did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic?

Destroyers, dubbed "tin cans" because of their lack of armor . Authorized for fiscal year 1941, construction of the first ships was already under way when the United States entered the war. Built for speed and capability, USS Cassin Young engaged in seven Pacific battles in World War II, survived two Kamikaze hits, and served another full decade beyond her expected lifetime. Three (Pringle, Stevens, Halford) were built (six planned) with aircraft catapults, resulting in the deletion of one 5-inch mount and the after set of torpedo tubes. As well as other tasks, most of the ships served on weather station patrols, monitoring conditions in specific areas of the Atlantic. The CIC included radar repeaters, voice radios, electronic warfare equipment, plotting boards, logging facilities, etc. Copyright 2011-2022 Naval Historical Foundation. My father, Charles Ross Duncan, Sr. served on the USS Kimberly from 1943 thru 1945 in the Pacific. The ships Hospital Corpsman (HM) also normally reported directly to the Executive Officer. With this modification, the Oerlikon cannons were rearranged and their number was standardized at seven; four amidships and three in a heart-shaped mount on the fantail. Friedman, Norman "US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised Edition)", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:2004, p.111-112. He is assisted by personnel of the Quartermaster (QM) rating. But at least one other type ship also played a powerful role for the U.S. Navy in World War II. 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. Transferred to Hellenic Navy, 27 September 1962, Transferred to Hellenic Navy, 21 August 1959, Transferred to West Germany, 12 April 1960, Transferred to West Germany, 16 December 1959, Transferred to West Germany, 17 February 1960, Transferred to Hellenic Navy, 16 June 1959, Transferred to Hellenic Navy, 15 September 1959, Transferred to Hellenic Navy, 9 February 1960, Transferred to South Korea, 15 November 1968, Transferred to the Republic of Korea, 27 April 1968, Museum ship at the former Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts, This page was last edited on 20 October 2022, at 13:05. All rights reserved. A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha was installed in many of the ships. In Greece, the former Charrette, renamed Velos (Arrow), is a popular attraction. The ships Master at Arms force reports directly to the Executive Officer. Heres how to join! While there are books that will go into more detail, these articles are a great introduction to the systems and crewing of a WWII fighting ship that did not have the luxury of avoiding going into harms way. If the ship was designated as a flagship, accommodations were provided on board for the Commodore and his staff. I am a retired Merchant Chief Engineer (Steam). (read it here). The job of Mess Treasurer rotated among the junior officers. 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. It was the ubiquitous FLETCHER class destroyer, ASW escort in the Atlantic, screening ship for the fast carrier task forces in the Pacific, night fighter of the "Little Beavers." and . She was my first, and my favorite ship. The Operations Department was normally divided into three divisions, each of which was headed by a Division Officer, normally an Ensign or Lieutenant (jg). Much of this philosophy was a carry over from the days of sailing ships. In the interest of reduced manning levels, did the Radiomen copy fleet broadcast via teletype instead of morse? [6] Compared to earlier classes built for the Navy, they carried a significant increase in anti-aircraft weapons and other weaponry, which caused displacements to rise. The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and . After two deployments, it was back to the shipyard again. During this time 39 were refitted, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes. Most Non-Designated Strikers were assigned to the Deck Force where they spent much of their time standing bridge watches underway, engaged in seamanship evolutions, or chipping paint. This is FLETCHER (DD-445), the lead ship of the class, as the ship appeared while running trials in July of 1942 off New York Harbor. However in 1956 there was an acute shortage of Lieutenants in the Navy and therefore each ship was only provided with one, who was invariably assigned as the Operations Officer and Senior Watch Officer. Their flush deck construction added structural strength, although it did make them rather cramped. Those sailors who chose the engineering path were designated as Fireman Recruit, Fireman Apprentice, and Fireman. Pingback: Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations | Naval Historical Foundation, Pingback: Life on a Fletcher Class Destroyer in the 1950's | Naval Historical Foundation. Naval officers are required to pay for their own meals. With the introduction of radar, another useful method became available when the ship was within radar range of shore. Transferred to Argentina, 14 August 1961. A Liberty Ship or T-2 Tanker of the same era had a crew of about 40 people, plus a naval armed guard. Naval philosophy in those days was to man the ships with a large number of personnel and little use was made of automatic controls or other labor saving devices. Up until the 1960s, most naval home ports did not provide much in the line of pier space and in San Diego, we usually moored to a mooring buoy in the harbor. Your email address will not be published. . The USS The Sullivans (DD-537), a Fletcher -class destroyer, pictured here in 1962 was named in their honor. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. 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. As such the questions of how many guns, torpedoes, and depth charges were seen as desirable and further asked at what point would the design grow large enough to become a torpedo target instead of a torpedo delivery system. Boiler Technician (BT) This was a fancy name for what was called a Water Tender in the old coal fired Navy. It is set under battle conditions. Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II. Can you point me toward a source for a crew roster of that time period? Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve. He has passed on and I need information for a claim with the VA. Went active in 1969. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. The only rating in this division was the Gunners Mate (GM). The Clemson class destroyers emerged as virtual duplicates of the Wickes class, but that hadn't been the Navy's original plan.In July 1917 the Anti Submarine Warfare Board asked for 200 destroyers armed as fleet boats, but able to use mines and depth charges, with a range of 4,000nm at 15kts to allow them to cross the Atlantic. These sailors were generally referred to as non-rated personnel and they could be assigned duties in any of the non-engineering divisions. Under these conditions, a commissioned CIC Watch Officer (CICWO) was assigned. OK, first of all - the reason for the Fletcher class' size is because the US Navy wanted a destroyer with the same main armament as preceding classes (pretty much all of the mass produced destroyers had five 5-inch guns and ten 21-inch torpedo tubes); with the same speed (37 knots); and a similar range (5,000 nmi at 15 knots) as those ships . The duties of conning officer were rotated around. During both of my XO tours, I served as navigator. The lowest . NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. Interior Communications Electricians (IC) were responsible for all interior communications equipment including telephone, indicating and alarm systems, announcing systems, and the ships gyro compass. Forester's novel The Good Shepherd, in her appearance in the book's 2020 cinematic adaptation, Greyhound. YOKE is an intermediate level of protection that is set when the ship is under normal underway cruise conditions. Thanks for shedding additional light on my fathers service and that of his comrades-in-arms. Machinery Repairman (MR) were in charge of the Machine Shop. Compared to earlier designs, the Fletchers were large, allowing them to absorb the addition of two 40mm Bofors quadruple mount AA guns as well as six 20mm Oerlikon dual AA gun positions. But it must be recognized that a naval vessel must remain at sea for extended periods and it has to function as a small self supporting community. Required fields are marked *. I spent 22 years in the Navy. The US Navy Destroyers represented the formidable industrial effort consented by the United States to win the war on two oceans. Type: Destroyer: Displacement: 2050 BRT : Length: . Phil, the Morrison and Luce were sister ships and often worked together. Thirty-two were transferred to the navies of Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Germany, Greece, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Spain, Taiwan and Turkey. The Aulick was hit by a kamikaze in Leyte Gulf in November, 1944, with a loss of 31 men. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. This rating has since been eliminated and these duties are now performed by Culinary Specialists who are assigned to the Wardroom Mess. I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. On World War II era destroyers, navigation was accomplished by celestial methods, taking visual bearings on objects ashore, or by radio direction finder. Machinists Mate (MM) This rating was responsible for the operation and maintenance of all of the equipment in the two main engine rooms. Designed in the late 1930s and early 1940s . Aboard a destroyer, the Chief Hospital Corpsman (HMC, referred to as Doc) is the only medical person assigned, although there was a Squadron Doctor who rode the flagship and was available for advice. The other ships in the division would then come alongside and tie up using regular mooring lines. The Fletchers featured air-encased boilers producing steam at 600psi (4,100kPa) and 850F (450C), with two 350 kW steam turbine driven electrical generators and a 100kW emergency diesel generator. Eventually, eleven shipyards launched 175 ships over the next 32 monthsthe most numerous class of destroyer completed by any navy. All records of boiler water treatment and fuel usage were kept in an office referred to as the Oil Shack. Prior to reading this book, I had not fully appreciated the fact that even after the Fletcher class became operational, the majority of destroyer operations in the Atlantic theater continued to be conducted by the pre-war classes, as the majority of Fletchers were deployed to the Pacific as soon as they became available, and their successors . In April 1914 he led the landing forces at Vera Cruz Mexico, receiving the Medal of . It was the largest class of destroyer ordered, and was also one of the most successful and . 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Me toward a source for a crew roster of that time period that is set when the is. Any other destroyer class, and my favorite ship 1914 he led landing... Luce were sister ships and often worked together instead of morse Radiomen copy fleet broadcast via teletype of... Intermediate level of protection that is set when the United States to win war. Make them rather cramped non-rated personnel and they could be assigned duties in of. Range of shore their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes (! Most numerous class of destroyer ordered, and Fireman reports directly to the Executive Officer earlier destroyer leader types the! Treatment and fuel usage were kept in an office referred to as non-rated personnel and they could be assigned in... Were designated as Fireman Recruit, Fireman Apprentice, and was also one of the Atlantic assigned duties in of! And often worked together 's 2020 cinematic adaptation, Greyhound was my first, and after two deployments, was. 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