USS Kimberly (DD-521)

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USS Kimberly on October 6, 1944 off Mare Island
USS Kimberly on October 6, 1944 off Mare Island
Overview
Type destroyer
Shipyard

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation

Keel laying July 27, 1942
Launch February 4, 1943
1. Period of service flag
period of service

May 22, 1943 - January 15, 1954

Whereabouts On June 1, 1967 on loan to the Republic of China.
Sunk as a target ship on October 14, 2003
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 Kimberly (DD-521) was a for Fletcher Class belonging destroyer of the US Navy . She took part in World War II and the Korean War. In 1967 she was loaned to the Republic of China (Taiwan) , where she was put into service as An Yang (DD-18) . In 2003 she was sunk as a target ship.

Namesake

Rear Adm. Lewis Ashfield Kimberly (1830-1902) was an officer in the United States Navy. He took part in the American Civil War and in 1887 became commander of the US Asia Squadron .

technology

Hull and drive

The hull of the USS Kimberly was 114.7 m long and 12.2 m wide. The draft was 5.4 m, the displacement was 2,100 tons . The drive of the ship was carried out by two steam turbines from General Electric , the steam was in four boilers Babcock & Wilcox generated. 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-inch guns (127 mm) / 38 cal. Mark 12 in single turrets Mark 30 Mod.0 and two torpedo tube sets, each with five 21 " torpedo tubes . For air defense, the USS Kimberly was equipped with six 40 mm Bofors - and ten 20-mm Oerlikon - anti-aircraft guns .. fitted in September 1943, she received an enhanced air defense armament the 20-mm guns in the area of the bridge were replaced by 40-mm guns, so the USS Kimberly five 40- The anti-aircraft armament was further strengthened when it received the Emergency Kamikaze Refit in June 1945. The two 40 mm twin guns amidships were replaced by 40 mm quad guns. In order to create space for the aiming devices, the front torpedo tube set was removed and instead a platform was installed between the chimneys on which the aiming devices were installed They added three 40-mm twin guns and two 40-mm quadruple guns and six 20-mm twin guns. 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 starboard and port sides.

The USS Kimberly 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 Kimberly was laid down on July 27, 1942 at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation on Staten Island . She was baptized on February 4, 1943 by Elsie S. Kimberly, daughter of the namesake, and commissioned on May 22, 1943 under the command of Commander Harry W. Smith.

1943

After the end of the test drives, the USS Kimberly left the Norfolk naval base on September 10, 1943 and moved to the Pacific . In Pearl Harbor she took part in further training. On November 20, 1943, she reached Makin and took part in the retaking of the Gilbert Islands . It was used in the anti-submarine shield to protect battleships and cruisers . On December 6th, she ran from Tarawa to San Francisco to go to the shipyard there.

1944

On January 22, 1944, after completing the repairs, she left San Francisco and headed for the Aleutian Islands . As part of Task Force (TF) 94 , she drove from Attu to Paramushir to combat the anti-aircraft positions at Suribachi Wan and Kurabi Saki. The destroyer remained in the Aleutian Islands until September 18, during which time it undertook anti-submarine patrols, exercises and renewed attacks on targets in the Kuril Islands . On September 18, the ship ran to San Francisco. From there the USS Kimberly ran to Manus and took part in the preparations for the reconquest of the Philippines . On November 10th, she escorted a convoy to the Gulf of Leyte . While escorting another convoy to Mangarin Bay on the west coast of Mindoro, she was able to shoot down an attacking Japanese plane and was involved in the downing of two more machines.

1945

The USS Kimberly left Leyte on January 2, 1945 and protected a battleship formation that was to fire at targets on the island in preparation for the landing on Luzon . On the way to the Gulf of Lingayen , which she reached on January 6, she shot down three planes. Until the end of January it was used against railway lines and supply depots.

In February, the USS Kimberly prepared for Operation Iceberg , scheduled for April 1 , to land in Okinawa . On March 21, she left San Pedro Bay and took up position as a radar outpost off the Kerama Islands . She was attacked by two Aichi D3A Val on March 26, 1945 at 6:15 a.m. The destroyer opened fire on the approaching machines whereupon they turned off. When the fire ceased, a Val set course again for the USS Kimberly and approached the hard rudder ship from aft. The 40 mm guns opened fire at a distance of 4000 yards (approx. 3600 m). When the aircraft was 1,500 yd away, it reduced altitude to about 50 m. The 20mm guns entered the battle at a distance of 1,200 yards. As the aircraft approached the wake , the controls of the 20 mm guns were knocked off their feet by every 5 "volley, which greatly hampered the use of these guns. The aircraft reached the stern of the at a height of approximately 33 m When the machine was level with the 40mm gun # 5, which was still firing, it tilted and fell between guns 53 and 54 directly into the 40mm gun # 5.

According to the commander's report, the damage caused was:

"Ship's crew reduced by 18%, two 5" / 38 guns out of action, one 40 mm gun lost, effectiveness of the 20 mm guns reduced by at least 30% (Mk-18 fire control systems failed), all radar and Spare parts for fire control systems destroyed, two K-Guns and five loading rails [of the drainage racks] failed, [smoke generator damaged], two fuel bunkers damaged. "

Four men were killed in the attack and 57 were wounded. The fact that there were no more victims was due, among other things, to the fact that the first officer ( Executive Officer (XO)) and the chief engineer ( Chief Engineer ) had agreed what to do in the event of a kamikaze attack. The XO should inform the engine room so that all ventilation could be closed in time. When the 20 mm guns open fire, the vents should be closed independently even without information. This agreement saved the aft engine room and the crew there. On the afternoon of March 31st, the damaged destroyer set course for Ulithi for temporary repairs. The USS Kimberly then drove to the Mare Island Naval Shipyard , where it arrived on April 25.

On August 10, she ran out of Pearl Harbor and returned to the war zone. During the journey to join the 3rd US Fleet, news of Japan's surrender reached the ship. On September 4, which reached USS Kimberly the Tokyo Bay and escorted two days later, the USS Missouri returned to the United States . On October 18, the ships entered Philadelphia . After the Navy Day celebrations , she left Philadelphia on November 2 and arrived in Charleston a day later .

1946-1966

The USS Kimberly remained at the Charleston Naval Base until February 5, 1947, when it was assigned to the reserve fleet.

On February 8, 1951, she was put back into service under the command of CDR OB Parker. After completing the test and training trips, she ran out of Norfolk on May 15, 1951 and moved to the Pacific. It reached Yokosuka on June 18. On June 23, she set course for the west coast of Korea , where she was used for fire support . Her other tasks included anti-submarine defense and the use of air traffic control ships ( Plane Guard ) for the aircraft carriers deployed . In mid-September, she ran into the waters off Taiwan to conduct patrols. On October 6, she went on home course and drove with a stay in the Philippines through the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean to Norfolk, where she entered on December 12, 1951.

On June 20, the USS Kimberly was moved to Charleston and decommissioned there on January 15, 1954. After twelve years in the reserve fleet, the destroyer went to Boston and was overhauled in the Boston Naval Shipyard .

ROCS To Yang

On June 1, 1967, the destroyer was loaned to the Republic of China, which put the ship into service as An Yang (DD-18) . In the mid-1980s, the An Yang was converted into a guided missile destroyer and received the registration DDG-918 . It was decommissioned on September 16, 1999.

Whereabouts

On October 14, 2003, the An Yang was sunk as a target ship during exercise Lieng Hsing 90 off southern Taiwan.

Awards

The USS Kimberly was awarded five Battle Stars for service in World War II. She received another Battle Star during the Korean War.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Action Report by Cdr Whitfield in T. Roscoe: Destroyer Operations in World War II. P. 467.
  2. ^ A b Action Report by Cdr Whitfield in T. Roscoe: Destroyer Operations in World War II. P. 468.
  3. ↑ Photo of the sinking: on flickr.com

literature

Web links