USS MILLS (DER-383)

1957-1962

On 3 October 1957 after the Boston Naval Shipyard had installed additional radar, and other electronic equipment plus converting some spaces used for crew berthing and messing into a combat information center. An enlarged superstructure provided new living quarters and mess deck. USS MILLS was reclassified as a radar picket destroyer escort, DER-383 and recommissioned, Lt. Cdr. Joseph E. Feaster in command.

Assigned as a radar picket to man the seaward end of the North American Continental Air Defense System to deter surprise attack by locating and reporting aircraft headed toward North America, MILLS sailed 3 April 1958 from Newport, R.I., for Argentia, Newfoundland to begin the first picket. Seventeen subsequent three to four week pickets were made on the barrier stretching from Newfoundland to the Azores through 28 July 1961, as well as one oft the southeast coast of the United States.

In August 1961, left the U.S. for Scotland. She replenished in the Firth of Clyde area and then departed for picket station. The new barrier took the crew further north than they had operated before, an area roughly midway between Scotland and Iceland. During this three month deployment, visits were made to Greenock and Rosyth, Scotland, and Copenhagen, Denmark.

On returning to her home port of Newport, Rhode Island, in November preparations were made for an overhaul at Boston Naval Shipyard.

In April 1962, MILLS left for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and refresher training in the Caribbean Sea. In July, following an upkeep and training period, the crew sailed for picket duty in the waters off the southern coast of Florida. By August they were back in Newport with a Tender availability and sailed in September for more picket duty off Florida. After a quick visit to Newport they departed in October for picket duty in the North Atlantic interspersed with visits to Punta Delgada, Azores Islands, Cherbourg, France and Greenock, Scotland for regular upkeep periods. In November 1962, Lt. Cdr. Robert D. Hoftman took command of MILLS.

1963

They returned to Newport in January 1963. After a tender upkeep period the ship departed to spend more than three months on cruises to Key West, Florida and Bermuda Island before returning to Newport for another tender period which was completed in mid-May. They spent the remainder of May on duty near Key West. A short visit to Fort Lauderdale was followed by another picket. In June they were back in Newport and stayed there until August when they sailed again for Key West for operations until mid-September. The ship began a complete overhaul in -December again in Boston.

1964

On 18 February 1964, MILLS was first assigned to Operation “Deep Freeze”, the U.S. Naval Force supporting scientific research in Antarctica. In April 1964 the overhaul was completed and the crew prepared for the refresher training that would be received during the month of May. On returning to Newport in June the crew worked on finishing preparations for Operation Deep-freeze 1965.

During the austral summer seasons (September to March) of 1964-1965, 1966-1967 and 1967-1968 MILLS had six tasks to aid aircraft ferrying men and equipment between Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Station, Antarctica: first, to occupy a station at 60 degrees South Latitude and 159 degrees East Longitude; second, to provide meteorological support; third, to provide communications assistance; fourth, to provide Search and Rescue assistance; fifth, to refuel underway and sixth, to collect oceanographic and hydro graphic data while on and – en-route to and from station. Each of these deployments required an 11,000 mile voyage via the Panama Canal to Dunedin, New Zealand, MILLS’ base of operations with “Deep Freeze”. At the end of each deployment another 11,000 mile voyage completed the round-the-world cruise by returning to Newport or later Key West via the Suez canal or when it was closed around Cape of Good Hope.

MILLS departed 17 August 1964 en-route to New Zealand from Newport, Rhode Island via the Panama Canal and arrived at the Peruvian Naval Base, Callao, Peru and Papeete Tahiti before arriving 20 September at Port Lyttelton, New Zealand to pick up pre-positioned supplies before proceeding to Dunedin where repairs were made to a boiler and ship service generator number 3 before departing on 25 September for the first ocean station operations. 26 September the first of many visits to Campbell Island was made to offload stores, mail and personnel for the New Zealand manned weather station. At more than 52 degrees South Latitude, it was no surprise that a frightening wind of 80 knots was experienced in the “harbor” of Campbell Island to make this supply visit the most difficult of the season. Weather did not improve the further south with rough seas and wave heights greater than 7 feet more than 45% of the time on station and greater than moderate gale wind speeds of 32 to 38 mile per hour. The sea heaps up and white foam from breaking waves begin to be blown in streaks. In addition to numerous bergybits, growlers and pack ice 547 icebergs were recorded on this first two weeks of station operations. 3 October extensive pack ice and large numbers of iceberg were encountered such that on 5 October MILLS station was adjusted to 58 degrees South latitude and 159.5 degrees East longitude. 12 October HMNZS PUKAKI relieved and ships transferred spare parts by highline 13 October. Campbell Island. 15 October. Arrived Dunedin. Made repairs and resupplied stores.

21 October. Departed for Ocean Station. 22 October. Campbell Island.

24 October. Relieved HMNZS PUKAKI . Had evaporator and boiler failures and departed station 30 October. 3 November. Arrived Dunedin. 11 November. Lt. Cmdr. Henry C. Morris relieved Lt. Cmdr. Robert D. Hoffman as commanding officer.

17 November. Departed Dunedin en route Port Lyttelton to load stores on

18 November. 19 November. Departed for Ocean Station via Campbell Island to offload stores and mail. 23 November relieved HMNZS PUKAKI 11 December. Conducted high line and astern fueling exercises with HMNZS ENDEAVOUR. Received 38 bags of mail and 12,000 gallons of diesel fuel.

17 December. Relieved by HMNZS PUKAKI 20 December. Arrived Port Chalmers, picked up the hulk tug Dunedin for tow to sea. Conducted gunnery exercise sank the hulk; returned and moored Dunedin where number two boiler was replaced.

1965

2 January. Departed Dunedin. Dropped off passengers, mail and stores at Campbell Island and arrived on station 5 January.

13 January. Relieved by HMNZS PUKAKI and headed for Port Lyttelton to load preshipped stores on 16 January.

17 January. Collided with Beacon number two on Quarantine Island in Otago Harbor, damaging port propeller, continued on to Dunedin.

20-23 January. Dry-docked in Port Chalmers to have new propeller installed, conducted sea trials and returned to Dunedin.

24 January. Departed for station via Campbell Island.

29 January. Departed station en-route to Antarctic Circle.

31 January. Crossed the Circle at 163 degrees 27.1 minutes East Longitude and passed down the east side of the Balleny Islands.

9 February. Relieved by HMNZS PUKAKI conducted high line transfer of personnel. Picked up mail at Campbell Island and arrived Dunedin on the 12th.

17 February. Departed Dunedin via Campbell island to debark passengers, offload mail and stores.

19 February. Relieved HMNZS PUKAKI

27 February. Departed Ocean Station for last time this season.

28 February. Embarked two passengers and picked up the last mail from Campbell Island.

1 March. Arrived Dunedin, conducted extensive self maintenance, stores loading, official and social calls in preparation for departure.

7 March. Completed duty with Operation Deep freeze ’65 and departed Dunedin en-route Newport via Melbourne and Perth, Australia; the Equator; Aden, Yemen; Suez Canal; Beirut, Lebanon; Cannes, France; Barcelona, Spain; Portsmouth, United Kingdom; Copenhagen, Denmark; Oslo, Norway; and the Arctic Circle.

31 March. The Equator was crossed at 67 degrees 9.5 minutes East longitude and Lt. Comdr. Morris became a shell back and swim call was held.

11 May. The Arctic Circle was crossed at 7 degrees 34 minutes West longitude.

19 May. Arrive Newport to have a leave and tender period.

19 July. Departed for new home port of Key West, Florida.

22 July. Joined Destroyer Division 601 and until 27 August was an Anti-Submarine Warfare (sonar) school ship and provide radar surveillance.

27 August. Escorted new 85′ torpedo retriever boats through the Old Bahama Channel to Mona Passage.

5 September. Arrived Key West.

6 – 13 September. Hurricane evasion.

14 September. Resumed Sonar school ship duties.

18 October to 5 November had a tender upkeep in Mayport, Florida.

6 to 15 November. Type training and transit to and from Guantanamo, Cuba.

15 November through the end of the year resumed sonar school duties.

1966

1 January to 28 February. Sonar school ship and radar surveillance duties.

1 and 2 March. En-route Mayport, Florida tender availability until 5 March.

8 March to 30 May. A restricted availability with Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.

1 to 3 June in Newport, Rhode Island waiting for dry-docking.

3 to 13 June dry-docked in Davisville, Rhode Island.

13 to 16 June en-route to Key West.

16 June to 8 July. Type training, Sonar school ship and radar surveillance duties.

9 July to 1 September. deployment preparations.

2 September. Depart for Deep freeze operations via Panama Canal.

5 September. Upkeep at Rodman, Panama Canal.

7 September. En-route Dunedin, New Zealand via Pago Pago and Auckland, New Zealand.

3 October. Arrived Dunedin.

5 to 21 October. En-route to, from and on Ocean Station at 60 degrees South Latitude via Campbell Island in support of Operation Deep-freeze flights.

22 to 25 October. In Dunedin for rest, resupply and allow Lt. Comdr. Joseph A. Felt to assume command on the 25th.

1967

The 1967 Mills cruise book provided the following information:

“MILLS and USS Thomas J. GARY DER 326 shared the tedious duty of weather reporting braving 85 knot winds; 20 foot seas and dodging a checkerboard sea of ice. The three to four week rotating duty consisted of collecting weather data and providing the information to the pilots flying the 2,200 mile stretch between Christchurch, New Zealand and McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, was a valuable but lonely assignment.”

On completion of Operation Deep freeze duties another round the world cruise was completed. Ports visited were Hobart, Tasmania; Aden, Yemen; Port Suez and Port Said, Suez Canal; Naples, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; Portsmouth, England; Hamburg, Germany and the home to Key West Florida.

1968

MILLS returned from New Zealand after another season of operation Deep freeze support duties and this time returned around the cape of Good Hope since the Suez Canal was closed.

On 3 September 1968, MILLS became an operational Naval Reserve training ship at Baltimore, Maryland.

Stricken from the Navy Register on 1 August 1974, MILLS was sold on 12 March 1975.