COMMANDING OFFICER

This is a letter written to me by my friend Dan Wasson

I could not have expressed how I feel any better.

Hit the buildings, Missed America .  . .  .  

An open letter to a terrorist:

Well, you hit the World Trade Center, but you missed America.  You hit the Pentagon, but you missed America.  You used helpless American bodies, to take out other American bodies, but like a poor marksman, you STILL missed America.   

Why?  Because of something you guys will never understand.  America isn't about a building or two, not about financial centers, not about military centers, America isn't about a place, America isn't even about a bunch of bodies.  America is about an IDEA.  An idea, that you can go someplace where you can earn as much as you can figure out how to, live for the most part, like you envisioned living, and pursue Happiness.  (No guarantees that you'll reach it, but you can sure try!)

 Go ahead and whine your terrorist whine, and chant your terrorist litany: "If you can not see my point, then feel my pain." This concept is alien to Americans.  We live in a country where we don't have to see your point.  But you're free to have one.  We don't have to listen to your speech.  But you're free to say one.  Don't know where you got the strange idea that everyone has to agree with you.  We don't agree with each other in this country, almost as a matter of pride..  We're a collection of guys that don't agree, called States. We united our individual states to protect ourselves from tyranny in the world. Another idea, we made up on the spot.  You CAN make it up as you go, when it's your country.  If you're free enough.  

Yeah, we're fat, sloppy, easy-going goofs most of the time.  That's an unfortunate image to project to the world, but it comes of feeling free and easy about the world you live in. It's unfortunate too, because people start to forget that when you attack Americans, they tend to fight like a cornered badger.  The first we knew of the War of 1812, was when England burned Washington D.C.  to the ground. Didn't turn out like England thought it was going to, and it's not going to turn out like you think, either.  Sorry, but you're not the first bully on our shores, just the most recent.  

No Marquis of Queensbury rules for Americans, either.  We were the FIRST and so far, only country in the world to use nuclear weapons in anger.  Horrific idea, nowadays?  News for you bucko, it was back then too, but we used it anyway.  Only had two of them in the whole world and we used 'em both.  Grandpa Jones worked on the Manhattan Project.  Told me once, that right up until they threw the switch, the physicists were still arguing over whether the Uranium alone would fission, or whether it would start a fission chain reaction that would eat everything.  But they threw the switch anyway, because we had a War to win.  Does that tell you something about American Resolve?  

So who just declared War on us?  It would be nice to point to some real estate, like the good old days.  Unfortunately, we're probably at war with random camps, in far-flung places.  Who think they're safe. Just like the Barbary Pirates did, IIRC.  Better start sleeping with one eye open.  

There's a spirit that tends to take over people who come to this country, looking for opportunity, looking for liberty, looking for freedom. Even if they misuse it.  The Marielistas that Castro emptied out of his prisons, were overjoyed to find out how much freedom there was.  First thing they did when they hit our shores, was run out and buy guns.  The ones that didn't end up dead, ended up in prisons.  It was a big PITA then (especially in south Florida), but you're only the newest PITA, not the first.  

You guys seem to be incapable of understanding that we don't live in America, America lives in US!  American Spirit is what it's called. And killing a few thousand of us, or a few million of us, won't change it.  Most of the time, it's a pretty happy-go-lucky kind of Spirit. Until we're crossed in a cowardly manner, then it becomes an entirely different kind of Spirit.  

Wait until you see what we do with that Spirit, this time.  

Sleep tight, if you can.  We're coming.

The only thing that I have to add is that all of us need to remember the lessons of WWII and how we treated our American/Japanese citizens. This too is a lesson that we as a country do not need to re-learn!Let us give all of the support  we can to our armed forces and especially to those shipmates who are on active duty or may be called up through the reserves. Our hearts and minds go with them and we will pray for their safety.

Ken Keeler

QM2

SHIPS OFFICERS

I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate our new Association Officers, and the 35 shipmates that elected them.

President---Ken Keeler
Vice Pres---Horace Premeaux
Treasurer---Don Reed
Secretary---Richard Cooper 
Webmaster---John Freeman
Editor POQ---Laurence Wilson

Complete Election results can be seen here:
http://www.pollcat.com/report/L42A9EAE00D0B71D88AF

OPERATIONS

Minutes - Board meeting #1
USS Cochrane Association
June 25, 2001

Due to some difficulty connecting all board members to ICQ, John volunteered to look into the use of Yahoo Messenger in the future. He will report back to the board on his findings.

1. Selection of chairmanships

It was discussed and recommended by the members of the board that the chairmen of each of the committees be part of board meetings if possible, and that they work with one of the board members. It was also decided that they will report to the general membership.

a.      Historian/Newsletter editor - Larry Wilson was nominated and elected by the board.

b.      Membership - Jim Leathers was nominated and elected by the board.

c.      2002 Reunion committee - Steve Comacho was nominated and elected by the board. It was also decided that the 2002 reunion will be held in
Bremerton, Washington. The date will be decided by the committee. It was further suggested that the reunions be rotated to different parts of the country from year to year, and that the 2003 reunion be held on the East coast.

d.      Legal - Sal Cedillo was nominated and elected by the board.

2. Adoption of dues for the USS Cochrane Association

Dues were determined to be set at $20.00/yr. This was an amount that is in line with other ship associations.

There are also plans for ship’s store in the future which will sell Cochrane items.

3. Incorporation

Don Reed reported that banks he spoke to told him that in order for the association to have an account, we must first take care of tax forms and non-profit forms in order to incorporate. It was decided that we
would incorporate in the state of Texas, due to the fact that Sal Cedillo, our legal beagle, live in that
state and would have access to legal consult regarding our by-laws, and recommending any modifications as required by law for incorporation. It was also felt by the board that the endorsement cards should be able to be sent to the board members for signatures rather than requiring them to travel to Texas.

4. By-laws

The by-laws of the USS Cochrane Association were voted on, and accepted unanimously by the board.

The meeting was adjourned at 10:58 EST by President Keeler. Another meeting will be called at 9:00 pm on Thursday, June 27th on ICQ.

Respectfully Submitted,
Richard Cooper HM3 65-67
Secretary

DISBURSING

Once the association starts to collect dues, and formalize the membership. The treasurer will post ships financial status here.

WEAPONS

One of the systems installed in Cochrane in the early 70s that set her apart from her sisters was the Junior Participating Naval Tactical Data System (JPTDS). It was not really a weapons system so much as a weapons integration system. It replaced the Cochranes original WDS MK 11 (Weapons Direction System).

JPTDS was a destroyer version of NTDS built around a single UYK-7 computer. Originally planned for all DDG-2 and DDG-31 class ships, but only four DDG-2 class received it (DDGs 9,12,15 and 21).

As installed in DDG-21 it consisted of 8 UYA-4 consoles: 3 for detection and tracking, 1 for surface/subsurface, 2 for display/decision, and 2 for weapons control.

JPTDS and its big brother (Naval Tactical Data System) used a High frequency (HF) data link that allowed widely dispersed ships to share tactical data.

The system allowed Cochrane to share the information gathered by its radars and sonars with other NTDS equipped ships, automatically. It also allowed Cochrane to see what the other ships in the battle group could see with their sensors.

The Adams-class modernization (including NTDS) was to have continued in 1980 starting with DDG-3. Rising costs led to NTDS being installed only in 3 more ships (DDGs 19,20, and 22). They received the full NTDS with larger computers. In DDGs 19,20, and 22 the DESRON Commanders suite was taken over by the computers needed for the full blown NTDS.

ENGINEERING

     The USS Cochrane was built to SCB (Ships Characteristics Board) Design 155.  Based originally on the Forrest Sherman (DD 931) class SCB 85.

     It was originally hoped that the DDG-2 class would duplicate the Forrest Sherman class hull ( but these plans where optimistic, although the 1200lb steam power plant of the earlier SCB 85 was retained, the hull overall had to be stretched, with improved access to the boilers with a 2 foot lengthening of the boiler rooms and a 19 foot stretch overall. This length increase resulted in a DDG-2 class design of 436 5/8’ oa x 47’  vice the  DD931 hulls 418’oa x45’, and was justified on the basis of a need to maintain speed (which was permitted to fall to a design speed of 32.5 knots) and also in view of the need to accommodate the new SQS-23 Sonar, a larger CIC, and ASROC. 

     Eighteen inches of beam where added to preserve stability, given that DDG-2 class has an increase in 600 tons displacement over DD931. Hull depth (27 ¼’) was actually reduced to improve center of gravity.

SWO / ESWS

COCHRANEINST 1421.1A dated 3 April 1980.

Enclosure (1) ELIGIBILITY STANDARDS

Requirements for ESWS Qualification:

1. Be a Petty Officer.
2. Have 24 months cumulative sea duty.
3. Have maintained performance marks of 3.4 or higher.
4. Demonstrate effective leadership and supervisory ability.
5. Complete the following PQS:
   1. Damage Control
   2. DC PO
   3. 3M System (To supervisory level)
   4. ESWS (NAVEDTRA 43390)
6. Be qualified for those watch stations, both in port and underway, to which personnel of the rating and pay grade are normally assigned.
7. Be recommended for ESWS by chain of command.
8. Be recommended for ESWS by the ESWS board.
9. Be approved for ESWS designation by the Commanding Officer.

DDG MEMORIES

DDG Memories was originally found on the USS Buchanan DDG-14 web page and expanded to include favorites from the crew of USS Cochrane DDG-21:

Some DDG Memories:

• Keeping me warm in cold climates

• Warmer then I wanted in others

• Ports of call that I still can see

• Passageways in the dark

• Condition Zebra

• Firing exercises

• Sitting on the fantail having a smoke after a meal

• Sunsets I wanted to shared with those I love

• Quarters in the morning

• Eggs to order (Scrambled Everything)

• The POD

• Shellbacks and pollywogs

• Coffee so strong you could chew it

• Work parties?

• Steel Beach Picnic

• Smokers (Boxing)

• Shower Hours

• Underway replenishments

• What do you mean, "we don't have a spare"

• GQ

• -Air-conditioned? Compartments

• Sun bathing on the 01 level by MT 52

• Star Gazing on the 01 level by MT 52

• Naval Gunfire Support

• Director One

• Pearl Harbor

• Hong Kong

• Yokosuka

• Guam

• Singapore

• Inter Director Designation

• After Steering Watch

• Security Alert, Security Alert

• Going to P.I. (Subic Bay)

• Ship's store is now open

• Port and Starboard Watches / Condition III Steaming

• Sweepers, Sweepers Man Your Brooms

• Hurricane Eva

• Cigars After 24 hours on the gun line

• Do not rotate or radiate any electronic equipment while men are

• Working aloft onboard the USS Cochrane!

• Haze Gray and Underway!

• Turn Two!

• Bravo Zulu

• Cochrane, Arriving!

CURRENT EVENTS

The following is an editorial written in the Miami Herald. It was written on the day of the attack on the World Trade center. I re-publish it below for I think it gives words to what we of the Cochrane (and all people) are feeling.

We'll go forward from this moment

It's my job to have something to say.

They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering.

You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard. What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed. Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause. Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve. Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.

Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae -- a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though -- peace-loving and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God.

Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.

In pain

Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before.

But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice.

I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future.

In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined.

The steel in us

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.

So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received. And take this message in exchange: You don't know my people. You don't know what we're capable of. You don't know what you just started. But you're about to learn.

LEONARD PITTS JR – Miami Herald

ERRATA

This is the Plan of The Quarter for the USS Cochrane DDG-21 (Association). It may be modified as so deemed by the officers of the association

It is classified confidential and shall not be removed from the ship.

   EDITOR: Laurence Wilson