One of 111 ships of her class, Taylor was commissioned near the end of World War I and patrolled in the Atlantic Ocean during and immediately following the war, though she saw no service supporting the war. After eight years out of commission, she returned to service in 1930 patrolling along the East Coast of the United States and in Latin America. Decommissioned in 1938, she then became a training hulk. During World War II her forward section was removed and grafted onto USSBlakeley after the latter ship was damaged in a submarine attack. Taylor continued to serve as a training hulk until she was sold for scrap in 1945.
Specifics on Taylor'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 Bethlehem Steel, 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.[citation needed] Actual performance of these ships was far below intended specifications especially in fuel economy, with most only able to make 2,300 nautical miles (4,300km; 2,600mi) at 15 knots (28km/h; 17mph) instead of the design standard of 3,100 nautical miles (5,700km; 3,600mi) at 20 knots (37km/h; 23mph).[1][4] The class also suffered from poor maneuverability and were overweight.[5]
Taylor was laid down as Destroyer No. 94 on 15 October 1917 by the Mare Island Navy Yard, and launched on 14 February 1918. She was commissioned on 1 June 1918, sponsored by Ms. Mary Gorgas.[7]
Upon commissioning, Taylor joined Destroyer Division 12 of the Atlantic Fleet. She cruised with that fleet during World War I but saw no action. Following the war on 1 April 1919, she was assigned to Destroyer Division 8. In 1920, Taylor was placed in reduced commission though still operating on the Atlantic coast. That summer, on 17 July, the Navy adopted the alpha-numeric hull designation system, and Taylor became DD-94. In October, she was placed back in full commission and, until the summer of 1922, operated with Destroyer Division 8, Flotilla 8, Squadron 3. On 21 June 1922, the ship was placed out of commission at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[7]
Taylor remained inactive there until 1 May 1930, when she was placed back in commission under the command of Commander George B. Keester. She was assigned to Destroyer Division 33, Squadron 7, which was part of the Scouting Fleet. During this time, she operated from Charleston, South Carolina, until November when she was placed in reduced commission once again. At the same time, Taylor was detached from the Scouting Fleet and transferred to Destroyer Division 47, Squadron 16 of the Training Squadron. She was assigned to the 6th and 7th Naval Districts to train reservists and to carry Reserve Officer Training Corpsmidshipmen on summer cruises.[7] By 1 April 1931, Scouting Fleet became Scouting Force, and the destroyer was reassigned as an element of Division 28 of the Training Squadron. She operated with that unit until early in 1934 when she joined Squadron 19 of the rotating reserve with which she remained until late 1931.[7]
On 1 September, she relieved the destroyer J. Fred Talbott on duty with the Special Service Squadron. She patrolled the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico with that force for one year due to instability in Latin America. By 1 October 1935, Taylor was back with the Training Squadron as a unit of the newly established Division 30. She trained reservists until early in 1937 when she returned to the Special Service Squadron in relief of the destroyer Manley. She returned to patrols in the Caribbean area. Returning to the United States in 1938, Taylor was moored at Philadelphia to prepare for inactivation. The destroyer was placed out of commission on 23 September 1938. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 December 1938, and she was offered for sale in July 1939. However, on 11 July 1940, she was redesignated Damage Control Hulk No. 40 and tasked to train damage control parties.[7]
On 25 May 1942, sister ship Blakeley was struck by a torpedo fired from German submarineU-156 while patrolling off Martinique. The torpedo struck between frames 18 and 24 at about 4 feet (1.2m) below Blakeley's water line, and the force of the impact blew off 60 feet (18m) of her bow and forecastle.[8] Sailing under her own power to Philadelphia Naval Yard, Blakeley had the forward 60 feet of Taylor's hull grafted onto her throughout the summer of 1942. This was completed in September 1942, and Blakeley, with Taylor's forward hull, served through the remainder of the war.[9][8] The remaining 255 feet (78m) of Taylor spent the remainder of World War II in her duties as a training hulk. She was sold for scrap in 1945, and delivered on 8 August.[8]
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 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.
USS Harding (DD-91) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. She was the first ship named in honor of Seth Harding.
USS Chew (DD-106) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and World War II.
USS Breese (DD-122) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, and later redesignated, DM-18 in World War II. She was the only ship named for Captain Kidder Breese.
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.
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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.
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 Bush (DD-166) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I.
USS Burns (DD-171) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I.
The O'Brien class of destroyers was a class of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy shortly before the United States entered World War I. The O'Brien class was the third of five classes of destroyers that were known as the "thousand tonners", because they were the first U.S. destroyers over 1,000 long tons (1,016 t) displacement.
USS Tucker was the lead ship of her class of destroyers built for the United States Navy prior to the American entry into World War I. The ship was the first U.S. Navy vessel named for Samuel Tucker.
The Tucker class of destroyers was a ship class of six ships designed by and built for the United States Navy shortly before the United States entered World War I. The Tucker class was the fourth of five classes of destroyers that were known as the "thousand tonners", because they were the first U.S. destroyers over 1,000 long tons (1,016 t) displacement.
USS Tingey (DD-272) was a Clemson-class destroyer in service with the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922. She was scrapped in 1936.
USS McCawley (DD-276) was a Clemson-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World WarI. She was armed with 4× 4inch and 2× 1pounder guns. She was commissioned on 22September 1919, served with the Pacific Fleet for 3 years and was laid up on 7June 1922. McCawley was recommissioned on 27September 1923, again serving in the Pacific, and decommissioned in 1930 before being sold for scrap.
USS Converse (DD-291) was a Clemson-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I.
HMS Myrmidon was one of two Myrmidon-class destroyers which served with the Royal Navy.
HMS Ostrich was a Fairfield three-funnel, 30-knot torpedo boat destroyer ordered by the Royal Navy under the 1898 – 1899 Naval Estimates. In 1913 she was grouped as a C-class destroyer. She was the first Royal Navy ship to carry this name. She spent most of her operational career in home waters, operating with the Channel Fleet as part of the Portsmouth Instructional Flotilla, and was sold for breaking in 1920.
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