ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

**USS Keppler (DD-765/DDE-765)**
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The USS Keppler (DD/DDE-765) was a Gearing-class destroyer in the United States Navy during the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

**Early Years**
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Keppler was launched on 24 June 1946 by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Shipbuilding Division, San Francisco, California. She was sponsored by Mrs. [Name] Keppler, the wife of a Medal of Honor recipient who had died during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942.

**Conversion and Operations**
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In 1949, Keppler entered San Francisco Navy Yard for conversion to an antisubmarine destroyer. She resumed operations on 9 June 1949 and began intensive anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises along the East Coast of the United States. In 1950, she was converted to a DDE-765, a director of naval research ship.

**Korean War**
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During the Korean War, Keppler screened her task group during continuous carrier air strikes against Communist positions on the Korean mainland. She sailed for Yokosuka, Japan, arriving on 7 February 1951, and participated in anti-submarine exercises with the 6th Fleet.

**Post-Korean War Operations**
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In 1952-1957, Keppler continued her ASW exercises out of Newport and the Caribbean Sea, as well as NATO operations and Mediterranean cruises with the 6th Fleet. In 1961, she entered New York Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Expeditionary Force (FREMP) II overhaul designed to increase her service and effectiveness.

**Cuban Missile Crisis**
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During the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, Keppler took her station in the blockade. On 22 October, while patrolling her Caribbean sector, she sighted a surfaced Russian submarine and observed it for the next seven days.

**Vietnam War**
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In November 1964, Keppler left Yokosuka for aircraft guard duty in the Gulf of Tonkin. She rescued a downed pilot on 11-12 December night. In 1967, she sailed to the Mediterranean Sea for deployment and participated in NATO exercises.

**Decommissioning and Sale**
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Keppler was decommissioned on 1 July 1972 and sold to Turkey, where she was renamed TCG Tınaztepe (D-355). She served with the Turkish Navy until her eventual sale.

**Accident and Legacy**
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On 2 May 1984, a tanker collision in Izmit Bay resulted in the loss of four lives. The incident occurred when Keppler's successor, TCG Tınaztepe, was involved in the accident.