USS Owen

History
US
Namesake	Elias K. Owen
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, San Francisco, California
Laid down	17 September 1942
Launched	21 March 1943
Commissioned	20 September 1943
Decommissioned	27 May 1958
Stricken	15 April 1973
Fate	sold for scrap, 27 November 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 tons
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.7 m)
Beam	39 ft 8 in (12.1 m)
Draft	17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h)
Range	6500 nmi. (12,000 km) @ 15 kt
Complement	329
Armament	5 × single 5 in (127 mm)/38 guns; 5 × twin 40 mm (1.6 in) AA guns; 7 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) AA guns; 2 × quintuple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes; 6 × single depth charge throwers; 2 × depth charge racks;

USS Owen (DD-536), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Elias K. Owen.

Owen (DD–536) was laid down 17 September 1942 by the Bethlehem Steel Corp., San Francisco, California; launched 21 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Hope Owen; and commissioned 20 September 1943, Comdr. R. W. Wood in command.

Owen, assigned to Destroyer Squadron 52 (DesRon 52), completed shakedown off California and training in Hawaii in time to join the Fast Carrier Task Force (then called TF 58, as it was then part of the 5th Fleet) for Operation Flintlock. Operating with the carriers throughout most of World War II, she escorted them to their objectives; screened them as they launched dive bombing, straffing, and torpedo attacks; and covered them as they retired.

1944

WTF

Stop reading this!

Nobody loves you!

Owen earned 9 battle stars during World War II; 2 during the Korean Conflict.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.