USS Bush (DD-529)
_off_the_Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard,_California_(USA),_on_11_June_1944_(NH_98928).jpg) USS Bush on June 11, 1944 off Mare Island |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | destroyer |
| Shipyard | |
| Keel laying | February 12, 1942 |
| Launch | October 27, 1942 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| period of service |
May 10, 1943-6. April 1945 |
| Whereabouts | Sunk off Okinawa on April 6, 1945 |
| 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 Bush (DD-529) was a for Fletcher Class belonging destroyer of the US Navy . She took part in World War II and was sunk off Okinawa on April 6, 1945 .
Namesake
First Lieutenant William Sharp Bush was an officer in the United States Marine Corps . He served aboard the USS Constitution during the British-American War . He was fatally wounded during the engagement of the USS Constitution with the British frigate HMS Guerriere on August 19, 1812. William Bush was the USMC's first officer to die in combat.
technology
For full details, see the Class Article: Fletcher Class
Hull and drive
The hull of the Bush 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 was five 5 "/38-Mk.30 single turrets and two torpedo tube sets, each with five 21" torpedo tubes. For air defense, the Bush was equipped with five 40-mm Bofors - and ten 20-mm Oerlikon - anti-aircraft guns. As early as July 1943, it received increased anti-aircraft armament. The 20-mm guns in the area of the bridge were replaced by 40-mm guns, so that the Bush had five 40-mm twin guns and seven 20-mm guns on single mounts. To combat submarines, the ship was equipped at the stern with two drainage racks for 600 lb. depth charges and with three K-Gun water bomb launchers each for 300 lb. depth charges on the star and port sides.
The Bush 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 Bush was laid down at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation in San Francisco on February 12, 1942 . On October 27, 1942, she was baptized by Marion Jackson, the namesake's great niece, and commissioned on May 10, 1943 under the command of Commander WF Peterson.
1943
After the test drive, the Bush was modified and the anti-aircraft armament reinforced. She served in Alaska patrol and escort service between July 29 and November 27 . She reached Pearl Harbor on December 4, 1943 and then moved to the Pacific War Zone.
1944
Between December 26, 1942 and March 31, 1944, the Bush was used in patrol service, as an escort and for fire support and supported the landing at Saidor in New Guinea from January 18 to 21. Together with USS Hutchins , USS Beale , USS Bache , USS Daly , USS Abner Read , USS Ammen , USS Mullany , HMAS Arunta and HMAS Warramunga , she made the landing on Morotai , the last major landing operation in New Guinea, and between Participated in the Battle of Leyte on October 20 and 24 . On November 1, 1944, the Bush shot down two planes during an air raid. She was involved in the Battle of Mindoro from December 12th to 18th.
1945
The Bush then took part in the landings in the Gulf of Lingayen (January 4th to 18th), Iwojima (February 19th to March 9th) and Okinawa (April 1st to 6th).
On April 3, the Bush was used as a radar outpost about 50 NM north of Okinawa. In this position she fended off several air strikes and was able to shoot down an attacking aircraft on the morning of April 6th. At 3:15 p.m. she was hit by a low-lying kamikaze amidships on the starboard side, causing the aircraft's torpedo or bomb to explode in the forward engine room. It was possible to bring the broken fires under control and to keep the ship buoyant. The nearby sister ship USS Colhoun rushed to help. At around 5:00 p.m., the two destroyers were attacked again. Colhoun positioned himself between the Bush and the attacking aircraft and received several bomb hits. Bush was hit again by Kamikaze around 5:25 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. and broke apart. 87 Bush crew members died in the kamikaze attack and 42 others were wounded.
Awards
The Bush was awarded seven Battle Stars for service in World War II.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Loss of USS Bush in T. Roscoe: Destroyer Operations in World War II. P. 474ff.
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 .
- David Brown: Warship Losses of World War Two. Arms and Armor, London 1990, ISBN 0-85368-802-8 .
Web links
- History of USS Bush (DD-529) in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (English)
- navsource.org: USS Bush (English)
- hazegray.org: USS Bush (English)
- USS Bush website (English)