View source for USS Stickell

{{Short description|Gearing-class destroyer}}
{{Other ships|Greek ship Kanaris}}
{{Infobox ship
|section1={{Infobox ship/image
 |image = USS Stickell (DDR-888) underway c1962.jpg
 |image_caption = USS ''Stickell'' (DD-888) underway in 1962
 }}

|section2={{Infobox ship/career
 |country = United States
 |flag = {{USN flag|1972}}
 |name = USS ''Stickell''
 |namesake = [[John H. Stickell]]
 |ordered =
 |builder = [[Consolidated Steel Corporation]], [[Orange, Texas]]
 |laid_down = 5 January 1945
 |launched = 16 June 1945
 |acquired =
 |identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NBIK
                 *{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Bravo}}{{ICS|India}}{{ICS|Kilo}}
                 *[[Hull number]]: DD-888
 |commissioned = 31 October 1945
 |decommissioned = 13 December 1952
 }}

|section3={{Infobox ship/career
 |hide_header = yes
 |reclassified = DDR-888, 1953
 }}

|section4={{Infobox ship/career
 |hide_header = yes
 |recommissioned = 2 September 1953
 |reclassified = DD-888, 1964
 }}

|section5={{Infobox ship/career
 |hide_header = yes
 |decommissioned = 1 July 1972
 |struck = 1 July 1972
 |honors = *6 [[battle star]]s (Korea)
           * 1 battle star (Vietnam)
 |fate = Transferred to [[Greece]], 1 July 1972
 |badge = [[File:USS Sickel Patch.png|100x100px|USS ''Stickell'' patch]]
 }}

|section6={{Infobox ship/career
 |hide_header = title
 |country = Greece
 |flag = {{shipboxflag|Greece|naval}}
 |name = HS ''Kanaris''
 |namesake = [[Konstantinos Kanaris]]
 |acquired = 1 July 1972
 |commissioned = 1 July 1972
 |decommissioned = 15 September 1993
 |struck = 1994
 |honors =
 |identification = D212
 |fate = Sold for scrap, 2002
 }}

|section7={{Infobox ship/characteristics
 |class = {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer|1}}
 |displacement = * {{convert|2425|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} standard
                 * {{convert|3520|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} full
 |length = {{convert|390|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
 |beam = {{convert|40|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}
 |draft = {{convert|19|ft|m|abbr=on}}
 |depth =
 |hold_depth =
 |propulsion = * 4 [[Babcock & Wilcox]] [[boiler]]s
               * Geared steam turbines, {{convert|60000|shp|MW|0|abbr=on}}
               * 2 shafts
 |speed = {{convert|33|kn|lk=in}}
 |range = {{convert|4500|nmi|km|abbr=on}} at {{convert|20|kn|abbr=on}}
 |complement = 274
 |armament = * ''As built'' :
             * 6 × [[5"/38 caliber gun]]s (3×2)
             * 12 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm AA guns]]
             * 10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
             * 1 × [[depth charge]] track
             * ''After FRAM upgrade'' :
             * 4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun]]s (2×2)
             * 1 × MK112 eight cell [[ASROC]] launcher
             * 6 × {{convert|12.75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (2×3) for [[Mark 44 torpedo|Mk44]]/[[Mark 46 torpedo|Mk46]] torpedoes
             * 1 × [[depth charge]] track
             * ''In Hellenic Navy service'' :
             * 4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun]]s (2×2)
             * 1 × MK112 eight cell [[ASROC]] launcher
             * 6 × {{convert|12.75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} [[torpedo tube]]s (2×3) for [[Mark 44 torpedo|Mk44]]/[[Mark 46 torpedo|Mk46]] torpedoes
             * 1 × [[depth charge]] track
             * 1 × [[Otobreda 76 mm|OTO Melara 76&nbsp;mm/62 cal.]] [[Dual purpose gun|DP gun]] (in floor of the helicopter deck, had separate fire control)
             * 4 × [[Boeing Harpoon|RGM-84 Harpoon]] missiles (2×2) (in helicopter deck)
 |armor =
 |aircraft = 2 × [[QH-50 DASH]] helicopters (1963-1976)
 |notes =
 }}
}}
'''USS ''Stickell'' (DD-888)''' was a {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}} of the [[United States Navy]] in service from 1945 to 1972. She was renamed '''HS ''Kanaris'' (D212)''' ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Φ/Γ ''Κανάρης'') in 1972 on transfer to the [[Hellenic Navy]].

== Service history ==
=== 1945&ndash;1950 ===
''Stickell'' (DD-888) was named for Lieutenant [[John H. Stickell]] USNR (1914&ndash;1943), who was killed in action at [[Jaluit Atoll]] in the [[Marshall Islands]] on 13 December 1943 and posthumously awarded the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]]. She was laid down on 5 January 1945 at Orange, Texas, by the [[Consolidated Steel Corporation]]; launched on 16 June 1945; sponsored by Miss Sue Stickell; and commissioned on 31 October 1945.

Assigned to the [[United States Atlantic Fleet|Atlantic Fleet]], ''Stickell'' operated under Commander, Amphibious Training, [[Galveston, Texas]], for a month, 10 December 1945 to 11 January 1946. She then conducted [[shakedown cruise|shakedown]] training out of [[Guantánamo Bay]], [[Cuba]], before arriving in [[Charleston, South Carolina]], on 11 March for post-shakedown availability. She shifted to [[Norfolk, Virginia]], on 21 April and, until 6 May, supported carrier qualifications from that port with {{USS|Kearsarge|CV-33|3}}. She then screened ''Kearsarge'' to Guantanamo Bay and, from there, to the [[Panama Canal]]. She returned to Norfolk on 13 June. Two days later, she got underway for the west coast. Heading via the Panama Canal, she reached [[San Diego]], California, on 29 June and joined Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 11. Over the next four and one-half years, ''Stickell'' made three cruises to the [[Far East]] to serve with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]]. During these deployments, she visited the [[Philippines]], the [[Mariana Islands|Marianas]], [[Japan]], [[North Korea|North]] and [[South Korea|South]] Korea, [[China]], and [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]]. After each tour of duty in the western Pacific, she returned to duty along the west coast and in Hawaiian waters. Drills and exercises occupied the bulk of her time during the postwar period.

=== Korea, 1950&ndash;1952 ===
On 6 November 1950, ''Stickell'' completed overhaul at [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] and sailed for the [[Korean War]] Zone with DesDiv 52. She made [[Sasebo, Nagasaki|Sasebo, Japan]], on 27 November and, three days later, joined the screen of [[Task Force 77 (U.S. Navy)|Task Force (TF) 77]]. The destroyer's first Korean War tour lasted until 20 July 1951. During that deployment, she operated with the fast carriers off the southern and eastern coasts of Korea, participated in anti-submarine warfare exercises off [[Yokosuka, Kanagawa|Yokosuka, Japan]], conducted shore bombardments of the [[Kimchaek|Songjin]]-[[Wonsan]] area and patrolled the waters off Shingjin, Yong-do, and [[Chongjin]] for enemy small craft. In addition, she landed Republic of Korea intelligence teams on hostile shores: and she rescued three air crewmen while on lifeguard duty for the carriers. On 20 July 1951, she headed east toward the United States and arrived in San Diego, California, on 4 August.

For almost seven months, ''Stickell'' remained on the west coast, conducting training operations out of San Diego. On 26 January 1952, she put to sea for the Far East once again. After stopping at Yokosuka from 19 to 23 February, she began her second combat tour in Korean waters. Between 23 February and 19 March, she operated with TF 77 off the coast of Korea and made three shore bombardments; one off Yong-do on 28 February with [[heavy cruiser]] {{USS|Rochester|CA-124|2}}; one at the bombline on 5 March; and one off Singchong-Ni on 11 March with the cruiser {{USS|Saint Paul|CA-73|2}}. On 19 March, ''Stickell'' and the rest of DesDiv 52 joined the United Nations blockading and escort force, Task Group (TG) 95.2. As the bombardment and patrol element, ''Stickell'' not only blockaded [[Hŭngnam]], but also delivered interdiction and shore bombardment fire.

After bombarding Wonsan Harbor on 31 March, she rejoined TF 77 on 1 April and retired with that force to Yokosuka. She remained at Yokosuka during the first two weeks in April; then resumed support for TF 77 air strikes and intermittent shore bombardments. She was in Yokosuka from 29 May to 18 June for dry-docking and repairs before conducting a brief operation along Korea's east coast, including a night landing in the vicinity of Pohang Dong. ''Stickell'' cleared the area on 23 June with DesDiv 52 for exercises out of [[Nakagusuku Bay|Buckner Bay]], Okinawa. The division returned to Yokosuka on 5 July and, the next day, was underway again to visit [[Hong Kong]] and to patrol the [[Taiwan Strait]]. She rendezvoused with Carrier Division 3 on 14 July and, with TG 50.3, conducted operations in the Philippines and in the [[South China Sea]], before returning to the Taiwan area to rejoin TF 77 on 27 July. After further operations off the eastern coast of Korea, she entered Yokosuka on 6 August and, four days later, sailed for return to the United States.

=== 1953&ndash;1962 ===
''Stickell'' arrived in San Diego on 26 August and remained there until 13 December, when she was decommissioned at [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard|Long Beach]] to begin conversion to a [[radar picket|radar picket destroyer]] (DDR). On 2 September 1953, ''Stickell'' (DDR-888) was recommissioned at Long Beach. Following training out of Long Beach, she joined DesDiv 21 at San Diego on 18 January 1954. Two days later, she and her division headed for the western Pacific. This deployment consisted primarily of hunter-killer training and Taiwan Strait patrol. On 1 June, she departed Sasebo on a voyage to complete a circumnavigation of the globe. Along the way, she visited Hong Kong, [[Singapore]], [[Ceylon]], [[Kenya]], [[South Africa]], [[Brazil]], and [[Trinidad]], She reached [[Norfolk, Virginia]], on 10 August 1954 and joined DesDiv 262 of the Atlantic Fleet.

[[File:USS Stickell (DDR-888) underway at sea, in 1958.jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Stickell'' in 1958. She was assigned to the battle group of the aircraft carrier {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CVA-42|6}}, from which this photo was taken.]]

For the next nine years, ''Stickell'' served the Atlantic Fleet as a radar destroyer. Between 1954 and 1958, she went through two complete training cycles, including yard overhauls, Mediterranean deployments, refresher training, and [[NATO]] and Atlantic Fleet exercises. She received the latest in electronic equipment during her 1958 overhaul; and, soon thereafter, she was outfitted with an experimental data processing and weapons analysis system. In 1961, she earned the Atlantic Fleet Destroyer force Antiair Warfare Trophy. Her seven-month Mediterranean cruise in 1962 was highlighted by an excursion into the [[Black Sea]]. In the fall of 1962, ''Stickell'' participated in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis|Cuban Quarantine]] and showed great efficiency by departing Norfolk on very short notice to assume her station.

=== 1963&ndash;1965 ===
In May 1963, she entered the [[Philadelphia Naval Shipyard]] for a [[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization]] (FRAM) overhaul. ''Stickell'' surrendered her anti-aircraft warfare electronics equipment in return for the latest in ASW gear, including [[ASROC]] missiles and [[QH-50 DASH|DASH]] drone helicopters. Early in 1964, she rejoined the Atlantic Fleet in Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 12 as a straight DD. Home ported at [[Naval Station Newport|Newport, Rhode Island]], she became the flagship of DesDiv 122. Following refresher training in April, she became a unit of the midshipman training squadron and made a cruise to northern European ports in June and July. From August to November, she served with the Atlantic Anti-submarine Warfare Forces; then she deployed to the Mediterranean until March 1965.

She returned to Newport and, in April, shifted to Norfolk to complete her DASH outfitting. In June, ''Stickell'' joined TF 124, in supporting United States and other [[Organization of American States|OAS]] forces operating in the [[United States 1965 Occupation of the Dominican Republic|Dominican Republic during the 1965 upheavals]] in that country. After five weeks of patrolling, she entered the [[Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation]] shipyard at [[Boston]], [[Massachusetts]], for a six-week overhaul. In October, she took station off the west coast of Africa to participate in the recovery of [[Gemini 6]]. However, the mission was scrubbed, and ''Stickell'' returned, via [[Martinique]], to Newport. In November and early December, she participated in amphibious exercises at [[Vieques, Puerto Rico|Vieques Island]], near Puerto Rico; then returned to Newport.

=== Vietnam, 1966 ===
On 19 January 1966, ''Stickell'', along with the other units of Destroyer Squadron 12, departed Newport for duty with the 7th Fleet in the Far East. After transiting the Panama Canal and brief stops at San Diego and Pearl Harbor, the ship commenced wartime operations in the South China Sea in support of the Republic of Vietnam. While attached to the 7th Fleet, ''Stickell'' was assigned to Search and Rescue (SAR) and helicopter inflight refueling duties in the [[Gulf of Tonkin]]; [[plane guard]]ing for various attack carriers, especially {{USS|Ranger|CVA-61|2}}; and [[Naval gunfire support|gunfire support]] duties. During the deployment, the ship visited the following Far East ports: [[Kaohsiung]], [[Taiwan|Formosa]]; Yokosuka, Japan; Subic Bay, Philippines; Hong Kong; route back to Newport — completely circumnavigating the world — crossing the equator near Indonesia. After the ''Stickell'' visited [[Port Dickson]], [[Malaysia]]; [[Kochi, India|Cochin, India]]; and [[Aden]]. She transited the [[Suez Canal]] and touched at [[Athens]], Greece; [[Palma, Majorca|Palma, Mallorca]]; and [[Gibraltar]]. ship returned to Newport on 17 August 1966.

=== 1966&ndash;1968 ===
In October 1966, ''Stickell'' entered the [[Boston Naval Shipyard]] for overhaul. She emerged in February 1967 and steamed to [[Guantánamo Bay]] for refresher training. ''Stickell'' then headed for [[Culebra, Puerto Rico|Culebra Island]] where she qualified as a naval gunfire support ship. After a short inport period, ''Stickell'' deployed on a four-month ASW cruise. During the northern European segment of the cruise, ''Stickell'' visited [[Bergen]], Norway; [[Aarhus]], Denmark; [[Sundsvall]], Sweden; and [[Thurso]], Scotland. She operated with ships and aircraft from the navies of [[Royal Norwegian Navy|Norway]], [[Royal Danish Navy|Denmark]], [[German Navy|West Germany]], [[Royal Navy|Great Britain]], and [[French Navy|France]]. ''Stickell'' then entered the Mediterranean Sea and joined the 6th Fleet. She operated with the aircraft carrier {{USS|Essex|CVS-9|2}} and several other destroyers as a "pouncer" ASW Task Force. While in the Mediterranean, ''Stickell'' visited [[Naples]], Italy; [[Valletta]], Malta; and [[Palermo]], Sicily. On 19 September 1967, she steamed past [[Brenton Reef Light]] and was home again.

Before the end of the year, ''Stickell'' participated in two ASW exercises. The first, "Canus Silex," a combined Canadian-United States ASW exercise and the second, "Fixwex India." By February 1968, ''Stickell'' was preparing for a visit to the Caribbean and her part in "Springboard 68." After leaving frozen Newport behind, ''Stickell'' participated in a variety of training operations designed to sharpen her crew's already finely honed efficiency. Following "Springboard", she acted as sonar training ship at the [[Fleet Sonar School|Fleet Antisubmarine Warfare School]] at [[Key West]], [[Florida]].

The next several months were spent preparing for ''Stickell''{{'}}s next deployment. On 2 July 1968, ''Stickell'' left Newport for a six-month, 13-nation cruise of the Indian Ocean as part of the Navy's [[Middle East Force]]. She visited [[San Juan, Puerto Rico]]; [[Recife]], Brazil; [[Luanda]], Angola; [[Maputo|Lourenço Marques]], Mozambique; [[Port Louis]], Mauritius; [[Kochi, India|Cochin]], India; [[Karachi]], Pakistan; [[Bahrain]]; [[Massawa]], Ethiopia; [[Mombasa]], Kenya; [[Assab]], Ethiopia; [[Bandar Abbas]], Iran; [[Bushehr]], Iran; [[Kuwait]]; and [[Dakar]], Senegal — touching some ports more than once. While in the [[Persian Gulf]] area, ''Stickell'' participated in the international naval exercise "Middlinx XL". Together with units of the United States, British, and Iranian navies, ''Stickell'' once again demonstrated her readiness in the fields of anti-submarine and anti-aircraft warfare. ''Stickell'' returned home on 10 January 1969.

=== 1969&ndash;1972 ===
Over the next three years, ''Stickell'' alternated deployments with operations off the east coast of the United States and in the Caribbean Sea. She was deployed to the Mediterranean again from September 1969 until late March 1970, when she returned to Norfolk, After post-deployment leave and upkeep, she headed to [[Davisville, Rhode Island]], on 18 May for a month of hull repairs. Back in Norfolk again on 20 June, she remained there, except for two brief operations with the aircraft carrier {{USS|John F. Kennedy|CVA-67|2}} in July, until 9 November when she got underway to off-load ammunition at [[Naval Weapons Station Yorktown|Yorktown]], in preparation for drydocking at [[Newport News, Virginia]], from 13 November until 7 December. For the remainder of the year, she prepared for deployment to the [[Indian Ocean]]. Her second deployment with the Middle Eastern Force began on 7 January 1971, when she put to sea from Norfolk and ended on 29 June, upon her return to Norfolk. In the meantime, she visited ports in Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Madagascar, Mauritius, Bahrein, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Iran, India, Pakistan, Kenya, and Senegal.

At the end of this, her last, deployment, ''Stickell'' remained in the [[Virginia Capes]] area - for the most part at anchor or in port. She spent most of the remainder of 1971 and the first half of 1972 preparing for decommissioning and transfers to the government of Greece. On 1 July 1972, ''Stickell'' was decommissioned and struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register|Navy list]]. Immediately thereafter, the [[Hellenic Navy|Greek Navy]] took possession of her and recommissioned her as ''Kanaris''.

== Greek service ==
[[File:Greek destroyer Kanaris (D212) underway in the Mediterranean Sea in 1988.jpg|thumb|HS ''Kanaris'' (Φ/Γ ''Κανάρης'') in 1988.]]
[[File:Greek destroyer Kanaris (D-212) underway in the Mediterranean Sea on 1 April 1988 (6430222).jpg|thumb|HS ''Kanaris'' (Φ/Γ ''Κανάρης'') in 1988.]]

HS ''Kanaris'' (D212) ([[Greek language|Greek]]: Φ/Γ ''Κανάρης'') was named after Admiral [[Konstantinos Kanaris]] (1793–1877), a hero of the [[Greek War of Independence]] and later [[Prime Minister of Greece]].

She was commissioned into the [[Hellenic Navy]] on 1 July 1972 at [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]], [[Virginia]], by Cdr. K. Zografos HN. After sea trials and training she sailed to Greece where she arrived on 29 March 1973. She served in the Hellenic Navy for 20 years as part of the Destroyers Command Force. She performed many patrols in the [[Aegean Sea]] participated in Greek and [[NATO]] exercises and had active participation in the conflicts with [[Turkey]] in [[Turkish invasion of Cyprus|1974]] and [[Aegean dispute|1987]].

The ship's badge depicts the hand of a [[fire ship]] captain holding the torch used to set on fire the fire ship, while the fireship sails toward an [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[flagship]] during Greek War of Independence, the same badge used for the later frigate bearing the same name.

She was decommissioned on 15 September 1993, and sold for scrap in 2002.

== Awards ==
''Stickell'' (DD-888) earned six battle stars for Korean War service and one for service in the Vietnam War.

== See also ==
* [[Gearing-class destroyer|''Gearing''-class destroyer]]
* [[Konstantinos Kanaris]]
* [[United States Navy]]
* [[Hellenic Navy]]

== References ==
{{DANFS|https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/stickell.html|http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd888txt.htm}}

== External links ==
{{Commons-inline|links=[[commons:Category:USS Stickell (DD-888)|USS Stickell (DD-888)]] and [[commons:Category:HS Kanaris (D-212)|HS Kanaris (D-212)]]}}
* {{navsource|05/888|USS Stickell}}
* [https://hellenicnavy.gr/en/fleet/frigates/hs-kanaris-f-464/ Hellenicnavy.gr: ''Kanaris'']
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060512130806/http://geocities.com/Pentagon/Bunker/5348/index.htm USS ''Stickell'' veterans site]

{{Gearing class destroyer|others}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stickell (DD-888)}}
[[Category:Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Orange, Texas]]
[[Category:1945 ships]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Gearing-class destroyers of the Hellenic Navy]]