Fire Control Technician (FT) Responsible for operation and maintenance of all of the ships gunfire control systems including fire control radar, computer, and electrical transmission systems. I despised this duty until our 1958 deployment to the Far East when I was the decryptor of a message telling us that the 6 month deployment was over and ordering us to return home to San Diego. To achieve 38 knots with a 500-ton increase in displacement, power was increased from 50,000shp (37,000kW) to 60,000shp (45,000kW) compared to the previous Benson and Gleaves classes. Preparations would start several hours before getting underway, primarily down in the engineering spaces. Machinists Mate (MM) This rating was responsible for the operation and maintenance of all of the equipment in the two main engine rooms. The ships Master at Arms force reports directly to the Executive Officer. Therefore the functions of the Communications Officer, CIC Officer, and Electronic Material Officer (EMO) were all brought under the Operations Officer. The Fletcher class was a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. It was an entirely different Navy! Many memories aboard it. The USS The Sullivans (DD-537), a Fletcher -class destroyer, pictured here in 1962 was named in their honor. The Tribal class, or Afridi class, were a class of destroyers built for the Royal Navy, Royal Canadian Navy and Royal Australian Navy that saw service in World War II. Together, these classes dominated the US Navys destroyer force over the next 25 years. Did any Fletcher class destroyers serve in the Atlantic? OC Division Headed by the Communications Officer. For a secure moor, the lines were Doubled Up. The Chief Engineer would be in the Forward Engine Room and the Main Propulsion Assistant would be in the After Engine Room. These 175 flush-deck "2,100 . I served as a 2nd Class Torpedoman aboard the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Morrison DD560 from its christening on Dec.18, 1943, until we were sunk by a Japanese kamikaze on May 4,1945. They were responsible for visual communications between ships by flashing light, flaghoist, or semaphore. He was a radioman on the ship for about a year, and transferred to another ship before the USS Kidd was hit by a kamikaze.the sailor I was talking to lost a few friends in that attack. Again being promoted to Rear Admiral he later took over command of battleship divisions in the Atlantic Fleet. [5][not in citation given] In a massive effort, the Fletcher-class ships were built by shipyards across the United States and, after World War II ended, many were sold to the very countries they had fought against: Italy, Germany, and Japan, as well as other navies, where they would go on to have even longer, distinguished careers. As such the questions of how many guns, torpedoes, and depth charges were seen as desirable and further asked at what point would the design grow large enough to become a torpedo target instead of a torpedo delivery system. Bennett (DD 473) lays stack and chemical smoke in the Shortland Islands, 1944. off Korea in the 1950s and some even off Vietnam in the 60s, she was condemned in 2010 as a derelict and hazard to navigation and scrapped in 20102011. Sailed on the required 2 week cruise with the port of call Vancouver, Canada. Enjoyable and interesting read. Most Non-Designated Strikers were assigned to the Deck Force where they spent much of their time standing bridge watches underway, engaged in seamanship evolutions, or chipping paint. Main gun armament was five dual-purpose 5-inch/38 caliber (127mm) guns in single Mk 30 turrets, guided by a Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System, including a Mk 12 fire control radar and a Mk 22 height-finder (replaced by the circular Mk 25 radar postwar) linked by a Mark 1A Fire Control Computer and stabilized by a Mk 6 8500 rpm gyroscope. The need for a separate department responsible for the collection, display, and dissemination of combat information and intelligence became apparent as further use was made of radar and the establishment of a Combat Information Center (CIC) as the central nerve center on the ship. The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more . In fact, they served until 1971 in the United States and in the Mexican Navy until 2001. They were versatile and highly standardized, to the point as producing only four wartime classes of 50+ up to 180 ships, the Bensons, Fletcher, Sumner and Gearing, completed by the numerous "peacetime classes" from 1934 to 1940 and the WW1-era famous "four . It was a very diverse division that was comprised of several ratings. The deck divisions would man the line handling stations with the First Lieutenant and Chief Boatswains Mate on the Forecastle and the Gunnery Officer in charge on the fantail. Normally the crew stood duty on one day out of every three. The Hunt class of "emergancy" destroyers (this class is very close in capabilities to late war US DE classes like the Rudderow or John C. Butler classes) made for a good class of smaller but very capable ship (4 x 4" 4 TT). A new ahead-throwing weapon called Weapon Alpha was installed in many of the ships. Communications had previously been a stand alone department and electronics repair had belonged to the Chief Engineer. Others carried trainable Hedgehogs. It seemed like there was always something going on out there in those days and port visits were few and far between. The class featured enclosed air-case boilers and 80kW of power available by emergency diesel generators. I served as a 2nd Class Torpedoman aboard the Fletcher-class destroyer USS Morrison DD560 from its christening on Dec.18, 1943, until we were sunk by a . During their service life, many . In the interest of reduced manning levels, did the Radiomen copy fleet broadcast via teletype instead of morse? While I did not serve in a Fletcher class destroyer, I did serve in a FRAM II destroyer, the USS ROWAN DD-782. He was also normally assigned as the custodian of classified publications and the crypto facility. The Fletcher class destroyer came about in 1939 when the US Navy sought to create a superior new design addressing poor aspects found in previous destroyers. They were also to carry no fewer than five 5in (127mm) guns and ten deck-mounted torpedo tubes on the centerline, allowing them to meet any foreign design on equal terms. A major reason for these differences was the greater reliance on radar that developed during the war and the establishment of the Combat Information Center (CIC). . Wikimedia Commons photos. Stewards (SD) Ran the Wardroom Mess and provided valet service for the officers. Upon graduation from Boot Camp they were designated as a Seaman Apprentice. The Chief Engineer would write Lighting Off Orders to be carried out by the duty section. All three American museum ships have been designated as National Historic Landmarks. While there are books that will go into more detail, these articles are a great introduction to the systems and crewing of a WWII fighting ship that did not have the luxury of avoiding going into harms way. Destroyers, dubbed "tin cans" because of their lack of armor . Second Division was headed by the Assistant Gunnery Officer. The torch was kept in a small pot filled with diesel oil. The list is divided by navy, then ordered by commissioned date of each class (oldest first). Went to a Target store (Plantation, FL) to pick up some stuff, and outside I saw an older gentleman with a USS Kidd T-shirt. The Operations Officer billet did not specifically exist at the beginning of World War II. What impressed me was the clean layout, and the open space. Fletcher-Class Destroyer. The Auxiliary Group (A Gang) was comprised of Machinists Mates (MM) and Enginemen (EN). The United States Navy commissioned 175 Fletcher-class destroyers between 1942 and 1944, more than any . We were forward deployed to Yokosuka, Japan as part of DESRON 15. Below this level, the ship was organized into departments. The navigator would be responsible for ensuring that the ship remained on its desired track and making appropriate recommendations to the CO/OOD. In Greece, the former Charrette, renamed Velos (Arrow), is a popular attraction. The engine room and fire room supervisors would man their stations. Introduced in 1942, the 2,100-ton Fletcher-class destroyers formed the core of the US Navys destroyer force from 1943. Anti-aircraft armament initially was light, with a quadruple 1.1"/75 caliber gun located in an elevated tub between the number three and four 5-inch gun mounts and six Oerlikon 20 mm cannons (two in front of and below the bridge and four amidships). Phil Becker, my father, John Hanson, was an officer on USS Aulick DD569. NHF members are being converted to members of the Naval Institute. 1 LCdr. Four Fletcher-class destroyers are preserved as museum ships. This group was responsible for all general hull fittings such as watertight doors and hatches, ventilation system closures, general plumbing, etc. During his 30 year naval career he held two ship commands and served a total of 8 years on naval material inspection boards, during which he conducted trials and inspections aboard over 200 naval vessels. Naval Documents of the American Revolution, - Naval Documents of the American Revolution, Fletcher Class Destroyer Operations | Naval Historical Foundation, Life on a Fletcher Class Destroyer in the 1950's | Naval Historical Foundation, A History of the Naval Historical Foundation. USS Halsey Powell backs away from a pier in Subic Bay. Required fields are marked *. Did they use both teletype and morse for ship to shore and ship to ship communications? Did we know each other? Built for speed and capability, USS Cassin Young engaged in seven Pacific battles in World War II, survived two Kamikaze hits, and served another full decade beyond her expected lifetime. They followed exactly the same path but they were only assigned to the Engineering Department. In what can only be described as one of the classic destroyer actions in naval history, the three Fletchers attacked the Japanese main fleet. Hopefully, it will provide some insight as to the duties performed by individual crew members during the war. The job of Mess Treasurer rotated among the junior officers. During this time 39 were refitted under project SCB 74A, reducing their overall main armament and the number of torpedo tubes to accommodate other weapons. Edit. Supply officers were all referred to as Pork Chops because of the shape of their insignia. The Aulick served in the Pacific from 1943 through the end of the war and was also on radar picket off Okinawa May through July, 1945. stevens funeral home pulaski, va obituaries. This group normally had one or more qualified welders assigned. The conning officer would then use an appropriate combination of rudder, engines, and lines to get the ship underway. Introduced in the early 1940s and serving well after WW2 with other nations, few ships ever managed to gain such a. (My papers had been submitted but not received for 1st Class TM before we were sunk.) I made six month WESTPAC deployments in 1957 and 1958. Some went on to serve during the Korean War and into the Vietnam War.
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