USS Maddox (DD-731)

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USS Maddox (DD-731)
USS Maddox (DD-731)
Overview
Type destroyer
Keel laying October 28, 1943
Launch March 19, 1944
1. Period of service flag
Commissioning June 2, 1944
Decommissioning 1969
Removed from ship register 2nd July 1972
Whereabouts Delivery to the Taiwanese Navy
2. Period of service flag
Commissioning July 6, 1973
Decommissioning 1985
Whereabouts scrapped
Technical specifications
length

114.8 m

width

12.2 m

Draft

4.8 m

crew

336

drive
  • 4 oil-fired steam boilers
  • 2 sets of steam turbines, driven by 2 shafts
  • 60,000 WPS
speed

34 kn

Range

6500 nm at 15 kt

Armament

1944

  • 6 × 12.7 cm L / 38 in twin towers
  • 12 × 40 mm flak (two quadruple and two twin guns)
  • 11 × 20 mm Fla- MK
  • 10 torpedo tubes Ø 533 mm
  • 6 × hedgehog

The USS Maddox (DD-731) was a destroyer of Allen M. Sumner class of the US Navy . The ship gained notoriety through its involvement in the Tonkin incident , which is considered to have triggered the United States' entry into the Vietnam War .

Keel laying and launching

The keel of the USS Maddox was laid on October 28, 1943 in the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath , Maine, USA . She ran on 19 March 1944 by the stack and, after Captain William Maddox named. The USS Maddox belongs to the Allen-M.-Sumner class, a further development of the Fletcher class , which is characterized above all by a stronger armament. It was put into service on June 2, 1944.

period of service

During the Second World War , the USS Maddox was used in the Pacific War. She was part of the Fast Carrier Task Force escort during attacks in the western Pacific and was deployed in support of the American invasion of Okinawa during the Battle of Okinawa . On January 21, 1945, the USS Maddox was hit and damaged by a Japanese aircraft in a kamikaze attack off Formosa .

During the Korean War , she was part of the 7th Fleet and supported the United Nations armed forces along the west coast of Korea .

The USS Maddox was the first ship, along with the destroyer USS Turner Joy , to be involved in the Tonkin incident in the Gulf of Tonkin . According to the US military, she came into conflict with three North Vietnamese torpedo boats on August 2, 1964 during Operation Desoto , whereupon she requested air support. In the incident, one torpedo boat is said to have been disabled and the other two damaged, and the USS Maddox was only slightly damaged by machine gun fire.

In the further course of the Vietnam War, the USS Maddox took part in the operations "Sea Dragon" and "Market Time". It was also used for sea-based combat support in coastal regions and for patrol service.

In 1969 she was withdrawn from active service and assigned to the reserve fleet. It was retired on July 2, 1972. During her active service she was awarded a total of ten Battle Stars for missions in the Pacific and Korean War and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for her service during the Tonkin incident .

Whereabouts

The USS Maddox was sold to Taiwan four days after being retired on July 6, 1972 . In 1985 it was finally scrapped there.

See also

Web links

Commons : USS Maddox (DD-731)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files