Read the Closing Newsletter.
This website is dedicated to the memory of the USS Bristol DD 857 which was commissioned on March 17, 1945 and decommissioned in 1969. It is also dedicated to the USS Bristol DD857 Veterans Association which began in 1998 and ended in 2021.
The Bristol was commissioned in San Pedro, CA and was sent to participate in the invasion of Japan. While on the way, the atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and the war ended by the time she reached Japan. In the History section there are pictures taken by a shipmate of conditions in Hiroshima upon the Bristol’s arrival.
The Bristol was awarded a Battle Star for her WWII service and a Battle Star was also awarded for her service during the Korean War. The website contains much information on the history of the Bristol, ports visited, as well as photos taken by shipmates of events at various times from 1945 to 1969.
The Association was formed in 1998, thirty years after the ship was decommissioned, by several former shipmates. Through their efforts and the officers who came later, the membership grew from 124 in 1998 to a high of 291 in 2007 to the final count of 118 in 2021.
The Members section lists the name, rank, and the years served on the Bristol of the shipmates who did became members of the Association. The list can be sorted by name or years on the Bristol by selecting the proper button. It is not a complete list of all who served on the ship.
Other tabs included the Officers through the years and their functions. Newsletters were issued quarterly to highlight events that were of interest to the shipmates. The final newsletter was focused completely on the thoughts and remembrances of shipmates. The Reunions tab contains annual Memory Books which memorialize the individual reunions and the interaction of the attendees. They were happy events, bringing together friends from long ago. Enjoy!
