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General Characteristics Crew List Memorabilia History About the Ship's Name Video Gallery Image Gallery to end of page |  |
USS LEONARD F. MASON one of the GEARING - class destroyers and the first ship in the Navy to bear the name. Decommissioned and stricken from the Navy list on November 2, 1976, the ship was transfered to Taiwan on March 10, 1978, and recommissioned as SHUEI YANG. She remained in service until February 16, 2000, and was later sunk as an artificial reef.
| General Characteristics: | Awarded: 1943 |
| Keel laid: August 6, 1945 | |
| Launched: January 4, 1946 | |
| Commissioned: June 28, 1946 | |
| Decommissioned: November 2, 1976 | |
| Builder: Bethlehem Steel, Quincy, Mass. | |
| FRAM I Conversion Shipyard: Boston Naval Shipyard, Boston, Mass. | |
| FRAM I Conversion Period: 1963 - January 1964 | |
| Propulsion system: four boilers, General Electric geared turbines; 60,000 SHP | |
| Propellers: two | |
| Length: 391 feet (119.2 meters) | |
| Beam: 41 feet (12.5 meters) | |
| Draft: 18.7 feet (5.7 meters) | |
| Displacement: approx. 3,400 tons full load | |
| Speed: 34 knots | |
| Aircraft after FRAM I: two DASH drones | |
| Armament after FRAM I: one ASROC missile launcher, two 5-inch/38 caliber twin mounts, Mk-32 ASW torpedo tubes (two triple mounts) | |
| Crew after FRAM I: 14 officers, 260 enlisted |
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageCrew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS LEONARD F. MASON. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
back to top go to the end of the pageback to top go to the end of the pageUSS LEONARD F. MASON History:
USS LEONARD F. MASON was laid down 6 August 1945 by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Mass.; launched 4 January 1946; sponsored by Mrs. Hillary Mason, mother of Private First Class Mason; and commissioned 28 June 1946, Comdr. S. D. B. Merrill in command.
Following shakedown in the Caribbean, the new destroyer joined DesDiv 32 in the Pacific 22 January 1947. From 1947 to 1950, the ship completed two cruises in the western Pacific, as well as stateside operations. During the early stages of the Korean war, LEONARD F. MASON steamed for the Pacific 13 November 1950 and joined in antisubmarine exercises. On 16 May she joined TF 85 at the siege of Wonsan to fire in the continuous shore bombardment which inflicted heavy damage on enemy bridges, tunnels, and troop concentrations. Departing Wonsan 23 July, she steamed for San Diego, arriving 8 August 1951.
After overhaul, the ship sailed 23 February 1952 for the Orient, and again operated in Wonsan Harbor and along the eastern coast of Korea. Departing Yokosuka 13 September, she arrived Long Beach 27 September and remained there until 16 May 1953 when she again steamed for the Far East. Arriving in Korean waters 9 June, LEONARD F. MASON joined TG 70.1 for escort and bombardment action with mighty battleship NEW JERSEY (BB 62) off Wonsan and in the Yellow Sea.
After the close of Korean hostilities, she departed Yokosuka 20 November for Long Beach, arrived 8 December, and readied herself for peacetime duty. Between 1954 and 1960 LEONARD F. MASON made three more WestPac cruises. During the Suez crisis of November 1956 she sailed with fast carrier TF 11 on guard against any spread of trouble to the Far East.
From May 1960 to May 1962, LEONARD F. MASON was homeported at Yokosuka for antisubmarine patrols and other peacekeeping missions. During 1963 she underwent FRAM I conversion at Boston Naval Shipyard, then returned by way of the west coast to Yokosuka 21 July 1964. For the next 2 years, she operated with various task groups of the 7th Fleet, conducting gunfire support missions off the coast of Vietnam, patrolling in the Taiwan Straits, and serving in the Gemini Recovery Force. Long experience and training paid off 17 March 1966 when Gemini VIII splashed down southeast of Okinawa. LEONARD F. MASON had Astronauts Maj. David Scott, USAF, and Mr. Neil Armstrong and their capsule aboard within 3 hours and was headed for Okinawa, where her distinguished passengers and cargo were offloaded the next day.
LEONARD F. MASON then returned to gunfire support off Vietnam until June. With an overhaul projected, her home port changed to Long Beach, Calif. She departed Yokosuka 17 June and arrived at the west coast 2 July. The remainder of the year was spent in diverse operations off the California coast, with a trip to Alcapulco in November.
On 5 January 1967 the destroyer entered Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Vallejo, for overhaul. She returned to Long Beach in May, then resumed local operations, including 6 weeks of refresher training. On 19 September she departed for WestPac, where she conducted plane guard duty on Yankee Station and naval gunfire support, until sailing for home, arriving Long Beach 12 March. Her stay was not long, however, for she left once again for the Far East at the end of July. Yokosuka again became her homeport 19 August 1968.
During this two year tour in the Seventh Fleet, LEONARD F. MASON's duties included gunfire support and standby recovery ship for APOLLO 9. In August of 1970, LEONARD F. MASON again shifted her homeport to San Diego.
The ship completed a Fleet-in-Depth-Overhaul at Long Beach Naval Shipyard from January to June 1971 and then deployed to the Western Pacific in October 1971 and operated at Yankee Station and on the Gunline off the coast of South Vietnam. The ship returned to San Diego in March 1972.
In October 1972, LEONARD F. MASON departed San Diego for the Western Pacific, via New Zealand, for a cruise which saw combat operations off both North and South Vietnam, and participation in the mineclearing effort in North Vietnam. LEONARD F. MASON returned to San Diego in May 1973.
In September 1973, LEONARD F. MASON participated in RIMPAC 1973, a major allied naval exercise off Hawaii. In April 1974, the ship again deployed to the Western Pacific. During the six month cruise the destroyer operated in waters near Japan, Formosa and in the South China Sea. LEONARD F. MASON returned to San Diego in October 1974.
In March 1975, LEONARD F. MASON returned to Hawaiian waters to participate in RIMPAC 1975, returning to San Diego early in April 1975. In August 1975, the ship departed again for the western Pacific. Returning home in March 1976, LEONARD F. MASON was decommissioned 2 November 1976.
back to top go to the end of the pageAbout the Ship's Name:
Leonard Foster Mason, born Middleboro, Ky., 22 February 1920, enlisted in the Marine Corps in April 1943. Promoted to private first class in March 1943, Mason was sent to the Pacific war zone in October.
During the landing on Guam 22 July 1944, two enemy machineguns opened fire on Mason's platoon. Although mortally wounded, Mason cleared out the hostile position, acting on his own initiative. His heroic act in the face of almost certain death enabled his platoon to accomplish its mission. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
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USS LEONARD F. MASON Video Gallery:
Footage by LCDR Charles D. Larson, USS BOXER (CVA 21), contributed by his son Ian Larson. The video consists of scenes of USS LEONARD F. MASON underway in the western Pacific circa 1955-56.
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USS LEONARD F. MASON Image Gallery:
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