UNDERWATER DEMOLITION TEAM HISTORIES
WWII UDT TEAM TWENTY-FIVE
Underwater Demolition Team TWENTY-FIVE
began training as a team in October of 1944. In spite of the fact that
increased physical requirements necessitated the dropping of many veterans because
of minor physical defects or because of age limitations, the team still had a
nucleus of three officers and thirty men just returned from the most hazardous
of all demolition operations, Omaha Beach in Normandy. Lieutenant Walter
COOPER, one of these three officers, was appointed as Commanding Officer of the
team.
Upon completion of the Fort Pierce phase
of the training, Team TWENTY-FIVE received the customary ten days delay en
route before having to report to San Bruno, California. Loading its equipment
aboard the U.S.S. METEOR, the team arrived at Pearl Harbor, Oahu, T.H. on 16 March 1945. An LSM transported the unit from there to the
Demolition Base on Maui, T.H. Here the team entered into its advanced
training.
Team TWENTY-FIVE's four month sojourn on
this island was terminated with orders to depart for Oceanside, California on 21 July to partake in the cold water program
there. Japanese offers to capitulate brought an abrupt end to this proposed
training, and Team TWENTY-FIVE, as most other teams, hastily departed for Pearl Harbor aboard the U.S.S KNUDSON (APD-101). The orders were
to join the THIRD Fleet which was on its way to Tokyo Bay.
As a unit of the FIRST Division of the
Underwater Demolition Squadrons, which was prepared to make a
reconnaissance in the Sagami Wan area, an adjunct of Tokyo Bay, APD-101 left Pearl Harbor on 24 August. On the eve of arrival at the destination, however, a
dispatch from Admiral HALSEY belayed this operation. On 4 September the APD
(101) dropped anchor off the Yokosuka Naval Base, where Lieutenant COOPER was
informed that Underwater Demolition Teams EIGHTEEN and TWENTY-ONE had been
assigned all work in that area. The team, consequently, had the opportunity to
go ashore to see Yokosuka and Yokohama.
On 20 September the APD 101 received
orders to act as OTC in proceeding to Guam with APD 106 and APD 107. There the ship took as
much demolition gear as it could, after which she left for San Diego,
California with Commander D. L. KAUFFMAN aboard, who was to be in charge of
organizing the permanent Underwater Demolition Base at the Naval Amphibious
Base, Coronado, California. Disembarking there on 11 October, Team TWENTY-FIVE
was assigned to aid Commander KAUFFMAN in this task. On 13 November
1945, the team was decommissioned.
(compiled by Robert Allan
King for the UDT-SEAL Museum from public records at the Operational Archives of
the Naval Historical Center)
TEAM ROSTERS - To
protect the integrity of the Teams and the privacy of individual frogmen, Team
rosters are not made public. If you or your relative was a member of UDT Team
TWENTY-FIVE and you would like further information, we suggest you contact the UDT-SEAL Museum.
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