USS Taylor (DD-468)
_in_San_Francisco_Bay,_California_(USA),_on_26_January_1944_(80-G-1038542).jpg) USS Taylor in January 1944 |
|
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Type | destroyer |
| Shipyard | |
| Keel laying | August 28, 1941 |
| Launch | June 7, 1942 |
| 1. Period of service |
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|
| period of service |
August 28, 1942 - June 3, 1969 |
| Whereabouts | Delivery to the Italian Navy on July 2, 1969 |
| 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 Taylor (DD-468) was a destroyer in the US Navy and belonged to the Fletcher class . She took part in World War II and was the first destroyer to anchor in Japanese waters after the end of the war. After she was temporarily decommissioned, she took part in the Korean and Vietnam wars. In 1969 she was handed over to the Italian Navy , which kept her in service until 1971 as the NMM Lanciere (D-560) . It was then cannibalized as a spare parts donor for its sister ships.
Namesake
Rear Admiral William Rogers Taylor (1811–1889) was an officer in the United States Navy . He took part in the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War on the Union side.
technology
Hull and drive
The hull of the USS Taylor 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 USS Taylor when it entered service was its five 5-inch / 127-mm Mark. 30 single turrets. There were also various anti-aircraft guns , which were reinforced in the course of the war. In 1948/49 the ship was converted into an anti-submarine destroyer and received increased anti-submarine armament, including a Mk.108 anti-submarine launcher in front of the bridge.
The USS Taylor 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 USS Taylor was laid down at Bath Iron Works on August 28, 1941 and launched on June 7, 1942. Godmother was Mrs. HA Baldridge. On August 28, 1942, the ship was put into service under the command of Lieutenant Commander Benjamin Katz.
1942
The USS Taylor was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. After her test drive, she drove until mid-November as a unit of the Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 20 in escort service along the east coast. She then escorted a convoy to Casablanca . She returned to Norfolk in early December and stayed there until mid-December. On December 17, the destroyer moved together with Task Force (TF) 13 to the Pacific.
1943
On January 20, 1943, the USS Taylor reached Nouméa , New Caledonia . From Nouméa the destroyer continued to Efate , New Hebrides , where she arrived on January 26th. The USS Taylor was assigned to Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 41 of DesRon 21 . This provided four of the eight destroyers that were used to protect TF 18 , an association consisting of three heavy cruisers , three light cruisers and two escort aircraft carriers . Task Force 18 left the island on February 27 . TF 18 had the task of meeting a ship formation with supplies and reinforcements for Guadalcanal and escorting them to the island. Reports from the naval intelligence service that the Japanese were bringing a formation with large quantities of supplies to Guadalcanal turned out to be false. Instead of reinforcing the troops, the ships were used to evacuate the Japanese soldiers.
Battle of Rennell Island
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On January 29, there was TF 18 of the island 50 nautical miles north Rennell , as at dusk Japanese Mitsubishi G4M- "Betty" - torpedo bomber unnoticed anflogen the dressing at low altitude from the east. At 7.45 p.m. the USS Chicago received a torpedo hit in the forecastle. As a result of the hit, three of its four drive shafts failed. A second torpedo hit boiler room # 3 and the forward engine room full of water. The USS Chicago remained idle. The USS Taylor protected the remaining ships of the formation when they ran out of range of the aircraft.
After the end of the attack, the USS Louisville towed the ailing cruiser and in the early morning of January 30, 1943, the formation was en route to Espiritu Santo at a speed of four knots . Shortly after the USS Louisville handed over the tow rope to the tug USS Navajo , twelve "Betties" south of New Georgia were reported heading for Rennell. The USS Chicago received two more torpedo hits and was abandoned by the crew a short time later. At 16:44 she sank over the stern. The USS La Vallette was also damaged during the attack and left the area towed by the USS Navajo . The Battle of Rennell Island delayed the orderly withdrawal of Japanese troops from Guadalcanal and allowed American troops to be reinforced and the final phase of the Battle of Guadalcanal to begin.
February – September 1943
The DesRon21 was assigned to TF 67 on February 4, 1943 , which was renamed TF 18 a short time later (the previous TF 18 became TF 19 ). On the night of March 15-16, she and the USS Nicholas , the USS Radford and the USS Strong shelled the Vila-Stanmore Plantation on Kolombangara . On March 26, the USS Taylor left Espiritu Santo to escort the USS Kanawha , the USS Aloe and six coastal ships to Guadalcanal . While the USS Kanawha was unloading its cargo, the USS Taylor joined the cruisers of the TF 18 , which operated in the New Georgia Sound called The Slot between the island chains of the northern and southern Solomon Islands . On April 7, the destroyer was ordered back to meet the USS Kanawha . Shortly before the destroyer's arrival in Tulagi , Japanese Aichi D3A "Val" attacked the USS Kanawha and scored several bomb hits. The USS Taylor left the Ironbottom Sound area through the Sealark Canal at 30 knots and claimed the destruction of three enemy aircraft and the damage of two more. The USS Taylor escorted convoys between the Solomon Islands and Espiritu Santo until April 20, 1943 and then returned to TF 18 . After a brief overhaul, the destroyer accompanied the cruisers to cover the mines in the Gulf of Vella between Vella Lavella and Kolombangara. Between May 11 and May 14, the ship supported the bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara, Enogai Inlet and Bairoko Harbor.
The USS Taylor left Espiritu Santo with the USS Munargo on May 25 and escorted them to 180 degrees . She returned to Espiritu Santo on May 30th. On June 10, she escorted a convoy of troop carriers to Guadalcanal when the convoy south of San Cristobal was attacked by Japanese planes. After the damage it had suffered, the USS Taylor was part of the anti -submarine shield of the escort aircraft carrier USS Sangamon . On July 6, she set course for Tulagi and was assigned to TF 31 . On July 11 and 12, the destroyer covered the landings at Rice Anchorage on the Kula Gulf . On the morning of July 12, she attacked and damaged a Japanese RO submarine , but could not find any evidence of sinking. In the afternoon, the USS Taylor was temporarily assigned to TF 18 to intercept a Japanese formation. The naval units met in the evening at the battle of Kolombangara . The USS Taylor and the other destroyers fired their torpedoes at the enemy ships and then used their artillery. The Japanese cruiser Jintsū was hit by a torpedo and broke in two. The commander of the Japanese association Rear Admiral Shunji Izaki went down with his flagship .
The USS Taylor then returned to TF 31 and continued to support the landings in the Solomon Islands. On the night of July 15-16, she took in survivors of the cruiser USS Helena , sunk in the Battle of the Kula Gulf , who had rescued themselves on Vella Lavella . The USS Taylor supported the landings at Enogai Inlet on the night of July 23rd to 24th and fired at targets in Bairoko Harbor. The next morning they used their artillery against Japanese positions in the vicinity of Munda on New Georgia . The USS Taylor left Guadalcanal on July 30th to escort a convoy of troop carriers to New Caledonia. During the voyage, she was ordered to Nouméa and was ordered to join the TF 37 at Efate.
,_USS_Chevalier_(DD-451)_and_USS_Taylor_(DD-468)_underway_on_15_August_1943_(80-G-58803).jpg)
On August 11, the Taylor was ordered back to Guadalcanal along with her sister ships Nicholas , O'Bannon and Chevalier . The destroyers again belonged to TF 31 , which supported the landing of US Marines on Vella Lavella on August 15. Two days later, the destroyers ran to Horaniu to intercept a Japanese formation consisting of a total of 20 landing craft and auxiliary ships, which was accompanied by four destroyers. In the battle of Horaniu , which was fought at a great distance, the American ships scored several hits on the destroyer Hamakaze , which led to slight damage. After various missions in the sea area around Vella Lavella, the Taylor left Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands on August 28 to escort the Titania to Nouméa. After a subsequent ten-day stay in Sydney, the destroyer escorted troop transports from Nouméa to Guadalcanal.
Battle of Vella Lavella
On the night of October 6-7, 1943, the USS Taylor , USS Ralph Talbot and USS La Valette received orders to reinforce the USS O'Bannon , USS Selfridge and USS Chevalier on one of nine Japanese destroyers , some barges and supply ships operated. The association was sighted around 10:30 p.m. Without waiting for reinforcements, fire was opened on the Japanese destroyers. The Japanese destroyer Yūgumo was hit by torpedoes and was unable to maneuver. A torpedo from the Yūgumo hit the USS Chevalier , causing its forward ammunition chamber to explode. The USS O'Bannon could no longer evade the hit destroyer and rammed the stern. Both ships remain wedged together for a while. Another torpedo hit the USS Selfridge and tore its bow off behind the first turret. The destroyers of the second group were still 15 minutes away and the Japanese ships moved away. USS Taylor went alongside the USS Selfridge and took over most of the crew. A core crew remained on board the USS Selfridge and was able to keep the ship buoyant. The two damaged destroyers were escorted back to Purvis Bay by the USS Taylor . The USS Chavalier could not be saved and was sunk by the USS La Valette around 3:00 a.m. The evacuation of Japanese troops from Vella Lavella was successfully completed, but the Japanese lost the Yūgumo by another torpedo hit. The Battle of Vella Lavella is believed to be the last Japanese victory in a naval battle of World War II.
October – December
On October 17, 1943, the USS Taylor and the other destroyers of DesDiv 41 left the Solomon Islands and escorted troop transports to Efate, where the destroyers were assigned to TF 37 . Between 23 and 26 October, escorted USS Talor the USS Lassen to Noumea and the USS Aldebaran back to Efate. DesDiv 41 was on October 31 in preparation for the conquest of the Gilbert Islands of Task Group (TG) 50.1 , which form the core of the aircraft carrier USS Lexington , USS Yorktown and USS Cowpens was assigned.
The USS Taylor protected TG 50.1 during the attacks on Jaluit and Mili in early November. During the landings on the Gilbert Islands , it was used for anti-aircraft and anti-submarine defense. She then accompanied the aircraft carriers during the attacks on the Marshall Islands . On December 4, she was able to shoot down two of four attacking Nakajima B5N "Kate" together with the USS La Vallette and USS San Francisco . The USS Taylor went to San Francisco for overhaul , where it arrived on December 16.
1944
After completing the work, she set sail again on February 1 and ran back to the Western Pacific via Pearl Harbor . On February 18, she reached Kwajalein . She escorted a convoy to Eniwetok , where she was part of the umbrella of the aircraft carriers USS Coral Sea and USS Corregidor from February 29 . On the same day, the Union left Eniwetok and reached Pearl Harbor on March 3rd. After twelve days, USS Taylor left Pearl Harbor and escorted USS Sangamon , USS Suwannee , USS Chenango and USS Santee to Purvis Bay. On April 5, she entered Milne Bay to temporarily belong to the 7th Fleet. On April 8, she ran to Cape Sudest , New Guinea , where she joined the TF 77 , which carried out the landing in Humboldt Bay . On April 24th she escorted a convoy back to Cape Sudest. From there she moved to Morobe Bay , where she lay on standby alongside the USS Dobbin for the remainder of the month . During the first week of May she brought a convoy from Cape Cretin on the former Kaiser-Wilhelms-Land to Hollandia . She returned to Cape Cretin and escorted an LST convoy to the Russell Islands . On May 13, the destroyer reported back to the 3rd Fleet and escorted another convoy to New Caledonia. USS Taylor and the other DesDiv 41 ships arrived at their new base, Blanche Harbor in the Treasury Islands on May 27th. While her sister ships were firing at Japanese gun emplacements on New Ireland on the night of May 28-29, the USS Taylor was patrolling the coast.
The DesDiv 41 destroyers were used for anti -submarine defense until mid-June . On June 10, USS Taylor dropped depth charges on a submarine, forcing it to surface. She damaged the submarine by fire with the 5 "and 40 mm guns. The submarine submerged again and after two further attacks with depth charges, it was considered a possible sinking.
On August 5, she was returned to the 7th Fleet, and on September 6, she participated in exercises that included bombardment of the area around Aitape and landings in Moffin Bay . The exercises served in preparation for the landings on Morotai on September 15, 1944. The rest of the month, she was used as a fighter guide and as a unit of the anti-aircraft and anti-submarine shield of the association.
USS Taylor escorted convoys to the landing area until mid-October. Between October 18 and October 24, she protected the second convoy with reinforcements for the landing on Leyte . On October 27th and 28th she was part of the glider of TG 77.1 and rescued a downed pilot of the USS Enterprise and a crew member of the USS Petrof Bay from distress. She was placed under TG 77.2 on October 29th and left the Gulf of Leyte . After staying in the sea eagle harbor on Ulithi and in Kossol Roads , she returned to the Gulf of Leyte on November 16, to monitor the east entrance of the Strait of Surigao until November 29 . On November 29th there was a heavy air raid with kamikaze and dive bombers . USS Taylor claimed the downing of an airplane. She left the Gulf of Leyte again to be stationed in Seeadlerhafen for almost a month and returned to the Gulf of Leyte on December 28, 1944 in preparation for the landing on Luzon .
1945
USS Taylor left the Gulf of Leyte on January 4, 1945 and set course for Luzon as escort for the cruisers . On January 5, they sank a Japanese submarine , which had shot two torpedoes at the formation, by ramming. In the Gulf of Lingayen and during the landing operation, the destroyers were the target of several air strikes in which the USS Taylor was involved in the downing of two aircraft. It protected the cruisers and escort aircraft carriers west of Luzon until the end of January.
Talor was stationed in Subic Bay from early February to mid-June . Between February 13 and 18, she participated in the bombardment of Corregidor and targets on Luzon. During the recapture of Zamboanga in Mindanao , the destroyer shelled Japanese coastal positions in early March. On March 26, the Taylor joined Boise , Phoenix , Fletcher , Nicholas , Jenkins and Abbot in the bombardment of targets on Cebu in preparation for landing. At the end of March, the Taylor left the Philippines and ran out with Boise , Phoenix , the Australian cruiser Hobart and the Australian destroyer Warramunga and Nicholas , O'Bannon , Fletcher and Jenkins to support the landings in northeast Borneo . During the trip she captured five Japanese who tried to escape from Tawi-Tawi on a raft . On April 27, the association reached the area of operations off Tarakan , where the ships were preparing to land with their artillery.
On May 3, the USS Taylor left the area and set sail again for the Philippines, where she remained until the end of May. From mid-June, the destroyer again belonged to the 3rd Fleet and protected the aircraft carriers south of Okinawa during the air raids on Sakishima Gunto . She then belonged to TG 30.8 , the logistics association of TF 38 . From August 3rd to August 8th and from August 13th to 15th she was part of the TG 38.4 umbrella and took part in the last offensives against Japan. After the end of hostilities, USS Taylor patrolled the aircraft carriers off Honshu .
On August 27, Admiral William Halsey ordered that USS Taylor along with USS Nicholas and USS O'Bannon escort the USS Missouri to Tokyo Bay "because of their valiant struggle during the long journey from the South Pacific to the end" . USS Taylor was the first American destroyer to anchor in Japanese waters after the end of the war. The destroyer was present during the surrender ceremony on September 2, 1945 and transported war correspondents to the ceremony and back again.
post war period
USS Taylor remained in the Far East until October 10th and then headed for San Francisco , where she entered on November 1st. On May 31, 1946, she was decommissioned and assigned to the reserve fleet in San Diego , in which she remained until May 1950. On May 9, 1950, the USS Taylor moved to San Francisco, where it was converted into a destroyer escort. During the renovation, it was reclassified to DDE-468 on January 2nd . On December 3, the destroyer was put back into service under the command of Commander Sheldon H. Kinney and, after completion of the test drive, moved to Pearl Harbor, where she arrived on March 30, 1951.
Korean War
Two months later, the USS Taylor set course for Korea. From June 16, it belonged to TF 77 and protected the aircraft carriers off the Korean coast and shelled North Korean positions along the coast. In the second week of July she set course for Yokosuka for repairs and then operated as a hunter killer for several weeks . On August 1, 1951, USS Taylor returned to TF 77 and participated in the W Blocknsan Blockade . At the end of the month the destroyer headed south to patrol Formosa Street. She returned to Korea in late October and patrolled off the west coast of Korea with the British aircraft carrier HMS Glory and the cruiser HMS Birmingham . On December 8th, the USS Taylor entered her home base in Pearl Harbor, where she was repaired over the next two months.
She set sail for Korea on May 2, 1953 and met the aircraft carriers USS Bairoko and HMS Ocean off the west coast to protect them during their air operations. This task was interrupted by two patrols along the enemy-occupied coastline to prevent North Korean troops from taking the islands held by UN troops. USS Taylor returned to Sasebo on June 1 and was repaired in the following eleven days. She then headed to Okinawa for two weeks of anti-submarine hunting exercises. On June 25th, she arrived in Yokosuka and after a short stay on the patrol moved to Formosa Street. After a two-day repair in Yokosuka, USS Taylor set course for Pearl Harbor on July 22, 1953, where it entered on July 31 and was then docked for three months for overhaul. During her crossing to Pearl Harbor, she received word of the ceasefire in Korea.
1954-1965
Between 1954 and 1965, USS Taylor regularly deployed to the western Pacific and spent the periods between deployments in the waters around Hawaii. In the spring and summer of 1962 she served as a support during Operation Dominic , nuclear weapons tests in the upper atmosphere . On August 7, 1962, it was reclassified to DD-468 .
Vietnam War
USS Taylor reached the coast of Vietnam on March 21, 1965 and patrolled there for the next five weeks. She returned to Pearl Harbor on May 13th and was docked for overhaul on December 6th. In mid-January 1966, she left the shipyard and on February 7th, together with the other destroyers of DesDiv 111, set course for the western Pacific. On February 25, USS Taylor left Yokosuka and was placed under TG 70.4 , which operated off the Vietnamese coast. She patrolled Vietnamese waters until mid-March and then relocated to Formosa Street. She arrived at Yankee Station on April 21 . In addition to protecting aircraft carriers, it was also used to bombard targets along the coast. After a short stay in Sasebo, she returned to the patrol service on Formosa Street, which she left on July 5, 1966. From July 7th, USS Taylor belonged again to TG 70.4 and entered Pearl Harbor on July 22nd.
Until April 1967 she served her service from Pearl Harbor. On April 18, 1967, she left the base to join the 7th Fleet in the Far East. In the first half of June she took part in exercises with units of the Japanese and South Korean navies . She then moved to the Gulf of Tonkin , where she was deployed until September 12th with several interruptions, for example taking part in the SEATO Sea Dog exercise . USS Taylor reached Pear Harbor on October 23, 1967 and was overtaken there until March 22, 1968. The test drive was carried out in the first week of April. The problems identified with the machine delayed its use until the end of the month. After training trips, the destroyer left Pearl Harbor on August 5, 1968 and set course for the Gulf of Tonkin. She reached Yankee Station on August 21. She left Vietnamese waters in mid-January 1969 and entered Pear Harbor on February 28. In May 1969 it was determined that USS Taylor was no longer suitable for remaining in the Navy. At the beginning of June the destroyer drove to San Diego and was decommissioned there on June 3, 1969.
Whereabouts
On July 2, 1969, she was removed from the fleet list and handed over to Italy , where the ship was put into service as the NMM Lanciere . In January 1971, she was decommissioned again and removed from the fleet list of the Italian Navy. The destroyer was cannibalized to maintain the operational capability of her sister ships used in the Italian Navy .
Awards
USS Taylor was awarded 15 Battle Stars for service during World War II. She received two more Battle Stars during the Korean War and six in the Vietnam War.
literature
- Jerry Scutts: Fletcher DDs (US Destroyers) in action (Warships No. 8). Squadron / signal publications, Carrollton 1995, ISBN 0897473361 .
Web links
- navsource.org: USS Taylor (English)
- hazegray.org: USS Taylor (English)
- USS Taylor website of the ship (English)
- USS Taylor 's website at Destroyer History Foundation (English)