\n"}" id="mwCA">
USS Leary wearing measure 22 camouflage | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | Leary |
Namesake | Clarence F. Leary |
Builder | New York Shipbuilding, Camden, New Jersey |
Laid down | 6 March 1918 |
Launched | 18 December 1918 |
Commissioned | 5 December 1919 |
Decommissioned | 29 June 1922 |
Recommissioned | 1 May 1930 |
Fate | Sunk by U-275 in the North Atlantic, 24 December 1943 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Wickes-class destroyer |
Displacement | 1,090 long tons (1,107 t) |
Length | 314 ft (96 m) |
Beam | 30.5 ft (9.3 m) |
Draft | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
Complement | 176 officers and enlisted |
Armament |
|
USS Leary (DD-158) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Lieutenant Clarence F. Leary, posthumously awarded the Navy Cross in World War I.
Commissioned in 1919, she saw a number of fleet exercises and training cruises, as well as a period of decommissioning from 1922 to 1930. With the outbreak of World War II, she escorted a number of convoys to Iceland, the Caribbean, and west Africa to support the war effort, later being upgraded to serve as an anti-submarine warfare vessel. On 24 December 1943, while escorting Card through rough seas in the North Atlantic, she was torpedoed three times by the German submarine U-275 and sank with the loss of 98 men.
Leary was one of 111 Wickes-class destroyers built by the United States Navy between 1917 and 1919. She, along with nine of her sisters, were constructed at New York Shipbuilding Corporation shipyards in Camden, New Jersey using specifications and detail designs drawn up by Bethlehem Steel. [1] [2]
She had a standard displacement of 1,090 tonnes (1,070 long tons; 1,200 short tons) an overall length of 314 feet (96 m), a beam of 30 feet 6 inches (9.30 m) and a draught of 12 feet (3.7 m). On trials, Leary reached a speed of 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph). She was armed with four 4"/50 caliber guns, two 3"/23 caliber guns, and twelve 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. She had a regular crew complement of 176 officers and enlisted men. [3] She was driven by two Curtis steam turbines powered by four Yarrow boilers. [1]
Specifics on Leary's performance are not known, but she was one of the group of Wickes-class destroyers known unofficially as the 'Liberty Type' to differentiate them from the destroyers constructed from detail designs drawn up by Bath Iron Works, which used Parsons or Westinghouse turbines. The 'Liberty' type destroyers deteriorated badly in service, and in 1929 all 60 of this group were retired by the Navy. Actual performance of these ships was far below intended specifications especially in fuel economy, with most only able to make 2,300 nautical miles (4,300 km; 2,600 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph) instead of the design standard of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700 km; 3,600 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). [1] [4] The class also suffered problems with turning and weight. [5]
She was the first ship to be named for Clarence F. Leary. A subsequent USS Leary would be commissioned, this one a Gearing-class destroyer completed in 1945. [3]
Leary was laid down on 6 March 1918 and launched on 18 December 1918. She was sponsored by Mrs. Anne Leary, the mother of Clarence F. Leary. She was commissioned on 5 December 1919. [3]
She departed Boston on 28 January 1920, [3] underwent her shakedown cruise in the Caribbean and then conducted training operations along the East Coast of the United States. In January 1921, she joined the Pacific Battle Fleet, and through February took part in a large-scale battle exercise off the coast of Peru. In March, Leary transited the Panama Canal and reported to the commander of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. She then was on station during bombing tests conducted by the U.S. Army Air Forces against naval targets, overseen by Billy Mitchell. She resumed her training exercises off the Caribbean until June 1922, when in accordance with the Washington Naval Conference, she was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Yard. [6]
Recommissioned on 1 May 1930 with a home port in Newport, Rhode Island, [7] Leary alternated between the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet, carrying out training maneuvers and taking part in several fleet problems. [6] After 1935, most of her time was taken up conducting training cruises for reserves and midshipmen. [3] In April 1937, she underwent a shipyard overhaul, including being equipped with a radar. Leary was the first U.S. navy vessel to be equipped with the device. This was a temporary, month long experimental installation.
In September 1939, Leary and Hamilton established a continuous patrol off the coast of New England against German U-boats. [8] On 9 September 1941, she began escort missions to Iceland. [3] DANFS reports that she was also the first to make radar contact with a German U-boat, while escorting a British convoy in the North Atlantic on 17–25 November 1941. [9] This is at odds with her overhaul at the New York Navy Yard in November. This was a yard period where she was rearmed, and might have actually had radar installed. For her to have made contact in the North Atlantic sometime in mid November, then return for an extensive yard period, with plans dated November 29, is unlikely. [10] She is supposedly out on another convoy run on December 4.
With the entry of the United States into World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Leary undertook regular convoy escort duties. [9] After 26 February 1942, she spent a year escorting convoys from a mid-ocean meeting point to Icelandic ports. On 7 February 1943, she left for Boston and reassignment. [3] During this time, she was given a shipyard overhaul at Boston Navy Yard and converted into an anti-submarine warfare ship. On 1 March, she left Boston for Guantanamo Bay, and undertook anti-submarine exercises with R-5. She then resumed escort duty, and made several trips to Trinidad and several Caribbean ports. [3] Returning to New York on 25 June, she began escorting transatlantic convoys, and successfully escorted two of them through Aruba and to Algiers and Casablanca. [3] She later joined Task Group 21.41 under the command of Captain Arnold J. Isbell and escorting Card. [9]
On 24 December 1943, the task group was caught in a storm in the North Atlantic when at 01:58 in the morning, Leary made a ping on a U-boat off her starboard bow. After her commander, James E. Kyes, ordered her to battle stations but before the destroyer could react, she was struck by a G7es torpedo fired by the German submarine U-275. The torpedo struck her starboard side and detonated in the after engine room, killing all of the men there and damaging both propeller shafts. She quickly developed a 20 degree list to starboard, and was unable to move in the heavy seas. Unbeknownst to the task group, a second German submarine, U-382 fired at Leary but missed. Soon after, Kyes ordered the crew to abandon ship. Two additional torpedoes from U-275 rocked the ship, and it rapidly sank, stern first. [9] [8] She took 98 men with her, including Kyes. Survivors were picked up by her sister ship, Schenck. [11]
Three or four minutes after the second torpedo hit, the executive officer, Lt. R. B. Watson, concluded a quick inspection of the ship, during which he found a thick, gooey substance covering the deck. He was astonished to see two seamen sitting on a torpedo tube, calmly eating Boston cream pie. The cook had just baked a batch, the explosion spattering most of it on the deck. [12]
Leary received one battle star for her service in World War II. For his actions in ensuring the safety of his crew, Kyes was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. The Gearing-class destroyer James E. Kyes was later named for him. [11]
Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
HX 152 | 30 Sep – 9 October 1941 [13] | from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war | |
ON 26 | 20–29 Oct 1941 [14] | from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war | |
ON 28 | 31 Oct – 3 November 1941 [14] | from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war | |
HX 160 | 17–25 Nov 1941 [13] | from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war; 1st US RADAR detection of submarine | |
ON 41 | 4–10 Dec 1941 [14] | from Iceland to Newfoundland: war declared during convoy | |
HX 167 | 29 December 1941 – 7 January 1942 [13] | from Newfoundland to Iceland | |
ON 55 | 15–18 Jan 1942 [14] | from Iceland to Newfoundland | |
HX 175 | MOEF group A4 | 15–23 Feb 1942 [13] | from Newfoundland to Iceland |
SC 77 | 11–14 April 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 79 | 21 April 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 81 | 5 May 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 84 | 17 May 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
ON 102 | 14–21 June 1942 [14] | from Iceland to United States | |
SC 99 | 12 September 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 101 | 28–30 Sep 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
ON 140 | 19–24 Oct 1942 [14] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 105 | 25–26 Oct 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
Convoy SC 107 | 5–7 Nov 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 109 | 20–25 Nov 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 110 | 2 December 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
ON 152 | 11–15 Dec 1942 [14] | Iceland shuttle | |
SC 112 | 16–19 Dec 1942 [15] | Iceland shuttle | |
ON 160 | 14–21 Jan 1943 [14] | Iceland shuttle | |
HX 223 | 22 January 1943 [13] | Iceland shuttle |
USS Colhoun (DD-85/APD-2) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and later redesignated APD-2 in World War II. She was the first Navy ship named for Edmund Colhoun.
USS Jacob Jones (DD-130), named for Commodore Jacob Jones USN (1768–1850), was a Wickes-class destroyer. She was sunk by a German submarine in 1942 during World War II.
USS Schenck (DD-159) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral James F. Schenck, USN (1807–1882).
USS Fairfax (DD-93) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, later transferred for World War II service first to the Royal Navy as HMS Richmond (G88), a Town-class destroyer, and then to the Soviet Navy as Zhivuchy.
USS Badger (DD–126) was a United States Navy Wickes-class destroyer in commission from 1919 to 1922 and from 1930 to 1945. She saw service during World War II. She was named for Commodore Oscar C. Badger.
USS Crowninshield (DD–134) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy between World War I and World War II. She was named for Benjamin Williams Crowninshield. In World War II she was transferred to the Royal Navy where she was named HMS Chelsea, and subsequently to the Soviet Navy where she was named Derzky.
The first USS Tillman (DD–135) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Senator Benjamin Tillman. Transferred to the United Kingdom in World War II, she was commissioned in the Royal Navy as HMS Wells.
USS Tarbell (DD–142) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was the first ship named for Captain Joseph Tarbell.
USS Greer (DD–145) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, the first ship named for Rear Admiral James A. Greer (1833–1904). In what became known as the "Greer incident," she became the first US Navy ship to fire on a German ship, three months before the United States officially entered World War II. The incident led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue what became known as his "shoot-on-sight" order. Roosevelt publicly confirmed the "shoot on sight" order on 11 September 1941, effectively declaring naval war against Germany and Italy in the Battle of the Atlantic.
The second USS Blakeley (DD–150) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for Captain Johnston Blakeley.
USS Biddle (DD-151) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II, later reclassified AG-114. She was the second ship named for Captain Nicholas Biddle.
USS Du Pont (DD–152) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II, later reclassified as AG-80. She was the second ship named for Rear Admiral Samuel Francis Du Pont.
The first USS Hopewell (DD–181) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, entering service in 1919. After a brief active life, the ship was deactivated in 1922 and placed in reserve for 18 years before returning to service in 1940 during World War II. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Bath (I17), as a Town-class destroyer, and then to the Royal Norwegian Navy as HNoMS Bath. Bath was torpedoed while escorting a trans-Atlantic convoy on 19 August 1941.
The second USS Buck (DD-420), a World War II-era Sims-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, was named after Quartermaster James Buck, a Civil War Medal of Honor recipient. It was built by Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and launched in 1939. It was a member of the convoy carrying the US 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. She served during the Second World War. It was sunk by the German submarine U-616 on 9 October 1943 off the coast of Salerno, when it was working in support of Operation Avalanche. It received 3 battle stars for its services during the Second World War.
USS Buckley (DE-51) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer escorts in the service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. After spending 23 years in reserve, she was scrapped in 1969.
USS Satterlee (DD-190) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, entering service in 1919. After brief service until 1922, the ship was placed in reserve. The ship was reactivated for World War II before being transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940. Renamed HMS Belmont, the destroyer was used as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic where she was torpedoed and sunk on 31 January 1942.
The first USS McCook (DD-252) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Entering service in 1919, the ship had a brief active life before being placed in the reserve fleet. Reactivated for World War II, the ship was transferred to the Royal Navy and then to the Royal Canadian Navy and renamed HMCS St. Croix. Assigned as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic, St. Croix was torpedoed and sunk on 20 September 1943.
USS Niblack (DD-424), a Gleaves-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Albert Parker Niblack. Niblack became the Director of Naval Intelligence 1 March 1919, and Naval Attache in London 6 August 1920. As vice admiral, he commanded U.S. Naval Forces in European waters from 15 January 1921 to 17 June 1922.
USS Hubbard (DE-211/APD-53) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was scrapped in 1966.
USS Laning (DE-159/APD-55) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1957. She was scrapped in 1975.