USS Stevens (DD-479)

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USS Stevens (DD-479) on March 15, 1943
USS Stevens (DD-479) on March 15, 1943
Overview
Type destroyer
Shipyard

Charleston Navy Yard

Keel laying December 30, 1941
Launch June 24, 1942
1. Period of service flag
period of service

February 1, 1943–2. July 1946

Whereabouts 1973 sold for demolition
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 Stevens (DD-479) was a for Fletcher class belonging destroyer of the US Navy , who in World War II was used. The Stevens was equipped with a catapult and an aircraft on commissioning. After its decommissioning in 1946, the destroyer was part of the reserve fleet. In 1973 the ship was sold for demolition.

Namesake

The destroyer was named after Captain Thomas Holdup Stevens (1795–1841) and his son Rear Admiral Thomas Holdup Stevens, Jr. (1819–1896). Thomas H. Stevens served in the US Navy in the British-American War and Thomas H. Stevens, Jr. in the American Civil War .

technology

Hull and drive

The hull of the Stevens 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 .

Board aircraft

The Stevens was one of six Fletcher- class destroyers that were to be equipped with a Mark VI aircraft catapult and a Vought Kingfisher aircraft. Besides the Stevens , only two others ( Pringle and Halford ) actually received a catapult. The catapult and the crane to pick up the aircraft were located aft of the second funnel instead of the second torpedo tube set, gun # 3 and the second deck of the deckhouse, on which most Fletcher had a 40mm twin anti-aircraft gun. The 40-mm gun was on the quarterdeck just before the depth charge drainage rails, where 20-mm guns were otherwise.

The original plan provided that the aircraft on board should serve as a reconnaissance aircraft for the destroyer flotilla to which the Stevens belonged. The launch should be done by catapult, the landing near the destroyer on the water. The aircraft was then lifted back onto the catapult by crane. With the construction of new cruisers and fast battleships , which were also equipped with aircraft on board, as well as aircraft carriers in connection with the changed mission profile of the destroyers, the concept proved to be obsolete. Another reason was the weight reserves used up to the limit by the catapult and aircraft, which no longer permitted an increase in anti-aircraft armament that was recognized as necessary. At the end of 1943 the Stevens' catapult was expanded.

Armament and Electronics

The Stevens' main armament when it was commissioned were their four 5-inch, 127-mm-Mark-30 single turrets. The armament was changed after the catapult was removed and a fifth 5-inch turret was added. There were also various anti-aircraft guns . The anti-aircraft armament was further strengthened in the course of the war.

The Stevens 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.

history

The Stevens was laid down in the Charleston Navy Yard on December 30, 1941 and launched on June 24, 1942. Godmothers were Mrs. Roland Curtin and Mrs. Frederik Stevens Hicks. On February 1, 1943, the destroyer was put into service under the command of Commander Frank H. Ball. The Stevens belonged to the Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 50 of the Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 25 .

1943

The Stevens after her reconstruction off Mare Island on December 1, 1943

After completing the test drives in the Atlantic, the Stevens escorted convoys along the east coast of the United States . In July 1943 she moved through the Panama Canal to Pearl Harbor , where she entered on August 9th. At the end of August, she accompanied the aircraft carriers of Task Force (TF) 15 during the attacks on the Gilbert Islands . Then the Stevens drove via Pearl Harbor to Mare Island and went there to the shipyard. While the ship was in dock, the catapult and the crane for the on-board aircraft were removed and the aft torpedo tube set, the fifth 5 "gun and reinforced anti-aircraft armament were installed. The armament thus largely corresponded to the standard armament of the class. After the work was completed in November 1943, it overflowed San Francisco to Pearl Harbor.

1944

At the end of January 1944, the Stevens belonged to Task Group (TG) 52.8 and was used for fire support during Operation Flintlock , the landing on Kwajalein . On February 4, she ran into the South Pacific and escorted a convoy to Guadalcanal together with the Lang .

As part of the TF 37 consisting of two escort aircraft carriers , fourteen other destroyers and the battleships New Mexico , Mississippi , Tennessee and Idaho , it fired at targets in the vicinity of Kavieng in northwest New Ireland in mid-March .

On April 19, the destroyers of DesRon 25 met Task Group (TG) 77.4 and set course for Hollandia . TG 77.4 was the second formation of the invasion troops. On April 22nd, the formation split up and the Stevens covered the western group when landing in Tanahmerah Bay . The destroyer left Hollandia on April 30, 1944, sailed along the east coast of New Guinea and then set course for the Solomon Islands . Stevens reached Purvis Bay on May 10th and stayed in the Solomon Islands until early June. On June 4, she moved to Eniwetok via Kwajalein , where she stayed until July 17, 1944. She left Eniwetok with the TG 53.3 , which transported troops for the landing on Guam . TG 53.3 reached Guam on the morning of July 21, 1944 and the Stevens fired at enemy positions on the island during the landing. Until July 26, she was used to provide fire support for the landing forces.

On September 10, it was subordinated to TF 77 , which Morotai captured on September 15, 1944. On the way back to New Guinea she escorted Manoora and Kanimbla . On September 18, the convoy reached Humboldt Bay and the next day, together with the McKee , she took over the protection of another formation with the destination Morotai. Upon arrival, it was used as a radar outpost and anti-submarine defense. Together with the Lang , she left Morotai on October 3 for Humboldt Bay. Until December 1944 she escorted several convoys between New Guinea and the Gulf of Leyte .

1945

Until the beginning of June 1945, the Stevens was mainly used in the Philippines as an escort and fire support. On June 7th, she left the Philippines and took the TG 74.2 course for Borneo to support the Allied landings. Until the landing on July 1, 1945, the Stevens fired at positions near the coast in preparation for the invasion. During the landing, the naval artillery supported the advance of the troops. On July 2nd, she set course for the Philippines and entered San Pedro Bay on July 5th . Until the end of the war the destroyer remained in the sea area between Manila Bay and Subic Bay .

post war period

On August 28, 1945 the Stevens left Subic Bay and sailed into the Yellow Sea with the TG 71.1 . Together with Bell and Burns , she was ordered to Okinawa on August 30th to join the Carrier Division CarDiv 5 . On September 1, 1945, she left Okinawa with the TF 72 and drove to Korea . She then accompanied the New Orleans to Tsingtao , where Japanese ships were interned. On her return to Korea, she took American troops on board and set sail for the United States on October 13, 1945. The Stevens reached San Diego on November 7, 1945 via Guam and Pearl Harbor . After disembarking the passengers, she moved to San Pedro on November 9 , where she was assigned to the 19th reserve fleet and was overtaken before being deactivated.

Whereabouts

On July 2, 1946, the Stevens was decommissioned and remained in the reserve fleet until December 1, 1972. On November 27th, it was sold to Portland for demolition.

Awards

The Stevens was awarded nine Battle Stars for her service in World War II .

literature

Web links