Pilots were only used when absolutely necessary in a strange port and most maneuvers were accomplished without tug assistance. [10] Typically, Babcock & Wilcox boilers and General Electric geared steam turbines were equipped, although other designs and manufacturers were probably used to maximize the rate of production. Pingback: Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations | Naval Historical Foundation, Pingback: Life on a Fletcher Class Destroyer in the 1950's | Naval Historical Foundation. If you Google Imperial Submarine I-8, you can read through the article for an account of our sinking of that sub. They were also to carry no fewer than five 5in (127mm) guns and ten deck-mounted torpedo tubes on the centerline, allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms. In this article I will attempt to describe how a World War II Destroyer was manned and organized. 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. I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. While at the buoys we were provided with services with some harbor craft which were referred to as fuel, water, and garbage barges operated by the Naval District. There were 3 K-guns on each side. ; The Navy, page 115, 2000, Naval Historical Foundation, Washington. In fact, they served until 1971 in the United States and in the Mexican Navy until 2001. 25 . Others carried trainable Hedgehogs. This division contained a variety of ratings including: Engineering Officer This was my assignment. 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. I was in the ROC program, but trained as a Radioman. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The Navigator is responsible for determining the ships position and making recommendations as to the appropriate course of action to the commanding officer. stevens funeral home pulaski, va obituaries. Often he was assigned additional duties as Chief Master at Arms (The ships head policeman). Hopefully, it will provide some insight as to the duties performed by individual crew members during the war. 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". 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. 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. The BT rating was responsible for operation and maintenance of the ships boilers and all associated equipment in the two fire rooms. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War.. 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. while Ross's book is about just one ship that served from 1942 to 1965. [8] The first design inputs were in the fall of 1939 from questionnaires distributed around design bureaus and the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. Nineteen were lost during World War II; six more were damaged and not repaired. Your email address will not be published. As with other previous U.S. flush deck destroyer designs, seagoing performance suffered to a degree. I know there were 6 throwers (K-guns?) This meant passing a second bight around the bollard on the pier or the ship alongside. Required fields are marked *. or phone 8156753603. I had been transferred before the sinking a stroke of luck. You mentioned the Radiomen being responsible for teletype and old fashioned morse code key. 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 United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any other destroyer class, and . The tenders could then supply us with power, thereby allowing us to shut down and go Cold Iron. It was an honor to serve on Fletchers as the brave sailors of WWII. All rights reserved. All wardroom provisions had to be purchased from the General Mess or other sources ashore. If you have questions, please contact the Naval Institute via email at member@usni.org or by phone at 800-233-8764. All records of boiler water treatment and fuel usage were kept in an office referred to as the Oil Shack. [3] The Allen M. Sumner and Gearing classes were Fletcher derivatives. So the next order was Single up all lines. The Executive Officer (XO) is the second in command on the ship. This discussion is centered on the ships organization as I remember it between 1956 and 1959. The US Navy Destroyers represented the formidable industrial effort consented by the United States to win the war on two oceans. This alteration was not a success and was not repeated. Answer (1 of 4): Few destroyer classes of WW2 were able to reload their torpedoes whilst at sea, below I have listed several that can. These are senior petty officers who function as the ships police force. The plant has to be started up from the Central Control Station below decks, but once it is ready for operation throttle control can be transferred to the bridge. In May 1942, before the first Fletcher was even commissioned, it approved a six-gun ship in which the Fletchers five 5-inch single mounts were replaced with three 5-inch twinsthe 2,200-ton Allen M. Sumner class, with 20 per cent more firepower on a Fletcher hull widened by 14 inches. 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. or Ensign in the Supply Corps. OC Division Headed by the Communications Officer. 175 ships . NHF has decommissioned and is no longer accepting new members or donations. 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. The Supply Officer also had department head status. On the return trip we had to avoid the collision between the Oil Tanker and a Philippine Merchant ship . Built in 1943 in San Pedro, California, she is one of 175 Fletcher-class destroyers built during World War II. In September 1941, it requested studies for a destroyer with greater anti-aircraft capability. First (Deck), Second (Guns), and Fox (Fire Control, Sonar, and Anti-Submarine Armament). References: Bauer and Roberts, Friedman, Raven, Hearn. Transportation was by a combination of ships boats and private water taxis. Technical information. or the number in each thrower. USS Taylor (DD/DDE-468) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral William Rogers Taylor (1811-1889). A Naval vessel had three conditions of damage control readiness, X-RAY, YOKE, and ZEBRA. 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. 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. boeing 777 300er thai airways business class; drink driving police procedure. The XO is often the resident bad guy in the wardroom because many COs like to play the Good Cop/Bad Cop game. He currently holds the title of Chief Marine Engineer at Marine Design Dynamics. The Fletcher-class destroyer was the first generation of destroyers to be designed after the series of Naval Treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore. Fletcher (DDE-445) is recommissioned as an escort destroyer at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, 03 October 1949. Did we know each other? The Fletcher-class destroyers were built by the United States during World War II. But the onset of the Korean War in 1950 . Thanks for shedding additional light on my fathers service and that of his comrades-in-arms. Velos still retains its complete armament and equipment(as modernized in 1950s). 0 items. ZEBRA is the highest level of protection. The next step depended on how we were moored. Since 1975 all new destroyer, cruiser, and frigate types have been powered by aircraft derivative gas turbine engines. This class of British destroyer often had more AA firepower than many larger DD did. A whole bunch of information is conveyed very concisely. This was mitigated by deployment to the Pacific Ocean, which is relatively calm compared to the Atlantic.[9]. Stewards (SD) Ran the Wardroom Mess and provided valet service for the officers. After two deployments, it was back to the shipyard again. List of Fletcher-class destroyers and their dispositions. The Operations Officer billet did not specifically exist at the beginning of World War II. The CS rating who was responsible for the dry provisions and refrigerated storerooms was referred to as the Jack of the Dust. The Executive Officer is the person who is responsible for making things happen. The Chief Boatswains Mate (BMC) was expected to be the most capable seaman on board. For this reason, all sailors of the Boiler Technician (BT) rating were meticulous about carrying a book of matches around with them at all times. Posted by ; On . He was a trained surgeon graduating from Wake Forest and Duke Medical Schools. 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. Heres how to join! A fleet destroyer will normally have all three major department head billets filled by a Lieutenant Commander or fairly senior Lieutenant. found: Wikipedia, May 10 2010: under Fletcher class destroyer (the Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II; some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War; the United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher class destroyers between 1942 and 1944; they were built by shipyards across the United States and many were sold to the . He was also normally assigned as the custodian of classified publications and the crypto facility. There were also fueling stops at Midway and sometimes Guam. A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha was installed in many of the ships. Stuber: The ship had to approach very carefully directly into the current and hold itself in position during this process. He does not normally stand watch underway. Electricians Mates (EM) Were responsible for the entire ships electrical and distribution systems including all power and lighting equipment. This is how I met my wife. 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 . The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more . $0.00. The Conning Officer could be the CO, XO, or OOD. I loved the country so much that I did not want to leave. Thus there were two groups of 2,100-tonners: one-third (58) were high- or round-bridge ships; two-thirds, (117) were low- or square-bridge ships. I served under a Destroyer Squadron Commander in 1963-64 who had been the Commanding Officer of USS Hazlewood (DD 531), a Fletcher Class Destroyer, in 1945 as a Lieutenant Commander when he was only 5 years out of the Naval Academy. They followed exactly the same path but they were only assigned to the Engineering Department. A Liberty Ship or T-2 Tanker of the same era had a crew of about 40 people, plus a naval armed guard. Nineteen Fletchers were lost during World War II. 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. Civilian vessels have always had much smaller crews and made far greater use of automation and labor saving devices. His direct superior in the chain of command was his squadron or division commander who was normally a Captain with the honorary title of Commodore. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War. 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. The Fletcher class destroyers had a wartime complement of 329 personnel. Essentially what this meant was for the first team to take their assigned stations for getting underway. In an emergency program to expand capacity, some shipyards were upgraded and other new ones were brought on line. 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 conning officer would then use an appropriate combination of rudder, engines, and lines to get the ship underway. The only ports we got to visit during my deployments were Yokosuka and Sasebo in Japan, Hong Kong, Kaoshung Taiwan, and Subic Bay in the Philippines. Again, the terms is and was are used interchangeably in this article. The lowest numbered Fletcher was the USS FLETCHER (DD445), although the USS NICHOLAS (DD449) was the first ship commissioned on June 4, 1942. I was aboard the Morrison when we started at radar picket station 11 and moved into station 1, nicknamed coffin corner where we were sunk. The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more . 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. 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. He is a 1956 graduate of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. / toronto gift show august 2022 / did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? Construction (top) and disposition following World War II (bottom). Not a member of the Naval Institute? He volunteered for service in 1943 at which time he was in private practice in Radford Virginia where he served the area and the employees of the Radford Army Ammunition Plant adjacent to Radford. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types. All USN ships are worthy of their tails of history while securing the waters they sail and for protecting all of freedoms we so take for granted every day. Once this was accomplished, the OOD would pass the order to stand by to answer all bells to the engine room and them report ready to get underway to the CO. This alteration was not a success in service and was not repeated. 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. 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. 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 CIC included radar repeaters, voice radios, electronic warfare equipment, plotting boards, logging facilities, etc. Two of the three destroyers were sunk, but not until they had inflicted serious damage on their opponents. Fifty-one were further modified beginning in 1945, replacing the forward torpedo tubes and midships 40mm twin Bofors with quad mounts for a total of 14 barrels, and the seven 20mm singles with six 20mm twins. The Chief Gunners Mate (GMC) normally acted as a roving troubleshooter. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? 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. If the ship was designated as a flagship, accommodations were provided on board for the Commodore and his staff. Destroyers, dubbed "tin cans" because of their lack of armor . During his 30 year naval career he held two ship commands and served a total of 8 years on naval material inspection boards, during which he conducted trials and inspections aboard over 200 naval vessels. Below this level, the ship was organized into departments. USS Halsey Powell backs away from a pier in Subic Bay. I served on 2 Fletchers as BT during Vietnam. Introduced in 1942, the 2,100-ton Fletcher -class destroyers formed the core of the US Navy's destroyer force from 1943. The Fletcher design permitted significant increases over preceding classes in hull, armament, machinery, ammunition, stores and fuel bunkerage. He had non-judicial powers over all personnel under his command (Referred to as Captains Mast) or he could convene a summary or special court martial. Forester's novel The Good Shepherd, in her appearance in the book's 2020 cinematic adaptation, Greyhound. I was a radioman aboard this ship. Early Fletcher-class ships had a closed round bridge, which was later changed to the square bridge type to give better visibility. Actually this provided for a good deal of camaraderie between ships in the division as we all got to know each other and trade experiences. The Fletcher-class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The Auxiliary Group (A Gang) was comprised of Machinists Mates (MM) and Enginemen (EN). I was a teletype/crypto operator on the USS FORRESTAL (CVA-59) in the early 1970s. Fittings marked with a Red Z, Black Y, and Black Z are all closed. Great series of articles!. In those days they were nearly all Filipinos. What impressed me was the clean layout, and the open space. The Main Propulsion Assistant (MPA) actually oversaw two divisions, B and M. Ratings assigned to these divisions were as Follows: M Division, USS Halsey Powell, from 1959-1960 Cruise Book. It was a very diverse division that was comprised of several ratings. 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). Authorized for fiscal year 1941, construction of the first ships was already under way when the United States entered the war. 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. 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. Engineers were always referred to as Snipes. This term originated in the British Navy when a visiting Admiral said that the engine room on a battleship resembled a snipe marsh. She was a fine destroyer and served in WWII as a real war ship. I am the USS EATON DD/DDE510 REUNION ASSOC. The three destroyers were later converted to the normal Fletcher-class configuration. George W. Stewart is a retired US Navy Captain. As soon as the last line was taken in, the boatswains pipe would sound and the announcement would be made Underway, Shift Colors. The Fletcher-class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. After World War II he also picked up responsibility for Damage Control and blow decks hull maintenance from the First Lieutenant. My father, Charles Ross Duncan, Sr. served on the USS Kimberly from 1943 thru 1945 in the Pacific. Enjoyable and interesting read. Interior Communications Electricians (IC) were responsible for all interior communications equipment including telephone, indicating and alarm systems, announcing systems, and the ships gyro compass. All sailors initially attended Boot Camp where they held the rating of Seaman Recruit (SR). First Division was headed by the First Lieutenant. Fletcher related story: After being in Baton Rouge, LA when the USS Kidd was put on public display, 15 years later I was living outside of Fort Lauderdale, FL. 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. 175 Fletcher Class Destroyers were commissioned from June 1942 to February 1945. raddish kids recipes; . Supply officers were all referred to as Pork Chops because of the shape of their insignia. [8] As with other previous U.S. flush deck destroyer designs, seagoing performance suffered. Fletcher-Class Destroyer. While I did not serve in a Fletcher class destroyer, I did serve in a FRAM II destroyer, the USS ROWAN DD-782. The cycle would start at the end of a shipyard overhaul, in our case at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard. He was usually the only qualified lathe operator on board. The next order would be to Take in the Brow. [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. Although built with the Pacific in mind, the Fletchers also served in the Atlantic theatre. In combat, commanders often requisitioned additional guns with some ships mounting up to thirteen 20mm cannons. I introduced myself, and asked him when he had been on the ship. That number was necessary to allow around the clock manning of gun mounts, repair parties, and other watch stations. 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. Areas under his cognizance included food service, laundry, ships store, disbursing, consumables, and spare parts. Thanks for shedding additional light on my fathers service and that of his comrades-in-arms. He currently holds the title of Chief Marine Engineer at Marine Design Dynamics. Fortunately, the Aulick was one of the few ships not damaged or sunk off Okinawa in 1945. [4] The Allen M. Sumner and Gearing classes were Fletcher derivatives. 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. Underway operations will be described in the next section. Acting as a rescue destroyer (Plane Guard). Pingback: Manning Fletcher Class Destroyers | Naval Historical Foundation, Pingback: Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations - Part II | Naval Historical Foundation. Radioman (RM) Responsible for all electronic means of exterior 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. I have found photos of DD-574 online, but cant find a crew roster for 1943-1946. Fletcher-class destroyer - Wikipedia. If memory serves me, I think we moved from station 2 to 1 right behind Luce. In those days there was no bridge to bridge radio. 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. The peacetime manning was 14 officers and 236 enlisted men. [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. In later years with the advent of missiles, the title of this billet became Weapons Officer. The Gunnery Department aboard Halsey Powell included three divisions, i.e. Ratings assigned to the division included: Second Division, USS Halsey Powell, from 1959-1960 Cruise Book. Some SAs were sent through advanced schooling for a particular rating and came aboard as Designated Strikers such as GMSN, RMSN, etc. One Petty Officer was designated as the Oil King. 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Pork Chops because of their lack of armor 115, 2000, Historical!