Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy
![USS Fletcher (DDE-445) underway, c. the 1960s.](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/USS_Fletcher_%28DD-445%29_underway_at_sea%2C_circa_the_1960s_%28NH_68912%29.jpg/300px-USS_Fletcher_%28DD-445%29_underway_at_sea%2C_circa_the_1960s_%28NH_68912%29.jpg) Fletcher
underway in the 1960s
|
History
|
United States
|
Name
| Fletcher
|
Namesake
| Admiral
Frank F. Fletcher
|
Builder
| Federal Shipbuilding
,
Kearny, New Jersey
|
Laid down
| 2 October 1941
|
Launched
| 3 May 1942
|
Commissioned
| 30 June 1942
|
Decommissioned
| 15 January 1947
|
Reclassified
| DDE-445 on 26 March 1949
|
Recommissioned
| 3 October 1949
|
Decommissioned
| 1 October 1969
|
Reclassified
| DD-445 on 30 June 1962
|
Stricken
| 1 October 1969
|
Identification
| |
Honors and
awards
| |
Fate
| Sold 22 February 1972 and scrapped
|
General characteristics
|
Class and type
| Fletcher
-class
destroyer
|
Displacement
|
- 2,100 long tons (2,134 t) (standard)
- 2,924 long tons (2,971 t) (max)
|
Length
| 376 ft 5 in (114.73 m)
oa
|
Beam
| 39 ft 08 in (12.09 m)
|
Draft
| 13 ft 9 in (4.19 m) (max)
|
Installed power
| 60,000 shp (45,000 kW)
|
Propulsion
| |
Speed
| 36
knots
(67 km/h; 41 mph)
|
Range
| 6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
|
Complement
| 273 officers and enlisted
|
Armament
| |
General characteristics
|
Armament
| |
USS
Fletcher
(DD/DDE-445)
, named for
Admiral
Frank Friday Fletcher
, was the
lead
Fletcher
-class
destroyer
, and served in the
Pacific
during
World War II
. She received fifteen battle stars for World War II service, and five for
Korean War
service.
Fletcher
was laid down by the
Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
,
Kearny
,
New Jersey
, on 2 October 1941. She was
launched
on 3 May 1942; sponsored by Mrs. F. F. Fletcher, widow of Admiral Fletcher; and
commissioned
on 30 June 1942.
[1]
Service history
[
edit
]
World War II
[
edit
]
1942
[
edit
]
Fletcher
arrived at
Noumea
,
New Caledonia
on 5 October 1942 from the east coast, and at once began escort and patrol duty in the
Guadalcanal operation
, bombarding
Lunga Point
on 30 October. Sailing from
Espiritu Santo
9 November to cover the landing of reinforcements on the island, she joined in driving off an enemy air attack on the
transports
12 November, claiming several enemy aircraft shot down. This was the opening phase of the
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
, a 3-day air and surface action.
Fletcher
played an important part in the surface action off Guadalcanal 13 November, firing guns and torpedoes in the general melee which sank two
Japanese
destroyers and damaged the fast battleship
Hiei
, later sunk by carrier and
Marine
aircraft.
[1]
Fletcher
retired to replenish at Espiritu Santo, arriving the day after the battle, and after patrolling against submarines off Noumea, sortied on 30 November 1942, with a force of
cruisers
and destroyers, to intercept a force of enemy transports and destroyers expected to attempt a reinforcement of
Guadalcanal
that night.
Fletcher
led the force through
Lengo Channel
, and made the first radar contact with the enemy off
Tassafaronga Point
just before midnight. The resulting
Battle of Tassafaronga
saw one Japanese destroyer sunk, and one slightly damaged, and four American cruisers badly damaged, though all but one were saved by prompt damage control.
Fletcher
rescued survivors of
Northampton
, using cork-floated cargo nets to take great groups of them from the water.
[1]
1943
[
edit
]
USS
Fletcher
The destroyer continued to operate in the
Solomon Islands
, patrolling, shelling shore targets, driving off Japanese air attacks, rescuing downed aviators, sinking Japanese landing barges, and covering new landings on the northern coast of Guadalcanal. Out on patrol on 11 February 1943,
Fletcher
was alerted by a smoke float dropped by a plane from
Helena
, and sped to attack and sink
I-18
. She supported the landings on the
Russell Islands
on 21 February, bombarded
Munda
airfield on
New Georgia
during the night of 5/6 March, and then continued to guard the movement of transports in the Solomons.
[1]
From 23 April to 4 May 1943,
Fletcher
was in
Sydney
, Australia, for a refit before another month of general duty in the Solomons. She left
Espiritu Santo
on 19 June for a Stateside overhaul, returning to Noumea on 27 September to resume her former activities until 31 October. Then she sortied with an
aircraft carrier
task force
to provide air support for the
invasion of the Gilbert Islands
, fighting off a Japanese counterattack from the air 26 November. Again,
Fletcher
fired on Japanese aircraft on 4 December, when the task force came under an air attack after it had made a strike on
Kwajalein
island.
[1]
1944
[
edit
]
The bridge of
Fletcher
at the
U.S. Navy Museum
Fletcher
returned to
Pearl Harbor
on 9 December 1943, and after a brief overhaul and training on the west coast, was ready for the attack on the
Marshall Islands
. She screened a force of
troop transports
from
San Diego
to
Lahaina Roads
from 13 to 21 January 1944, then joined a bombardment group to fire on
Wotje Atoll
30 January. The next day, she rendezvoused with the main attack force for the
landings on Kwajalein
, screening the transports and patrolling off the atoll until 4 February. After escorting empty transports to
Funafuti
,
Fletcher
reported at
Majuro
15 February for duty screening battleships in bombardments of
Taroa
and Wotje on 20 February and 21 February, then patrolled off
Eniwetok
.
[1]
After joining in training exercises off
Port Purvis
on
Florida Island
, in the
Solomons
,
Fletcher
arrived at
Cape Sudest
, New Guinea, 18 April 1944. This was her base during the next month as she supported the
Humboldt Bay landings
, and by covering reinforcement landings on 30 April. After escorting a convoy to Noumea, out of which she patrolled against submarines in late May,
Fletcher
arrived at
Humboldt Bay
on 5 June. She made one patrol against any attempt of the Japanese to reinforce their
Biak
garrison, then covered and provided shore bombardment for the
invasions of Noemfoor
,
Sansapor
, and
Morotai
, as well as patrolling and escorting reinforcements for these various operations through the summer.
[1]
Fletcher
reached Manus on 9 October 1944 from Humboldt Bay to prepare for the invasion of
Leyte
, for which she sortied 12 October screening transports. She covered them while they sent their boats ashore in the initial landings 20 October, and next day departed for New Guinea, thus clearing
Leyte Gulf
before the
great battle
for its control broke out. She returned to Leyte with transports carrying reinforcements 23 November, and through the next month, continued her support of the first phase of the liberation of the
Philippines
, escorting convoys, firing prelanding bombardments at
Ormoc Bay
and
Mindoro
, and firing on Japanese aircraft in several attacks.
[1]
1945
[
edit
]
On 4 January 1945,
Fletcher
sortied from
San Pedro Bay
to provide close cover for the
Luzon
Attack Force as it sailed toward its objective. She splashed at least one of the many Japanese aircraft which attacked on 8 January, and during the landings in
Lingayen Gulf
the next day, patrolled the Gulf. After supporting the landings on San Antonio Beach, Luzon, on 29 January, she entered
Subic Bay
to cover minesweeping, then on 31 January provided fire support to the landings in Nasugbu Bay.
Fletcher
began four days of operations in the occupation of
Bataan
and
Corregidor
on 13 February, firing a preliminary bombardment, giving fire support on call, and covering
minesweepers
opening
Manila Bay
. On 14 February, while firing on Japanese batteries at Los Cochinos Point,
Fletcher
took a hit which killed eight and wounded three of her crew. She continued to fire as she controlled damage, and a half-hour later added rescue operations to her activities as she took the survivors off
YMS-48
, also hit by Japanese fire.
Water Tender Second Class
Elmer C. Bigelow
was posthumously awarded the
Medal of Honor
for his "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity" while fighting the fire on board the destroyer.
Fletcher
'
s firing in Manila Bay continued until the 17th.
[1]
Fletcher
took part in the landings at
Puerto Princesa
,
Palawan
, and
Zamboanga
, covered minesweeping and landings at
Tarakan
, and gave local patrol and escort service in the
Philippines
until 13 May 1945, when she sailed for a
West Coast
overhaul. After exercises off
San Diego
and in
Hawaii
, she was docked at San Diego until placed in commission in reserve 7 August 1946, and out of commission in reserve 15 January 1947.
[1]
1949?1969
[
edit
]
Recommissioned 3 October 1949 as a specialist in
antisubmarine warfare
(ASW) after conversion to an
escort destroyer
(
DDE-445
),
Fletcher
sailed for San Diego 1 May 1950 for a tour of duty with the
7th Fleet
in the western
Pacific
. At the outbreak of the
Korean War
, she lay at
Hong Kong
with
Valley Forge
, and on 3 July arrived off
Korea
with the
Valley Forge
group, augmented by
Triumph
, to begin launching airstrikes on
North Korea
. Through the summer, she sailed off Korea on this duty, replenishing when necessary at
Buckner Bay
,
Okinawa
, or
Sasebo
, Japan. She also participated in the
Battle of Inchon
from 13 to 17 September, and returned to Pearl Harbor, her
home port
, on 11 November.
[1]
On 19 November 1951,
Fletcher
cleared Pearl Harbor for another tour of duty screening the carriers of the 7th Fleet in Korean operations. She also fired shore bombardment on two occasions, participated in
antisubmarine
training off Okinawa, and patrolled in the
Taiwan Straits
. Returning to Pearl Harbor on 20 June 1952, she was at sea again from 5 September to 24 November for
Operation Ivy
, then completed another tour of
Far Eastern
duty from 14 May to 30 November 1953.
[1]
Annually from 1954 to 1962,
Fletcher
sailed to the Far East for duty with the 7th Fleet, in 1955 providing antisubmarine screening for the evacuation of the
Tachen Islands
. In both 1957 and 1958, she made her outward bound passage by way of
Samoa
and Australia. Intensive antisubmarine training was her major occupation during periods between deployment.
[1]
Fletcher
was decommissioned and stricken from the
Naval Vessel Register
on 1 August 1969, and sold for scrap on 22 February 1972.
Awards
[
edit
]
Fletcher
received fifteen
battle stars
for World War II service, and five for Korean War service, making her one of the
most decorated US ships of World War II
.
On film
[
edit
]
Fletcher
appears in the 1960 comedy film
The Wackiest Ship in the Army
, starring
Jack Lemmon
(appears in the harbor when the USS
Echo
is first visited), and also in the film
Down Periscope
in stock footage as the ship that is targeted and sunk to end the film's war games.
References
[
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]
External links
[
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]