Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Destroyer

USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Before commissioning

Born 22 April 1920 in Holyoke, Mass., Dennis Joseph Buckley, Jr., enlisted in the Navy 30 September 1940. Fireman First Class Buckley was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for displaying exceptional courage in attempting to board and salvage a blockade runner which had been intercepted by his ship Eberle (DD-430) on 10 March 1943. The explosion of demolition charges planted by the blockade runner's crew took his life.

Second World War 1939–1945

1944

USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
80-G-299262: USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD 808) being at Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine, December 20, 1944. U.S. Navy photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. (2015/12/15). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-299262 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) was launched 20 December 1944 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. D. J. Buckley, mother of Fireman First Class Buckley; and commissioned 2 March 1945, Commander K. C. Walpole in command. She was re-classified DDR-808, 18 March 1949.

1945

Dennis J. Buckley sailed from Norfolk 7 November 1945 for occupation duty in the Western Pacific, arriving at Tokyo Bay 22 December. She operated in the Marianas and visited Manila, Philippine Islands, before returning to San Diego 13 April 1946. On her second tour of duty in the Far East, in 1947, she cruised off the coast of China providing services to the Fleet and joined in exercises off Okinawa. On 1 October 1948 she steamed for Tsingtao, China, where she patrolled during the evacuation of civilians from the threat of the Communist advance into northern China. She joined Tarawa (CV-40) and Hawkins (DD-873) and sailed by way of Hong Kong and Singapore; Colombo, Ceylon; Bahrein and Jidda, Saudi Arabia; and Port Said, Egypt, to Athens, Greece where the three ships joined others for a visit to Istanbul, Turkey. She returned to New York 22 February 1949, completing a round-the-world cruise.

Post-war 1946–1949

1949

Dennis J. Buckley departed New York 1 March 1949 for a brief period of operations on the west coast, returning to the Canal Zone 10 May for exercises in Caribbean waters. She then operated along the eastern seaboard from Norfolk to Argentia, Newfoundland and sailed from Newport 15 April for a tour of duty in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet, returning to Newport 6 October for local and Caribbean operations. From April to October 1951 she cruised to northern Europe, visiting Plymouth, Liverpool, and Weymouth, England; Bremerhaven, Germany; Antwerp, Belgium; and Cork and Londonderry, Ireland.

Between 1952 and 1955, Dennis J .Buckley completed three tours of duty in the Mediterranean, and served as gunnery and engineering school ship for destroyer officers. She participated in air defense exercises in the North Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico and trained midshipmen and reservists.

Cold War 1954–1963

1956

Dennis J. Buckley sailed from Boston 1 May 1956 to join the Pacific Fleet. Arriving at Long Beach 28 June, she got underway 9 July for a tour of duty in the western Pacific from which she returned to Long Beach 21 October. During her second Far Eastern tour, in 1957, she screened Princeton (CV-37), patrolled off Taiwan briefly, and served as flagship for Commander, Destroyer Flotillas, western Pacific, during October, when she was visited by the Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral A. A. Burke. Local operations engaged Dennis J. Buckley until 23 August 1958 when she again sailed for the Far East where she joined TF 72 to resupply Nationalist Chinese holding the Quemoy Islands against the threat of Communist seizure.

1959

Returning to Long Beach 27 February 1959, she sailed again for duty in the western Pacific 15 October. She returned to Long Beach 11 March 1960 for operations until May, underwent a 3-month overhaul, and then resumed west coast duty for the remainder of the year.

Other photographs

Held for this vessel, and not tied to any part of the account above.

USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Bureau of Ships. 9/18/1947-5/1/1966 — This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America , via its partner Digital Public Library of America . Record in source catalog DPLA identifier: 511ae741b3623287cb84296c9bf03d0c National Archives Identifier: 24744299 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) steams with an "honour guard" of four destroyers, as a Change of Command ceremony takes place on her fight deck, 28 November 1962. Captain E.P. Kline relieved Captain G.C. Bullard as the carrier's Commanding Officer during the ceremony, which took place while she was operating in the Western Pacific with the Seventh Fleet. The destroyer USN — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 97346 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) at Singapore in December 1948. Dennis J. Buckley escorted the aircraft carrier USS Tarawa (CV-40) on her world cruise from San Diego, California (USA) to Norfolk, Virginia (USA) from 28 September 1948 to 21 February 1949. USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Tarawa (CV-40) 1948-1949 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) underway off the coast of San Diego, California (USA), on 9 June 1970. PH2 Louis D. Adzima, U.S. Navy — Original scan of photo found in San Bruno Branch, US National Archives in March of 2008; for a similar photo from the same event see: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 107121 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) as seen from USS Stribling (DD-867) during maneuvers inthe Atlantic in 1952. Robert E. Frey, PH2, U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy All Hands magazine November 1952 , p. 67 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy radar picket destroyer USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) refuels from the heavy cruiser USS Los Angeles (CA-135). Los Angeles was deployed to the Western Pacific from 27 August to 5 December 1958. U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Los Angeles (CA-135) 1958 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy radar picket destroyer USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) underway in 1962. Note the Essex -class aircraft carrier on the horizon. Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 54119 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808)
The U.S. Navy radar picket destroyers USS Ernest G. Small (DDR-838), USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) and the destroyer USS Turner Joy (DD-951) underway off the aircraft carrier USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) during a Change of Command ceremony. Bon Homme Richard , with assigned Carrier Air Group 19 (CVG-19), was deployed to the Western Pacific from 12 July 1962 to 11 February 1963. USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1962-1963 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

  1. History Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
  2. Facts USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
  3. Photograph USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) off Boston in 1945 USN — Official U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-94654 available at Destroyerhistory.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  4. Photograph 80-G-299262 (23762991896) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-299262 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  5. Photograph DD-808 Dennis J. Buckley - DPLA - 511ae741b3623287cb84296c9bf03d0c Department of Defense. Department of the Navy. Bureau of Ships. 9/18/1947-5/1/1966 — This file was contributed to Wikimedia Commons by National Archives and Records Administration as part of a cooperation project. The donation was facilitated by the Digital Public Library of America , via its partner Digital Public Library of America . Record in source catalog DPLA identifier: 511ae741b3623287cb84296c9bf03d0c National Archives Identifier: 24744299 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  6. Photograph USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) underway with destroyers in November 1962 USN — Official U.S. Navy photo NH 97346 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  7. Photograph USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) at Singapore in December 1948 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Tarawa (CV-40) 1948-1949 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  8. Photograph USS Dennis J. Buckley (DD-808) underway on 9 June 1970 PH2 Louis D. Adzima, U.S. Navy — Original scan of photo found in San Bruno Branch, US National Archives in March of 2008; for a similar photo from the same event see: U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command photo NH 107121 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  9. Photograph USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) in 1952 Robert E. Frey, PH2, U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy All Hands magazine November 1952 , p. 67 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  10. Photograph USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) refuels from USS Los Angeles (CA-135) in 1958 U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Los Angeles (CA-135) 1958 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  11. Photograph USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) underway in 1962 (NH 54119) Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 54119 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  12. Photograph USS Ernest G. Small (DDR-838), USS Dennis J. Buckley (DDR-808) and USs Turner Joy (DD-951) underway c1962 USN — U.S. Navy photo [1] from the USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) 1962-1963 cruise book available at Navysite.de — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons