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Naval Institute Proceeding cover of August 1980
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Picture of the aft deck of ESTEEM. If you look closely, you'll see that the ship is still in the original MSO configuration. Note the large boat boom instead of the later davit. That dates the picture as February 1956 and the ship was only four months old.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Here is a photo of USS ESTEEM (MSO-438) taken during her postcommissioning shakedown off San Diego in October 1955. Note that she is in the original MSO configuration with a short stack and a boom for handling the motor whaleboat. In March, 1956 she went into Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a post commissioning overhaul (!) which removed the boom and installed a Wellin davit for launching the MWB.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Looks like a tall ship from here! 1 June 1957 at Sasebo, Japan.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
These were taken 1 June 1957 at SSK Industries' Drydock #1 in Sasebo, Japan. ESTEEM and PLEDGE are shown.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Taken 1 June 1957 at SSK Industries' Drydock #1 in Sasebo, Japan.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
1 June 1957 at Sasebo, Japan
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
The variable pitch propellers. 1 June 1957 at Sasebo, Japan.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
June of 1958 off the coast of San Diego.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
ESTEEM taken in 1958 off San Diego at the same time as the other aerial photo. This one is a little unusual in that it is taken from aft. The smoke is belching from the boiler (for heating and cooking) which just lit off and was not yet warmed up enough for the smoke to stop.
Notice that the ship is rigged for movies. In those days, they were projected on the fantail, weather permitting, or in the mess hall. Passing large reels of 16mm film from ship to ship via highline was a frequent exercise when cruising.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Courtesy of Sam McCrow
Courtesy of Ron Schwab, RMCS, USN(Ret)
1967 in Formation
Courtesy of Tim Cline
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Sasebo, Japan - 14 April 1957
Vice Admiral Beakley, Commander 7th Fleet,
arrives on board USS ESTEEM to pay respects for high performance
during WESPAC tour.
Receiving are: LT G. W. Bird, CO ESTEEM
LTJG S. H. Cochran, OOD
CDR May, COMINDIV73.
Com 7th Fleet's radio call sign was "Jehovah" and we sort of
thought he really was.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
9 July 1957 at Sasebo, Japan
Here are the skippers and commodore of Mine Division 73 (left to right):
LT Stansfield Turner - CO, USS CONQUEST
LT Timothy J. Keen - CO, USS ESTEEM
LCDR Fluhart - CO, USS GALLANT
LCDR May - COMINDIV 73
LT Faust - CO, USS ACME
LT Pfundstein - CO, USS PLEDGE
Stansfield Turner went on to be the head of the Naval War College and then Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
Courtesy of Stan Cochran
Fuel cell on the fantail enroute to Endsweep in 1973
The individual on the fantail looking at the camera is "HT1 Burton". The individual with his hands on his hips over by the portside, facing out to sea is "HT2 Smethurst".
Fuel Cells were used only on the west coast, on the east coast MSOs deployed with an LST and would refuel every third day using the English Astern Method where they would float a small buoy with a line attached that would be pulled on board, secured to the deck house by the 40 MM and then would pull the hose aboard and pull it back mid-ships for the hook-up.
Courtesy of Rick Szpyrka, Sam McCrow & William Hause
Taken on July 2, 1956 as she was passing Pierpoint Landing on the way out to sea from the Long Beach Naval Station. It was its first time at sea after completing an extensive post-commissioning overhaul and modernization. (USN Photo).
Courtesy of Stan Cochran