"We had to leave early and left a whole bunch of men because of the Berlin Crisis. When we left Hong Kong, we left them, we all felt bad and doubled up on our work."
Petty Officer Second Class Douglas M. Weeks
The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program is honored to announce the June 2019 story of the month has been selected to recognize the service of United States Navy Veteran, Petty Officer Second Class Douglas M. Weeks. The United States Navy Memorial Stories of Service Program was privileged to interview Petty Officer Second Class Douglas M. Weeks at the USS Topeka CLG-8 reunion at Philadelphia Pennsylvania in the summer of 2018.
Petty Officer Second Class Douglas M. Weeks enlisted in the United States Navy in 1959 and attended Boot Camp at Great Lakes Illinois. He recalled, "everything had to be neat, our lockers had to be so so...and we learned all sorts of drills." Upon completion of Boot Camp, Weeks would be assigned to the USS Topeka CLG 8, a Providence Class Guided Missile Cruiser. He joined the crew of the USS Topeka CLG 8 while the ship was being recommissioned from its World War Two configuration. He recalled as it was yesterday the process to train and recommission a ship. Petty Officer Weeks remarked, "You could just see how everyone was working together and everyone was buying into this program." After preparing the USS Topeka for sea, the crew participated in shakedown cruises to prepare the ship for active service.
Petty Officer Second Class Weeks would first serve as a mess cook, next the deck force, and then OI Division working on Radar. He quickly advanced in his new rate while serving in the combat information center. After successfully recommissioning the USS Topeka, the vessel would be ordered to the Western Pacific. Petty Officer Weeks spoke fondly of traveling through the Panama Canal, participating in crossing the line, and visiting different ports along the Pacific rim.
While visiting Hong Kong, he recalled how events in Europe and the Cold War reached the USS Topeka. Petty Officer Weeks remarked, "We had to leave early and left a whole bunch of men because of the Berlin Crisis. When we left Hong Kong, and left them, we all felt bad and doubled up on our work." Eventually the entire crew would be reunited, and the Topeka would continue its mission in the Pacific.
The United States Navy Memorial honors United States Navy Veteran, Petty Officer Second Class Douglas M. Weeks, featured within this series titled, Tales from the Navy Log, Story of the Month. Each month, this series honors a Veteran’s story recorded by the Stories of Service Program at the Navy Memorial. To learn more about this story and to explore the Navy Memorial archive, visit the Navy Memorial Stories of Service site at http://navylog.navymemorial.org/stories-of-service.
To view this interview please visit the USS Topeka CLG-8 Collection on the Navy Memorial Stories of Service page.
Interview of Douglas Weeks Part One Joining the Navy and Memories of Great Lakes in 1959
Interview of Douglas Weeks Part Two First Memories of the USS Topeka CLG 8 and the Recommissioning in 1960
Part Three Memories of the Panama Canal and Crossing the Line on the USS Topeka CLG 8
Part Four Port Visits on the First WestPac Cruise and life on the USS Topeka CLG 8