Don't Give Up the Ship

I do not know where these people got their info.,but for all intents and purposes,it's wrong.The movie,(or most of it)was filmed aboard the USS Gregory DD802.I was aboard the Gregory when it was filmed and participated in the filming as an extra.At least I guess thats what you'd call me,as I was a member of the crew.I was a BTFN at the time.Jerry Lewis tossed a ball with members of the crew and crewmen on a tender tied up opposite us at the pier during breaks and lunch.This was in 1955or56 I think,and I was transferred to the USS Vammen DE644 in June of 1958.I may be off a little on my dates but my memory of the filming is not.I cannot understand why anyone would say they were at the filming when they were not,unless they filmed at more than one location. Fred Williams

As an addition to the above comments by sweetwater4 about the Vammen. I remember a plaque on the mess deck, located on a bulkhead next to the door going to the Chief's quarters, from the movie company thanking the crew for their assistance in filming the movie on board ship. Quite a few crew members appeared in the movie as extra's. I was a crew member on this ship from late 1960 to July 1963. Also when you see the movie it is quite clear that the ship has only one funnel. The Stembel had two funnels along with housed 5" guns where the DE's of this class had open mounts with 3" guns. The two silhouettes are quite different from on another. The Vammen was the only Buckley Class DE to have had the Bridge structure lowered.

As wacky/slapstick comedies go this one hits a lot of it's marks. While Lewis' antics can get stifling in many of his movies, he nailed this one. He gets just about everything right in this one. And the Navy backdrop only enlightens it.

As with most of the old Jerry Lewis films, "Don't Give Up the Ship" was a very funny movie, rich in the old Jerry Lewis slapstick comedy. It was especially fun for me as I served aboard the ship used in the movie as the "USS Kornblatt". But, no, gentlemen, the trivia section here is incorrect as to the identity of that ship. It was NOT the USS STEMBEL (DD-644), a fleet Destroyer, but USS VAMMEN (DE-644), a Destroyer-Escort. That the "Kornblatt" was a DE was mentioned MANY times in the film. I'm certainly not trying to detract from the film, but merely trying to get my "old Home" some of the recognition she deserves. Sadly there is only one ship of her class that has been preserved as a museum ship anywhere in the country, USS SLATER.

I've always liked this film. It made me laugh when I first saw it as a youngster, and I got a bigger kick out of it as an adult. As a former Naval officer, I can appreciate some of the silliness that Jerry goes through in this movie; from "inheriting" his ship, to the naval bureaucracy. Dina Merrill is great as Ensign Benson (I actually knew an Ensign Benson, and a Midshipman Shipman, but that's beside the point!) as is Mickey Shaugnessy as the Chief who helps him along (always listen to your Chief). There's silliness galore, but it wouldn't be Jerry Lewis without it. Look for a nice homage/parody to the Caine Mutiny Courtmartial during the hearing scenes. Gail Gordon is at his ornery best in these scenes. This is a lighthearted film that makes for an entertaining 90 minutes. Not a classic, but a lot of fun.