Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons

Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right

Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon
 Second Row - Navy Unit Commendation - Meritorious Unit Commendation (2)- Battle E (3)
Third Row - Navy Expeditionary (2) - National Defense (2)- Armed Forces Expeditionary (2)
Fourth Row - Vietnam Service (9) - Humanitarian Service - Sea Service Deployment (7)
Fifth Row - ROV Gallantry Cross - ROV Civil Action 1st Class - Vietnam Campaign



ACP116 International Call Sign



November India Echo Mike

Original Ship's Crest

As described in the ships Commissioning Booklet in 1964:

The REEVES insignia was created by the United States Army Institute of Heraldry and is composed of various heraldic symbols which have appeared repetitively on the coats of arms of the Reeves family. The pheons symbolize the bearing of arms and the flames trailing from them further indicate REEVES missile capability. The chevron is, of course, a military device and the wavy upper edge represents the sea. REEVES inherent strength as well as her capability to strike beneath the sea is represented by the scallop shell. The eagle symbolizes the United States, and its  place above the shield signifies the guardian role of our Naval Forces. The mermaids also symbolize the seas, the operating medium of the REEVES. Admiral Reeves rank is illustrated by the four stars appearing on each side of the border.

As provided by CAPT Wentworth in 1966 and as far as we know it is unique among U.S. Navy ships. It was designed for us by the Heraldic Division of the U.S. Army, and you will note they used the eagle with the full spread wings, rather than the traditional naval emblem.

Website Used As Source For Maritime History Seminar

We have been informed that our website is being used as a history resource for a seminar the Daly City, CA. One of the students located a source for maritime ships and their cargos. It is included here as additional history resource. There are several US Navy ships included. Please check it out! Also, check out other links on our Links webpage.

http://www.sourceconsulting.com/famous-maritime-ships-and-their-freight-cargo

About the USS Reeves

There have been two U.S. Navy ships to carry the Reeves name. The first USS Reeves was a 1400-ton Buckley class escort ship built at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Virginia. She was named in honor of Chief Radioman Thomas James Reeves, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the 7 December 1941 Japanese air raid on Pearl Harbor.

After a year of Atlantic convoy escort duty (1943-1944) as DE-156, the Reeves was converted to a high speed transport. The USS Reeves (APD-52) reported to the Pacific Fleet early in 1945 and took part in the Ryukyus campaign. At the end of the War, she moved up to Japan to support the repatriation of prisoners of war and other occupation activities. Returning to the United States in late 1945, she was decommissioned in July 1946 and was laid up at Green Cove Springs, Florida. USS Reeves remained in the Atlantic reserve fleet until June 1960 and was then transferred to Ecuador for use as a floating electric power plant.

Further information for the first USS Reeves can be found at Wikipedia.com.

The second USS Reeves was Leahy-class guided missile frigate officially classified as a destroyer leader (DLG) (later reclassified as a cruiser - CG) that was named for Vice Adm. Joseph Mason "Bull" Reeves. Admiral Reeves is also known as the "father of carrier warfare." USS Reeves was built by the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, WA. Her keel was laid down on 1 July 1960. She was launched on 12 May 1962 and commissioned on 15 May 1964. With the exception of a period at Bath Iron Works for her first AAW upgrade, the Reeves served entirely in the Pacific fleet and was alternately homeported at Pearl Harbor or Yokosuka, Japan.

Throughout her nearly 30 years of service, the Reeves spent four tours off the coast of Vietnam in the 60s and 70s. She maintained a U.S. presence in the Western Pacific as part of Battle Group Alfa, homeported in Yokosuka, for most of the 1980s. USS Reeves returned to Pearl Harbor where she spent the last three years until decommissioning 12 November 1993. The Reeves remained at Naval Inactive Ship Maintenance Facility, Pearl Harbor until she was towed south on her final cruise to the Coral Sea. During Tandem Thrust 2001, a joint Naval exercise with the U.S. and Australian navies, Reeves was sunk on 31 May 2001 as a target ship for Australian Air Force precision bonbing training. She rests nearly three miles down at the bottom of the Coral Sea about 170 miles east of Fraser Island and the coast of Australian.

It is to the memory of the second USS Reeves and the 4,000+ shipmates that served in her that this site is dedicated.

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