Welcome to the USS Charles S Sperry DD-697 Guestbook Forum

Years Served: 1962 – 1965…I was an STG2. Had a great time and a lot of memories. Always would like to hear from anyone I served with.

Years Served: December 66 – October 68…I wish I knew then what I know now—I would have made better use of my time and enjoy the variety of experiences that life on a destroyer offers.

Years Served: May 1967 – April 1968…I joined the ship and the ET gang for the 1967 West Pac cruise. I left when we returned to Newport, RI and got an engineering degree. I’ve been working for the Navy since then on communications security problems. The Sperry was a good experience (and good training) in a lot of ways.

Years Served: 1964-1966…

Years Served: ‘56-’60…I’m signing this guestbook on behalf of my father, Richard Rick Yaeckel who was, to the best of my knowledge, an EM4 or an EM3. Dad is in hospice care and will be with us only shortly, just days at this point. My father related many stories to me about his time on the Sperry. Stories of a cook from NYC who would spit on the grill to see if it was hot enough to cook dad steak and eggs early on a Sunday morning or getting ice cream made for him in return for hooking up a fan over someones bunk to keep them cool when they slept. I have a pic of my dad with a sailors hat on peeking his head over a wall. We also uncovered some old slides from his time on ship when we were emptying out the house.