It was an honor to serve on Fletchers as the brave sailors of WWII. I was in the ROC program, but trained as a Radioman. . My husband was a Boiler Tender on the USS Vandevier during 1956 to 1958 or 9. 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. 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. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! On the return trip we had to avoid the collision between the Oil Tanker and a Philippine Merchant ship . The torch was kept in a small pot filled with diesel oil. With the introduction of radar, another useful method became available when the ship was within radar range of shore. As such, the questions were of how many guns, torpedoes, and depth charges were seen as desirable. Below this level, the ship was organized into departments. Great series of articles!. 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." . She was a rough riding ship with a crew of dedicated men. I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. He died back in 1986. Ship Servicemen (SH) Served as laundry men and operated the ships store and barber shop. First Division provided the majority of the bridge watch standers and the gun crews. The first book is "Fletcher-Class Destroyers" by Alan Raven, c. 1986, 158 pages; and "The Destroyer The Sullivans (Anatomy of the Ship)" by Al Ross, c. 1988, 119 pages. List of Fletcher-class destroyers and their dispositions. The growth in the design was in part a response to the challenge that had dogged U.S. Navy designs in coping with long range operations in the Pacific Ocean. The ship was the first of the Fletcher-class destroyers that were built during World War II. Can you point me toward a source for a crew roster of that time period? Destroyers were normally tied up to a pier with six mooring lines, numbered consecutively from forward to aft. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. 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 . What they got was a destroyer design that was effective enough to provide excellent service in World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Wars. [11] You are here: customer is always right in matters of taste; toronto snow storm april 1975; did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic?benji and joel madden young. The first 25 ships were ordered 28 June and 1 July 1940 (the first day of the 1941 fiscal year), with DD 445 actually belonging to the 1 July group. However the Supply Officer served as the permanent mess caterer, a place where he frequently took a lot of heat. The fictional titular warship is shown as one of the American Fletcher class destroyers, the most common destroyer class in history, with 175 built. I am a retired Navy Chief. Maneuvers conducted in January 1915 made it clear that the US Atlantic Fleet lacked the fast cruisers necessary to provide information on the enemy's position, deny the enemy information of the fleet's own position, and screen friendly forces. The Fletchers had a design speed of 38 knots (70km/h; 44mph) and a principal armament of five 5-inch (127mm) guns in single mounts with ten 21-inch (530mm) torpedo tubes in two quintuple centerline mounts. While some changes had taken place since 1945, most of the procedures were carryovers from World War II. The Fletcher-class is almost synonymous with the term destroyer within the context of WWII. Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve. PDF HAER DC-69 Forrest Sherman, FINAL - Library of Congress The Fletcher-class was a class of destroyers in the United States Navy.The ships were built from 1941 and served in the Navy from 1942. This discussion is centered on the ships organization as I remember it between 1956 and 1959. The goal was to have two boilers on line, one in each fire room, and have both engines ready for operation with the plant split (2 independent plant configuration) prior to setting what is referred to as the Special Sea Detail. I served on the USS Luce DD522 in ww2 as a seaman 1rst signalman striker. As well as other tasks, most of the ships served on weather station patrols, monitoring conditions in specific areas of the Atlantic. Facilities were provided for collection, display, evaluation, and dissemination of information and making appropriate recommendations to the command (and in some cases Weapons Control). The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Destroyers, dubbed "tin cans" because of their lack of armor . The Aulick was at station 15 which was not far from stations 1 and 2. While in the Atlantic we were part of a group that escorted the Queen Mary from the coast of Ireland to Halifax Winston Churchill and Admiral King were aboardhistory. [7] The answer that came back was that five 5in (127mm) dual-purpose guns, twelve torpedoes, and twenty-eight depth charges would be ideal, while a return to the 1,500-ton designs of the past was seen as undesirable. 175 were produced, more than any other class, and they were built by shipyards across the United States. ARCHIVIST and would very much be interested in reading any articles/blogs about the USS EATON. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War.[2]. Second Division was headed by the Assistant Gunnery Officer. In February 1943, the fantail-mounted Bofors was removed and one twin mount was placed on each side of the aft funnel, bringing the total number of 40mm to six. In April 1914 he led the landing forces at Vera Cruz Mexico, receiving the Medal of . 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. The class featured enclosed air-case boilers and 80kW of power available by emergency diesel generators. Nineteen were lost during World War II; six more were damaged and not repaired. 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. 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. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. A whole bunch of information is conveyed very concisely. The ship was named to honor Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, who received the Medal of Honor for his leadership during the Mexican-American War. Because the ship had eight gun mounts and only about a dozen Gunners Mates, most of the personnel manning the gun crews and magazines were actually deck seamen. Your email address will not be published. The ship had to approach very carefully directly into the current and hold itself in position during this process. Forester's novel The Good Shepherd, in her appearance in the book's 2020 cinematic adaptation, Greyhound. 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).). did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? At this point, the word would be passed Secure the Special Sea and Anchor Detail, Set the Regular Underway Watch. Many memories aboard it. These conditions refer to degrees of closure to minimize the effects of potential damage. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. The Chief Engineer bears responsibility for operation of the ships engineering plant, electrical generation and distribution, auxiliary machinery, and interior communications. *** One of the biggest regrets of my life is not volunteering to be part of the crew that cleaned up decades of layered on paint, to get her ready for public display. Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned / Recommissioned Decommissioned Fate Fletcher DD-445 Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey: 2 October 1941 3 May 1942 30 June 1942 15 January 1947 Sold for scrap, 22 February 1972: 3 October 1949: 1 October 1969 Radford DD-446 The only rating in this division was the Gunners Mate (GM). Others carried trainable Hedgehogs. / toronto gift show august 2022 / did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? The Fletcher class was the first generation of destroyers designed after the series of naval treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore. These are senior petty officers who function as the ships police force. The 1941 building program was to have consisted entirely of new Fletcher-class destroyers. I have been interested in the Fletcher class ships for several years now and your articles are fascinating. 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. References: Bauer and Roberts, Friedman, Raven, Hearn. Did any Fletcher class destroyers serve in the Atlantic? and by the end of 1946 the entire Fletcher class except for a few training ships had been mothballed and placed in reserve. One reason for this was that it kept me involved in the operational picture. 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. 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. All rights reserved. ; The Navy, page 115, 2000, Naval Historical Foundation, Washington. Electricians Mates (EM) Were responsible for the entire ships electrical and distribution systems including all power and lighting equipment. 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 class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction w. For a secure moor, the lines were Doubled Up. 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. 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. To achieve 38 knots with a 500-ton increase in displacement, power was increased from 50,000shp (37,000kW) to 60,000shp (45,000kW) compared to the previous Benson and Gleaves classes. All three American museum ships have been designated as National Historic Landmarks. Hoel was the first to go after suffering 44 direct hits from shells ranging from 5 inch to 14 inch. Beginning in the fall of 1939, the large white-hulled cutters were assigned the outer limits of the Neutrality Zone. Your articles are fascinating 1957 and 1958 had been mothballed and placed in reserve Regular Underway watch the of! 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