U.S. Navy Destroyer Henry B. Wilson Photographs and Documents Archive

The USS Henry B. Wilson was a guided missile destroyer that was commissioned in 1960. The ship carried out multiple cruises in the Far East during the Vietnam War, and received multiple decorations and awards for its combat missions, including the Combat Action Ribbon; the Navy Unit Commendation; five Meritorious Unit Commendations, with the last being for the Wilson’s role in the evacuation of Vietnam in 1975; five Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals; the Vietnam Service Medal; two Humanitarian Service Medals; and the Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation (Gallantry Cross Medal Color with Palm) for several periods in 1968. The USS Henry B. Wilson was decommissioned on 2 October 1989 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 26 January 1990. The ship was ultimately sunk as a target ship 15 August 2003. The archive encompasses the service of the ship from beginning to end. The archive includes four large photographs of the ship, 8 inches by 10 inches, one of which is in color, as well as a smaller black and white photograph. The group also includes the program of the 1960 commissioning ceremony; multiple copies of the ship’s “Welcome Aboard” pamphlet; programs for two “Change of Command” ceremonies, one in 1979 and one in 1988; formal invitations to the 1979 Change of Command ceremony; newspaper clippings about the ship; multiple letters from the Navy and from the Public Affairs officers of the Henry B. Wilson; and the program for the ship’s decommissioning ceremony in 1989. The items are in excellent condition, showing typical signs of age.