did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic?

flying the skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger high from the foremast. Restored to her August, 1945 configuration, KIDD is one of the most authentic and accurate restorations in the Historic Fleet. The cycle would start at the end of a shipyard overhaul, in our case at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. USS Fletcher (DD 445) of the 175-ship 2,100-ton Fletcher class was an outstanding example of promise fulfilled. In addition, the Coast Guard ships' commissioning pennants were replaced with the Navy flags. 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. At 0420 the next day, the wrecked and scuttled U-606 disappeared beneath the waves. CAPT John M. Waters, USCG (Ret. Regardless of who it was, it was very important for him to announce I have the Conn so that all bridge personnel would know who to take their orders from. 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. These conditions refer to degrees of closure to minimize the effects of potential damage. 3. The tenders could then supply us with power, thereby allowing us to shut down and go Cold Iron. Dan Van der Vat, The Atlantic Campaign (New York: Harper & Row, 1988). But most of the other wartime functions still remained. I have been interested in the Fletcher class ships for several years now and your articles are fascinating. The Campbell and Spencer, meanwhile, worked out of Argentia, Newfoundland. 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. Simultaneously, Armed Guard gunners on merchant vessels in the rear columns of the convoy also opened fire. Destroyers have been called upon to perform a wide variety of duties. 7. has slowly been restored back to her August 1945 configuration. US Navy image 19-N-31790. When thinking about it at a later date, you wonder how a human can cheer at the sight of another person being killed. In the United States, The Sullivans at Buffalo, Kidd (beautifully restored to late-World War II configuration) at Baton Rouge, and Cassin Young, berthed across the pier from the frigate USS Constitution at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, are open to the public. The U.S. Coast Guard, hearing of the disaster and the City of Flint's need for medical help, immediately dispatched two of its 327-foot Secretary-class cutters: the Bibb (WPG-31) from Boston and Campbell (WPG-32) from Halifax, Nova Scotia. On July 03, 1997, KIDDs torpedo tubes were reloaded for the first time since 1964, finishing out her full armament. All rights reserved. An American freighter, the SS City of Flint, reached the scene the next morning, joining the Norwegian freighter Knut and the Swedish yacht Southern Cross. The venerable destroyer had earned twelve battle stars during her career: eight for service in World War II and four for service in Korea. 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. During that same period, Germany lost 783 of its 1,100 U-boats. It is set when a ship is in the harbor. During his 30 year naval career he held two ship commands and served a total of 8 years on naval material inspection boards, during which he conducted trials and inspections aboard over 200 naval vessels. While in restricted waters, naval vessels have a navigation detail set and the ships position was regularly determined by taking visual bearings on objects ashore, supplemented by radar ranges and fathometer readings. 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. She rests in a unique docking system designed for the near forty foot rise and fall of the river each season. 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. Heres how to join! 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.". 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. 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. Along with the Duane, the Spencer rescued 41 of U-175's 54-man crew. USS Halsey Powell backs away from a pier in Subic Bay. Though built with the Pacific in mind, Fletchers also served in the Atlantic theater. Construction (top) and disposition following World War II (bottom). With that change came the order to paint the gleaming white cutter hulls regulation Navy haze gray. Following a tumultuous eastbound Atlantic crossing as part of the escort group for Convoy HX-170, she was detached to take in tow the Navy storeship Yukon (AF-9), which was disabled 600 miles southeast of Iceland. Allied Warships Destroyers Fletcher class 175 ships The destroyer USS Saufley (DD 465) of the US Navy . Just before 1100, one of the Spencer's sonarmen detected a U-boat attempting to slip past the convoy's escort screen. 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. 9. I loved the country so much that I did not want to leave. 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. . She screened the amphibious operations, serving as a fire-support ship during the landings on Leyte. One hundred seventy-five of these ships were built between March 1941 and February 1945. The combat air patrol downed the remaining Japanese aircraft. 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! The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types. 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. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau argued that turning over just the ships would result in logistical and administrative chaos. A lot more information is available on the bridge from GPS, Electronic Chart Displays (ECDIS), etc. Not wishing to dishonor RADM Kidd, however, the crew obtained permission from Mrs. Kidd first. 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. In Greece, the former Charrette, renamed Velos (Arrow), is a popular attraction. The mid-ocean U.S. escort groups were built around either the Campbell or Spencer, supported by a few U.S. Navy destroyers and corvettes from the Canadian, Free Polish, and/or Free French navies. At that time, there was still an uneasy tradition that having a woman aboard a naval ship was to invite bad luck. 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. The pace of US destroyer construction accelerated with the wartime Fletcher class. Your email address will not be published. Another unique distinction about KIDDs first voyage was the make-up of her crew. Now, on the eve of impending war, the U.S. was ready to take destroyer design to the next level. Underway operations will be described in the next section. At 2,050 tons standard displacement and approximately 2,900 tons fully loaded, the Fletchers were significantly larger than any preceding American destroyer classes. Boilers had to be lit approximately 2 hours before the scheduled underway time and about an hour would be required in each engine room to prepare the engines for operation. Logistically, moving approximately 40 ships as a cohesive unit was anything but easy. After the yard period there would be a stint at the Fleet Training Group in San Diego (Guantanemo for East Coast Ships) for refresher training followed by a work up for deployment to the Far East (WESTPAC). 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. 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.. 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. She was a fine destroyer and served in WWII as a real war ship. 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. This is how I met my wife. Her name was listed as Ens. 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. During a simulated torpedo attack in September of that year, KIDD was struck by two star-shells fired from the NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55). 27 2023 . 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. She rests in a unique docking system designed for the near forty foot rise and fall of the river each season. As the first big ships to appear and because there were so many of them, however, the Fletchers are remembered as the signature US Navy destroyer class of the Pacific war. Restored to her August, 1945 configuration, KIDD is one of the most authentic and accurate restorations in the Historic Fleet. RoR tickets are $75ea in the online store. She returned to San Diego and was decommissioned on December 10, 1946, placed in the Reserve Fleet until such time as she would be called upon again. Beginning in the fall of 1939, the large white-hulled cutters were assigned the outer limits of the Neutrality Zone. 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. Instead, the party began picking up German survivors. Two months later, she was involved in a show of force off the coast of the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, which had just overthrown the Trujillo dictatorship. To prevent anyone mistaking their identity at night, the cutters steamed with all lights on and each flew a large American flag illuminated by a spotlight. There were also fueling stops at Midway and sometimes Guam. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. The bomb carried by the kamikaze was catapulted through the ship and out the other side where it detonated just seconds later. The WWII battle focused on Germany's effort to cut off transatlantic supply lines by gaining control of the Atlantic Ocean. All Rules of the Road situations were handled by whistle signals. The plant has to be started up from the Central Control Station below decks, but once it is ready for operation throttle control can be transferred to the bridge. Together, these classes dominated the US Navys destroyer force over the next 25 years. A Pacific Fleet destroyer operated on a two year cycle in those days. 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! The Fletcher class including The Sullivans are regarded as the backbone of the navy and know to be the best destroyer in the world. 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. From the 1958 Halsey Powell cruise book. 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. 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. KIDDs 20mm and 40mm gunners took the plane under fire, scoring several hits, to no avail. 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. Without waiting for Bruns' order, the U-boat's engineer gave the command to surface. Gun crews kept the aircraft at bay. U-175 was 65 feet deep when the explosions cracked and twisted her pressure hull. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? In my previous two articles (read Part 1 here, read Part 2 here) I gave technical and manning overviews of the U.S. Navys highly successful Fletcher class destroyer. Yes. The days of surface to surface torpedo attacks had pretty well gone away, although we still retained that capability. "The periscope had probably been knocked off," he recalled. 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. 1 LCdr. She saw her first duty covering the North Atlantic sea lanes near Argentia, Newfoundland. . While the U-boats did occasionally eavesdrop after stumbling upon the transmitting frequency of the escort ships, as far as we know, they were never able to transmit on that frequency, nor were they able to hack into and broadcast over the convoy's inter-ship communication system. 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 crew quickly adopted the pirate Captain Kiddwho ironically hailed from New Yorkas their mascot and hired a local cartoonist to paint the famed buccaneers image high of the forward smokestack. We also made fueling stops at Guam and Midway. Previous. 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. She participated in the bombardments of Roi and Kotje through February of that year, guarded construction of airfields at Emirau from March through April, and then supported the occupation of Aitape and Hollandia in New Guinea in May. Not wishing to dishonor RADM Kidd, however, the crew obtained permission from Mrs. Kidd first. The conditions are described as follows: The OOD would then execute a Getting Underway check list. This meant passing a second bight around the bollard on the pier or the ship alongside. 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). Twelve members of the U-boat's 47-man crew were rescued by the Campbell and Burza. At this point, we were underway. By February, organization of the ocean escorts had been formalized into American, British, and Canadian groups. My first 11 years in the Navy were spent in Japan. A second 36 searchlight was obtained from a private estate in 1985. Allan B. Roby, the destroyer moved across New York Harbor for delivery to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards . "It was a shallow charge, and as that thing exploded, the ship quivered, really quivered," Sasso said. After the three ships met at night on 9 September, the cutters helped care for and transport the survivors back to the United States. Morale among the crew soared. A subsequent sonar sweep failed to find a contact, and with the convoy approaching the area, McCabe broke off the search. Consequently, later that day, Roosevelt signed an order transferring the entire Coast Guard to the Navy. The date was Wednesday, April 11, 1945. Sailing for the western Pacific again in February of 1945, KIDD and her sister ships joined Task Force 58, then forming for raids against the Japanese home islands and the invasion of Okinawa. This areaknown as the Devil's Gorge, the Black Hole, or Torpedo Junctionwas a prime hunting ground for U-boats. From 1939 to 1945, the Allies lost roughly 3,500 merchant ships and 175 warships. While in the shipyards, Cdr. Robert E. Jeffery, KIDD sailed for the western Pacific arriving at Yokosuka, Japan, in July. 1 (Washington, DC, 1949). Their detonations practically lifted the U-boat out of the water and badly shook the cutter, which was rapidly losing speed. Deployments were six months in length followed by a six month period in the US, about half of which was spent underway in various fleet exercises off the West Coast. Ordered to take a training tour of the Kearny Shipyards, her name was placed on the list of personnel that were scheduled to report on board KIDD for the purpose of accompanying the destroyer across the harbor to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards. Destroyers, dubbed "tin cans" because of their lack of armor . USS Fletcher: note the open hatch with Black ZEBRA marking. I also served aboard USS CORAL SEA (CVA43) for 2 years before joining the submarine force, which I spent 26 years in. 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. Rescuing downed pilots, fighting off suicidal attacks, destroying floating mines, and giving early warning to the fleet of approaching enemy aircraft, KIDD participated in a naval siege which would see the greatest losses ever suffered by the United States Navy. Six 25-man balsa life rafts were located in Seal Beach, California. 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). 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. While her sonar crews were attempting to verify the contact, lookouts spotted 15 low-flying enemy torpedo bombers which were headed toward the large troopships carrying thousands of Marines who would soon be storming the beaches. They did not appear until the 1970s. 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. Normally all four ships in the division would be moored to the same buoy. Allan B. Roby, the Silver Star for gallantry. Having transferred steam to both engine rooms from her only remaining boiler room, KIDD now made approximately 20 knots as she headed south toward Ulithi Atoll. In 1941, the US Navy began building a fleet of large destroyers, its first design to rival the Japanese "special type" destroyers that had first entered service more than a decade before. Arnold Hague, The Allied Convoy System 1939-1945 (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2000). The Pirates were one of the first tin cansdestroyersto have their very own ice cream machine, something usually reserved for the larger vessels of the fleet. I spent 22 years in the Navy. But instead of ramming into BLACK, the pilot pulled up and passed directly over her. ; The Navy, page 115, 2000, Naval Historical Foundation, Washington. May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. Following this action, KIDDalong with the other ships of DESRON 48sailed for Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California for a major overhaul and refitting. In 1975, KIDD was deemed unfit for further service and was stricken from the naval list of vessels. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. In September 1941, it requested studies for a destroyer with greater anti-aircraft capability. The ship had to approach very carefully directly into the current and hold itself in position during this process. Copyright 2011-2022 Naval Historical Foundation. 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. KIDD sounded the warning to the rest of the fleet and opened fire, downing two of the attackers. The crew was extremely tight. Since 1975 all new destroyer, cruiser, and frigate types have been powered by aircraft derivative gas turbine engines. The Allies had yet to set up a convoy system, and according to the Monitor National Marine Sanctuary, between January and July 1942, 86 ships sank off the coast of North Carolina, claiming the lives of more than 1,100 merchant seamen. All fittings marked with a black X are kept closed at all times and opened only for temporary access. She saw her first duty covering the North Atlantic sea lanes near Argentia, Newfoundland. The Fletcher class destroyers had a wartime complement of 329 personnel. Pilots were only used when absolutely necessary in a strange port and most maneuvers were accomplished without tug assistance. In those days there was no bridge to bridge radio. 10. At her launch 29 October, she was sponsored by Mrs. Marguerite Chevalier, wife of LCdr. Christened USS Fletcher, she carried over several design features from the earlier classes, such as a rounded pilot house. Normally the crew stood duty on one day out of every three. 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. No. KIDD was one of several destroyers which stood guard for the beleaguered carrier while her crew fought to keep her afloat. gun mounts were still in place. 11 years in the rear columns of the US Navy Black X are closed. 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did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic?