USS Little (DD-803)

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USS Little (DD-803)
USS Little (DD-803)
Overview
Type destroyer
Shipyard

Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding , Seattle

Keel laying September 13, 1943
Launch May 22, 1944
1. Period of service flag
Commissioning August 19, 1944
Whereabouts Sank on May 3, 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 × 5 inch / 38 caliber Mk. 30 single turrets
  • 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 Little (DD-803) was a destroyer of Fletcher class of United States Navy . She was the second ship named after Captain George Little (1754-1809) and entered service with the US Navy in August 1944. The Little sank on May 3, 1945 after several kamikaze hits.

technology

For full details, see the Class Article: Fletcher Class

Hull and drive

The hull of the Little 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 Little's main armament when it was commissioned was its five 5-inch / 127-mm-Mark 30 single 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 USS Little was laid down on September 13, 1943 at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding in Seattle , Washington state . After being christened by Mrs. Russell F. O'Hara, the destroyer was launched on May 22, 1944 and entered service on August 19, 1944 under the command of Commander Madison Hall, Jr.

After the first training trips off the US west coast, the Little Seattle left on November 11, 1944 to escort a supply convoy to Pearl Harbor . On November 23, the ship arrived in Hawaii, where it participated in several exercises and maneuvers. On January 22, 1945, she set course for Eniwetok together with some LSTs , where initial preparations for the invasion of Iwo Jima were taking place. On February 15, the Little Saipan left for the landing zones.

The destroyer arrived off Iwo Jima on February 19 and began shelling and supporting landed troops. On February 24, the Little set course for Saipan, and on March 4, she returned to Iwo Jima. After returning to Saipan on March 14, preparations began for the landing on Okinawa . On March 27, the destroyer drove to Okinawa, where it supported a diversionary maneuver. After completing the deception, the Little secured transporters and dropships on their way to the beach. On April 19, it was assigned as a radar outpost, and remained at its post until April 24, when supplies were bunkered at the Kerama Islands base.

On April 28, the Little returned to her position as a radar outpost, accompanied by the Aaron Ward and four smaller ships. On May 3, the ships got into a heavy air raid, around 6.13 p.m. 18 to 24 planes attacked the destroyers from the cloud cover. The Aaron Ward was hit at 18:41 , and immediately afterwards a kamikaze plane hit the Little's port side . In the next four minutes, three more kamikaze hit the destroyer. With a broken keel and completely flooded engine rooms that broke Little apart at 19:55 and dropped to 26 ° 24 '0 "  N , 126 ° 15' 0"  O . 30 crew members were killed in the attack.

The Little received two Battle Stars for her service during World War II .

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