Andrew Shillingburg

Andrew Shillingburg was the youngest of 7 children and was born July 29, 1928, in Morgantown, WV. Andy joined the Navy at the age of 18 in 1946 completing Navy Boot Camp. Andy’s first at sea deployment was on the USS Taconic, AGC/LCC-17, Adirondack class amphibious force command ship of the U.S. Navy named after the Taconic Mountains in New York. The ship departed Norfolk, VA on February 4, 1946. The USS Taconic was used as an Amphibious Command Ship and in 9151 was featured in the movie “The Frogmen” staring Richard Widmark. In 1947, Andy attended and completed the first US Navy Basic Underwater Demolition, UDT/BUDS course. After completion of UDT/BUDS, Andy was assigned to Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, VA with UDT Team Two. Andy deployed with UDT Team Two on the USS Kleinsmith, APD-134, on July 30, 1948. The USS Kleinsmith’s as an APD, her primary role was to land raiding parties on enemy beaches and Underwater Demolition Teams (UDT) personnel on beach obstacle clearance operations. APDs also retained the sound gear and some anti-submarine weapons of destroyer escorts, and served as escorts to amphibious groups. Because they could take on extra personnel, they were often designated as rescue ships if a transport went down. In 1960, Andy was reassigned to the West Coast Teams and moved with his family to Imperial Beach, CA, instructing at Naval Amphibious Base, Coronado, CA till his retirement from the USN in 1966. He went from E-1 to E-8 during his Navy Career. He was awarded 6 Good Conduct Medals, WWII Victory Medal and the American Theater Medal.