did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic?

The First Lieutenant probably came under fire more than any other officer because everything his people did was readily observable and most COs and XOs were very concerned with topside appearance, sometimes overly so. Abbot was a Fletcher-class destroyer built in 1943. Some SAs were sent through advanced schooling for a particular rating and came aboard as Designated Strikers such as GMSN, RMSN, etc. The Aulick served in the Pacific from 1943 through the end of the war and was also on radar picket off Okinawa May through July, 1945. Heres how to join! The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II. My first assignment in the Navy was Engineering Officer of USS Halsey Powell (DD 686), a Fletcher class destroyer, and my experiences on that ship form the basis for this series on Fletchers. The navigator would be responsible for ensuring that the ship remained on its desired track and making appropriate recommendations to the CO/OOD. 175 Fletcher Class Destroyers were commissioned from June 1942 to February 1945. Would like if at all possible to get pictures of C.I.C on my ship USS Conway DDE 507.I was on the Conway from 1954 to 1956, I served on the USS Hopwell DD681 in 61-62 .. Fletchers had a design speed of 38 knots, armed with five 5" guns in single mounts and carrying 10 21" torpedo in twin quintuple centerline mounts. The Navigator is responsible for determining the ships position and making recommendations as to the appropriate course of action to the commanding officer. Later emphasis on anti-aircraft defense led to a redesigned or square bridge for improved all-around sightlines, beginning with Brownson (DD 518). ; The Navy, page 115, 2000, Naval Historical Foundation, Washington. Tom Hank's Greyhound movie set on USS Kidd - Mechtraveller The Allen M. Sumner class was intended by the Navy to be an interim design between the . The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. Sailed on the required 2 week cruise with the port of call Vancouver, Canada. Ships office personnel such as Yeoman (YN) and Personnelmen (PN) and the ships Postal Clerk (PC) are assigned to this division. The US Navy Destroyers represented the formidable industrial effort consented by the United States to win the war on two oceans. Following naval tradition, a class of identical ships is named after the first ship of the series Fletcher, was launched in May 1942.Fletcher-class destroyers became one of the most successful weapon systems deployed in World War II, with 175 built and a few still in service around the world well after 1990. I assumed all destroyers had a least one medical officer aboard. But he had a good deal of responsibility. The other ships in the division would then come alongside and tie up using regular mooring lines. The Fletcher class was the first generation of destroyers designed after the series of naval treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore. The Aulick served in the Pacific from 1943 through the end of the war and was also on radar picket off Okinawa May through July, 1945. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! In fact, they served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, during which they accounted for 29 Imperial Japanese Navy submarines sunk. Pacific deployment, USS Halsey Powell, taken from the 1958 cruise book. He was also normally assigned as the custodian of classified publications and the crypto facility. List of Fletcher-class destroyers and their dispositions. This practice no longer exists today. The crew was extremely tight. This class of British destroyer often had more AA firepower than many larger DD did. In September 1941, it requested studies for a destroyer with greater anti-aircraft capability. The Navy is trying very hard to catch up to the rest of society and more and more use is being made of computers and automatic controls. The Fletcher-class destroyers were built by the United States during World War II. The lowest . and 2 racks, but cannot locate the number of charges in each rack (6-12?) Keeping in mind that the Fletcher class destroyer would primarily serve in the Pacific theatre where the sea wasn't as rough as in the Atlantic, designers optimized the shape and layout of the ship for the much calmer waters of the Pacific by employing a so called "flush deck" construction as opposed to the traditional "forecastle . These 175 flush-deck "2,100 . If there was ever any doubt about who was responsible for a piece of equipment on the ship, it belonged to the Chief Engineer. This division included: OI Division, USS Halsey Powell, from 1958 Cruise Book, (NOTE: Later on the name of the rating was changed from Radarman (RD) to Operations Specialist (OS).). I was a teletype/crypto operator on the USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59) in the early 1970s. He functions as the administrator of the ship and has overall responsibility for all personnel on board. Richard Vessels, my father, John Hanson, was an officer on USS Aulick DD569. Also asked was at what point would the design grow large enough to become a torpedo target instead of a torpedo delivery system. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine. I did not like this practice and I always made sure that more experienced officers were assigned to these duties when I became a commanding officer myself. my great uncle served aboard the Halligan DD584 lost at sea 3-26-45. any info on crew duty stations or any information on the ship or her crew would be appreciated. My father, Charles Ross Duncan, Sr. served on the USS Kimberly from 1943 thru 1945 in the Pacific. Ship Servicemen (SH) Served as laundry men and operated the ships store and barber shop. This is the second in a series of articles by Captain Stewart detailing the technical specifications, manning, and operations of the U.S. Navys Fletcher class destroyers. This addition to the AA suite required the deletion of the forward quintuple torpedo mount, a change was under the 4 April 1945 anti-kamikaze program.[7]. Went active in 1969. In my previous two articles ( read Part 1 here, read Part 2 here) I gave technical and manning overviews of the U.S. Navy's highly successful Fletcher class destroyer. I know what than meant -some snipe had to record temperature readings on a clipboard form every few hours, to make sure a bearing was not overheating. He was a trained surgeon graduating from Wake Forest and Duke Medical Schools. George W. Stewart is a retired US Navy Captain. As a lower class midshipman at Mass Maritime Academy, we were all required to carry them. 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. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. At least one GM was assigned to each mount as the Mount Captain and another would be in charge of loading operations. These differences will be described as we go along. This was far in advance of the standard 300 psi/40,000 shp plant for the Emergency class boats, but by one of those odd quirks of fate, in 1930 HMS Acheron was given 500 . She is painted in the usual Measure 12 (modified) of the time. Upon graduation from Boot Camp they were designated as a Seaman Apprentice. Pictures and History in English", A Sailor's Diary: Artwork, diaries, and letters from a sailor aboard the, List of destroyers of the United States Navy, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2014, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2014, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, World War II destroyers of the United States, 4 Babcock & Wilcox oil-fired boilers; 2 General Electric geared steam turbines, 30,000shp (22MW) each; 2 screws. After a year on board they were advanced to the grade of Seaman (SN), from which they could strike for assignment to other ratings. Required fields are marked *. Storekeeper (SK) Responsible for ensuring that the required quantities of spare parts and consumables were on board and maintaining the required records. A special thanks to friends: T@ker, Lilkiki and SVKSniper for their indispensable advice and . The destroyer USS Saufley (DD 465) of the US Navy. I hope youre still here. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. At this point, the word would be passed Secure the Special Sea and Anchor Detail, Set the Regular Underway Watch. The Wardroom mess was run like a small business and each officer had to pay a monthly mess bill of about $25 to $35, a lot of money in those days. One Petty Officer was designated as the Oil King. It was fascinating to see the gear reduction transmission (?) 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. The Sullivans played a large role in World War II and the . I served as a 2nd Class Torpedoman aboard the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Morrison DD560 from its christening on Dec.18, 1943, until we were sunk by a Japanese kamikaze on May 4,1945. But with these exceptions, the basic procedures for getting a destroyer underway have not changed a great deal from what I have described. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. In June 1942, the 1.1" gun was replaced by a twin Bofors 40 mm gun mount; in some ships, another twin mount may have been added on the fantail between the depth charge racks. There were three major operational departments i.e., Operations, Gunnery and Engineering. They did not stand regular watches but they were the people you called when something failed to operate properly. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Four Fletchers have been preserved on public display. Friedman, Norman "US Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History (Revised Edition)", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis:2004, p.111-112. 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 . The torch was kept in a small pot filled with diesel oil. The CIC included radar repeaters, voice radios, electronic warfare equipment, plotting boards, logging facilities, etc. Speed requirements varied from 35 to 38 knots (65 to 70km/h; 40 to 44mph), and shortcomings in the earlier Sims class, which were top-heavy and needed lead ballast to correct this fault, caused the Fletcher design to be widened by 18in (46cm) of beam. All fittings marked with a black X are kept closed at all times and opened only for temporary access. 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. These 1,630-ton destroyers were originally manned by 18 officers and 220 men who served the four 5-inch 38-caliber dual purpose guns, 40mm and 20mm automatic AA guns, and five 21-inch torpedo tubes, with side-throwing K-guns and stern tracks . The design parameters were the armaments desired of the next destroyer. Fire Control Technician (FT) Responsible for operation and maintenance of all of the ships gunfire control systems including fire control radar, computer, and electrical transmission systems. Quartermaster (QM) The only reason these people were assigned to this division aboard. Your email address will not be published. Thanks for the experience. . I am so sorry I never had a discussion with him about his experiences and what he did, before he died when I was 14. Normally the crew stood duty on one day out of every three. Both books have a table of . Did they use both teletype and morse for ship to shore and ship to ship communications? Many of the ships were sold to other navies during the mid-1950s, including: Any remaining were broken up in the 1970s. Thank you! The answer to your question (if you havent already received it) is 12 depth charges in each of the two racks. Due to the increasing threat from kamikaze attacks, beginning in July 1945 some ships returning to the United States for refits received further anti-aircraft modifications, replacing the forward set of torpedo tubes with gun platforms housing two quadruple 40mm guns (for a total of eighteen). [3] The Allen M. Sumner and Gearing classes were Fletcher derivatives. raddish kids recipes; . Again, the terms is and was are used interchangeably in this article. With the introduction of radar, another useful method became available when the ship was within radar range of shore. Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II. The wartime philosophy was essentially that manpower was cheaper than technology. Jim Avery serves on a fictional Gleaves-class destroyer, the USS . Three have been preserved as museum ships in the U.S., and one in Greece. boeing 777 300er thai airways business class; drink driving police procedure. My previous article (read Part 1 here) gave an overview of the U.S. Navys highly successful Fletcher class destroyer. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. The Supply Officer also had department head status. I made 2 deployments, home ported out of Pearl Harbor. Underway operations will be described in the next section. Under these conditions, a commissioned CIC Watch Officer (CICWO) was assigned. It was an honor to serve on Fletchers as the brave sailors of WWII. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Fortunately, the Aulick was one of the few ships not damaged or sunk off Okinawa in 1945. Since 1975 all new destroyer, cruiser, and frigate types have been powered by aircraft derivative gas turbine engines. 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. There were 3 K-guns on each side. In general, the statement that the military spends its time in peacetime preparing to fight the previous war has some merit. 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. He currently holds the title of Chief Marine Engineer at Marine Design Dynamics. [1], Learn how and when to remove this template message, Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Fletcher-class_destroyers&oldid=1117203315, Sold to Peru as parts donor, 26 July 1974 scrapped, Transferred to West German Navy, 14 July 1959, Transferred to Peru 26 July 1974 for spare parts, Transferred to West Germany, 17 January 1958, Transferred to West Germany, 6 October 1959, Used as target hulk November 1973, scrapped. The billet was normally assigned to a Lieutenant with four or five years of sea duty. There were some differences in the way that the ships were organized in 1956 and the way that they were organized during the war. In those days, the Navy had been heavily influenced by carrier task group operations during the war and the experiences with the Kamikazes during the Battle of Okinawa. USS Fletcher (DD-445) was commissioned on 30 June 1942, with Lieutenant Commander W. M. Cole in command. Electricians Mates (EM) Were responsible for the entire ships electrical and distribution systems including all power and lighting equipment.

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