June 4, 1942: The USS Nicholas, a U.S. Navy Fletcher-class destroyer built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, is commissioned.
The second ship to be named for the Marines’ first commandant, Samuel Nicholas (c. 1744-1790), the destroyer receives 30 battle stars – more than any other U.S. Navy ship – for service in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
The Nicholas also is present in Tokyo Bay for the Japanese surrender ceremony on Sept. 2, 1945, at the end of World War II. The destroyer carries the American delegation to the USS Missouri, where the ceremony takes place.
The ship later participates in the Apollo 7 and Apollo 8 spacecraft recovery missions in 1968 before being decommissioned in 1970 and scrapped.
It is the first Fletcher-class destroyer to be commissioned and one of the last to be taken out of service.
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Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. Joe can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.
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