USS NEWMAN K. PERRY (DD-883)

• Namesake Hero: The USS Newman K. Perry (DD-883) was named after Ensign Newman K. Perry, a U.S. Navy aviator who was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his bravery in the Battle of the Coral Sea during World War II. • Gearing-class Destroyer: Commissioned in 1945, the ship was a Gearing-class destroyer, one of the most prolific classes built by the U.S. Navy during and after WWII. • World War II Service: Although commissioned in the final months of World War II, the USS Newman K. Perry did not see combat in that conflict, but immediately began post-war operations in the Pacific. • Korean War Deployments: The destroyer saw active duty during the Korean War, providing gunfire support for United Nations troops and patrolling the Korean coastline. • Vietnam War Action: The ship participated in multiple Vietnam War deployments, conducting naval gunfire support missions and serving as a plane guard for aircraft carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin. • FRAM Modernization: In the early 1960s, USS Newman K. Perry underwent the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program, receiving state-of-the-art anti-submarine warfare upgrades, including the installation of ASROC and DASH systems. • Cuban Missile Crisis: The destroyer took part in the Cuban Missile Crisis blockade in 1962, helping to enforce the U.S. quarantine of Cuba during the tense standoff with the Soviet Union. • Homeports: Over her career, the USS Newman K. Perry was homeported at several locations, including Norfolk, Virginia and Mayport, Florida, reflecting the changing strategic needs of the Cold War Navy. • International Service: After her U.S. Navy service, the ship was transferred to the Republic of South Korea in 1981, where she served as ROKS Kyong Ki (DD-71) until her decommissioning in 1997. • Decorations and Honors: The destroyer earned numerous awards, including battle stars for service in Korea and Vietnam, attesting to her long, active, and distinguished career in the U.S. and South Korean navies.