USS Chevalier (DD-451)
_in_1942_(80-G-43647).jpg) USS Chevalier (DD-451), 1942 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | destroyer |
| Shipyard | |
| Keel laying | April 30, 1941 |
| Launch | April 11, 1942 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| Commissioning | June 20, 1942 |
| Removed from ship register | November 16, 1943 |
| Whereabouts | irreparably damaged and abandoned on October 6, 1943 off Vella Lavella |
| Technical specifications | |
| displacement |
2,100 ts |
| length |
114.7 meters |
| width |
12.2 meters |
| Draft |
5.4 meters |
| crew |
9 officers, 264 men |
| drive |
|
| speed |
35 knots |
| Range |
6,500 nautical miles (11,700 km) at 15 knots |
| Armament |
|
| Nickname |
Chevy |
The USS Chevalier (DD-451) was a destroyer of Fletcher class of United States Navy . The ship, which entered service with the US Navy in the summer of 1942, had to be abandoned after the Battle of Vella Lavella due to irreparable damage. She was the first ship named after Lieutenant Commander Godfrey Chevalier, a pioneer in US naval aviation.
technology
For full details, see the Class Article: Fletcher Class
Hull and drive
The hull of the Chevalier was 114.7 m long and 12.2 m wide. The draft was 5.4 m, the displacement was 2,100 ts . 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 wave horsepower, the top speed was over 35 knots .
Armament and Electronics
The main armament of the Chevalier when commissioned were their five 5-inch / 127-mm-Mark 30 individual turrets. In addition, there were various anti-aircraft guns , which were reinforced in the course of the war.
The Chevalier had been equipped with radar since it was commissioned . An SG and an SC radar antenna 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.
history
Construction and commissioning
The Chevalier was laid down on April 30, 1941 at Bath Iron Works in Bath , Maine . After the ship was christened by Mrs. G. DeC. Chevalier, the widow of the namesake, launched the ship on April 11, 1942 and, after completion of the equipment work, entered service with the US Navy on June 20, 1942 under the command of Lieutenant Commander Ephraim R. McLean, Jr. Her first duties between October 3 and November 11 included escorting convoys on the US east coast and reinforcing troops in North Africa. On December 17, 1942, the Chevalier left Norfolk for the Pacific.
Pacific
On January 22nd, 1943, the Chevalier arrived on Efate ( New Hebrides ). On January 27, the destroyer left the island as part of Task Force 18 to secure troop transports to Guadalcanal . On January 28 and 29, the US ships were attacked by Japanese planes, while the Chevalier provided anti- aircraft support during the Battle of Rennell Island . After the battle, the destroyer patrolled the sea area around Efate, from February 14th from Espiritu Santo .
On May 7, the Chevalier escorted three mine- layers to Blacket Strait and the Gulf of Kula, where three Japanese destroyers were badly damaged by the mines and later sunk by planes the following night. Between May 11th and 14th, the ship supported the bombing of Vila on Kolombangara and secured a renewed mining of the Gulf of Kula. On June 28th, the Chevalier left Kolombangara to protect the American landing forces from reinforcing the Japanese troops at Munda Point . On the night of July 5, ships began bombarding targets on the island when the USS Strong was hit by a Japanese torpedo. The Chevalier rammed the Strong to keep her afloat and to enable the crew of the struck ship to rescue. 241 crew members of the Strong were rescued while Japanese coastal batteries engaged in a firefight with the USS O'Bannon , which had also rushed to support. On July 8, the Chevalier returned to Espiritu Santo to have the damage to the bow repaired.
Solomon Islands
,_USS_Chevalier_(DD-451)_and_USS_Taylor_(DD-468)_underway_on_15_August_1943_(80-G-58803).jpg)
After completion of the work on July 22nd, the Chevalier ran into the Solomon Islands , where it carried out patrols until August 14th. On August 15, the destroyer supported the American landing on Vella Lavella . Two days later, the Chevalier and three other destroyers were again ordered to Kolombangara to intercept a Japanese convoy. On August 29, the destroyer returned to Espiritu Santo, and in September it accompanied a convoy to Sydney , Australia .
On October 6, the Chevalier, along with the O'Bannon and the USS Selfridge , intercepted a convoy of nine Japanese destroyers attempting to evacuate Japanese troops from Velle Lavella. Although outnumbered, the US ships attacked the Japanese and scored multiple gun hits. After firing about half of their torpedoes, the American ships ran towards the Japanese to attack them at close range. At 10:05 p.m., the Chevalier was hit on the bow at the bow by a torpedo, which tore off the entire forecastle up to the bridge. The O'Bannon , which ran directly behind the Chevalier , could no longer avoid the badly hit destroyer and rammed it aft at the level of the engine room. The heavily damaged ship lay in the water without propulsion and unable to maneuver. While the commander ordered the ship to be abandoned and surrendered, he nevertheless let a volley of torpedoes fire on the already burning destroyer Yūgumo , which subsequently exploded. At 11:26 p.m. the Chevalier was finally abandoned and her crew was rescued by the O'Bannon . The wreckage of the destroyer was sunk the following day by an American destroyer with a torpedo, the torn off bow a short time later with depth charges. 54 sailors were killed and 36 wounded on board the Chevalier .
The Chevalier received three Battle Stars for their service in the Pacific War .
Web links
- Pictures of the Chevalier at navsource.org
- History of the Chevalier at destroyerhistory.org (Eng.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ destroyerhistory.org , as of December 29, 2008
- ↑ Report of Enemy Action Resulting in Loss of Vessel , as of December 29, 2008