| | Full circle: Nicholas’s bell and the Marine Corps After Nicholas was dismantled at Zidell Explorations, Inc., now Zidell Marine, Portland, Oregon, no records of details were retained; artifacts from the ship are all that remain. Many of these exist in the collections of shipmates and others who were invited to remove what they wished from Nicholas even prior to her decommissioning at Pearl Harbor.
Photo courtesy Warren Gabelman collection
Nicholas’s bell at its former position on the parade ground. |
Admiral Andrew J. Hill, the “Nick’s” second commanding officer, was one person present at both her first commissioning and her last decommissioning. There he retrieved the ship’s data plate and other memorabilia, some of which were given out as door prizes at the 1973 shipmates’ reunion in Marina del Rey, California. The data plate came into the possession of John O’Neill, who loaned it back to the navy for installation in the new USS Nicholas (FFG 47) while the bell was donated to the Marine Corps, as Nicholas was named after the Continental Marines’ senior officer, whom the Corps recognizes as its first commandant.« « « On 10 July 2001, this web site received the following e-mail and a color photograph (bottom)—which also then appeared on the Marine Barracks Washington web site:
Dear Sir,
I am a Captain stationed at Marine Barracks, Washington, DC. As I’m sure you are aware, the USS Nicholas is named after one of the Corps’ most famous Commandants. At Marine Barracks Washington we host evening parades all summer for tens of thousands of spectators who wish to see a glimpse of military precision and patriotism. One of the fixtures on our parade deck is a brass bell, and the striking of the bell is an important part of the ceremony.
Click on any image to view it in more detail. |
Up until 1997, the bell on the parade deck at Marine Barracks was the bell from the USS Samuel Nicholas. That summer, it cracked and was replaced by another bell. Rather than getting rid of the bell from the USS Samuel Nicholas, it was relocated to the front of Center House on the parade grounds, a historic house that acts as the bachelor’s officers quarters/officers club for the Marine and Navy officers stationed here.
No one has any idea how the bell came to Marine Barracks after the Nicholas was retired in 1970; however, since this is the oldest post in the Corps and one that is steeped in military tradition, it is of great importance to us to learn how this bell came to be here and in turn become such an important part of the history of this post. If you have any information that could help explain how the bell of the USS Nicholas came to reside here at Marine Barracks Washington, it would of great help to us. Also, if you are ever in DC and wish to attend one of our parades please don't hesitate to contact me. Thanks very much.Semper Fi,
Captain Andy Lynch
Marine Barracks, Washington, DC Marine Barracks Washington website: www.mbw.usmc.mil
SHIP’S BELL — MARINE BARRACKS The bell from the Destroyer USS Nicholas (DD 449), the oldest active destroyer in the US Navy at the time of her decommissioning, is consigned to the Marine Barracks.
The USS Nicholas was retired in January 1970 at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, terminating a career which began during the bleak days of the Navy in early 1942 and spanned three wars.
Commissioned on 4 June 1942, she was the second US warship named in honor of Major Samuel Nicholas, the first commissioned officer in the US Marine Corps.
Three months later, she was engaged in the Solomon Islands campaign, in the battle for Guadalcanal. For her actions during the Battle of Kula Gulf on 6 July 1943, she was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
One of the most decorated ships in active service, she had an outstanding combat record in WWII, earning 16 battle stars on her Asiatic-Pacific Service Ribbon; with the downing of seven enemy aircraft plus two more possible kills, shore bombardments, task force operations, landings, escort duty and surface battles all noted in her colorful war diary. She earned two more battle stars for her participation in the liberation of the Philippines.
Nicholas was the last surviving link with the historic events which took place in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945, when she transported US and Allied representatives to the battleship Missouri for the Japanese surrender ceremony.
Deactivated in January 1947, she was converted to an escort destroyer and recommissioned in February 1951. She played an active and significant role in the Korean Conflict, earning five more battle stars.
She also participated with the US Seventh Fleet in Vietnam action, earning 10 battle stars, giving her a total of thiry-three battle stars since her commissioning. USMC
PAO 10-7-71 |
|
| |
