did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic?

Normally all four ships in the division would be moored to the same buoy. About 12 of the enlisted men were Chief Petty Officers. Chevalier. This article describes destroyer operations as I remember them during the late 1950s. 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. Only one plane drew close enough to drop a bomb: it missed, detonating about twenty feet off the starboard bow. Dan Van der Vat, The Atlantic Campaign (New York: Harper & Row, 1988). The freighters bow sliced nearly halfway through the destroyers hull at the deck line, leaving a 15-ft. v-shaped hole that extended three feet below the waterline and flooding the sonar compartment. 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. One of the main reasons the filmmakers chose to shoot on the historic battleship is because the Kidd is the only surviving WWII destroyer still in her wartime configuration.If you listen closely during the movie, one of the sailors on the ship refers to a buddy he knows who was on the Kidd. Today, USS KIDD is moored in the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the centerpiece of the USS Kidd Veterans Museum. She opened to the public for the first time on August 27, 1983. 4. KIDD was in the vanguard position with BULLARD the following morning when they steamed to within eleven miles of the Japanese shoreline, her navigator taking bearings on enemy lighthouses. These conditions refer to degrees of closure to minimize the effects of potential damage. She serves as a reminder of all those who have gone before us. As they neared Reykjavik on 29 January 1942, the Hamilton turned the tow over to a British tug. The venerable destroyer had earned twelve battle stars during her career: eight for service in World War II and four for service in Korea. Design for the class was not finalized until January 1940, but by the end of that year more than 100 ships had been The other ships in the division would then come alongside and tie up using regular mooring lines. For the Leyte landings in October 1944, all nine ships operated with the Third Fleets Logistic Group. The U.S. and Canada needed to maintain the vital flow of supplies and men to Europe in order to keep up the fight. The combat air patrol downed the remaining Japanese aircraft. In May 1942, before the first Fletcher was even commissioned, it approved a six-gun ship in which the Fletchers five 5-inch single mounts were replaced with three 5-inch twinsthe 2,200-ton Allen M. Sumner class, with 20 per cent more firepower on a Fletcher hull widened by 14 inches. Mrs. Inez Kidd, widow of RADM Kidd, served as the ships sponsor, christening her and presenting her crew with a handsome wardroom guest book in which she wrote: May the destiny of the USS KIDD be glorious! U.S. Coast Guard Public Information Division, The Coast Guard at War: Transports and Escorts V, Vol. The skipper reported to the task force commander: KIDD claims to be the best prepared ship in the Navy. During World War II, the Atlantic Coast destroyers would probably be at battle stations with Material Condition Zebra set by the time that they cleared the submarine net. For six days the ships battled heavy seas. Screened by McNAIR (DD-679), KIDD retreated southward. The lone suicide bomber crashed into her forward boiler room killing everyone inside. By VJ Day, 67 Sumners55 destroyers and 12 destroyer-minelayer conversionsplus 45 ships of a lengthened production variant, initially referred to as the 2,200-ton long hull class and later as the Gearing class. The Conning Officer could be the CO, XO, or OOD. While at San Diego, Cdr. After two deployments, it was back to the shipyard again. Yes. 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. Of the 1,103 passengers on board, 118 men, women, and childrenincluding 28 Americanswere killed. A Greyhound fact check reveals that the USS Keeling (codenamed "Greyhound") is fictional and was not a real-life Navy destroyer. A subsequent sonar sweep failed to find a contact, and with the convoy approaching the area, McCabe broke off the search. 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. Slow but reliable, the Coast Guard's Secretary-class cutters were the backbone of the United States' North Atlantic escort force during World War II. The venerable destroyer had earned twelve battle stars during her career: eight for service in World War II and four for service in Korea. 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. 1. Bennett (DD 473) lays stack and chemical smoke in the Shortland Islands, 1944. off Korea in the 1950s and some even off Vietnam in the 60s, she was condemned in 2010 as a derelict and hazard to navigation and scrapped in 20102011. Heres how to join! Just before 1100, one of the Spencer's sonarmen detected a U-boat attempting to slip past the convoy's escort screen. The Chief Engineer would be in the Forward Engine Room and the Main Propulsion Assistant would be in the After Engine Room. 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. . ed. With no injuries to the crew, the damage was repaired and the ship was underway again on May 11, 1953. There wouldn't have been enough men, food, weapons, or resources to make weapons. She whispers stories of courage, bravery, and sacrifice. Authorized for fiscal year 1941, construction of the first ships was already under way when the United States entered the war. The date was Wednesday, April 11, 1945. She returned fire on and silenced several batteries successfully. 2. In 1959, KIDD was transferred to the Atlantic Fleet. Thirty-eight men were killed; fifty-five were wounded. Starting on April 24, 1962, KIDD was assigned to the Naval Destroyer School at Newport, Rhode Island. So on the crews behalf, Mrs. Kidd obtained official permission from the powers-that-be in the Navy for them to paint the pirate on the stack and fly the Jolly Roger. Fully repaired and ready for action in the eminent invasion of Japans home islands, KIDD was en route to Japan via Pearl Harbor just days after the first atomic bomb struck Hiroshima, heralding the end of World War II. On 12 June 1944, a new Gearing -class destroyer, USS Chevalier (DD 805) was laid downlike the 451, the third ship of her class from Bath Iron Works. She participated in a precautionary deployment in November, 1956, of American naval forces during the Suez Crisis. At this point, we were underway. Tom Hanks portrays Naval Commander Ernest Krause (named George Krause in the book), who after years of being a career officer is finally given command of a destroyer, the USS Keeling, whose radio codename is "Greyhound." (similarly, the HMS James/Harry looks like it was modeled on a British Battle-class destroyer, which did not enter service until 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. Despite being rooted in World War II history, the Tom Hanks movie is not directly based on a true story. The Fletcher class formed the backbone of U.S. destroyer forces in World War II. The winter of 1942-43 would be the Battle of the Atlantic's most bitterly fought season. During this era, no other class of destroyer had more ships built. Robert E. Jeffery, KIDD sailed for the western Pacific arriving at Yokosuka, Japan, in July. Gun crews kept the aircraft at bay. Charles A. Bellis coming aboard as commanding officer. It was here, just ninety miles east of Okinawa, that KIDD suffered her most severe damage of the war. The CO, XO, Officer of the Deck (OOD), Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) and appropriate enlisted personnel would proceed to the bridge. Since 1975 all new destroyer, cruiser, and frigate types have been powered by aircraft derivative gas turbine engines. In an emergency program to expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were brought on line. The valuable wartime contributions of the Bibb, Campbell, Duane, Ingham, and Spencer, however, did not end when they were relieved of North Atlantic convoy duty. However, when KIDD arrived at the Brooklyn yards, the official message sent back to the yards in Kearny read: The WAVE delivered The Kidd at 2:30 today.. Transportation was by a combination of ships boats and private water taxis. At several points in the film, a German U-boat uses Greyhound's transmitting frequency and broadcasts threatening messages over the ship's loudspeakers. She rests in a unique docking system designed for the near forty foot rise and fall of the river each season. 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. During Operation War Dance in December of that year, KIDD cruised at 10 knots around the harbor at Wonsan, drawing the fire of enemy shore batteries in order to reveal their positions. Once this was accomplished, the OOD would pass the order to stand by to answer all bells to the engine room and them report ready to get underway to the CO. The duties of conning officer were rotated around. There were 39 casualties and extensive damage in the after part of the ship. Normally the crew stood duty on one day out of every three. 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. The next order would be to Take in the Brow. The Fletcher class destroyers had a wartime complement of 329 personnel. "The periscope had probably been knocked off," he recalled. At that time, there was still an uneasy tradition that having a woman aboard a naval ship was to invite bad luck. Taking their mascot pirate to heart, crew members began to ransom rescued pilots for ice cream mix and other delicacies from their comrades aboard aircraft carriers so that her reputation grew as the Pirate of the Pacific. Other destroyers conducted this practice, but KIDD did so with a certain flair. Non-subscribers can read five free Naval History articles per month. This is how I met my wife. l spent over a year on the USS TINGEY (DD539). But suddenly, there was no movement from the boat, and the Ingham passed over her without dropping any charges. She was placed in the Philadelphia Shipyard to await her final fate, one that befell so many of her sister ships: the cutting torch. 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). Morale among the crew soared. The first two raids were driven off by the combat air patrol, in tandem with KIDD and her division mates: BLACK (DD-666), BULLARD, and CHAUNCEY (DD-667). On 5 September, as Bibb and Campbell raced toward their rendezvous, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had declared a Neutrality Zone along the East Coast of the United States. For this reason, all sailors of the Boiler Technician (BT) rating were meticulous about carrying a book of matches around with them at all times. The U-boat was too close for the destroyer's guns, so the crew members opened fire with rifles, submachine guns, and machine guns. Serving as part of Destroyer Division 96 (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. Today, USS KIDD is moored in the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the centerpiece of the USS Kidd Veterans Museum. Though the book's story is fictional, it was heavily researched and takes place at the midpoint of World War II during the Battle of the Atlantic in the winter of 1942. Reg Ingraham, First Fleet (Cornwall, NY: Bobbs-Merill Company, 1944). Jenkins was placed in reserve following the end of the war, until 1951, when the ship was reactivated for the Korean War. All USN ships are worthy of their tails of history while securing the waters they sail and for protecting all of freedoms we so take for granted every day. Enemy planes, spotting smoke from the crippled destroyer, attempted to finish her off. has slowly been restored back to her August 1945 configuration. Navy ships never use this method any more, as sufficient pier space is provided in all of the navys home ports and all necessary services are provided from shore. Some 2,100-tonners served off Korea in the 1950s and some even off Vietnam in the 60s. Finally, the third Fletcher selected was KIDD, largely due to the efforts of Harold Monning, who served aboard her during World War II, and the shipmates of the DESRON 48 Reunion Association. My first 11 years in the Navy were spent in Japan. 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. Four B&W three-drum boilers (565 psi @ 850 F), Two sets of General Electric geared turbines (60,000 hp total), five 5"/38-cal. From there we were ready to go. So on the crews behalf, Mrs. Kidd obtained official permission from the powers-that-be in the Navy for them to paint the pirate on the stack and fly the Jolly Roger. 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. But most of the other wartime functions still remained. 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. In 1975, KIDD was deemed unfit for further service and was stricken from the naval list of vessels. 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. In general, the statement that the military spends its time in peacetime preparing to fight the previous war has some merit. There was always a stop at Pearl Harbor on the way to and from the deployment for INCOP and OUTCHOP (Change of Operational Command) briefings at CINCPACFLEET. They were also the first US destroyers fitted with radar as built. 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. From tax deductible donations to your time and skills, there are many ways you can contribute! Under the command of Cdr. On October 2, 1961, she found herself part of the rapid mobilization of the nations military forces in response to the Soviets construction of the Berlin Wall. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. 3. As U-606 cleared her stern, the cutter dropped two depth charges set at 50 feet. The KIDD would become the only vessel in the history of the United States Navy to ever have such leave granted to fly the flag of piracy. 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. The first 25 ships were ordered 28 June and 1 July 1940 (the first day of the 1941 fiscal year), with DD 445 actually belonging to the 1 July group. 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. 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. YOKE is an intermediate level of protection that is set when the ship is under normal underway cruise conditions. The first ship to moor had to place a boat in the water which carried the mooring party. David W. Taylor, attached to a task force striking the Bonin Islands meanwhile, sustained an underwater explosion, probably a mine, and also went home. 9. Commissioned into service two months later on April 23, KIDD commenced her shakedown cruise at Casco Bay, Maine. 1 LCdr. Under the command of Cdr. The crew was extremely tight. Her single-pole mast was still in place, though her own post-war damage control plans showed her with a tripod mast. I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. 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. The second was CASSIN YOUNG. 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. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? 10. Over the next 3?? The cycle would start at the end of a shipyard overhaul, in our case at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. 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. Is this Fire Controlman? On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, and only two days later, the German submarine U-30 sank the British ocean liner SS Athenia off the Irish coast. 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. Together, these classes dominated the US Navys destroyer force over the next 25 years. Another unique distinction about KIDDs first voyage was the make-up of her crew. As a torpedoed merchant ship goes down in February 1943, the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Spencer searches for the attacking U-boat. Logistically, moving approximately 40 ships as a cohesive unit was anything but easy. But instead of ramming into BLACK, the pilot pulled up and passed directly over her. By February, organization of the ocean escorts had been formalized into American, British, and Canadian groups. The next step depended on how we were moored. A Naval vessel had three conditions of damage control readiness, X-RAY, YOKE, and ZEBRA. Since 1975 all new destroyer, cruiser, and frigate types have been powered by aircraft derivative gas turbine engines. That number was necessary to allow around the clock manning of gun mounts, repair parties, and other watch stations. Also in early 1942, Secretary cutters began running a convoy shuttle as part of U.S. Navy Task Force 24. The USS KIDD (DD-661) is a Fletcher-class destroyer, the six hundred sixty-first destroyer built by the United States Navy. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. 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. 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. It was an entirely different Navy! A Pacific Fleet destroyer operated on a two year cycle in those days. With wars end, KIDD returned to peacetime duties. KIDD was one of several destroyers which stood guard for the beleaguered carrier while her crew fought to keep her afloat. The strategy that the Allies used was to send a group of merchant ships across the Atlantic in a convoy that was escorted by a group of warships, and, when feasible, aircraft. Without waiting for Bruns' order, the U-boat's engineer gave the command to surface. USS Halsey Powell backs away from a pier in Subic Bay. Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II. Germany knew that stopping the supply line would essentially give them victory in Britain and the rest of Europe, as well as the Soviet Union, thus ending the war. A second 36 searchlight was obtained from a private estate in 1985. Still, 80 percent of Allied convoys completed the journey safely. The pre-war classes of destroyer had been constrained by the London Naval Treaty of 1930 and by the country's reluctance to invest in a stronger Navy, but they did advance destroyer design in a number of ways. I much preferred WESTPAC! Fletcher -class destroyers boasted ten torpedo tubes, depth charge projectors, and five radar-guided 5" dual-purpose guns allowing them to ably combat aircraft, submarines and surface. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. The pace of US destroyer construction accelerated with the wartime Fletcher class. May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. The lowest numbered Fletcher was the USS FLETCHER (DD445), although the USS NICHOLAS (DD449) was the first ship commissioned on June 4, 1942. 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. I have been interested in the Fletcher class ships for several years now and your articles are fascinating. 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. By the time it reached the submarine, she was quickly sinking and boarding her was too dangerous.

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