USS James E. Kyes (DD-787) Association |
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If you served aboard the USS James E. Kyes and wish to know |
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This site is intended to serve all shipmates who ever served aboard the USS James E. Kyes. |
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I watched the movie "Greyhound" last night with my daughter, son-in-law, granddaughter and grandson-in-law. I asked for this movie night with my family because I wanted to share with them that I had a small connection to that story. I served 3 years aboard the USS James E. Kyes (DD-787). It was a Gearing class destroyer named after a war hero, Commander James Ellsworth Kyes, who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism" during action against German submarines in the North Atlantic on 23 December, 1943. For all the years I served aboard the ship that was named after Commander Kyes, I never knew his story. Back in the 60's, there was no internet and such information was not readily available to anyone. It wasn't until 50 years later, when I became the secretary and historian of the USS James E. Kyes Association, that I started to learn a little more about this extraordinary man and about the extraordinary times in which he served in the U.S. Navy. The Battle of the Atlantic was a theater of war that is very seldom captured in popular books and movies, so my self-imposed historical education opened up my mind and imagination when I learned that over 3500 merchant ships were sunk in the Atlantic during WW2 by German U-boats. In all the time I spent in the U.S. Navy, I did not know that. I knew a lot about the Pacific war, but nothing about the Atlantic war. But even with this new knowledge, I still did not have sufficient imagination to realize the story of how that conflict played out, until last night when I watched the movie "Greyhound". I felt that you, writer of the screenplay, may have heard the story of Commander Kyes, because you seemed to be playing a man with that same kind of character. The fact that your character was so disturbed over the death of one of the mess boys during the battle could have been an homage to the memory of Commander Kyes. This is from the James E. Kyes Wikipedia page: As he prepared to leave Leary, he checked to see that none of his men remained on board and spied a kitchen mess boy whose life jacket was torn and useless. Comdr. Kyes removed his own jacket and handed it to the boy. He then calmly climbed over the side and was swallowed up by the waters of the cold Atlantic, gallantly sacrificing his own life to protect a young member of his crew. Thank you for your wonderful movie and contribution to the education of our shipmates. Roger Donnay President, USS James E. Kyes Association | |||
This piece of shrapnel started its journey as a 105 mm shell created in Russia, shipped by rail through China to North Korea, put in a 105 mm gun in North Korea, propelled through the air across Wonsan Harbor where it hit the USS James E. Kyes on April 19, 1953 wounding 9 Kyes shipmates. Shell hit on the Starboard side, main deck aft, near Mount 53. It later found its way back to the U.S. where it was in the possession of a wounded shipmate for many years. It was given to Don Webb who placed it in the U.S. Mail and sent it to Roger Donnay in Boise, Idaho. Its next journey will be travelling by car to Branson, Missouri in October, 2019. |
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"Of all the tools the Navy will employ to control the seas in any future
war ... the destroyer will be sure to be there. Its appearance may be altered and it may even be called another name, but no type -- not even the carrier or the submarine -- has such an assured place in future navies." - Adm. C.W. Nimitz, 1962 |
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It's official. DD-214s are now online. The National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided |
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FIELD DAY ON A GEARING FRAM 1B DESTROYER
Roger Donnay - Secretary, USS James E. Kyes Association |