Cold War
After Korea, Purdy regularly rotated east coast and Caribbean training operations with NATO exercises and 6th Fleet duty. In June 1955 she received the first Atomic-Biological-Chemical washdown system to be introduced to the fleet and-during the summers of 1956, 1957, and 1958—she made midshipmen summer training cruises, to Chile in 1957 and to Europe in 1958. Two years later while calling at Gythion, Greece, three of her crew were injured ashore assisting the local inhabitants contain a raging fire until fire fighting equipment could be brought from 25 miles (40 km) away. On its arrival Purdy's "fire-fighters" continued to assist by manning hoses which replaced the bucket brigade.
Purdy was employed with the recovery forces for Project Mercury in the spring of 1961 and in the fall she cruised off the Dominican Republic supporting U.S. efforts to maintain stability in the Caribbean. A year later she returned to that sea for the same reason, but off a different island, and during November operated with other vessels implementing the Cuban Quarantine during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
On 1 April 1965 Purdy left DesRon 12 to commence operations with ResDesRon 30. Homeported at Fall River, Massachusetts, into 1970, she trained naval reservists, served as a school ship for Naval Destroyer School officer students, and tested and evaluated new equipment.
She was stricken from the register on 1 July 1973. The Purdy would be sold 11 June 1974 and broken up for scrap.
Purdy earned one battle star during World War II and 3 during the Korean War.
Read more about this topic: USS Purdy (DD-734)
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