Gardner/Wilson Collection of the USS Reid 369

Background on Gardner/Wilson Collection of the USS Reid 369

A destroyer commissioned in 1936, the USS Reid was assigned to the Pacific Fleet and in 1939 was moved to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The Reid was being serviced in port on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. The Reid survived and was re-assembled so quickly it was out patrolling later that morning. Between 1941 and 1944, the Reid served on numerous patrol and escort missions, including in the Aleutian Islands and Solomon Islands and joined forces fighting in Guadalcanal. During the Reid’s involvement in the battle of Leyte Gulf, it was attacked by twelve kamikaze fighters, several of which made contact with the Reid, including one that crashed into the port quarter and exploded, blowing the ship apart and killing 103 of the 268 aboard.

Before that fatal attack on the USS Reid, the shipmates experience on the Reid included an interesting ceremony. When a sailor crossed the equator for the first time they were made to participate in a ceremony that involved King Neptune, the shipmates were given instructions on what they were to wear and what they were to do in the presence of King Neptune. The King Neptune event consisted of someone dressing in a robe, wig and crown to pose as King Neptune and giving a speech to the participating sailors. Starting in the 1960s, the survivors gathered together again to hold fairly regular reunions and a newsletter was created with the help of Leonard F. Gardner.

Leonard F. Gardner (BA ‘49) is a Pearl Harbor survivor who served on the Reid from 1941-1944. In 2018, Gardner was awarded an honorary degree by UMass Amherst. He is responsible for putting together the collection, curating the website and helping run the newsletter from 1997 to 2015.

James M. Wilson III (MBA ‘86, MS ‘86, PhD ‘00) created and manages the website http://ussreid369.org. Wilson’s father, James M. Wilson, Jr., served on the USS Reid from 1940 until the sinking in 1944.