appear in photo) Left to Right: LT(jg) Bob Beckett, Engineering Officer; LT Bill Cherry, Operations Officer; LT Al Pease, Weapons Officer; LT(jg) Lou Anders, Supply Officer; LT(jg) Tom Southworth, Damage Control Assistant.

Officers (as they appear in photo) Left to Right: LT(jg) Dick Bubeck, Main Propulsion Assistant; LT(jg) Doug Herring, CIC Officer; LT(jg) Ward Brady, Gunnery Assistant; ENS John Hydinger, Communications Officer; LT(jg) Bob Gibson, First Division Officer; LT(jg) Bill Pierce, First Lieutenant; ENS Jim Williams, Electronics Material Officer; LT(jg) Dave Bishop, ASW Officer.

Duncan Chief Petty Officers

Chiefs (as they appear in photo) Left to Right: YNC K.E. Farrell, MMC P.M. Holiday, ETC B.A. Baird, CSC P.J. Tomsycki, MMCS J.P. Bonner, STC D.L. Culp, HMC C.W. Brooks, SKC R.M. Sellers, QMC E.W. Maus.

Duncan Crewmembers

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Duncan Crewmembers by Division

First Division:Front Row, Left to Right; SA Dew, SN Archambeault, SN Meeks, SA Suchon, SN Schlafman. Second Row, Left to Right; SN Melson, SN Robinson, SN Crowley, LT(jg) Pierce. Missing Personnel, BM1 Hilger, SA Lamkin, SN Dove, SN Hinkle.
More FIrst Division: Front Row, Left to Right; SA Prunty, BM3 Wermers, SN Suchon, SA MacMichael, BM3 Crosby, SN Morris. Second Row, Left to Right; SA Carper, SN Andrews, SN Perry, SN Denewith, SN Stine, Ensign Gibson.
Second Division: Front Row, Left to Right; GMG1 Franz, GMG3 Sablan, GMG3 Penland, GMG3 Charpentier, SN Eatherton, GMG3 Galloway, GMG3 Tews, LT(jg) Brady. Second Row. Left to Right; GMG1 Carelock, GMG1 Hays, GMG Strickland, GMG3 Neufel, BM1 Morse, GMG1 Wager, GMG3 Lasensky, GMG3 Bunch, GMG3 Staford.
More Second Division: Front Row, Left to Right; FTG1 Saylor, SN Wear, FTG3 Bouckhuyt, FTG2 Parr, FTG3 Tilley. Second Row, Left to Right; YN3 Hagen, SN Spivey, FTG3 Morelock, FTG2 Will, FTG3 Hawn.
OC Division: Front Row, Left to Right; ENS Hydinger, SM3Livingston, QM3 Holestein, RM3 Fackler, SN Bosshardt, RM2 Brown, RM1 Payton, RM2 Smith, RM3 Medlin, QMC Maus. Second Row, Left to Right; RM3 Lane, YN3 Hooper, QM3 Craft, YN3 Sullivan, PC3 Ariola, RM2 Row, SN Diaz. Front Personnel, YN3 Camacho, JM2 Estes, SMSN Stevens.
More OC Division: Front Row, Left to Right; QM3 Rawley, SM3 Declesis, SN Crow, SN Righardson, RM3 Orth. Second Row, Left to Right; SM1 Pechin, RM2 Kilgore, SN Olsen, SN Cameron.
OI DivisionFront Row, Left to Right; LT(jg Herring, RD3 DeGrasse, RD2 Holland, RD2 Halbreich, RD1 Rego. Second Row, Left to Right; RD3 Tracy, RD2 Lacour, RD3 Meier, RD3 Shackleford, RD2 Boyd. Missing Personnel: RD1 Root, RD2 Anderson, RD3 Sargent, SN Larson, RDSN Lapensee, SN Gebert.
More OI Division Front Row, Left to Right; ENS Williams, ETR3 Freund, ETR2 Eckard, ETR3 Howard, ETN3 Rust, ET1 Hathaway. Missing Personnel, ETC Baird, ETR3 Danubio, ETN3 Kelley, RDSN Lapensee.

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Duncan Crewmembers by Division

M Division: Front Row, Left to Right; MM1 Thomas, MM2 Hollett, MM2 Wehmeyer, MM2 Gatica, MM3 Spillane, FN McLain, EN Jeffers. Second Row, Left to Right; MMCS Bonner, FN Farley, MM2 Brewer, MM3 Tissot, FN McMurray, FN Koos. Missing Personnel, YN3 Krisfalusy, FN Phillips, FN Trappett, MM2 Flagg,FN Morris, FN Craig, FN Pagano, MMFN Carter.
More M DivisionFront Row, Left to Right; MM2 Vernon, FN Carter, FN Pinkston, MM3 Moyers, MM3 Johnson. Second Row, Left to Right; MM1 Bibber, MM3 Angelo, MM3 Arp, FN Smith, FN Ingve, FN Roush.
B DivisionFront Row, Left to Right; LT(jg) Bubeck (Kneeling), BT3 Western, FA Birkel, FN Hertline, BT3 Sharples, BT1 Holland. Second Row, Left to Right; BT2 McCandless, BT2 Godden, FN Milton, FN Koonce. Missing; BT2 Talmage, BT3 Blasenak, BT3 Lutz.
More B Division Front Row, Left to Right; FN Wainwright, FN Linell, FN Cruz, BT1 Nylund, BT2 Padgett. Second Row, Left to Right; BT3 Kline, BT2 Franklin, BT2 Myrick, BT3 Lewis, BT3 Helmich. Missing Personnel; BT3 Smith, BT3 Anderson, BT3 Seele.
Repair Division: Front Row, Left to Right; EM3 Lear, FN West, FN Brooks, EM3 Lopez, IC2 Hayes. Second Row, Left to Right; EM3 Rasmussen, IC3 Tatreau, IC3 Robinson, EM3 Crone, EMCS(SS) Wonsley. Missing Personnel; EM2 Cooley.
More Repair Division Front Row, Left to Right; LT(jg) Southworth, MMC Holiday, DC1 Thalmann, DC3 Glaser, MM3 Brown, MR3 Kappas, SF1 Quintero, MR2 Shelby, FN Bounds, FN Pinales. Second Row, Left to Right; EN2 Featherston, SFP2 West, MM3 Barnhart, SFP3 Scherr, FN Delay, FN Van Wallingham, FN Burton, MM2 Skinner, EM3 Shumaker. Missing Personnel; EM1 Branca.
Fox Division Front Row, Left to Right; STC Donald Culp, STG2 Vernon Vandiver, TM2 Tommy Kidd, STG3 Lee Kelly, STG3 William Rowland, ENS David Bishop. Second Row, Left to Right; TM2 James Miller, STG3 Carl Kendziorski, STG3 James Anderson, STG3 Arthur Quillin. Missing Personnel; SN Peter Amodei.
Supply Division Front Row, Left to Right; HMC Brooks, CS1 Lubag, SH3 Wheeler, TN Beltran, TN Mayor, SH1 Rector, SKC Setters. Second Row, Left to Right; CSC Tomosycki, SN Buss, TN Daco, SN Hazelton, SK3 Davenport, LT(jg) Anders.
More Supply Division Front Row, Left to Right; SK3 Wheeler, SK2 Biddle, SN Wojtach, DK1 Aguon, SD2 Mclad. Second Row, Left to Right; SN Card, CS3 Buss, SK3 Cook, SK3 Smith, SH3 Steffen, SN Levier.

USS Duncan DDR 874 Deck Logs

(Dec.14 - Dec. 20, 1968) and (Jan.17 - Jan. 31, 1969)
Feb.20 - Mar.7, 1969

Collision with the Koyo Maru

The collision with the Koyo Maru, 20 Mar 1969. That ill fated morning was NOT our finest hour. The photos include the Koyo Maru itself tied up along side us for repairs, port side aft of the break, and the expansion joint on the 01 level. Mike Eckard

Duncan Honors Her Predecessor DD 485

A Memorial and Dedication Ceremony!

On the morning of May 25, 1969 the men of DUNCAN assembled on the fantail to honor their valient predecessors resting eternally aboard the sunken DD-485 below. The crew bowed their heads in reverance for their mates below.

DDR-874 anchored directly above the sunken destroyer some six miles north of Savo Island in the Solomons, made history by honoring her previous namesake. It was on October 12, 1942 that USS Duncan (DD-485) went to the bottom from Japanese guns.

The historic ceremony included a reading of the names of the victims, a twenty-one gun salute, and the dedication of a memorial plaque.

Duncan Down Under!

Duncan Visits Townsville, Queensland."

DUNCAN Visits Townsville and Newcastle, Queensland".When a sailor visits a foreign port, he seldom can develope a sense of community with his hosts for the few short days he spends with them. But in Australia the DUNCAN sailor helped dedicate a new salt water swimming pool in Townsville, and rededicated a memorial to the Coral Sea dead in Newcastle. However the real sense of shared experience came from the large numbers of Australians who turned out for these events and genuinely were happy to see American faces participating in the ceremonies.

CDR Stephan, CDR Wilson, Lord Mayor of Newcastle, Mr. Douglas McDougal, Mr. James Moodie, A.A.A., and Air Commodore G. Cooper.

The Australian ... He stands erect with the coloring of a man used to the outdoors, his body at rigid attention, his face lined with the wrinkles of well worn age, and his arm rendering a proud salute.

This is the Air Commodore of the Royal Australian Air Force in the Newcastle ceremony and parade in honor of those who died in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

But his face and bearing became a familiar visage to the men of DUNCAN in their seven days in Australia. It was the universal face of the man on the street, graced with a cheery grin and hearty greeting.

The Coral Sea Memorial Monument.

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There were parties, dancing, cold beer and those lovely Australian girls!

...And a great time was had by all.

Whether at Raymonds or the Acropolis, it was positive public relations by DUNCAN sailors.

219 DUNCAN Polywogs become "Shellbacks."

Crossing the equator...DUNCAN greets DAVY JONES!

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Davy Jones ...aka Neptunas Rex, The Queen and the Royal Baby boarded DUNCAN as she crossed the equator on her way south to Australia. The 219 first timers to cross the line were dealt with in the timeless fashion so prescribed for Polywogs. Crawling through the gauntlet was just one of a day long series of activities meant to initiate the wogs into Davy's Mysteries of the Deep.

Splashdown in American Somoa

DUNCAN sailors did not expect too much excitement at their one day fuel stop on May 26 at Pago Pago, American Somoa. But excitement they found as the radio beamed the news of the splashdown of the Apollo 10 space capsule only 350 miles southeast of American Somoa.

As DUNCAN steamed toward the harbor of Pago Pago around 0535 in the morning, most of her crew viewed the "shooting star" of Apollo 10 as it flashed across the Pacific sky moments before splashdown. Ten hours later the astronauts landed at Pago Pago airport for a short reception before catching a non-stop Air Force jet flight to Houston, TX. CDR Stephan was among the official greeters of Mssrs. Stafford, Cernan and Young while many men attended the airport welcome.

Commander Stephan greets Commander Young.

NASA Astronauts Colonel Tom Stafford and Commander Eugene Cernan greet their wellwishers upon returning from their Apollo 10 space mission.

It's party time for Duncan men on the beach at Pago Pago.

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