This article includes a list of references, related reading, or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations .(December 2016) |
USS McCawleycirca 1941–42 | |
History | |
---|---|
United States | |
Name | USS McCawley |
Namesake | Charles G. McCawley |
Builder | Furness Shipbuilding Company, England |
Christened | Santa Barbara |
Acquired | 26 July 1940 |
Commissioned | 11 September 1940 |
Renamed | McCawley, 29 July 1940 |
Reclassified | AP-10 to APA-4, 1 February 1943 |
Honors and awards | Five battle stars for World War II service |
Fate | Sunk off Guadalcanal, 30 June 1943 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | McCawley-class attack transport |
Displacement | 9,600 tons (fl) |
Length | 486 ft 6 in (148.29 m) |
Beam | 63 ft 6 in (19.35 m) |
Draft | 25 ft 6 in (7.77 m) |
Propulsion | Sulzer "DR" type drive, no boilers, 2 x propellers, designed shaft 8,000 hp (6,000 kW) |
Speed | 17 kn (31 km/h; 20 mph) (sources vary) |
Capacity |
|
Complement | Officers 41, Enlisted 437 |
Armament |
|
USS McCawley (APA-4) was a McCawley-class attack transport that served with the United States Navy during World War II. Named after Charles G. McCawley, eighth Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, she was the lead ship in her class.
The second McCawley, formerly SS Santa Barbara, was completed in 1928 by the Furness Shipbuilding Company of Haverton Hill-on-Tees, England; she was acquired by the Navy from Grace Lines 26 July 1940, and renamed McCawley (AP-10) 29 July 1940. The ship was commissioned on 11 September 1940. She was reclassified as an attack transport, APA-4, on 1 February 1943.
On 19 February 1942, McCawley got underway for Iceland with troops embarked. She returned to New York City on 25 March and then steamed to Norfolk, Virginia, en route a new assignment with the Pacific Fleet.
Transiting the Panama Canal on 18 April, she discharged Marine aviators at Pago Pago on 8 May and continued on to Wellington, New Zealand. Joining Amphibious Force, South Pacific, she became the flagship for Rear Admiral R. K. Turner shortly before the first Allied counterinvasion of the war, Guadalcanal.
On 7 August, the campaign started; at 0800, landings were made at Tulagi, at 0919 on Lunga Point, Guadalcanal. Air raids commenced on 8 August; McCawley's guns scored their first kills, destroying three or possibly four planes.
On 9 August, she witnessed the flares of the Battle of Savo Island, in which American heavy cruisers Astoria, Quincy, Vincennes, and Australian heavy cruiser Canberra were lost and American heavy cruiser Chicago was severely damaged. The transports continued to unload cargo until sailing for Nouméa that afternoon.
McCawley returned to Guadalcanal on 18 September with supplies and reinforcements, departing again the same day with wounded and POWs. The aircraft carrier Wasp was lost and battleship North Carolina and destroyer O'Brien were damaged by torpedoes while protecting this troopship convoy.
On 9 October, the transport again got underway for Guadalcanal in a convoy carrying over 2,800 reinforcements. One of the support groups for the convoy was Rear Adm. Norman Scott's cruiser force, which, on the night of 11 and 12 October, defeated an enemy force off Cape Esperance, insuring successful completion of the troop movement. McCawley landed her troops and cargo, returning once more to Nouméa with wounded and POWs.
On 8 November, McCawley departed Nouméa with other units of TF 67 for Guadalcanal. Two cruisers and three destroyers under Rear Adm. Daniel J. Callaghan supported them. At the same time, another convoy, covered by a cruiser and four destroyers under Rear Admiral Scott, set out from Espiritu Santo. Further direct support for the operations was to be supplied by battleships and destroyers of TF 64.
Transports from Espiritu Santo arrived at Lunga Point on 11 November, McCawley's group from Nouméa on 12 November. By dusk on 12 November, as reports of Japanese ship movements from Truk increased, 90% of the transports' lading had been discharged, despite torpedo bomber attacks.
The transports were pulled out and sent back to Espiritu Santo, while Admiral Callaghan and Admiral Scott's combined force gallantly engaged the enemy fleet in the initial action of what was later called the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The battle, lasting from 12 to 15 November, cost the Japanese two battleships, one cruiser, three destroyers, and 11 transports. The United States lost two cruisers and seven destroyers, and Admirals Callaghan and Scott were both killed.
On 24 November, McCawley departed Nouméa for overhaul at Wellington. She returned to New Caledonia 10 January 1943 with the 1st Marine Raiders and the 3rd Parachute Battalion. After discharging those units, she loaded Army troops and construction equipment and resumed supply runs to Guadalcanal. McCawley, redesignated attack transport APA-4 on 1 February 1943, continued to supply Guadalcanal until mid-June. At that time, she began preparations for the New Georgia and central Solomons campaign.
At 0643 on 30 June, she began off-loading for the landing at Rendova Island, near New Georgia. Twice, before completion at 1350, operations were halted to prepare for air attacks which did not materialize. Then, as the withdrawing column entered Blanche Channel, torpedo planes attacked. McCawley's gunfire brought down four, but a torpedo hit in McCawley's engine room, killed 15 of her crew, and knocked out all power.
Following the attack, Admiral Turner and his staff transferred to destroyer Farenholt. Rear Admiral Wilkinson remained on McCawley to command salvage operations, while attack cargo ship Libra took the transport in tow and destroyers Ralph Talbot and McCalla stood by to assist.
At 1640, all the crew, except the salvage party, was taken off by Ralph Talbot. Soon afterward, the group was attacked by dive bombers, and McCawley was strafed, but no further damage was inflicted as the salvage party manned her guns to shoot down one of the three planes destroyed. By 1850, the draft aft had increased to 38 feet (12 m), and Admiral Wilkinson ordered McCalla alongside to take off the salvage party. Within the hour, all hands were aboard McCalla and pulling clear of the stricken transport.
At 2023, the final blow came. The doomed ship was again torpedoed and in 30 seconds she sank in 340 fathoms. The following day, six PT boats were found to have torpedoed an "enemy" transport in Blanche Channel, after having been informed no friendly forces were in the area. PTs were then placed directly under Admiral Turner and given a liaison officer to keep them informed.
McCawley received five battle stars for World War II service.
USS Juneau (CL-52) was a United States Navy Atlanta-class light cruiser torpedoed and sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942. In total, 687 officers and sailors, including the five Sullivan brothers, were killed in action as a result of her sinking. Only 10 survivors were rescued after eight days in the water. To honor the five Sullivan brothers and Juneau, the U.S. Navy has since commissioned two ships named USS The Sullivans and two ships named USS Juneau. On 17 March 2018, Paul Allen's research crew on board RV Petrel located the wreck of Juneau at a depth of about 4,200 m (13,800 ft) off the Solomon Islands.
USS Atlanta (CL-51) of the United States Navy was the lead ship of the Atlanta class of eight light cruisers. She was the third Navy ship named after the city of Atlanta, Georgia. Designed to provide anti-aircraft protection for US naval task groups, Atlanta served in this capacity in the naval battles Midway and the Eastern Solomons. Atlanta was heavily damaged by Japanese and friendly gunfire in a night surface action on 13 November 1942 during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The cruiser was sunk on her captain's orders in the afternoon of the same day.
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, TheBattle of Friday the 13th, The Night of the Big Guns, or, in Japanese sources, the Third Battle of the Solomon Sea, took place from 12 to 15 November 1942 and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles between Allied and Imperial Japanese forces during the months-long Guadalcanal campaign in the Solomon Islands during World War II. The action consisted of combined air and sea engagements over four days, most near Guadalcanal and all related to a Japanese effort to reinforce land forces on the island. The only two U.S. Navy admirals to be killed in a surface engagement in the war were lost in this battle.
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.
USS San Francisco (CL/CA-38), a New Orleans-class cruiser, was the second ship of three of the United States Navy named after the city of San Francisco, California. Commissioned in 1934, she was one of the most decorated ships of World War II, earning 17 battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation.
USS Aaron Ward (DD-483) was a Gleaves-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named in honor of Rear Admiral Aaron Ward. She sank on 7 April 1943 in a shoal near Tinete Point of Nggela Sule, Solomon Islands during Operation I-Go. Her wreck was discovered on 4 September 1994.
USS O'Bannon (DD/DDE-450), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon (1784–1850), the Marine Corps's "hero of Derna".
USS Gwin (DD-433), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Commander William Gwin, an American Civil War officer who commanded river boats against Confederate forces in Alabama.
USS Monssen (DD-436), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Mons Monssen, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard USS Missouri (BB-11) in 1904. Commissioned in 1941, the destroyer saw service during World War II in both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Monssen was sunk at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942.
USS McCalla (DD-488), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Bowman H. McCalla, who served during the Spanish–American War and would eventually attain the rank of rear admiral.
USS Trever (DD-339/DMS-16/AG-110) was a Clemson-class destroyer of the United States Navy in commission from 1922 to 1923 and from 1930 to 1945. Converted to a destroyer minesweeper in 1940, she served in the Pacific throughout World War II, including during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Guadalcanal campaign, and the New Georgia campaign.
USS Patterson (DD-392), a Bagley-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Daniel Todd Patterson, an officer of the US Navy who served in the Quasi-War with France, First Barbary War, and the War of 1812.
USS Lardner (DD-487), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the second United States Navy ship to be named for Rear Admiral James L. Lardner, a Naval officer during the American Civil War. Lardner received 10 battle stars for World War II service.
USS Sterett (DD-407) was a Benham-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named for Andrew Sterett.
USS Laffey (DD-459) was a Benson-class destroyer of the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first destroyer named for Seaman Bartlett Laffey. She was lost in action on 13 November 1942.
USS Woodworth (DD-460) was a Benson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Commander Selim E. Woodworth.
USS Farenholt (DD-491) was a Benson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the second ship named for Admiral Oscar Farenholt.
USS Navajo (AT-64) was an oceangoing tugboat in the United States Navy, and the lead ship of her class. She was named for the Navajo people. Originally called the Navajo-class of fleet tugs, they were later renamed the Cherokee-class after loss of the first two ships of the class.
USS John Penn (APA-23) was an attack transport that served with the US Navy during World War II. Named after Founding Father John Penn, a signatory to the American Declaration of Independence, she was the only ship in her class.
USS Zeilin (APA-3) was an Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ship launched for the United States Shipping Board (USSB) on 19 March 1921 by Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Newport News, Virginia as Silver State. After operation by commercial lines for the USSB, during which the ship was renamed President Jackson, the ship was purchased and operated commercially until laid up in the late 1930s.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships .The entry can be found here.