USS Luce (DD-522)

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USS Luce 1944 in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 18D
USS Luce 1944 in camouflage Camouflage Measure 32, Design 18D
Overview
Type destroyer
Shipyard

Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation

Keel laying August 24, 1942
Launch March 6, 1943
1. Period of service flag
period of service

June 21, 1943–6. May 1945

Whereabouts Sunk by Kamikaze on May 6, 1945
Technical specifications
displacement

2,100  ts

length

114.7 meters

width

12.2 meters

Draft

5.4 meters

crew

312

drive
speed

35 kn

Range

6,500  nautical miles (11,700 km) at 15 knots

Armament

When commissioning:

  • 5 × 5 inch L / 38 Mk.30 single towers
  • 6 × 40 mm flak
  • 10 × 20 mm flak
  • 10 × 21-inch torpedo tube (2 groups of five)
  • 6 depth charges
  • 2 depth charges

The USS Luce (DD-522) was a for Fletcher Class belonging destroyer of the US Navy . She took part in the Second World War between 1943 and 1945 . On May 4, 1945, it was sunk by a kamikaze attack.

Namesake

Stephen Luce (1827–1917) was Rear Admiral in the United States Navy. He was the founder of the Naval War College and its first president from 1884 to 1886.

technology

Hull and drive

The hull of the USS Luce 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 were five 5 "L / 38 Mk.30 single turrets and two torpedo tube sets, each with five 21" torpedoes. There were also six 40-mm Bofors - and ten 20-mm Oerlikon - anti-aircraft guns . As early as September 1943, the 20-mm guns in the area of ​​the bridge were replaced by 40-mm guns, so that the USS Luce had five 40-mm twin guns and seven 20-mm guns on single mounts. To combat submarines, the ship was equipped with two drainage rails for 600 lb. depth charges at the stern and three K-Gun water bomb launchers for 300 lb. depth charges on the starboard and port sides.

The USS Luce 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 Luce was laid down at Bethlehem Steel Corporation on Staten Island on August 24, 1942 . She was baptized on March 6, 1943 by the wife of the grandson of the namesake and commissioned on June 21, 1943 under the command of Commander DC Varian. The USS Luce was part of Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 98 of Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 49 .

1943

The USS Luce left New York on September 5, 1943 and sailed through the Panama Canal with stops in Trinidad and in San Diego to Bremerton . On November 1, she set course for Pearl Harbor , where she served as plane guard for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise and took part in target practice. On November 24th she ran to Adak and operated on Attu from there .

1944

On the night of February 3 to 4, 1944, the USS Luce, as part of Task Force (TF) 94, shelled Paramushir in the northern Kuril Islands and sank a Japanese cargo ship. On June 13th the TF 94 fired at Matsuwa in the central Kuril Islands and on June 26th again at Paramishir. On August 8, the USS Luce set course for San Francisco and drove from there to Pearl Harbor, where it entered on August 31, 1944.

She was assigned to TF 79 , which operated from Manus . During the Battle of Leyte from October 20 to 23, it took up position in front of the landing sections and served to protect the areas from air raids. Between November 1 and December 12, she was used for anti-submarine hunting and escort services between Manus and New Guinea . She then supported the landings in Huongolf until December 27, 1944. On December 27, she escorted troop carriers for Operation Musketeer: Mike I , the Battle of Luzon .

1945

The unit reached the target area on January 9, 1945. The USS Luce protected the troop transport and LST during the landing in the Gulf of Lingayen . A Japanese plane was shot down on January 11th. Together with 40 other ships, she then fought her way to San Pedro Bay , where she arrived on January 16. She patrolled this sea area until January 25th and then participated in the landing near San Antonio . On January 30th she set course for Mindoro and was deployed in the escort service between Subic Bay and San Pedro Bay from February 2nd to March 24th .

On March 24, she left Leyte and escorted TF 51 to Kelse Shima , which was shot at in support of the landings on Okinawa . The USS Luce was detached from the TF 51 on April 1 and used as a radar outpost off the Kerama Islands . On May 4th at 7:40 a.m. two Japanese planes broke through the American fighter protection and pounced on the destroyer. The USS Luce was able to shoot down the first attacker, but the crashing plane hit the destroyer at the height of the forward funnel, causing the electrical supply to fail. The guns could no longer be aimed fast enough to fight the second attacker. Coming from port, the engine hit the level of the aft engine room, which resulted in failure of the port engine, water ingress and failure of the rudder. At 8:14 am, the USS Luce was already listing heavily to starboard and began to sink over the stern. The commander gave the order to leave the ship. 149 men lost their lives.

Awards

The USS Luce was awarded five Battle Stars .

literature

Individual evidence

  1. ^ T. Roscoe: Destroyer Operations in World War II. P. 478.

Web links

Commons : USS Luce (DD-522)  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files