World War I
After the United States declared war on Germany on 6 April 1917, Stewart patrolled first off the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal and along the Colombian coast; and then, after 11 May, off the Pacific entrance to the canal. On 5 July, she returned to the Atlantic, and was fitted out at the Philadelphia Navy Yard from 22 July-11 August for distant service.
On 13 August, she sailed for the British Imperial fortress colony of Bermuda with a destroyer flotilla; but, on arrival on 16 August, she grounded in the harbor and required repairs at the Royal Naval Dockyard there and at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which lasted through 10 October. On 11 October, Stewart began dispatch and escort duty from a base in the York River. Except for one interruption for training, this duty continued until 31 December 1917, when she entered the Philadelphia yard to fit out again for distant service.
Departing the yard on 15 January 1918, Stewart sailed the next day for Europe in company with Worden, Hopkins, Macdonough, and Paul Jones. Stopping in the Azores from 29 January-4 February, Stewart and Worden arrived at Brest, France, on the 9th and began convoy escort duty off that port on the 17th.
On 17 April, as Stewart entered Quiberon Bay, an American steamer, Florence H, with a cargo of powder and steel, exploded in the anchorage. Stewart saved nine survivors, and her crew was cited by the Secretary of the Navy for gallantry during the rescue. On 23 April, Stewart sighted two seaplanes dropping bombs, apparently on a submarine; and she raced to the spot. One aircraft flew over the destroyer, and the observer pointed to the location of the sub. Stewart saw first the sub's wake, then its periscope, and finally the dark form of her hull underwater. She was forced to turn away at the last moment due to the effort of a French escort to ram the sub, but dropped two depth charges which brought up large amounts of oil. The action was evaluated at the time as a kill; but the submarine, U-108, survived to be damaged by Porter several days later and finally to surrender at Harwich at the end of the war.
During a dense fog three days later, Stewart was damaged when she collided with an unidentified merchantman, and she remained under repair until 28 May. On 4 August, the destroyer made another attack on an apparent submarine wake, but obtained no evidence of success.
Inter-war period
After the armistice ending World War I was signed on 11 November, Stewart ceased convoy duty; and she entered drydock at Brest on 26 November for repairs. On 9 December, she departed Brest with four other destroyers; and, after passing the convoy carrying President Woodrow Wilson to Europe two days later and subsequently making stops at the Azores and Bermuda, the destroyers arrived at Philadelphia on 3 January 1919. Decommissioned on 9 July, Stewart was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 September, and sold on 3 January 1920 to Henry A. Hitner's Sons Company, Philadelphia, for scrap.
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).
The first USS Whipple (DD-15) was a Truxtun-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for Abraham Whipple.
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 Hopkins (DD-6) was a Hopkins-class destroyer, which was a sub-class of the Bainbridge-class destroyer, in the United States Navy. She was the first of three Navy vessels named in honor of Commodore of the Continental Navy Esek Hopkins.
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 Upshur (DD–144) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy before and during World War II. She was the first ship named for Rear Admiral John Henry Upshur.
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.
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 second USS Truxtun (DD-14) was the lead ship of Truxtun-class destroyers in the United States Navy. She was named for Commodore Thomas Truxtun.
The first USS Worden (DD-16) was a Truxtun-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Admiral John Lorimer Worden. It was the first US ship equipped with a stabilizer.
The second USS Paul Jones was a Bainbridge-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for John Paul Jones.
USS Smith (DD–17) was the lead ship of Smith-class destroyers in the United States Navy. She was the first ship named for Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith. Entering service in 1909, the destroyer was placed in reserve in 1912. She was reactivated for World War I and, following the war, was used as a test ship for aerial bombing. In 1921, the vessel was sold for scrapping.
USS Lamson (DD–18) was a Smith-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was the first ship named for Roswell Lamson.
The first USS Warrington (DD-30) was a modified Paulding-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was named for Lewis Warrington.
The second USS Trippe (DD-33) was a Paulding-class destroyer in commission in the United States Navy from 1911 to 1919. She was named for Lieutenant John Trippe. She saw service during World War I.
The first USS Fanning (DD-37) was a modified Paulding-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and later in the United States Coast Guard, designated as CG-11. Her namesake was Nathaniel Fanning.
USS Rudderow (DE-224) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer escorts, in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947. After spending decades in reserve, she was sold for scrap in 1970.
USS Simpson (DD-221/APD-27/AG-97) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first ship named for Rear Admiral Edward Simpson.
USS Scott (DE-214), was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947. She was scrapped in 1967.
USS Stewart (DE–238) is an Edsall-class destroyer escort, the third United States Navy ship so named. This ship was named for Rear Admiral Charles Stewart, who commanded USS Constitution during the War of 1812. Stewart is one of only two preserved destroyer escorts in the U.S. and is the only Edsall-class vessel to be preserved. She is on display in Galveston, Texas as a museum ship and is open to the public.
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.
United States