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. 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. Manage all your favorite fandoms in one place! Three are in the United States and one is in Greece, although only Kidd retains her World War II configuration. 175 Fletcher Class Destroyers were commissioned from June 1942 to February 1945. Deployments were six months in length followed by a six month period in the US, about half of which was spent underway in various fleet exercises off the West Coast. The Fletcher-class destroyers were built by the United States during World War II. In June and July 1943, two more twin Bofors mounts were added in place of the 20mm cannons in front of and below the bridge, giving a total of ten. One my ships was USS OBannon DD-450 , the most decorated destroyer of WWII. He was directly accountable for all expenditures of government funds. The CS rating who was responsible for the dry provisions and refrigerated storerooms was referred to as the Jack of the Dust. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Pacific deployment, USS Halsey Powell, taken from the 1958 cruise book. The Fletcher class (named for Admiral Frank F. Fletcher) was the largest class of destroyer ordered, and was also one of the most successful and popular with the destroyer men themselves. George W. Stewart is a retired US Navy Captain. Jim Avery serves on a fictional Gleaves-class destroyer, the USS . 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. These conditions refer to degrees of closure to minimize the effects of potential damage. On the return trip we had to avoid the collision between the Oil Tanker and a Philippine Merchant ship . You mentioned the Radiomen being responsible for teletype and old fashioned morse code key. 25 . Normally the crew stood duty on one day out of every three. [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. Pingback: Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations | Naval Historical Foundation, Pingback: Life on a Fletcher Class Destroyer in the 1950's | Naval Historical Foundation. LTJG George Stewart from the 1958 USS Halsey Powell Cruise Book. I was one of the 97 survivors of 357 aboard ship. Since his retirement from active naval service in 1986 he has been employed in the ship design industry where he has specialized in the development of concept designs of propulsion and powering systems, some of which have entered active service. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. 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 . He is assisted by personnel of the Quartermaster (QM) rating. The ship was named to honor Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, who received the Medal of Honor for his leadership during the Mexican-American War. It was fascinating to see the gear reduction transmission (?) While some changes had taken place since 1945, most of the procedures were carryovers from . Naval philosophy in those days was to man the ships with a large number of personnel and little use was made of automatic controls or other labor saving devices. The CIC included radar repeaters, voice radios, electronic warfare equipment, plotting boards, logging facilities, etc. Compared to earlier classes built for the United States Navy, the Fletchers carried a significant increase in lethal firepower, including anti-aircraft (AA) weapons and increased armor plating; this contributed to greater displacement and overall weight and height increase. Meanwhile, the Navy continued looking ahead. Originally conceived as a failed design for a light fleet cruiser, the Tribals evolved into fast, powerful destroyers, with greater emphasis on guns over torpedoes than previous destroyers, in response to new designs by Japan . They followed exactly the same path but they were only assigned to the Engineering Department. [4] They could cover the vast distances required by fleet actions in the Pacific. Did any Fletcher class destroyers serve in the Atlantic? 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. 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. But by 1956 they were more appropriately assigned to the Ops Department. Destroyers were normally tied up to a pier with six mooring lines, numbered consecutively from forward to aft. We were forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan as part of DESRON 15. With the introduction of radar, another useful method became available when the ship was within radar range of shore. These are senior petty officers who function as the ships police force. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. He has passed on and I need information for a claim with the VA. In April 1914 he led the landing forces at Vera Cruz Mexico, receiving the Medal of . Eighteen ships were redesignated as escort destroyers (DDE), optimized for anti-submarine warfare; these reverted to destroyer (DD) designation in 1962. 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. The first ship to moor had to place a boat in the water which carried the mooring party. It was still a great ship .. Miss it .. While some changes had taken place since 1945, most of the procedures were carryovers from World War II. The design parameters were the armaments desired of the next destroyer. I served on 2 Fletchers as BT during Vietnam. Their flush deck construction added structural strength, although it did make them rather cramped. All wardroom provisions had to be purchased from the General Mess or other sources ashore. 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).). Technical information. 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. The Damage Control Assistant (DCA) was in charge of R Division. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. 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. [11] How many depth charges did a Fletcher-class carry during WWII? Electricians Mates (EM) Were responsible for the entire ships electrical and distribution systems including all power and lighting equipment. List of Fletcher-class destroyers and their dispositions. Often he was assigned additional duties as Chief Master at Arms (The ships head policeman). Supply officers were all referred to as Pork Chops because of the shape of their insignia. 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. Also, since my primary experience was in engineering, it served as excellent preparation for command. 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 . 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. Enjoyable and interesting read. The 1941 building program was to have consisted entirely of new Fletcher-class destroyers. After two deployments, it was back to the shipyard again. Meanwhile, medium-size Coast Guard cutters and U.S. Navy destroyers covered waters closer inshore. Available methods included voice radio, teletype, and the old fashioned Morse Code key. For a secure moor, the lines were Doubled Up. We usually had 2 or 3 Chief Machinists Mates (MMC) assigned. A Liberty Ship or T-2 Tanker of the same era had a crew of about 40 people, plus a naval armed guard. I much preferred WESTPAC! Wikimedia Commons photos. There were 6 depth charges for each K-gun. The Chief Gunners Mate (GMC) normally acted as a roving troubleshooter. did fletcher class destroyers serve in the atlantic? The job of Mess Treasurer rotated among the junior officers. The US Navy Destroyers represented the formidable industrial effort consented by the United States to win the war on two oceans. 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. A Pacific Fleet destroyer operated on a two year cycle in those days. These conditions are established by closing the appropriate fittings such as valves, hatches, and watertight doors. . The next step depended on how we were moored. This meant passing a second bight around the bollard on the pier or the ship alongside. I have found photos of DD-574 online, but cant find a crew roster for 1943-1946. Mrz 25, 2022; Posted by are meatless crumbles vegan? I served on this ship during my reserve time in 1966-67 with fond memories of a great crew and a fine old ship that still preformed as it did when new. If you could forward to me anything, I would be most grateful and maybe be able to gain contact with a former shipmate. The USS KIDD (DD-661) is a Fletcher-class destroyer, the six hundred sixty-first destroyer built by the United States Navy. 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. I had a great time with the locals in Vancouver and also remember the near collision. The growth in the design was in part answer to the question that always dogged U.S. Navy designs, that being the long range required by operations in the Pacific Ocean. Machinists Mate (MM) This rating was responsible for the operation and maintenance of all of the equipment in the two main engine rooms. Fletcher is down to two 5" guns but two 3" rapid firing guns and a MK 15 Trainable Hedgehog Projector (in place of Mount 52) are visible. 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. US Navy image 19-N-31790. A total of 175 Fletcher Class Destroyers were commissioned between 4 June 1942 and 22 February 1945. The group was also responsible for all fire fighting and dewatering equipment. In this article I will attempt to describe how a World War II Destroyer was manned and organized. Pingback: Manning Fletcher Class Destroyers | Naval Historical Foundation, Pingback: Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations - Part II | Naval Historical Foundation. He currently holds the title of Chief Marine Engineer at Marine Design Dynamics. USS Halsey Powell backs away from a pier in Subic Bay. Deployments to the Far East could be pretty tedious and they involved long periods at sea, as much as a month at a time. I loved the country so much that I did not want to leave. 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. All records of boiler water treatment and fuel usage were kept in an office referred to as the Oil Shack. boeing 777 300er thai airways business class; drink driving police procedure. Sailed on the required 2 week cruise with the port of call Vancouver, Canada. Your email address will not be published. Some went. He does not normally stand watch underway. Fox Division This division was headed by either the Fire Control Officer or Anti-Submarine Officer, whoever was senior. 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 long-range Fletcher-class ships performed every task asked of a destroyer, from anti-submarine warfare and anti-aircraft warfare to surface action. Most were assigned to the Deck Force. ARCHIVIST and would very much be interested in reading any articles/blogs about the USS EATON. The engine room and fire room supervisors would man their stations. Enginemen were diesel engine specialists who took care of boat engines and the emergency diesel generator. About 12 of the enlisted men were Chief Petty Officers. The actual hookup was made by detaching one of the anchor chains from its anchor and passing it down to the mooring crew on the buoy, who would then connect it to a shackle. Did we know each other? He was a member of the original crew and served as the Medical Officer. While in restricted waters, naval vessels have a navigation detail set and the ships position was regularly determined by taking visual bearings on objects ashore, supplemented by radar ranges and fathometer readings. As with other previous U.S. flush deck destroyer designs, seagoing performance suffered to a degree. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine. 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. Phil, the Morrison and Luce were sister ships and often worked together. My dad (Richmond Thomas (RT) Ezzell) was on the TAYLOR DD468 during WWII .Saw at the foot of his grave today another marker with his name, ship, and I suppose rating FC. They were also the first US destroyers fitted with radar as built. Went active in 1969. Once clear of the harbor, the navigator would announce that we were entering International Waters, where different Rules of the Road apply. A . 0 items. Thank you. Anti-aircraft armament initially was light, with a quadruple 1.1"/75 caliber gun located in an elevated tub between the number three and four 5-inch gun mounts and six Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (two in front of and below the bridge and four amidships). During World War II, the commanding officer was frequently a Lieutenant Commander with far less experience. 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. I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. Underway operations will be described in the next section. Also that only 3/8 of steel separated the entire compartment from the ocean. More about this later. The peacetime manning was 14 officers and 236 enlisted men. It was a very diverse division that was comprised of several ratings. However the department heads were directly answerable to the CO for all purely operational matters relating to their departments. Stewards (SD) Ran the Wardroom Mess and provided valet service for the officers. l spent over a year on the USS TINGEY (DD539). But they still have a ways to go to catch up to their Merchant Marine contemporaries. This duty normally fell to the most junior three Ensigns in the wardroom. [5] They could cover the vast distances required by fleet actions in the Pacific and served almost exclusively in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II, during which they accounted for 29 Imperial Japanese Navy submarines sunk. The Aulick was at station 15 which was not far from stations 1 and 2. The CO, XO, Officer of the Deck (OOD), Junior Officer of the Deck (JOOD) and appropriate enlisted personnel would proceed to the bridge. In fact, they served until 1971 in the United States and in the Mexican Navy until 2001. If the ship was designated as a flagship, accommodations were provided on board for the Commodore and his staff. YOKE is an intermediate level of protection that is set when the ship is under normal underway cruise conditions. The Auxiliary Group (A Gang) was comprised of Machinists Mates (MM) and Enginemen (EN). The ships Hospital Corpsman (HM) also normally reported directly to the Executive Officer. Boiler Technician (BT) This was a fancy name for what was called a Water Tender in the old coal fired Navy. The Fletcher class was the first generation of destroyers designed after the series of naval treaties that had limited ship designs heretofore. [1] Postwar, the remainder were decommissioned and put into reserve. Designed in the late 1930s and early 1940s . Hopefully, it will provide some insight as to the duties performed by individual crew members during the war. Fittings marked with a Red Z, Black Y, and Black Z are all closed. Communications would be established with all vital stations, steering gear, alarms, whistle and engine order telegraph tested, radar, sonar, and fathometer in operation, and compasses checked. The class was designed in 1939, as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types of the Porter and Somers classes. Working conditions were similar, but not quite as bad as in the fire rooms. All fittings with a black Y are closed and only opened for protection. Fletcher-Class Destroyer. Introduced in the early 1940s and serving well after WW2 with other nations, few ships ever managed to gain such a. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Naval Historical Foundation 1306 Dahlgren Avenue, SE Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374 1-202-678-4333 info@navyhistory.org. Fletcher (DDE-445) is recommissioned as an escort destroyer at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard, 03 October 1949. 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