Compiled from details provided by :

CAPT W. J. Godfrey USNR (Ret)
CMDR H. W. Kinsley, Jr. USN (Ret)

THE RESERVE YEARS 1959 - 1961

On 21 Feb 1959 CMDR. William J. Godfrey took command of USS COOLBAUGH DE-217 in St. Petersburg, FL. For some months prior to that, the ship had been under the command of LCDR. William Tipler, who along with his crew, helped prepared the regular Navy nucleus crew who would remain on board to assist in training US Naval Reserve crews. This nucleus crew consisted of approximately 25 to 27 enlisted men of selected enlisted rates and three officers. Prior to that time, since her transfer from Newport, RI to Key West, FL in 1957, USS COOLBAUGH provided services to the Sonar School and fleet submarines at Key West, FL.
On 21 Feb 1959, USS COOLBAUGH went "IN SERVICE" meaning she was in operational condition in all respects and capable of performing with commissioned ships. This was later proven during refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during a two-week training cruise.
The primary mission was training and upkeep at a location where there was almost no U.S. Navy support. During that era the plan was to station destroyers (Group I) and destroyer escorts (Group II) in ports along the east and west coasts and the Gulf Of Mexico in locations where there were US Naval Reserve Training Units. The ships would be used for training US Navy Reservists and be at the ready in the event world situations resulted in a call-up of the reserve fleet, all at a cost less than would be required to support an equivalent number of regular Navy ships and crews.
Crews of USS COOLBAUGH completed their required seamanship training using additional Reservists and regular Navy volunteers in the Training Center subchaser, and for their gunnery exercises utilized a floating target which they constructed.
Eventually, due to age and the condition of the ship, she was transferred to Orange, TX, for decommissioning. CMDR. Kinsley did not wish to be towed from Florida to Texas but was not permitted to steam there with a crew of only 32 men. His Reserve crew came through, volunteering to serve without pay, and USS COOLBAUGH steamed to her decommissioning under her own power although the trip was complicated by severe weather. The ship was to arrive at Orange with as little fuel as possible and without ballast, but because of weather, it was necessary to ballast everything, and they never did get a chance to pump it off. At Orange, the crew of 32 doing the work of 90, did meet their schedule and did it so well they received a commendation and USS COOLBAUGH "went out in style" according to CMDR. Kinsley.
The officers and men of the Select Reserve Crew and regular nucleus crew were then transferred to USS GREENWOOD DE-679, a sister ship in Charleston, SC. The USS GREENWOOD was then moved to St. Petersburg where, manned by the officers and men from and trained on USS COOLBAUGH, was awarded the "E" for best ship in Group II in the entire United States.