These differences will be described as we go along. But most of the other wartime functions still remained. They followed exactly the same path but they were only assigned to the Engineering Department. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. Many memories aboard it. 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. [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. This addition to the AA suite required the deletion of the forward quintuple torpedo mount, a change done under the 4 April 1945 anti-kamikaze program. All watertight doors and hatches are closed to provide maximum subdivision. The tenders could then supply us with power, thereby allowing us to shut down and go Cold Iron. All sailors initially attended Boot Camp where they held the rating of Seaman Recruit (SR). This method was still in general use in the Navy even into the 1990s and there are still some ships that still use it, even though burner management systems have been common on commercial ships since the 1970s. I am a retired Navy Chief. This was a very prestigious assignment and these Petty Officers generally lorded it over the junior non-rated sailors in the division. This made it necessary to fill the Gunnery and Engineering Officer Billets with on board fleet-ups, usually in the grade of Lieutenant (jg). The ship had to approach very carefully directly into the current and hold itself in position during this process. Four Fletcher-class destroyers are preserved as museum ships. Technical information. [5][failed verification] In a massive effort, the Fletchers were built by shipyards across the United States, and, after World War II ended, 11 were sold to countries that they had been built to fight against: Italy, Germany, and Japan, as well as other countries, where they had even longer, distinguished careers. 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. Christened USS Fletcher, she carried over several design features from the earlier classes, such as a rounded pilot house. [4] The Allen M. Sumner and Gearing classes were Fletcher derivatives. She was a rough riding ship with a crew of dedicated men. They were responsible for visual communications between ships by flashing light, flaghoist, or semaphore. [6], Fletchers were also much less top-heavy than previous classes, allowing them to take on additional equipment and weapons without major redesign. Richard Vessels, my father, John Hanson, was an officer on USS Aulick DD569. The buoys were held firmly in place by several anchors and they provided for a secure mooring. They were also the first US destroyers fitted with radar as built. Also that only 3/8 of steel separated the entire compartment from the ocean. The wartime philosophy was essentially that manpower was cheaper than technology. 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. The Supply Officer also had department head status. I assumed all destroyers had a least one medical officer aboard. 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 . He was usually the only qualified lathe operator on board. My husband was a Boiler Tender on the USS Vandevier during 1956 to 1958 or 9. In this edition of Forces of Fame, we return to the Victory at Sea tabletop to take a look at one of the true legends of the war in the Pacific - the Fletcher -class destroyers of the United States Navy (USN). List of Fletcher-class destroyers and their dispositions. During this era, no other class of destroyer had more ships built. I also served aboard USS CORAL SEA (CVA43) for 2 years before joining the submarine force, which I spent 26 years in. The Executive Officer (XO) is the second in command on the ship. USS Taylor (DD/DDE-468) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral William Rogers Taylor (1811-1889). The XO is often the resident bad guy in the wardroom because many COs like to play the Good Cop/Bad Cop game. In the United States, The Sullivans at Buffalo, Kidd (beautifully restored to late-World War II configuration) at Baton Rouge, and Cassin Young, berthed across the pier from the frigate USS Constitution at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, are open to the public. ARCHIVIST and would very much be interested in reading any articles/blogs about the USS EATON. 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 . did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? The last step was to test out the main engines with steam. This alteration was not a success in service and was not repeated. Ship Servicemen (SH) Served as laundry men and operated the ships store and barber shop. Anti-submarine armament was two racks for 300-pound (140kg) depth charges at the stern and six K-gun 300-pound depth charge throwers amidships. East Coast deployments tended to be much better because ports in the Mediterranean are much closer together than in the Far East and there never were as many potential shooting situations over there that demanded that we be underway for prolonged periods. Note that both the terms is and was are used interchangeably in this discussion because many of these practices still exist today. The CIC included radar repeaters, voice radios, electronic warfare equipment, plotting boards, logging facilities, etc. 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. Construction (top) and disposition following World War II (bottom). The other rated BMs were generally assigned individual sections of the ship to maintain. In this article I will attempt to describe how a World War II Destroyer was manned and organized. This would be followed by Now Set Material Condition Yoke Throughout the Ship followed by The Officer of the Deck is Shifting his Watch from the Quarterdeck to the Bridge. Supply Department ratings included: Supply Department, USS Halsey Powell, from 1959-1960 Cruise Book. During this time 39 were refitted, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes. The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more . The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and the Fletcher design was generally regarded as highly successful. Four ships have been preserved as museum ships, although only Kidd was never modernized and retains her WWII configuration: Warning: Display title "Fletcher class destroyer" overrides earlier display title "Fletcher-class destroyer". Great hunting, Tubes! Three have been preserved as museum ships in the U.S., and one in Greece. 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 .. First (Deck), Second (Guns), and Fox (Fire Control, Sonar, and Anti-Submarine Armament). Bennett (DD 473) lays stack and chemical smoke in the Shortland Islands, 1944. off Korea in the 1950s and some even off Vietnam in the 60s, she was condemned in 2010 as a derelict and hazard to navigation and scrapped in 20102011. The design parameters were the armaments desired of the next destroyer. 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. While some changes had taken place since 1945, most of the procedures were carryovers from World War II. Displacement: 2600 tons. 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. Described as perfect fighting destroyers, Fletchers, as built, were powerfully armed (five (5) 5-inch guns and ten (10) 21-inch torpedo tubes), fast (36 knots), amenable to wartime modifications, and extremely resilient in battle. Built in 1943 in San Pedro, California, she is one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built during World War II. He was a trained surgeon graduating from Wake Forest and Duke Medical Schools. Compared to earlier designs, the Fletchers were large, allowing them to adapt to evolving defensive priorities through the addition of two 40-millimetre (1.6in) Bofors quadruple mount AA guns as well as six 20mm (0.79in) Oerlikon dual AA gun positions. 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. . I introduced myself, and asked him when he had been on the ship. It was still a great ship .. Miss it .. He was always on call when the ship was underway. l spent over a year on the USS TINGEY (DD539). Designed in the late 1930s and early 1940s . The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more . He currently holds the title of Chief Marine Engineer at Marine Design Dynamics. Gunnery Officer Or Gun Boss was responsible for operation and maintenance of all of the ships armament plus all matters relating to deck seamanship. May 21, 2022. . He was also normally assigned as the custodian of classified publications and the crypto facility. The working part of the torch consisted of a rag wrapped around the end of the handle and secured by wire. My previous article (read Part 1 here) gave an overview of the U.S. Navys highly successful Fletcher class destroyer. Transferred to Argentina, 14 August 1961. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. With the outbreak of the Korean War many were returned to active duty. Three are in the United States and one is in Greece, although only Kidd retains her World War II configuration. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. Naval Documents of the American Revolution, - Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Manning Fletcher Class Destroyers | Naval Historical Foundation, Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations - Part II | Naval Historical Foundation, The George Stewart I Knew | Naval Historical Foundation, A History of the Naval Historical Foundation. If you could forward to me anything, I would be most grateful and maybe be able to gain contact with a former shipmate. Naval Institute is maintaining and preserving the former Naval Historical Foundation website so readers and former NHF members can still access past issues of Pull Together and other content. and by the end of 1946 the entire Fletcher class except for a few training ships had been mothballed and placed in reserve. 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. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II.The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. There were also fueling stops at Midway and sometimes Guam. They also were much less top heavy than the previous classes, allowing them to take on additional equipment and weapons without major redesign. I served on 2 Fletchers as BT during Vietnam. It was fascinating to see the gear reduction transmission (?) [9] The answer that came back was five 5in (127mm) dual purpose guns, twelve torpedoes, and twenty eight depth charges would be ideal, while the idea of returning to the 1500 ton designs of the past was seen as undesirable. It was always stressed that the XO should also be kept informed on operational issues. 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. 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. Though built with the Pacific in mind, Fletchers also served in the Atlantic theater. It was a slow day, and a lot of the safety procedures were not formally set up yet, so me and another engineer friend were able to tour the forward engine room. Radio direction finders were eventually replaced by Loran A. This article describes destroyer operations as I remember them during the late 1950s. 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. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. I was a Reservist out of the old Reserve Center (airplane hanger) in Long Beach. During this time 39 were refitted under project SCB 74A, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes to accommodate other weapons. Fortunately, the Aulick was one of the few ships not damaged or sunk off Okinawa in 1945. I have found photos of DD-574 online, but cant find a crew roster for 1943-1946. The ratings that came under the Communications officer were: OI Division Headed by the CIC Officer, assisted by the Electronics Material Officer (EMO). 175 were produced, more than any other class, and they were built by shipyards across the United States. As these articles say, access was from a deck hatch and a ladder. Destroyers, dubbed "tin cans" because of their lack of armor . [1] Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve. The Fletcher class destroyer came about in 1939 when the US Navy sought to create a superior new design addressing poor aspects found in previous destroyers. "German Navy Fletcher-Class, USS DD-515 Anthony. The Aulick was hit by a kamikaze in Leyte Gulf in November, 1944, with a loss of 31 men. All wardroom provisions had to be purchased from the General Mess or other sources ashore. 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. They did not stand regular watches but they were the people you called when something failed to operate properly. He was responsible for reading and interpreting all operation orders (OP-Orders) and determining what the ship was supposed to do next. 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