Rretired** Admiral Van Arsdall, Jr. took his final voyage at age 87 on October 1, 2000 at Gulfport, Mississippi. He is survived by his wife Jean C. Van Arsdall who lives at 20 Oakwood Drive in Gulfport 39507 (228-896-3013) and his son Clyde, a retired Navy Captain living in Amarillo, Texas. A complete biography can be found in the Jan/Feb issue of the Shipmate.

He relieved Commander Ball as Skipper of the Perry and was relieved by Commander Kane. Following his retirement he resided in Annapolis, Maryland.

Mrs. George F Davis and her two sons George 14 and Patrick 12 of Berkley CA present a portrait of CDR George F Davis, WW2 medal of honor winner to CDR. George G Ball, Skipper of the USS DAVIS.
George G. Ball also has the remarkable distinction of serving aboard the prior Perry DMS-17 (originally DD-340) during the time of the Japanese attack on 12/7/41 at Pearl Harbor. It was his first ship after his graduation from Annapolis.

Capt. Peter J. Watson was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts and graduated from the Fairhaven High School and the Massachusetts Maritime Academy.

After graduation he sailed for about two years as a licensed engineer for Moore-McCormack lines. When he got a threatening letter from the draft board he activated his reserve Navy commission. After a tour on the USS MARIAS (AO-57) as Liquid Cargo Officer, DCA and then Chief Engineer he decided that three meals a day wasn't bad and signed on for the regular navy. After a tour on the USS HUNT (DD-674) as Operations Officer and then Chief Engineer he went to the Newport Board of Inspection and Survey doing Boiler, Main Machinery, Electrical and Weapons inspections.

His next tour was on the USS BEXAR (APA-237) as Operations Officer. On short notice he was then assigned to the USS HOPEWELL (DD-681) as Executive Officer. Following this tour he and his family spent 2 and 1/2 years with the Military Assistance Group Greece in the Industrial Engineer billet. The next tour was on the USS ST PAUL (CA-73) as Operations Officer for two tours on the gun line in Viet Nam. Next it was to command of the destroyer USS Perry (DD-844) out of Mayport. Following this it was a tour in OP-44 in Washington. On making Captain he took over as OP-44G/Code 21 NAVFAC. Four and a half years later it was to Norfolk and the Atlantic Board of Inspection and Survey located at Little Creek first as Executive Officer and then Senior Member. After 30 years in the Navy it was time to retire.

After retirement Capt. Watson joined the faculty of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy as a Professor in the Engineering Department teaching various engineering subjects. During his tenure at the Academy he served as Chairman for the Marine Engineering Department, and finally Dean of Maritime Training. Eleven years later Capt Watson retired permanently and now spends his time keeping his yard under control, building ship models, and serving as a docent with the Hampton Roads Naval Museum.

Captain Watson is married and has 2 sons and 3 grandchildren.

Commander Johv V Hall 1972 - 1973 Skippered the USS Perry during it's final deployment

  The USS Perry's

The U. S. S. PERRY (DD 844) commissioned 17 January, 1946 was named in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry and his brother Commodore Matthew Calbraith Perry. Oliver Hazard Perry's most conspicuous service was in the War of 1812. He led the ships in the attack on Fort George in 1813 and later commanded the forces that defeated the English Squadron in the battle of Lake Erie. Matthew Calbraith Perry served in the War of 1812 and commanded the Gulf Fleet in the Mexican War. In 1853, in command of the East India Squadron, he went to Japan and effected a treaty which opened Japanese ports to American commerce.

The present PERRY DD844 is the fourth American destroyer to bear the name. The first Perry was commissioned Oct. 13, 1843 under the command of CDR Sam Du Pont. It was a 10 gun frigate, 250' length and 25' in berth. Destroyer No. 11 was built in 1898, served in World War I and was scrapped in 1920. Destroyer # 340 was built in 1917, was at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese struck, but survived to participate in several early Pacific campaigns. She was sunk by enemy action during the allied invasion of the Palau Islands in 1944.

Since commissioning the present PERRY, she has served in various types of duty. After her "shakedown" training in Guantanamo, Cuba, the ship departed for a tour of duty in European waters that extended over eight months. During this cruise the ship visited fifty eight cities 'in twenty-two countries. Upon returning to the United States, the PERRY was assigned duty as Engineering School ship for Destroyer Force Atlantic Fleet, based at Newport, Rhode Island. Recently the ship has been assigned as a unit of Task Force EIGHTY-ONE with home port at Norfolk, VA.

Obituaries

George Gill Ball
ARLINGTON -- Retired U.S. Navy Capt. George Gill Ball, formerly of Virginia Beach, died at his home in Arlington, Va., on Wednesday, May 1, 2002, at the age of 82.

George Ball spent his boyhood in San Antonio, Texas, where he learned to shoot and ride. He remembered fondly being taken along as a 14-year-old boy on a horseback trip from San Antonio to El Paso with an Army armored car division. The son of an Army officer who died when Ball was 5 years old, he was influenced by his great-uncle, Adm. Richard Harrison Jackson, to join the Navy.

Ball was a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1941.

With World War II looming, this class of midshipmen was graduated early and pressed into active duty. As an ensign in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Ball was strafed by a Japanese plane as he drove to his ship, the USS Perry (DMS 17), on the morning of Dec. 7, 1941. He was awarded the Bronze Star for Valor for his decisive action in getting the vessel underway and taking her to sea as acting commanding officer during the attack.

In 1944, George Ball married Margaret ``Peggy'' Arnold. They were happily married for 55 years until Mrs. Ball's death in 1999.

Capt. Ball was a proud ``destroyer man'' for most of his 30-year Naval career. He is remembered affectionately by those who served under his command and by his fellow officers.

In 1972 the Balls retired to Bay Island in Virginia Beach, where Capt. Ball was an avid golfer and member of the Cavalier Golf and Yacht Club.

Capt. Ball is survived by his daughters, Katherine Oser of Arlington, Margaret Ferguson of Underhill, Vt., and Kristina Carrick of Wakefield, Mass.; by his son, George Gill Ball III of Richmond, Va.; and by nine grandchildren. He will also be missed by his brother, Col. H.P. Ball (U.S. Army, Ret.); by his sons- and daughter-in-law, by many nephews and nieces and many loving friends.

A memorial service will be held for Capt. Ball at 9:30 a.m. on Monday, June 24, 2002 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the U.S. Naval Academy Foundation, 25 Maryland Ave., Annapolis, MD 21401.