USS Colhoun (DD-801)

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USS Colhoun (DD-801)
USS Colhoun (DD-801)
Overview
Type destroyer
Shipyard

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding , Seattle

Keel laying August 3, 1943
Launch April 10, 1944
1. Period of service flag
Commissioning July 8, 1944
Whereabouts Sunk on April 6, 1945 after being hit by Kamika
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
  • 5 × single tower 5 inch / 38 caliber Mk. 30
  • 10 × 40 mm guns
  • 7 × 20 mm AA guns (single mounts)
  • 10 × 21-inch torpedo tubes (2 groups of five)
  • 6 WaBo turrets , 2 WaBo drainage racks

The USS Colhoun (DD-801) was a destroyer of Fletcher Class . She was named in 1944 as the second ship after Rear Admiral Edmund Ross Colhoun and was in service with the United States Navy until her sinking on April 6, 1945 .

technology

For full details, see the Class Article: Fletcher Class

Hull and drive

The Colhoun's hull 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 Colhoun's main armament when it was commissioned was its five 5-inch / 127-mm Mark 30 individual turrets. There were also various anti-aircraft guns . The destroyer had been equipped with radar since its commissioning . 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

The Colhoun was laid down on August 3, 1943 at the Todd-Pacific Shipbuilding Corporation in Seattle , Washington . After being christened by Captain KK Johnson of the Women's Army Corps , the destroyer was launched on April 10, 1944 and entered service on July 8, 1944 under the command of Commander GR Wilson.

The Colhoun arrived in Pearl Harbor on October 10, 1944 , where she began exercises and first patrols. In February 1945 she ran to Iwo Jima , where she arrived on February 19. There it secured transport ships, supported the landed troops with artillery fire or was used as a radar outpost. On March 1, she was hit by a heavy coastal battery, killing one crew member and injuring 16 others. After repairs in Saipan , the Colhoun ran to Okinawa , where it arrived at its radar outpost on March 31.

On April 6, 1945 around 3:30 p.m., the Colhoun rushed to the aid of the badly damaged USS Bush during a kamikaze attack. The commander positioned his ship between the damaged bush and the attacking aircraft. The gun crews managed to shoot down three attacking kamikaze planes before another plane pounced on the 40mm gun. The plane's bomb exploded in the rear engine room. After the propulsion and controls were partially restored, three more kamikaze aircraft attacked the destroyer. Two planes could be shot down, the third plane dropped a bomb, the explosion of which broke the Colhoun's keel , tore a large hole in the ship's side and caused serious damage below deck. Because of the failed electrical system, the gun operators tried to manually aim their guns at another trio of attackers, one of whom was shot down and one badly damaged. The third plane crashed on the quarterdeck, its bomb jumped overboard and detonated underwater, the hull of the Colhoun was further torn open. After another kamikaze aircraft set fire to the bridge, USS LCS-48 disembarked most of the crew around 6:00 p.m. Only a hull crew remained on board while a tug attempted to tow the Colhoun to Okinawa. Severe list, uncontrollable water ingress and fires that got out of control on board thwarted the attempt, so that the Colhoun was sunk with gunfire at 27 ° 16 ′ 0 ″  N , 127 ° 48 ′ 0 ″  E by the USS Cassin Young . 32 Colhoun crew members died during the kamikaze attack, 23 others were wounded, two of whom died later.

The Colhoun received a Battle Star for its use during World War II.

Web links

Commons : USS Colhoun (DD-801)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files