USS Southerland
DD 743

Christmas Morn’ was three days past

When Southerland set sail,

Old Glory shifted to our mast,

And thus began our tale.

We waved goodby to friends and kin

Then headed out to sea,

Six months would pass before again

Point Loma we should see.

The seas we rode as ’68

(The New Year) quickly came,

And though we paused to celebrate,

‘Twas somehow not the same.

Three days in Pearl went by too fast,

Then we were on our way.

Of U.S. shores these were the last

We’d see for many a day.

Nine long days we fought the swells

That broke beneath our bow;

Those days were like a tour in hell,

Yet we survived somehow.

TICO, HOEL and SOUTHERLAND

Three battered ships, arrived

At Yoko’s cold but sunny sands,

Though more dead than alive.

All hands agreed ‘twas for the books,

The transit we’d just made,

But now our former healthy looks

O’er took all plans we’d laid.

We had a ship to make "ship-shape"

By working night and day

With paint and welds and masking tape

Then off to Subic Bay.

Subic’s warm, if humid, clime

Was somewhat more our style

With ‘longapo to take our time

Or maybe Grand Isle.

Now in the TICO’s wake we steamed

Right on to Yankee Station.

This for two weeks, God had deemed,

Would be our situation.

"Let’s race the HOEL," someone said,,

"Challenge ‘em to a drag."

From start to finish our snipes led;

We had it in the bag.

Plane guard station was our lot

For strikes against the North.

Our duty clear we ne’er forgot

While steaming back and forth.

At last that CVA-14

We left one sunny day.

With sides to paint, boilers to clean,

‘Twas back to Subic Bay.

Then West again to Southern SAR,

JOUETT our running mate

And though the carriers steamed afar

Our mail would not be late.

One night we stayed in cold DaNang

While anchored in her bay;

Watched helos fly, heard guns go "bang"

Not ceasing night or day.

More than a month at just ten knots

Off Vietnam without change

(Except rare runs we soon forgot)

We cruised near gunnery range.

Then steamed we independently

To Kaosiung on Taiwan,

For TAV and liberty,

Where ten days soon were gone.

Back to SAR twelve days short stay

As HALSEY’s shot-gun ship,

But rescure on our final day

Made it worth the trip.

A full day late we left South SAR

Enroute to Sasebo

There to get some R and R

Then to shore-bomb we did go.

One day in Subic to rearm

And onward to "I" Corps

When Army’s First Air Cav. we charmed

While racking up our score.

More than three thousand rounds we spent

In our NGFS-

And add to this replenishments-

Our crew was at its best.

But our ten days did not take long

And we were on our way

Unto the British port, Hong Kong

(With a stop in Subic Bay).

In the "Pearl of the Orient,"

The home of Mary Soo,

On WESTPAC goodies much was spent

By officers and crew.

Then back down to the combat zone

To pick up Kitty Hawk.

Our long-awaited journey home

Was more than hopeful talk.

Enroute we stopped along the way

For needed work and sport;

Our first stop was at Subic Bay,

Yokosuka our final port.

In chilly seas we headed East

At twenty knots or more.

In just twelve days our eyes would feast

On California’s shore.

It was six months right to the day

Since we had left our home,

But now awhile here we’ll stay

Before again we roam.

Some hands will stay aboard this ship;

Some have another fate,

But all remember well the trip

We took in ’68.

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