USS Hanson ( DD - 832 ) USS " Hanson " ( DD / DDR - 832 ) was a of the United States Navy , named for First Lieutenant Robert M . Hanson ( 1920 – 1944 ) , a United States Marine Corps quintuple ace who was awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously . " Hanson " was launched on 11 March 1945 by the Bath Iron Works Corp . , Bath , Maine ; sponsored by Mrs . Harry A . Hanson , mother of Lt . Hanson ; and commissioned on 11 May 1945 , Commander John C . Parham in command . Service history . 1945 – 1949 . After shakedown in the Caribbean and conversion to a picket destroyer at Boston Navy Yard , " Hanson " sailed for the Pacific on 7 November 1945 . She spent most of the following year operating in support of occupation forces in Japan , with a September period of fleet maneuvers off the China coast . Reporting to the Atlantic Fleet at the Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia on 6 February 1947 , " Hanson " trained along the East Coast until sailing in late January 1948 for her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean . She was designated DDR - 832 ( radar picket destroyer ) on 8 March 1949 . During her second deployment to the Mediterranean in the summer of 1949 " Hanson " took part in two of the most important steps toward peace taken in that tension - wracked region . As station ship to the United Nations General Assembly at the Isle of Rhodes , she was the only American warship present as Greece received control of the long - contested Dodecanese Islands . On her next important duty " Hanson " carried United Nations mediator Dr . Ralph Bunche , later awarded the Nobel Peace Prize , to Beirut , Lebanon , for peace negotiations on Israel . Korea , 1950 – 1953 . World crisis shifted from Europe and the Mediterranean to the East in 1950 , and " Hanson " joined the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on 12 July to prepare for her role in the Korean War . Her first duty off the war - torn country saw " Hanson " participating in the amphibious operations at Inchon on 15 September 1950 as well as providing fire cover for the successful evacuation of Hŭngnam and Wonsan just before Christmas that year . " Hanson " s second combat cruise to Korea , September 1951 to May 1952 , took her along the east coast as a member of the fleet bombarding strategic shore targets in support of ground troops where her accurate fire was most effective . In December she also participated in the important Formosa Patrol and visited Hong Kong . After a respite at San Diego , " Hanson " returned to the Korean bombline in December 1952 for task force operations , screening the fast carriers as they launched their jets against enemy supply lines and positions . The battle - hardened destroyer also participated in shore bombardment , search - and - rescue ( SAR ) operations , and Formosa patrol before returning to the United States on 20 July 1953 , shortly before the end of the war in Korea . 1954 – 1964 . Subsequent years found " Hanson " making annual six - month deployments with the 7th Fleet to strengthen American defenses in the Pacific and to prove American determination to keep the peace to possible aggressors . In addition to patrol , major portions of " Hanson " s Pacific cruises were devoted to tactical maneuvers and battle exercises with United States and allied ships as well as intensive antisubmarine hunter - killer training . Hong Kong , Taiwan , Japan , the Philippines , Korea , and even Australia provided familiar ports of call for the destroyer on these cruises . " Hanson " was patrolling the Straits of Formosa virtually within sight of Communist mainland China in the fall of 1958 as shelling of the offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu precipitated a major international crisis . In the spring of 1962 and again in 1963 " Hanson " took part in the annual Australian celebration of the Battle of the Coral Sea , World War II ' s first carrier naval engagement in the Pacific . When not deployed to the western Pacific , " Hanson " trained out of her home port , San Diego . Much of this training was centered on " Hanson " s role as a radar picket destroyer , designed to provide early warning of approaching enemy air , surface , or submarine forces . On 1 April 1964 she was redesignated DD - 832 and entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard to undergo a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM ) conversion designed to prolong her effective life as a fighting ship for many years . Vietnam , 1965 – 1968 . Conversion completed on 6 December 1964 , " Hanson " rejoined the Pacific Fleet early in 1965 as a unit of Destroyer Squadron 11 ( DesRon 11 ) , with sister ship , which was also a recent converted from DDR configuration . She operated along the West Coast until heading for the Far East early in the summer to join the fight against Communist aggression in Southeast Asia . In July she shelled enemy targets ashore and , but for brief respites , she patrolled and fought in troubled Vietnamese waters until late in the autumn . Returning to San Diego in December , she operated along the coast of California and Mexico until getting under way for the Orient on 17 July 1966 . She steamed via Hawaii , Midway , Guam , and Subic Bay for Vietnam and anchored in the Saigon River on 13 September . But for short visits to Hong Kong , Formosa , and the Philippines , " Hanson " operated in the fighting zone until relieved on 6 January 1967 . During the deployment , her 5 - inch guns fired over 9 , 000 rounds at Communist targets , mostly in direct support of ground forces . She also performed plane guard duty , patrolled close ashore to stop infiltration of supplies and men from the north , and refueled helicopters . Back at San Diego on 11 February 1967 , " Hanson " operated along the West Coast preparing for her next WestPac deployment . During the period , six months were spent in Long Beach Naval Shipyard undergoing repairs and overhaul . " Hanson " s third deployment to Vietnam covered March through September , 1968 . Notably , deployment was moved up in order to steam quickly to the Sea of Japan , where North Korean naval forces had recently ( 23 January 1968 ) intercepted and captured in international waters off the coast of North Korea . " Hanson " s appearance in the area did not elicit any material response from the Communists , and after several days , the ship sailed south to join the rest of the United States 7th Fleet off Vietnam in the South China Sea . " Hanson " returned to San Diego in the following September . 1969 – 1971 . By October , 1970 , USS Hanson returns to her home port San Diego , CA after a yard period at Hunter ' s Point San Franscisco , CA where the Hanson was in the same drydock ( drydock # 3 ) as the USS Dubuque LPD - 8 . The ship prepares for a 6 month WesPac tour scheduled for early 1971 by participating in Refresher Training ( RefTra ) and readiness inspections . Gunnery personnel conducted shore bombardment on San Clemente Island , and air and surface firings at towed targets . Deck division conducted several underway replenishments with USN Oiler . The Anti - Submarine team fired exercise ASROC and torpedoes at the USS Salmon SS 573 . Operations conducted numerous exercises with USS Buckley DD 808 and USS GRAY DE 1054 . USS Hanson DD 832 , USS Buckley DD 808 and USS Floyd B . Parks DD 884 depart San Diego , CA for a 6 month WesPac ( Western Pacific ) cruise on February 5 , 1971 . Ports of call included Pearl Harbor , HI , Midway Island , Apra Harbor in Guam , Subic Bay , Philippines , Da Nang , South Vietnam , Bangkok , Thailand , Buckner Bay , Okinawa , Japan , Sasebo , Japan , Pusan , South Korea , Yokusuka , Japan , Shimoda , Japan and British Colony of Hong Kong . Most notable events of Hanson WesPac cruise : The three ships in transit between San Diego and Pearl Harbor encounter a large floating buoy or pipe sealed on its ends floating upright picked up on all three ship ' s radars seemingly the sail of a surfaced submarine about 3 days out from San Diego , CA . Hanson . Transiting from Sasebo to Pusan , the Hanson meets with the USS Truxtun CGN - 35 and lowers it ' s motor whale boat to transfer a Commodore and his staff from the Truxtun to the Hanson prior to entering Pusan , South Korea . The Commodore was piped aboard , sideboys were stationed on the quarter deck . Collision with a Soviet Union tug boat in the Sea of Japan mid or late April , 1971 . Hanson was following a group of Russian tugs ( at least 4 ) towing floating drydocks , some of the drydocks within other drydocks . The tugs were headed north to a Russian port when one of the tugs said to be the Diomid , fell back and came along the starboard side the Hanson . Officers on the Hanson ' s bridge attempted to talk to the tug via a bullhorn , but the captain of the tug didn ' t seem interested and within 20 minutes the tug veered toward the Hanson and struck at about her anchor . The Hanson sustained only a buffed paint job and perhaps a dent about the starboard anchor . The Russian tug lost at least 30 feet of its portside main deck railing or life line . The Hanson immediately went to general quarters and all camera film taken of the incident was confiscated by ships command as evidence of the international incident . The Hanson then made way for Yokusuka , Japan for repairs and cooling of Soviet / US Navy tensions . She remained in Yokusuka for at least 2 weeks . At a later date after the tug collision , USS Hanson DD 832 , USS Preble DLG - 15 and a Japanese destroyer participated in the Black Ship Festival held about third week in May yearly in Shimoda , Japan . Each ship participated by entering marching units that marched through the narrow streets of Shimoda , Japan in that city ' s parade . Hanson also conducted NGFS ( Naval Gun Fire Support ) off Vietnam for at least 2 weeks , followed and reported on the doings of USSR Navy ships in the Sea of Japan and participated in plane guard duty at Yankee station in the Tonkin Gulf off Vietnam . On the sixteenth of July the USS Hanson DD 832 in company with the USS Buckley DD 808 departed Subic Bay , her tour of duty completed , destination San Diego , California . In Guam , USS Buckley and USS Hanson were joined by the USS Floyd B . Parks DD 884 . Due to bad weather and schedule commitments , Midway was by - passed in favor of a great circle track to Pearl Harbor , HI . The long journey was highlighted by an underway replenishment on the International Date Line with a fleet oiler on its way to WestPac . Hanson returned to San Diego , CA by 4 August 1971 after a full 6 month deployment . The next month was spent in a " stand down " status with the crew working half days while most took some leave . The only major work was a change in her EW ( Electronic Warfare ) configuration . The SAMID ( Ship ' s Anti - missile Integrated Defense ) package was removed from the ASROC deck . In November , USS Hanson followed USS Hancock CVA 19 just outside of San Francisco , CA , for plane guard duties lasting about 1 week just before Thanksgiving Day of November 1971 . During that time , one jet plane from the USS Hancock crashed into the rear of the USS Hancock and the jet plane fell into the sea . This happened while the crew of the Hanson was having breakfast . The Hanson immediately went to General Quarters to respond to Sea Rescue of the downed pilot . The pilot did not eject and was not recovered , only the rudder ( tail section ) and part of his life vest were floating on the sea surface . The plane submerged into multiple fathoms of water detectable by the ships SONAR equipment . USS Hanson stayed at the location of the submerged plane for greater than one hour in the event of more wreckage or articles would float to the surface . After her plane guard duty with the USS Hancock of about 1 week , USS Hanson returned to San Diego , CA . just before the Thanksgiving weekend . Vietnam , 1972 . Under the command of its captain , Commander Ian M . Watson , Hanson got underway , USS John S . McCain DDG - 36 and USS Dennis J . Buckley 808 accompanied the Hanson enroute , 10 April 1972 with only 3 days notice to fight the Tet offensive in Vietnam as its 7th and final tour of Vietnam service . This would also be Hanson ’ s final tour of duty as a U . S . Naval vessel ; and it would be its most fierce wartime effort . Arriving on station in South Vietnam 30 April 1972 with her guns blazing , Hanson received orders from CincPacFlt and proceeded to North Vietnam on 4 May 1972 for frontline combat action in Operation Freedom Train ( later called " Operation Linebacker " ) and engaged in a series of daring raids on the Haiphong complex , which included support for Operation Pocket Money on 9 May 1972 . During Hanson ’ s first night of raids on Haiphong , she approached the beach at 25 to 27 knots and turned along the coast firing on enemy positions . While on her approach , Captain Watson went to the starboard wing of the bridge to use the alidade to get a bearing on Hanson ’ s current position . The NV guns opened up ( probably 155mm with anti air rounds ) and provided air burst with shrapnel , which would frequently hit the ship and puncture the upper structure . One air bursts was close to the starboard side abeam ( slightly above the wing of the bridge ) and knocked Captain Watson to the deck . Standing on the starboard side near the navigator ' s table was Tactical Communicator / JOOD , LTJG Marty Sullivan , who quickly opened the hatch and went out to check on the Captain , then assisted him to his feet . Luckily , Captain Watson had not been hit by any shrapnel and was okay . On another attack mission that same night , Hanson opened fire with star flares to illuminate targets in Haiphong , but the flares went off prematurely and only illuminated Hanson , which forced her to quickly take evasive action to avoid being annihilated by North Vietnamese guns . The raids continued from sunset to sunrise throughout May into June and sporadically at other times while Hanson took on fuel , supplies and ammunition during the day . The continual combat missions and replenishments kept her crew awake approximately 22 hours per day and the two hours of sleep the crew did get basically consisted of 5 or 10 minutes here and there . On 10 May 1972 , Hanson participated in Operation Custom Tailor , a history making strike that assembled the most formidable cruiser / destroyer armada in the Western Pacific since World War II . During this strike , Hanson entered the harbor and military targets within four miles of Haiphong , North Vietnam were hit , and enemy opposition was heavy . Hanson was also the last US Naval vessel to enter Haiphong harbor prior to the mining of the harbor and she was the last ship out . No other US Naval vessels entered Haiphong harbor during the remainder of the war . During this heightened tempo of intense combat operations , hostile enemy forces fired thousands of rockets and artillery rounds at Hanson causing it to sustain battle damage from direct and shrapnel hits . In June 1972 during night raids , Hanson dueled with North Vietnamese 155 millimeter coastal batteries near Hon La and Hon Mat islands and was hit numerous times . The shells used by the North were anti - aircraft , so most of its battle damage was shrapnel punctures to the aluminum superstructure . During one daylight raid the Hanson was struck by three Chicom ( Chinese Communist ) rockets with one unexploded warhead landing within a few feet of a damage control party in the main deck passageway . Miraculously , there was no loss of life aboard Hanson . In July 1972 , Hanson lost her main gyro and steering engine and put in at Subic Bay in the Philippine Islands for repairs and returned to the combat theater . It is believed the replacement parts came from another destroyer that had been damaged beyond repair by a river launched mine . While conducting combat operations off the coast of Chu Lai on 17 September 1972 , Hanson received a report indicating Mộ Đức District was being overrun by thousands of enemy troops . An Army detachment of 120 men were in Mộ Đức District ] defending their position , with the help of 20th TASS FAC Air Force Captains Richard L . Poling and Joseph Personnett ( reconnaissance pilots flying an armed OV - 10 ) , and desperately needed heavy artillery support to prevent its garrison from being annihilated . Hanson was and the only gunship in the area ( about 40 miles away ) , so it was ordered to get to the " center arena " of Mộ Đức as rapidly as possible . However , Hanson would need to travel through and past jagged coral reefs and an anti - ship minefield with precision and at high speed to arrive in a timely manner , which created additional danger for the ship and its crew , particularly considering her forward and aft magazines were packed with highly expolsive gunpowder and artillery rounds . Hanson ’ s only alternative would be to go around the coral reefs and anti - ship mines , which would have made the journey about 80 miles instead of 40 . Even at high speed , this would have delayed her arrival to the battle zone by at least an hour and would have most likely resulted in the loss of all 120 soldiers and the 2 Air Force pilots . With time being of the essence , Captain Watson summoned Seaman Apprentice Dennis Wappes to the bridge and asked if he would volunteer to steer the perilous route , as Wappes was the only helmsman he had confidence in for such a mission . Knowing many lives were at stake and dependent on his decision , Wappes stepped up and promptly took control of Hanson ’ s helm with LTJG David Vandover as the officer in command of the bridge . Due to Hanson ' s timely arrival , Captain Joseph Personnett ( seated behind Captain Richard L . Poling ) , was able to effectively direct Hanson ' s 5 " / 38 artillery rounds onto enemy troops , thus saving the lives of all 120 soldiers . For her timely arrival and accurate shooting in the battle for Mộ Đức District and participation in a daring raid on Haiphong during Operation Custom Tailor , Hanson ’ s crew received the Meritorious Unit Commendation from Admiral Elmo Zumwalt , Chief of Naval Operations on behalf of the Secretary of the Navy . Air Force Captains Richard L . Poling and Joseph Personnett were both awarded the Air Force Cross by President Richard Nixon for extraordinary heroism . In addition to being credited for her role in saving Mộ Đức District and conducting daring raids on Haiphong , Hanson participated in surveillance and interdiction of WBLC ( Waterborne Logistics Craft ) barges transporting weapons and ammunition along the coastline that had been provided by a Chicom supply ship . During the many raids on Haiphong , United States Naval Forces strategically placed several anti - ship minefields in and around the ports of Haiphong , Hon Gai , Cẩm Phả , Vinh , Quảng Khê , Đồng Hới , Thanh Hóa and other strategic locations to hinder Russian and Chinese efforts to supply enemy forces with weapons and ammunition . Having been warned to “ travel at your own risk ” and not being able to safely enter Haiphong Harbor , China found other ways to get supplies to the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong soldiers by mooring a supply ship a few yards off Vietnam ’ s coastline . Since China was not officially involved with the war and had not made any direct attacks on U . S . Armed Forces , any firepower by Hanson that accidentally hit the Chicom could be regarded as an act of war against China . So Hanson steamed close by watching as the WBLC barges attempted to move away from the Chicom and hurry to the shoreline , at which time Hanson would attempt to interdict them . However , the surveillance and interdiction made Hanson an easy target , as gun emplacements near the Chicom could fire at Hanson at will , but Hanson could not return fire due to the close proximity of the enemy ' s guns to the Chicom , so Hanson had to continually zigzag to avoid enemy artillery . With the Chicom having avoided the minefields , it seemed to have found a clever way to avoid the Navy ' s ' efforts to prevent them from providing enemy forces with supplies . But Hanson ' s officers were a bit sharper , as it was monsoon season , which also meant “ typhoon season ” , and the worst place for a ship during a typhoon was being moored or in shallow water near a shoreline . Having superior ability to monitor weather conditions and with a powerful typhoon about to hit the area , Hanson cleverly maintained her station , as if there was nothing out of the ordinary , which was to avoid alerting the Chicom of the pending storm . At the last minute without leaving time for the Chicom to deduce the situation and prepare , Hanson broke off its surveillance and interdiction heading directly into the rapidly approaching storm . Being moored in shallow water just a few yards off the shoreline while having tons of food and supplies , as well as fork lifts , cranes and other equipment on its main deck , the Chicom was violently pounded by the fierce typhoon . Suffering structural damage and having its cargo blown off its decks or washed out to sea , the Chicom retreated to China and was never seen again . With an end to Hanson ' s WBLC surveillance and interdiction , she moved on to participate in other operations including plane guard for the USS Midway and combat missions in Quảng Trị Province . On 10 November 1972 , Hanson returned to San Diego for her post - deployment stand - down , an INSURV inspection and decommissioning preparation . Following the Christmas holidays , Hanson went through tender and DATC availabilities and came to her final resting place at Quaywall South Six , U . S . Naval Station , San Diego . All told , USS Hanson spent 183 out of 214 days at sea during the April – November deployment , expended 14 , 486 rounds of 5 " / 38 ammunition , steamed 48 , 176 miles , burned 3 , 967 , 104 gallons of fuel and successfully completed 97 underway replenishments . Decommissioning , 1973 . " Hanson " was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 31 March 1973 . The ship was transferred to the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) on 18 April 1973 . She served in the Republic of China Navy as " Liao Yang " ( DDG - 921 ) . After 31 years of service in the Republic Of China ( Taiwan ) Navy , she was decommissioned on 1 June 2004 at Kaohsiung , Taiwan . In July 2006 , the ROC / TW conducted a national joint armed forces Han - Kung Exercise . The Hanson participated as a target ship and was sent to the bottom of the South China Sea . She is now resting as an " artificial reef " . Awards . 8 battle star s ( Korea ) 7 battle star s ( Vietnam ) Hanson and the crew of the 1972 cruise were awarded the following ; Meritorious Unit Commendation Combat Action Ribbon National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal Vietnam Campaign Medal Some of the above awards were awarded on previous cruises as well . No information is available on Hanson ' s many other awards .