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. 3. 8. Jeffery was reassigned, with Cdr. 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. (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. To emphasize the importance of the battle, Winston Churchill coined the name "Battle of the Atlantic," intentionally alluding to the Battle of Britain. RoR tickets are $75ea in the online store. So the next order was Single up all lines. 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. But suddenly, there was no movement from the boat, and the Ingham passed over her without dropping any charges. The division returned to Korean waters in September of 1952 and the following month, KIDD participated in a mock invasion near Kojo, diverting the enemys attention. Together, these classes dominated the US Navys destroyer force over the next 25 years. DD 522 : Diary of a destroyer Surels, Ron Books dealing with this subject include: 200,000 Miles Aboard the Destroyer Cotten, Robinson, C. Snelling, 1999 In an emergency program to expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were brought on line. Losing the supply lines was a constant worry for the Allies. She was still very much in appearance as she had been when the Japanese had surrendered on September 02, 1945. After two deployments, it was back to the shipyard again. Based at Hvalfjordur, Iceland, the Bibb, Duane, and Ingham covered small convoys out from Reykjavik that were joining westbound ON convoys. It seemed like there was always something going on out there in those days and port visits were few and far between. While it's a nice nod to the ship the movie was filmed on, in real life, the USS Kidd wasn't launched until late February 1943, several months after the events in the movie take place. The disabled cutter, meanwhile, was towed to Newfoundland for repairs. The 327s were later converted to amphibious-force flagships and served in the Pacific theater. On April 30, Cdr. 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. The Coast Guard assigned numerous vessels, including six of the seven Secretary- (or Treasury-) class cuttersthe Bibb, Campbell, Duane (WPG-33), Alexander Hamilton (WPG-34), Ingham (WPG-35), and Spencer (WPG-36)to the force. 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. YOKE is an intermediate level of protection that is set when the ship is under normal underway cruise conditions. 1. 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. The USS Kidd has been docked in Baton Rouge, Louisiana for years, where it has served as a tourist attraction. With that change came the order to paint the gleaming white cutter hulls regulation Navy haze gray. Restored to her August, 1945 configuration, KIDD is one of the most authentic and accurate restorations in the Historic Fleet. The pace of US destroyer construction accelerated with the wartime Fletcher class. The USS KIDD (DD-661) is a Fletcher-class destroyer, the six hundred sixty-first destroyer built by the United States Navy. There, the earliest ones saw action in the nighttime surface battles in the Solomon Islands, many fought at Leyte and all completed in time for fleet screening and shore bombardment assignments and the notorious anti-kamikaze radar picket duty at Okinawa. 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). Introduced in 1942, the 2,100-ton Fletcher -class destroyers formed the core of the US Navy's destroyer force from 1943. 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! With no injuries to the crew, the damage was repaired and the ship was underway again on May 11, 1953. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. was one of some notoriety. Destroyers were normally tied up to a pier with six mooring lines, numbered consecutively from forward to aft. US Navy image 19-N-31790. The Royal Navy primarily covered the western approaches to England, the U.S. Navy protected the mid-Atlantic from its bases in Newfoundland and Iceland, while the Royal Canadian Navy protected the convoys as they departed or arrived off Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. As a side note when raising steam in a boiler, the first burner had to be lit with a hand torch. The tenders could then supply us with power, thereby allowing us to shut down and go Cold Iron. I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. Charles A. Bellis coming aboard as commanding officer. All five 5/38-cal. Commissioned back into service on March 28 of that year under the command of Cdr. All rights reserved. KIDD was one of several destroyers which stood guard for the beleaguered carrier while her crew fought to keep her afloat. (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1987). Thirty-eight men were killed; fifty-five were wounded. Also at this time, long-awaited American destroyer escorts (DEs) and patrol frigates (PFs) appeared in significant numbers, augmenting or replacing older cutters and destroyers. Normally the crew stood duty on one day out of every three. By any standard, that was an impressive display of warship mass production. 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. While I did not serve in a Fletcher class destroyer, I did serve in a FRAM II destroyer, the USS ROWAN DD-782. The sailor suffered a minor abrasion from a fleck of debris. Suddenly, at 2315, Sasso heard the screw beats of a U-boat only 1,200 yards ahead. A Greyhound fact check reveals that the USS Keeling (codenamed "Greyhound") is fictional and was not a real-life Navy destroyer. It was an entirely different Navy! The big drawback to mooring to a buoy was that we had to keep one boiler and generator on the line in order to supply ships power. Anne Randle was the first member of the WAVES (Women Accepted for Voluntary Emergency Service) to be assigned to the Office of Shipbuilding in New York City. . 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. 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 night was overcast with the seas running six to eight feet as the Campbell went to general quarters. Shortly thereafter, at 1313, a torpedo fired by U-132 ripped into the cutter's starboard side, exploding between the boiler and engine rooms and rupturing steam pipes. On 4 January 1945, Fletcher sortied from San Pedro Bay to provide close cover for the Luzon Attack Force as it sailed toward its objective. But most of the other wartime functions still remained. No, not exactly. That task accomplished, KIDD departed Philadelphia, arriving under tow at Baton Rouge on May 23, 1982, to a welcoming crowd of over ten thousand. 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 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 KIDDs first voyage was one of some notoriety. We were forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan as part of DESRON 15. 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. I much preferred WESTPAC! Over the next 3?? Since 1975 all new destroyer, cruiser, and frigate types have been powered by aircraft derivative gas turbine engines. She saw her first duty covering the North Atlantic sea lanes near Argentia, Newfoundland. During this era, no other class of destroyer had more ships built. Fittings marked with a Red Z, Black Y, and Black Z are all closed. Not wishing to dishonor RADM Kidd, however, the crew obtained permission from Mrs. Kidd first. Construction (top) and disposition following World War II (bottom). 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. Another unique distinction about KIDDs first voyage was the make-up of her crew. Robert E. Jeffery, KIDD sailed for the western Pacific arriving at Yokosuka, Japan, in July. She was my first, and my favorite ship. May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. When Congressman W. Henson Moore and the citizens of Louisiana began looking for a suitable vessel to serve as a memorial to the states veterans, KIDD was ready to serve once again. Pingback: Manning Fletcher Class Destroyers | Naval Historical Foundation, Pingback: Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations - Part II | Naval Historical Foundation. Preparations would start several hours before getting underway, primarily down in the engineering spaces. U-boat U-405 was swallowed by the sea that night, adding to the Atlantic's WWII seabed graveyard. 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. 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. sidewalk tractor for sale; who are the parents of chaunte wayans Commander Harold S. Berdine, the cutter's commanding officer, ordered a barrage of 11 depth charges set to explode at only 50 to 100 feet. 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. 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. . Transportation was by a combination of ships boats and private water taxis. The nine ships came from three yards as follows: It was December, 1944. Following anti-submarine warfare exercises off of Okinawa, KIDD and her division mates provided escourt for BADOENG STRAIT (CVE-116) en route to Yokosuka, Japan. ; The Navy, page 115, 2000, Naval Historical Foundation, Washington. While at San Diego, Cdr. She serves as a reminder of all those who have gone before us. The last significant encounter between U-boats and 327s took place on 17 April, as the Spencer and Duane were escorting Convoy HX-233. 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. Not wishing to dishonor RADM Kidd, however, the crew obtained permission from Mrs. Kidd first. Battery containers were smashed, releasing toxic chlorine gas, and two of the bow torpedoes began hot runs but could not be fired because of the sub's depth. Acting as a rescue destroyer (Plane Guard). She was first launched in 1943 and went in and out of commission during the Korean War and the Cold War. USS Jenkins (DD-447) was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, the second ship named after Rear Admiral Thornton A. Jenkins.Beginning service during World War II, the destroyer saw action in the Pacific theatre. 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 crew buried their dead at sea along the way on April 12. By the time her gun crews saw U-606 to starboard, the submarine was so close the 5-inch guns could not be depressed enough to fire at her. Deployments to the Far East could be pretty tedious and they involved long periods at sea, as much as a month at a time. Earl Skinner, a crewman in the Spencer, observed a 5-inch shell hit the conning tower of the surfaced U-boat as survivors jumped into the water. As the cutter neared the target, however, Sasso lost the contact. Their detonations practically lifted the U-boat out of the water and badly shook the cutter, which was rapidly losing speed. Jurgen Rohwer and Gerhard Hummelchen, The Chronology of the War at Sea, 1939-1945, rev. . She saw her first duty covering the North Atlantic sea lanes near Argentia, Newfoundland. No. Allied long-range shore-based aircraft extended their patrols as far as 600 miles, but there remained a significant gap in their coverage. At several points in the film, a German U-boat uses Greyhound's transmitting frequency and broadcasts threatening messages over the ship's loudspeakers. . Commissioned back into service on March 28 of that year under the command of Cdr. The engine room and fire room supervisors would man their stations. Some that we were called upon to perform included: There are probably some others that I have forgotten about. Instead, she struck a glancing blow and the U-boat's hydroplane opened a large gash in the Campbell's hull. On 17 December, the Ingham was on the western edge of the air gap, sweeping ahead of eastbound Convoy SC-112. Several films are told from the point of view of the German U-boat crews. Beginning in December 1943, all other DesRon 51 ships began making their way to the Pacific, some in time for the Marshall Islands operation, continuing in various combinations through the Marianas operation, where Haraden was damaged in a bomb attack, and Palau. The duties of conning officer were rotated around. 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. As a lower class midshipman at Mass Maritime Academy, we were all required to carry them. For a secure moor, the lines were Doubled Up. In Greece, the former Charrette, renamed Velos (Arrow), is a popular attraction. 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 Navy, however, did not have enough ships to watch the vast area effectively and immediately asked for Coast Guard assistance. A Naval vessel had three conditions of damage control readiness, X-RAY, YOKE, and ZEBRA. In general, the statement that the military spends its time in peacetime preparing to fight the previous war has some merit. She then provided escort for new carriers during their shakedown cruises from Norfolk to Trinidad. The Alexander Hamilton was one of the first cutters actively engaged in convoy escort duty. One of the shells entered the compartment and crossed just above the chest of the pretended casualty. 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! By February, organization of the ocean escorts had been formalized into American, British, and Canadian groups. But with these exceptions, the basic procedures for getting a destroyer underway have not changed a great deal from what I have described. The venerable destroyer had earned twelve battle stars during her career: eight for service in World War II and four for service in Korea. Allan B. Roby, the destroyer moved across New York Harbor for delivery to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards . USS The Sullivans (DD-537) The USS Sullivans was a long-range, large destroyer used for anti-submarine warfare, anti-aircraft warfare, and surface action. The plane departed trailing smoke. One hundred seventy-five of these ships were built between 1941 and 1945 - more than any other destroyer class. A second 36 searchlight was obtained from a private estate in 1985. The search for hard-to-find World War II vintage equipment has gone around the world. 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. 10. Allan B. Roby, the Silver Star for gallantry. He is a 1956 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. 5. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? Of the 1,103 passengers on board, 118 men, women, and childrenincluding 28 Americanswere killed. The second was CASSIN YOUNG. The Admirals nickname at the Naval Academy had been Cap (as in Captain Kidd) and he had gone by this nickname his entire life. I have been interested in the Fletcher class ships for several years now and your articles are fascinating. Christened USS Fletcher, she carried over several design features from the earlier classes, such as a rounded pilot house. Her single-pole mast was still in place, though her own post-war damage control plans showed her with a tripod mast. The lowest numbered Fletcher was the USS FLETCHER (DD445), although the USS NICHOLAS (DD449) was the first ship commissioned on June 4, 1942. May her victories be triumphant and conclusive!. The Chief Engineer would write Lighting Off Orders to be carried out by the duty section. Later emphasis on anti-aircraft defense led to a redesigned or square bridge for improved all-around sightlines, beginning with Brownson (DD 518). flying the skull and crossbones of the Jolly Roger high from the foremast. 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. She struck a glancing blow and the Ingham passed over her without dropping charges. Came from three yards as follows: it was back to the crew obtained permission Mrs.. Ii destroyer, the Ingham was on the western Pacific arriving at Yokosuka, Japan part... 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