USS Brownson (DD-518)
_underway_at_sea,_circa_in_early_1943_(NH_107241).jpg) USS Brownson (DD-518) in the spring of 1943 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | destroyer |
| Shipyard | |
| Keel laying | February 15, 1942 |
| Launch | September 24, 1942 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| period of service |
February 3, 1943-26. December 1943 |
| Whereabouts | Sunk by bomb hits on December 26, 1943 |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
2,100 ts |
| length |
114.7 meters |
| width |
12.2 meters |
| Draft |
5.4 meters |
| crew |
329 |
| drive |
|
| speed |
35 kn |
| Range |
6,500 nautical miles (11,700 km) at 15 knots |
| Armament |
When commissioning:
|
The USS Brownson (DD-518) was a destroyer of the US Navy , who in World War II was used. It was the first of 117 Fletcher-class units built with the bridge known as the Low or Square Bridge . On December 26, 1943, the USS Brownson was sunk in an air raid off Cape Gloucester .
Namesake
Willard Herbert Brownson (1845–1935) was Rear Admiral in the US Navy. During the Spanish-American War , he took part in the Battle of Boca Teacapan in June 1870 and in June 1898 in the Battle of Guantánamo Bay .
technology
Hull and drive
The hull of the USS Brownson was 114.7 m long and 12.2 m wide. The draft was 5.4 m, the displacement was 2,100 tons . The ship was powered by two General Electric steam turbines, and the steam was generated in four Babcock & Wilcox boilers. The power was 60,000 shaft horsepower. The top speed was 35 knots .
Armament and Electronics
The main armament of the destroyer when it was commissioned were the five 5 "/ 38 Mk.30 single turrets. Two 40 mm twin guns and three 20 mm twin guns were on board for air defense . Ten 21" torpedo tubes were located amidships in two torpedo tube sets.
The USS Brownson was equipped with radar . An SG and an SC radar were mounted on the mast above the bridge, with which aircraft could be located at distances between 15 and 30 nautical miles and ships between 10 and 22 nautical miles. A QC sonar was installed for underwater location .
history
The USS Brownson was laid down at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation on Staten Island on February 15, 1942 , and launched on September 24, 1942. Godmother was Cleland S. Baxter, granddaughter of the namesake. On February 3, 1943, the destroyer was commissioned under the command of Lieutenant Commander JB Maher.
After the commissioning, the USS Brownson was used in the Atlantic. She served as an escort and conducted patrols along the east coast of the United States . In May she escorted a convoy to North Africa. It passed the Panama Canal on June 18, 1943 and reached California on June 28.
In July, she moved to Kodiak , Alaska . There she was used again as an escort and for patrol trips. On November 29th, she left Alaska and headed for Pearl Harbor to run from there to the Southwest Pacific.
She took part in Operation Dexterity , the landing on New Britain . Together with the destroyers USS Beale , USS Hutchins and USS Daly, she escorted a convoy with troops and supplies from Cape Cretin in New Guinea to Cape Gloucester . On December 26, 1943, at 7:30 a.m., US Marines landed on New Britain. The USS Brownson took up position offshore after landing and was eight nautical miles north of Cape Gloucester at 14:19 when several Japanese planes were located by the radar. P-38 Lightning were brought in for interception . Some Aichi D3A Val managed to break through the hunting protection and attack the American ships. Two Val attacked the USS Brownson . The destroyer's anti-aircraft system managed to shoot down an attacker. The remaining machine dropped two bombs, which hit the ship at the height of the rear funnel. At 2:50 p.m., the commander of the USS Brownson gave the order to leave the ship. Nine minutes later the destroyer sank. When the ship went down, some depth charges exploded, killing two men swimming in the water. A total of 108 men lost their lives. The survivors were rescued by the USS Daly and the USS Lamson .
Awards
The USS Brownson received a Battle Star for service in World War II.
Individual evidence
- ^ Theodore Roscoe: Destroyer Operations in World War II . Pp. 269-270
literature
- Stefan Terzibaschitsch : Destroyer of the US Navy . Bechtermünz Verlag, Augsburg 1997, ISBN 3-86047-587-8 .
- Alan Raven: Fletcher Class Destroyers . Naval Institute Press, Annapolis 1986, ISBN 0-87021-193-5 .
- Jerry Scutts: Fletcher DDs (US Destroyers) in action (Warships No. 8) . Squadron / signal publications, Carrollton (Texas) 1995, ISBN 978-0-89747-336-1
- Theodore Roscoe: Destroyer Operations in World War II . United States Naval Institute, Annapolis, 1953, ISBN 978-0-87021-726-5
Web links
- History of USS Brownson (DD-518) in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (English)
- navsource.org: USS Brownson (English)
- hazegray.org: USS Brownson (English)