USS Wiley

Last updated
USS Wiley (DD-597) off the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard on 15 March 1945 (19-N-80801).jpg
USS Wiley (DD-597) 1945
History
US flag 48 stars.svgUnited States
NamesakeWilliam Wiley
Builder Puget Sound Navy Yard
Laid down10 August 1943
Launched25 September 1944
Commissioned22 February 1945
Decommissioned15 May 1946
Stricken1 May 1968
FateSold for scrap, 2 April 1970
General characteristics
Class and type Fletcher class destroyer
Displacement2,050 tons
Length376 ft 6 in (114.7 m)
Beam39 ft 8 in (12.1 m)
Draft17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
Propulsion
  • 60,000 shp (45 MW);
  • 2 propellers
Speed35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range
  • 6500 nmi. (12,000 km)
  •   at 15 kt
Complement329
Armament

USS Wiley (DD-597), was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

Contents

Namesake

William Wiley was a sailor who served in the First Barbary War. Besides a few details of his service in the Navy, little is known of the life of William Wiley. He entered the Navy on 2 April 1803 and was assigned to the schooner USS Enterprise in the Mediterranean Squadron. After attaining the rates of boatswain, boatswain's mate, and then a reduction to quartermaster, Wiley took part in the daring raid led by Lieutenant Stephen Decatur, Jr., in the ketch USS Intrepid at Tripoli harbor on 16 February 1804, destroying the frigate USS Philadelphia which had been captured by the Tripolitean pirates. Quartermaster Wiley was transferred to the brig USS Scourge soon thereafter, and this is where his documentary trail ends.

Construction and commissioning

Wiley (DD-597) was laid down on 10 August 1943 at Bremerton, Wash., by the Puget Sound Navy Yard; launched on 25 September 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Herbert V. Wiley, wife of Vice Admiral Herbert V. Wiley, USN (Ret.); and commissioned there on 22 February 1945.

History

The destroyer conducted shakedown out of San Diego, Calif., through the end of April 1945; underwent post-shakedown availability at Puget Sound; and then sailed for the Hawaiian Islands, departing Port Angeles on 19 May and arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 26th. She trained in the vicinity of Oahu for three weeks before getting underway on 13 June to escort Cape Gloucester (CVE-109) to the Philippines.

Arriving at Leyte on 13 July and in Subic Bay on the 15th, Wiley operated out of the Philippines on training exercises through the first week of August. The ship departed Subic Bay on 9 August and escorted a small group of tankers to the Ryukyus. Within a week, Japan capitulated, ending the war in the Pacific.

Wiley subsequently joined the North China force in operations off the coast of Asia, while Chinese communist and Nationalist forces fought for supremacy in the strategic northern provinces once occupied by the Japanese. Over the next three months, this peacekeeping duty took the destroyer to Dairen, Port Arthur, Chefoo, Tsingtao, and Chinwangtao. The ship destroyed floating Japanese mines with gunfire and screened the cruisers of Cruiser Division 6. On 8 September, Wiley covered the landings of a peacekeeping force of American troops at Inchon (then called Jinsen), Korea.

Detached from this duty with the cruisers, Wiley joined a fast carrier task force on 12 October for operations in the Gulf of Pohai. During the latter part of October, the destroyer served in the screen for Antietam (CV-36) and Boxer (CV-21) and served as plane guard for the carriers while they conducted routine flight operations over the Yellow Sea. Detached from this duty on 18 November, Wiley joined San Francisco (CA-38) at anchor off Taku. Four days later, Wiley shifted to Jinsen, took on board passengers and mail, and proceeded to Shanghai, Tsingtao, and Taku, disembarking some of her passengers at each port before returning to Jinsen on 30 November.

Wiley remained in the Far East into December and then sailed, via Guam, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor, for the United States. After arriving at San Francisco, Calif., on 3 January 1946, Wiley received her inactivation orders on 11 March and put into San Diego the next day.

Fate

Decommissioned and placed in reserve on 15 May 1946, Wiley remained berthed at San Diego until struck from the Navy list on 1 May 1968. She was sold to the National Metal and Steel Corporation, Terminal Island, Los Angeles, California, on 2 April 1970 and subsequently scrapped.

Related Research Articles

USS <i>Arnold J. Isbell</i> Gearing-class destroyer

USS Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869), a Gearing-class destroyer, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Arnold J. Isbell, an aircraft carrier captain during World War II. The ship was laid down on 14 March 1945 at Staten Island, New York, by Bethlehem Mariners Harbor, launched on 6 August 1945 and commissioned on 5 January 1946. Constructed too late to see action in World War II, the vessel initially served as a training ship with the United States Atlantic Fleet, before transferring to the Pacific and deploying to Korea during the Korean War and off the Vietnam coast during the Vietnam War. In 1972 Arnold J. Isbell was made part of the reserve training fleet and in 1974, sold to Greece where the ship was renamed Satchouris and served with the Hellenic Navy until being sold for scrap in 2002.

USS <i>Brinkley Bass</i> Gearing-class destroyer

USS Brinkley Bass (DD-887) was a Gearing-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy from 1945 to 1973. She was then transferred to Brazil where she served as Mariz e Barros (D-26) until 1997. The destroyer was finally sunk as a target in 2000.

USS <i>Duncan</i> (DD-874) Gearing-class destroyer

USS Duncan (DD-874) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, the third named for Captain Silas Duncan USN (1788–1834). The ship was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Corporation at Orange, Texas on 22 May 1944, launched on 27 October 1944 by Mrs. D. C. Thayer and commissioned on 25 February 1945. The ship was sunk in 1980.

USS <i>Vammen</i> (DE-644) Buckley-class destroyer escort

USS Vammen (DE-644) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Killen</i> Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Killen (DD-593), was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Agerholm</i> Gearing-class destroyer

USS Agerholm (DD-826) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She was the only ship named for Harold Crist Agerholm, a Private First Class (Pfc.) in the 2nd Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps. He was killed during the assault on Saipan, and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

USS <i>Haraden</i> (DD-585) Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Haraden (DD-585), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Jonathan Haraden (1744–1803), a privateer of the American Revolutionary War.

USS <i>Dixie</i> (AD-14) Tender of the United States Navy

The second USS Dixie (AD-14) was the first of her class of destroyer tender built just before the start of World War II for the U.S. Navy. Her task was to service destroyers in, or near, battle areas and to keep them fit for duty.

USS <i>Kane</i> (DD-235) Clemson-class destroyer

USS Kane (DD-235/APD-18) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first ship named for Elisha Kent Kane.

USS <i>Hart</i> (DD-594) Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Hart (DD-594), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy of that name, in honor of Lieutenant Patrick H. Hart (1912–1942), who posthumously received the Navy Cross for heroism during the Battle of Midway.

USS <i>Metcalf</i> Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Metcalf (DD-595), was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy named for James Metcalf, who served on the schooner USS Enterprise during the First Barbary War.

USS <i>Shields</i> Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Shields (DD-596), was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Brownson</i> (DD-518) Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Brownson (DD-518) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy commissioned on 3 February 1943. She was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Cape Gloucester, New Britain on 26 December 1943.

USS <i>Worden</i> (DD-352) Farragut-class destroyer

The third USS Worden (DD-352) was a Farragut-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for John Lorimer Worden.

USS <i>Watts</i> Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Watts (DD-567) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

USS <i>Walton</i>

USS Walton (DE-361) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy. It was named after Merrit Cecil Walton, a Marine Corps platoon sergeant with the U.S. 1st Marine Division, who died on Gavutu during the Battle of Guadalcanal and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism".

USS <i>George W. Ingram</i> (DE-62) Buckley-class destroyer escort

USS George W. Ingram (DE-62/APD-43), a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947. In 1967, she was transferred to Taiwan. She served as Kang Shan until being scrapped in 1979.

USS <i>William C. Cole</i> Buckley-class destroyer escort

USS William C. Cole (DE-641) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, named in honor of Vice Admiral William C. Cole (1868–1935).

USS <i>Paul G. Baker</i> (DE-642) Buckley-class destroyer escort

USS Paul G. Baker (DE-642) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1970.

USS <i>Ringness</i>

USS Ringness (APD-100) was a Crosley-class high speed transport that served in the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. After spending 29 years in reserve, she was sold for scrapping in 1975.

References

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.