My own ship, the USS Halsey Powell (DD 686) had been struck by a Kamikaze while escorting the carrier USS Hancock (CV 19) off Okinawa in 1945. 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. Commander-in-Chief, U.S.; Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic; and Eastern Sea Frontier Operations logs, message logs, and after-action reports; NARA. 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. 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 my first, and my favorite ship. Allan B. Roby, the destroyer moved across New York Harbor for delivery to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards . 8. 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. Enemy planes, spotting smoke from the crippled destroyer, attempted to finish her off. The ship's 20-mm guns and aft starboard 3-incher, however, took her in their sights and opened up. USS Fletcher: note the open hatch with Black ZEBRA marking. 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. has slowly been restored back to her August 1945 configuration. 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.". She participated in a precautionary deployment in November, 1956, of American naval forces during the Suez Crisis. 4. Christened USS Fletcher, she carried over several design features from the earlier classes, such as a rounded pilot house. The pace of US destroyer construction accelerated with the wartime Fletcher class. In 1995, what began as a blind letter to several allied navies which had received Fletcher-class ships in the years following 1945 resulted in the donation of twelve Mk-9 depth charges from the Turkish navy. That task accomplished, KIDD departed Philadelphia, arriving under tow at Baton Rouge on May 23, 1982, to a welcoming crowd of over ten thousand. Full right rudder was ordered, and the cutter closed to ram the submarine. Without waiting for Bruns' order, the U-boat's engineer gave the command to surface. "The contact was fast; there was a lot of motion, a lot of movement," he recalled. Once the first burner was lit, subsequent burners could be lit from the adjacent burner. The Alexander Hamilton was one of the first cutters actively engaged in convoy escort duty. [3] The part of Greyhound that's based on a true story is the Battle of the Atlantic, in which the fictional USS Keelingbecomes involved. 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. When thinking about it at a later date, you wonder how a human can cheer at the sight of another person being killed. Acting as a rescue destroyer (Plane Guard). It was here, just ninety miles east of Okinawa, that KIDD suffered her most severe damage of the war. 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 Navy, page 115, 2000, Naval Historical Foundation, Washington. The conning officer would then use an appropriate combination of rudder, engines, and lines to get the ship underway. But most of the other wartime functions still remained. She serves as a reminder of all those who have gone before us. By the autumn of 1942, the main U-boat menace had moved from the U.S. East Coast back to the North Atlantic. Chevalier. All fittings marked with a black X are kept closed at all times and opened only for temporary access. Jurgen Rohwer and Gerhard Hummelchen, The Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939-1945, rev. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. Secretary of the Treasury Henry Morgenthau argued that turning over just the ships would result in logistical and administrative chaos. 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 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. No. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at member@usni.org or by phone at 800-233-8764. 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). 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. Twelve members of the U-boat's 47-man crew were rescued by the Campbell and Burza. USS Fletcher (DD 445) of the 175-ship 2,100-ton Fletcher class was an outstanding example of promise fulfilled. All rights reserved. May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. Another unique distinction about KIDDs first voyage was the make-up of her crew. I much preferred WESTPAC! In January, 1952, DESDIV 152 returned to San Diego for overhaul and repair. May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. It was an entirely different Navy! flying the skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger high from the foremast. With a gaping hole in her side, most of her forward super-structure severely damaged, and radio communications down for the first hour after the attack, KIDD withdrew from the area under the covering fire of her sister ships. The WWII battle focused on Germany's effort to cut off transatlantic supply lines by gaining control of the Atlantic Ocean. The plane departed trailing smoke. By early 1942, U-boats had begun to wreak havoc directly off the east coast of North and South America, easily picking off merchant ships that were poorly defended. The Fletcher class destroyers had a wartime complement of 329 personnel. (The seventh, the Taney [WPG-37], would spend most of World War II in the Pacific.) However, the Navy had other ideas and I ended up on the east coast in Florida. In an emergency program to expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were brought on line. Instead, the party began picking up German survivors. Her single-pole mast was still in place, though her own post-war damage control plans showed her with a tripod mast. USS John D. Henley (DD 553) Destroyer Squadron 51 in World War II was a squadron whose 2,100-ton Fletcher -class destroyers were deployed in thirteen diverse operations in both the Atlantic and Pacific. 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. Upon departing Pusan, she rounded the southern tip of the Korean peninsula and almost ran headlong into Typhoon Marge. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? "It was a shallow charge, and as that thing exploded, the ship quivered, really quivered," Sasso said. Also in early 1942, Secretary cutters began running a convoy shuttle as part of U.S. Navy Task Force 24. While this rarely happened, such destroyer-vs-submarine duels did take place on one or two real-life occasions. From there, they picked up an outbound convoy and battered their way west to Newfoundland. The Conning Officer could be the CO, XO, or OOD. All five 5/38-cal. Copyright 2023 HistoryvsHollywood.com, CTF Media, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, subscribe to the History vs. Hollywood YouTube Channel. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types. While Commander McCabe was certain he had sunk a U-boat, the Navy was not convinced. The entire process of raising steam was started by making up a burner, igniting the torch with a match, inserting it into the furnace, and opening the fuel valve. 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. He currently holds the title of Chief Marine Engineer at Marine Design Dynamics. The venerable destroyer had earned twelve battle stars during her career: eight for service in World War II and four for service in Korea. Dan Van der Vat, The Atlantic Campaign (New York: Harper & Row, 1988). The ship had to approach very carefully directly into the current and hold itself in position during this process. 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. All Rules of the Road situations were handled by whistle signals. KIDD was one of several destroyers which stood guard for the beleaguered carrier while her crew fought to keep her afloat. This action won her skipper at the time, Cdr. These conditions refer to degrees of closure to minimize the effects of potential damage. Tickets for NAO TRINIDAD are available to purchase in person for $25ea. 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. These conditions are established by closing the appropriate fittings such as valves, hatches, and watertight doors. KIDD departed the Far East for San Diego and an overhaul in March of 1953. But through the efforts of many dedicated people, she avoided the scrapping yard to make one final voyage. U-boat U-405 was swallowed by the sea that night, adding to the Atlantic's WWII seabed graveyard. Normally all four ships in the division would be moored to the same buoy. 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. 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. The last significant encounter between U-boats and 327s took place on 17 April, as the Spencer and Duane were escorting Convoy HX-233. Of the 1,103 passengers on board, 118 men, women, and childrenincluding 28 Americanswere killed. The disabled cutter, meanwhile, was towed to Newfoundland for repairs. 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. Next we will describe the process for getting underway from alongside another ship or a pier. As well as other tasks, most of the ships served on weather station patrols, monitoring conditions in specific areas of the Atlantic. 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. US Navy image 19-N-31790. You've read 1 out of 5 free articles of Naval History this month. 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. 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 . 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. USS The Sullivans served with . While the vessels drifted clear of each other, the Campbell's 20-mm and 3-inch guns raked the U-boat's conning tower and deck. Today, USS KIDD is moored in the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the centerpiece of the USS Kidd Veterans Museum. As the cutter neared the target, however, Sasso lost the contact. At 1138, U-175 popped up 2,500 yards from the Spencer, and the cutter's gunners opened fire. I loved the country so much that I did not want to leave. She screened the amphibious operations, serving as a fire-support ship during the landings on Leyte. NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. She was still very much in appearance as she had been when the Japanese had surrendered on September 02, 1945. But with the advent of suicide tactics by the Japanese, destroyers on escort duty faced an even greater peril than before. Downtown Baton Rouges Fletcher-class destroyer USS KIDD (DD-661) and the Louisiana Veterans Museum. 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. Her name was listed as Ens. Beginning in the fall of 1939, the large white-hulled cutters were assigned the outer limits of the Neutrality Zone. 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. 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 last step was to test out the main engines with steam. While off Pierpoint Landing in Long Beach Harbor, KIDD was struck by the 9,000-ton Swedish freighter HAINAN on April 21, 1953. Some that we were called upon to perform included: There are probably some others that I have forgotten about. 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. She was first launched in 1943 and went in and out of commission during the Korean War and the Cold War. 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. David W. Taylor, attached to a task force striking the Bonin Islands meanwhile, sustained an underwater explosion, probably a mine, and also went home. We were forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan as part of DESRON 15. But the rules of warfare are: Kill or be killed.". On 21 February, the Campbell was on her way to rejoin Convoy ON-166 after rescuing 50 survivors of the torpedoed Norwegian freighter Nielson Alonso. There were 39 casualties and extensive damage in the after part of the ship. Lieutenant Bruns was one of the first killed as the U-boat crew began climbing out of the sub and attempted to abandon ship. Fred Edwards, Destroyer Type Desk, Bureau of Ships, 1942, quoted in Holland, Rear Admiral W. J., Jr., USN (Ret), ed. There were also fueling stops at Midway and sometimes Guam. The USS Kidd has been docked in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for years, where it has served as a tourist . Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. With the outbreak of the Korean Conflict, many destroyers were recalled to service and also served in 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. She then provided escort for new carriers during their shakedown cruises from Norfolk to Trinidad. . 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. Just before 1100, one of the Spencer's sonarmen detected a U-boat attempting to slip past the convoy's escort screen. 27 2023 . 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. They used USS Kidd, a real WWII destroyer, to film the journey of Greyhound. 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. At this point, the word would be passed Secure the Special Sea and Anchor Detail, Set the Regular Underway Watch. 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. For six days the ships battled heavy seas. From tax deductible donations to your time and skills, there are many ways you can contribute! years the big cutters would play a key role in the United States' efforts to patrol the Atlantic Ocean, escort convoys, and sink U-boats. Enter the Fletcher Class. The U.S. 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. 5. During this time, KIDD was credited with having rescued a total of 35 carrier personnel. The 327s were later converted to amphibious-force flagships and served in the Pacific theater. . 10. 3. The working part of the torch consisted of a rag wrapped around the end of the handle and secured by wire. And my favorite ship provided escort for New carriers during their shakedown cruises from to! 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