US Navy image 19-N-31790. The 327s were later converted to amphibious-force flagships and served in the Pacific theater. The U-boat was too close for the destroyer's guns, so the crew members opened fire with rifles, submachine guns, and machine guns. There wouldn't have been enough men, food, weapons, or resources to make weapons. After the war, the ships reverted to Coast Guard control and were reconfigured as peacetime cutters. My dad (Richmond Thomas (RT) Ezzell) was on the TAYLOR DD468 during WWII .Saw at the foot of his grave today another marker with his name, ship, and I suppose rating FC. On July 03, 1997, KIDDs torpedo tubes were reloaded for the first time since 1964, finishing out her full armament. Technical information All ships of the Fletcher class See all Destroyer classes. single-barreled gun mounts, two 40mm quad-barreled anti-aircraft mounts, three 40mm twin-barreled anti-aircraft mounts, six 20mm twin-barreled anti-aircraft mounts, 305 South River Road Baton Rouge, LA 70802. She put in at Inchon to wait out the storm, after which time she proceeded to the island of Koje to join a slow carrier task force traversing Koreas western coast. Design for the class was not finalized until January 1940, but by the end of that year more than 100 ships had been The crew buried their dead at sea along the way on April 12. Assigned to DESDIV 152, she joined Carrier Task Force 77 at Wonsan, Korea, with division mates UHLMANN (DD-687), HOPEWELL (DD-681), and WEDDERBURN (DD-684). Early that summer, President Roosevelt agreed to protect Iceland, and U.S. Marines replaced a British occupying force on the island. The Spencer and five of her 327-foot Secretary-class sisters helped keep the supply lifeline between North America and Britain open during the Battle of the Atlantic. The pace of US destroyer construction accelerated with the wartime Fletcher class. World War II was only days old, but the Coast Guard's "327s" had already answered the call of duty in what would come to be known as the Battle of the Atlantic. She returned to bombardment duty and rescuing downed pilots. After the Coast Guard commissioned them in 1936 and '37, one of their main prewar roles had been high-seas search and rescue, and at one time each housed a floatplane in a main-deck hangar. The date was Wednesday, April 11, 1945. After the three ships met at night on 9 September, the cutters helped care for and transport the survivors back to the United States. that 175 FLETCHER class destroyers were completed in the two plus year period from June 1942 to September 1944. At 14:09, KIDDs crew observed a dogfight between Japanese aircraft and the fighters of the combat air patrol. 7. In conducting our Greyhound fact check, we discovered that up to 80,000 Allied sailors, airmen, and merchant seamen were killed during the six-year-long Battle of the Atlantic, which spanned almost the entirety of WWII. In the traditional system of naming destroyers after Naval heroes, she was named after Rear Admiral Isaac Campbell Kidd, Sr. who was killed aboard his flagship, USS ARIZONA (BB-39) during the surprise attack by the Japanese on the American fleet anchored at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The ship had to approach very carefully directly into the current and hold itself in position during this process. The American ships then headed to Londonderry, Northern Ireland, for supplies, training, and, hopefully, liberty. Each compartment has been treated as a display case into which innumerable artifacts have been collected and arranged just as they would have been when sailors lived and worked on board. Two days earlier, while helping escort eight ships from Iceland to a rendezvous with westbound ONS-152, the cutter had dropped a single 600-pound depth charge on a sound contact. It was also more difficult to remain unnoticed by the Germans.The Battle of the Atlantic was the longest continuous battle of WWII. During the attack on Rabaul, KIDD stopped to pick up the crew of a downed plane from the ESSEX, falling behind the main force of the fleet, and came under attack from a group of eight Japanese dive bombers. 27 2023 . The nine ships came from three yards as follows: The conditions are described as follows: The OOD would then execute a Getting Underway check list. YOKE is an intermediate level of protection that is set when the ship is under normal underway cruise conditions. These conditions are established by closing the appropriate fittings such as valves, hatches, and watertight doors. It was December, 1944. As a torpedoed merchant ship goes down in February 1943, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Spencer searches for the attacking U-boat. In those days there was no bridge to bridge radio. The real-life clash that may have inspired the duel in the book happened on November 1, 1943 between the USS Borie and U-boat U-405. She was dispatched to relieve the destroyer BROWN (DD-546), bombarding targets of opportunity on the eastern coastline of Korea from Nan-Do Island southward below Kansong. Once clear of the harbor, the navigator would announce that we were entering International Waters, where different Rules of the Road apply. It was early on at this point in her career when she picked up the nickname that would become her trademark. in 1951 during the Korean War. The search for hard-to-find World War II vintage equipment has gone around the world. In 1984, the Dutch fleet oiler ZUIDERKRUIS arrived in Baton Rouge on a port visit and transferred to KIDD two twin 20mm gun mounts, two Mk-16 K-gun depth charge projectors, and twelve 20mm magazine drums. The edition of TIME magazine that week carried a photo of KIDD, announcing that it had been one hundred years since the Jolly Roger had flown in New York Harbor. Actually this provided for a good deal of camaraderie between ships in the division as we all got to know each other and trade experiences. Also in early 1942, Secretary cutters began running a convoy shuttle as part of U.S. Navy Task Force 24. Destroyer Squadron 51 was one of some notoriety. While in the shipyards, Cdr. Of the four preserved Fletcher-class destroyers, she is the only destroyer remaining in her World War II appearance and is now on exhibit in her wartime camouflage paint, Measure 22.Along with her signal flags, the Jolly Roger flies high from her mast and the image of the pirate looks out from her forward stack, greeting passers-by both on shore and aboard visiting riverboats. Her keel was laid on Oct . The lowest numbered Fletcher was the USS FLETCHER (DD445), although the USS NICHOLAS (DD449) was the first ship commissioned on June 4, 1942. She and the other ships of her squadron were among the first to encounter the Japanese planes which came out to meet the great armada threatening Japans shores. In August of 1943, she transited the Panama Canal along with three other destroyers providing escort for USS ALABAMA (BB-60) and SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57) and proceeded to Pearl Harbor. In September 1941, it requested studies for a destroyer with greater anti-aircraft capability. February 27, 2023 By restaurants on the water in st clair shores By restaurants on the water in st clair shores She continued rescue operations all the while maneuvering to avoid bombs and airborne torpedoes while simultaneously engaging the enemy. She was first launched in 1943 and went in and out of commission during the Korean War and the Cold War. Thus far during the war, she had suffered no major damage, the starshells fired by NORTH CAROLINA over a year and a half earlier being the most severe. Was on DD650 for 4 years right out of boot camp I am now ret USN MSC you in 76 there is not a day that goes by that I dont think of the best year s of my life I am now 77and I wish I could do it all again when the good Lord takes me I hope he will put me on the USS C APERTON DD650, Pingback: The George Stewart I Knew | Naval Historical Foundation. Fittings marked with a Red Z, Black Y, and Black Z are all closed. Several months later, the President also ordered the U.S. Navy to help escort Allied convoys. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. She provided escort for the carrier task force which launched air raids on Wake Island in October of 1943 and then again, in November, for the carriers ESSEX (CV-9), BUNKER HILL (CV-17), and INDEPENDENCE (CV-22) in strikes against Rabaul and Bougainville. This areaknown as the Devil's Gorge, the Black Hole, or Torpedo Junctionwas a prime hunting ground for U-boats. Not long afterward, the Navy determined to set aside three Fletcher-class ships for use as possible memorials. X-RAY provides the least protection. 1 LCdr. On 17 December, the Ingham was on the western edge of the air gap, sweeping ahead of eastbound Convoy SC-112. Half of the year, she rides the currents of the Mississippi; the other half, she sits dry-docked in a cradle where visitors can see her full dimensions. Introduced in 1942, the 2,100-ton Fletcher -class destroyers formed the core of the US Navy's destroyer force from 1943. A large portion of the movie was shot aboard the USS Kidd (DD-661), a Fletcher-class Navy destroyer named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who lost his life on the bridge of the USS Arizona during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. As we parsed out theGreyhound true story from the movie, we learned that Commander Ernest Krause is a fictional character based on Commander George Krause from C. S. Forester's book The Good Shepherd. This would be followed by Now Set Material Condition Yoke Throughout the Ship followed by The Officer of the Deck is Shifting his Watch from the Quarterdeck to the Bridge. But the rules of warfare are: Kill or be killed.". The island-hopping campaign continued across the Pacific and KIDD continued to go in harms way. She saw action again in the Marshall Islands in January of 1944, and was the first to follow minesweepers into the lagoon at Majuro. Along with her signal flags, the Jolly Roger flies high from her mast and the image of the pirate looks out from her forward stack, greeting passers-by both on shore and aboard visiting riverboats. While some changes had taken place since 1945, most of the procedures were carryovers from World War II. Named after a swashbuckling Union Civil War captain, the Porter was one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built during World War II. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. Of the 1,103 passengers on board, 118 men, women, and childrenincluding 28 Americanswere killed. The Chief Engineer would be in the Forward Engine Room and the Main Propulsion Assistant would be in the After Engine Room. In August of 1943, she transited the Panama Canal along with three other destroyers providing escort for USS ALABAMA (BB-60) and SOUTH DAKOTA (BB-57) and proceeded to Pearl Harbor. Parts of her radar array were scavenged for use aboard CASSIN YOUNG (DD-793) which had also survived a suicide attack and was preparing to go back out on the line. She is a Fletcher-class destroyer and is named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, the first US flag officer to die during the Second World War. No. The raids that developed that day werent out of the ordinary, in spite of the fact that three approaching formations of enemy aircraft were reported. Thus there were two groups of 2,100-tonners: one-third (58) were high- or round-bridge ships; two-thirds, (117) were low- or square-bridge ships. Ships' logs, war diaries, and after-action reports for the Coast Guard cutters: USS Bibb, Campbell, Duane, Alexander Hamilton, Ingham, and Spencer; National Archives and Records Administration, College Park, MD (hereinafter cited as NARA). Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. At 1138, U-175 popped up 2,500 yards from the Spencer, and the cutter's gunners opened fire. Your email address will not be published. Based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, the Bibb, Duane, and Ingham covered small convoys out from Reykjavik that were joining westbound ON convoys. By December, at least six convoys were simultaneously in the North Atlantic, and the available escort ships were not enough to stop the U-boats' slaughter. The Steering Gear room (After Steering) would be manned. Full right rudder was ordered, and the cutter closed to ram the submarine. Gun crews kept the aircraft at bay. But through the efforts of many dedicated people, she avoided the scrapping yard to make one final voyage. While the movie finds Tom Hanks' Commander Ernest Krause and the convoy caught up in the Battle of the Atlantic over a five-day period in the latter part of 1942, the battle actually spanned almost the entirety of the war, beginning on September 3, 1939 and ending on May 8, 1945. KIDDs 20mm and 40mm gunners took the plane under fire, scoring several hits, to no avail. By 1971, all ships remaining in the US Navy had decommissioned but not until 2001 was Mexicos Cuitlhuac, the former John Rodgers and the last active Fletcher, retired. Authorized for fiscal year 1941, construction of the first ships was already under way when the United States entered the war. Two more depth charges were quickly dropped, and at full speed the Ingham turned and headed back to make another attack. As soon as the last line was taken in, the boatswains pipe would sound and the announcement would be made Underway, Shift Colors. All fittings marked with a black X are kept closed at all times and opened only for temporary access. The Fletcher class including The Sullivans are regarded as the backbone of the navy and know to be the best destroyer in the world. ed. She was my first, and my favorite ship. A 36 searchlight and platform, a Mk-12/22 fire-control radar antenna, four more K-guns, and several smaller items were salvaged from USS TOLMAN (DD-740/DM-28) prior to her disposal by the Navy as a target ship. Four Fletchers have been preserved on public display. The latter part of 1958 saw her engaged in a similar role patrolling the straits between Formosa (Taiwan) and mainland China while international tempers flared over the Chinese bombardment of the offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Along with the Duane, the Spencer rescued 41 of U-175's 54-man crew. USS Fletcher (DD 445) of the 175-ship 2,100-ton Fletcher class was an outstanding example of promise fulfilled. Upon reaching Ulithi, another devastating blow to morale was waiting for them. The Pirate of the Pacific began a series of WESTPAC cruises which lasted from 1954 to 1959. The Sullivans played a large role in World War II and the . May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. Is this Fire Controlman? She continued rescue operations all the while maneuvering to avoid bombs and airborne torpedoes while simultaneously engaging the enemy. The character's first name was changed for the movie. Twiggs also operated in the Atlantic early in her career, from Norfolk as a training ship until May 1944. sidewalk tractor for sale; who are the parents of chaunte wayans Both pilots were recovered and three enemy planes were shot down, with one more kill probable and hits scored on several of the remaining aircraft. It is set when a ship is in the harbor. Therefore, prior to her departure from Philadelphia, the Navy was contracted to remount two twin 40mm gun mounts forward of the bridge in place of the hedgehog anti-submarine projectors which had been added in the 1950s. From tax deductible donations to your time and skills, there are many ways you can contribute! Cdr. As they neared Reykjavik on 29 January 1942, the Hamilton turned the tow over to a British tug. Yes. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. The cutters would then usually escort fully loaded ships from either an SC or HX convoy back to Iceland. The combat air patrol downed the remaining Japanese aircraft. Krause commands a multi-national group of four escort ships tasked with protecting a convoy of merchant ships that are being hunted by German U-boats. U.S. Coast Guard Public Information Division, The Coast Guard at War: Transports and Escorts V, Vol. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. But with the advent of suicide tactics by the Japanese, destroyers on escort duty faced an even greater peril than before. While at the buoys we were provided with services with some harbor craft which were referred to as fuel, water, and garbage barges operated by the Naval District. Beginning in the fall of 1939, the large white-hulled cutters were assigned the outer limits of the Neutrality Zone. Instead, she struck a glancing blow and the U-boat's hydroplane opened a large gash in the Campbell's hull. We were forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan as part of DESRON 15. A Pacific Fleet destroyer operated on a two year cycle in those days. To emphasize the importance of the battle, Winston Churchill coined the name "Battle of the Atlantic," intentionally alluding to the Battle of Britain. The last step was to test out the main engines with steam. Thirty-two were transferred to the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey. Simultaneously, Armed Guard gunners on merchant vessels in the rear columns of the convoy also opened fire. Tickets for NAO TRINIDAD are available to purchase in person for $25ea. They were also the first US destroyers fitted with radar as built. I am a retired Navy Chief. The WWII battle focused on Germany's effort to cut off transatlantic supply lines by gaining control of the Atlantic Ocean. Not all of the latter 1950s involved Cold War tensions. Next we will describe the process for getting underway from alongside another ship or a pier. My first 11 years in the Navy were spent in Japan. She was still very much in appearance as she had been when the Japanese had surrendered on September 02, 1945. I also served aboard USS CORAL SEA (CVA43) for 2 years before joining the submarine force, which I spent 26 years in. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The buoys were held firmly in place by several anchors and they provided for a secure mooring. The winter of 1942-43 would be the Battle of the Atlantic's most bitterly fought season. The plaque was mounted on KIDDs quarter deck in their memory. We also made fueling stops at Guam and Midway. The Coast Guard would man 30 DEs, organized in five escort divisions, and 74 PFs, primarily assigned to weather-station duty. Robert L. Scheina, U.S. Coast Guard Cutters & Craft of World War II (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1982). (DESDIV 96) within Destroyer Squadron 48 (DESRON 48), KIDD functioned in the many roles demanded of the U.S. Navys destroyers: anti-submarine picket duty, picking up downed pilots, shore bombardment, and anti-aircraft platform. The search for hard-to-find World War II vintage equipment has gone around the world. Built at Federal Shipbuilding & Dry-dock Company of Kearny, New Jersey, KIDD was one of four destroyers [USS BULLARD (DD-660), USS THORN (DD-647), and USS TURNER (DD-648)] launched on February 28, 1943 in a record-breaking fourteen minutes. This never happened in real life. She then provided escort for new carriers during their shakedown cruises from Norfolk to Trinidad. In April, the British and Canadians assumed full responsibility for escorting the North Atlantic convoys, while the U.S. Navy took control of the transatlantic route between the United States and the Mediterranean. In September of 1957, KIDD and the submarine USS REDFISH (SS-395) participated in the filming of the motion picture Run Silent Run Deep off the coast of San Diego. Not wishing to dishonor RADM Kidd, however, the crew obtained permission from Mrs. Kidd first. At the end of the year, DesDiv 101 continued on to Luzon, where Haraden was again damaged while escorting a carrier task force in the Sulu Sea and again returned to the West Coast for repairs. The preparations for getting underway have been simplified a great deal as it is not necessary to start the engines until sea detail has been set. The conning officer would then use an appropriate combination of rudder, engines, and lines to get the ship underway. This is the third in a series of articles by Captain Stewart detailing the technical specifications, manning, and operations of the U.S. Navys Fletcher class destroyers. . There would have been no American soldiers for D-Day, and in turn, no D-Day and no victory.Germany used squadrons of U-boats known as wolf packs, in addition to various warships, to prowl the Atlantic Ocean and hunt down and attack Allied convoys, which is what they do to the convoy Commander Krause's ships are protecting in the Greyhound movie. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at member@usni.org or by phone at 800-233-8764. The disabled cutter, meanwhile, was towed to Newfoundland for repairs. If we were backing out of a slip you would hear a prolonged blast on the whistle. Consequently, later that day, Roosevelt signed an order transferring the entire Coast Guard to the Navy. At her launch 29 October, she was sponsored by Mrs. Marguerite Chevalier, wife of LCdr. After seven minutes, the ships ceased firing and a Coast Guard boarding party from the Spencer headed for the smoking U-boat. Faced with a shortage of escort ships, the Navy requested on 31 October that all Coast Guard cutters be transferred to its control. This article describes destroyer operations as I remember them during the late 1950s. Mr. Walling served as a commissioned and a senior petty officer in the Coast Guard and is the author of Bloodstained Sea: The U.S. Coast Guard in the Battle of the Atlantic, 1941-1944 (New York: International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2004). Acting as a rescue destroyer (Plane Guard). Sign up to get updates about new releases and event invitations. In an emergency program to expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were brought on line. A member of the Duane's crew, Victor Bogard, remembered that "Whenever a shell exploded on the German submarine, many crew members would shout and cheer. One of the shells entered the compartment and crossed just above the chest of the pretended casualty. While off Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach Harbor, KIDD was struck by the 9,000-ton Swedish freighter HAINAN on April 21, 1953. While at San Diego, Cdr. 1 (Washington, DC, 1949). She saw her first duty covering the North Atlantic sea lanes near Argentia, Newfoundland. The best is probably Wolfgang Petersen's 1981 movie Das Boot, which does a superb job recreating the deplorable conditions, boredom, and nerve-racking tension experienced by the crews. On March 19, 1945, the carrier USS FRANKLIN (CV-13) suffered a devastating hit which touched off gasoline and ammunition explosions and claimed 724 lives. During that same period, Germany lost 783 of its 1,100 U-boats. Copyright 2011-2022 Naval Historical Foundation. With the active sonar switch on, Sasso again picked up the U-boat: "It was beautiful, a metallic sound, real clear." The Fletcher class destroyer is one of the most famous and most produced warships developed and built for the US navy in WW2. Commander James A. Hirschfield, the cutter's skipper, believed the target might be a submarine that had run between ON-166's columns of merchant ships, firing torpedoes at the vessels, and was now making her escape on the surface. At this point, we were underway. With carrier-based aircraft pounding the Japanese installations on the island, KIDD moved off to investigate a submarine contact miles away from the formation. She whispers stories of courage, bravery, and sacrifice. Starting on April 24, 1962, KIDD was assigned to the Naval Destroyer School at Newport, Rhode Island. As well as other tasks, most of the ships served on weather station patrols, monitoring conditions in specific areas of the Atlantic. On the night of the 17th, the Ingham's sonar was turned off and her sonarman, Mike Sasso, was listening for screw noise with the hydrophones. The danger of traversing the Atlantic is echoed in the Greyhound movie's trailer, which states, "The only thing more dangerous than the front lines was the fight to get there.". Of the four preserved Fletcher-class destroyers, she is the only destroyer remaining in her World War II appearance and is now on exhibit in her wartime camouflage paint, Measure 22.. The sailor suffered a minor abrasion from a fleck of debris. (similarly, the HMS James/Harry looks like it was modeled on a British Battle-class destroyer, which did not enter service until The cycle would start at the end of a shipyard overhaul, in our case at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. Bush fulfilled one of his promises to the crew upon taking command at Ulithi: the pirate, which had been ordered painted over in late 44, was restored to the Number One stack. In those days, the Navy had been heavily influenced by carrier task group operations during the war and the experiences with the Kamikazes during the Battle of Okinawa. The latter part of 1958 saw her engaged in a similar role patrolling the straits between Formosa (Taiwan) and mainland China while international tempers flared over the Chinese bombardment of the offshore islands of Quemoy and Matsu. Despite being rooted in World War II history, the Tom Hanks movie is not directly based on a true story. Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. She serves as a reminder of all those who have gone before us. On April 30, Cdr. All Rules of the Road situations were handled by whistle signals. Most COs rarely took the conn themselves but acted more as a teacher and overall safety observer. The first of these was USS THE SULLIVANS (DD-537), named after the five brothers killed aboard USS JUNEAU (CL-52) in 1942 off of Guadalcanal. This meant passing a second bight around the bollard on the pier or the ship alongside. Since his retirement from active naval service in 1986 he has been employed in the ship design industry where he has specialized in the development of concept designs of propulsion and powering systems, some of which have entered active service. But through the efforts of many dedicated people, she avoided the scrapping yard to make one final voyage. 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A submarine contact miles away from the Spencer rescued 41 of U-175 's 54-man crew KIDD,,. To expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were on. Summer, President Roosevelt agreed to protect Iceland, and the fighters of the air gap, sweeping ahead eastbound...
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