USS Thatcher (DD-514)

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USS Thatcher in Boston on February 28, 1943
USS Thatcher in Boston on February 28, 1943
Overview
Type destroyer
Shipyard

Bath Iron Works

Keel laying June 20, 1942
Launch December 6, 1942
1. Period of service flag
period of service

February 10, 1943 - November 23, 1945

Whereabouts January 1948 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:

  • 5 × 5 inch L / 38 Mk.30 single towers
  • 10 × 40 mm flak
  • 7 × 20 mm flak
  • 10 × 21-inch torpedo tube (2 groups of five)
  • 6 depth charges
  • 2 depth charges

The USS Thatcher (DD-514) was a for Fletcher Class belonging destroyer of the US Navy . The destroyer was mainly used in the Pacific during World War II . In 1945 the ship was badly damaged in a kamikaze attack. The USS Thatcher was decommissioned in November 1945 and sold for demolition in January 1948.

Namesake

Henry Knox Thatcher (1806-1880) was Rear Admiral in the US Navy. He served in the American Civil War on the side of the Union forces.

technology

Hull and drive

The hull of the USS Thatcher 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 when it was put into service were the five 5 "L / 38 Mk.30 single turrets. In addition, there were various anti-aircraft guns , which were reinforced in the course of the war.

The USS Thatcher 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 Thatcher was born on June 20, 1942 at Bath Iron Works Corp. laid down and launched on December 6, 1942. Godmother was Charlotte L. Hyde. On February 10, 1943, the destroyer was commissioned under the command of Lieutenant Commander Leland R. Lampman.

1943

After the completion of the test and training trips, the Thatcher escorted the UGF-8 convoy from New York to Casablanca on April 29, 1943 and returned with the GUF-8 convoy on May 31, 1943. On June 11, she moved to the Pacific . From June 19, she was a member of the Pacific Fleet and was part of Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 46 of Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 23 . After a modification of the armament in the Mare Island Naval Shipyard , she entered Pearl Harbor on July 31st .

She was involved in the attacks on Marcus Island in late August . In mid-September she set course for the New Hebrides and reached Espiritu Santo on September 27th . Subsequently, the escort service between Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal and in mid-October was deployed to protect a supply convoy to Vella Lavella .

The Task Force (TF) 39 consisting of the Cruiser Division 12 (CruDiv 12) and the desron 23 was the end of October in the Purvis Bay formed to the landing on Bougainville support. TF 39 shelled Bonis airfield on Buka and then ran to the southern tip of Bougainville to shell airfields on the Shortland Islands . After landing near Torokina on November 1, the TF 39 was used to protect the troops.

Course of the sea battle at the Kaiserin Augusta Bay

In the afternoon, TF 39 was ordered to intercept a Japanese formation consisting of four cruisers and six destroyers that had been sighted south of Rabaul . On November 2 at 2:27 a.m., the Japanese ships were located by radar. The DesDiv 46 , which existed next to the Thatcher from the destroyers Spence , Converse and Foote , protected the rear flank of the American unit. At 3:32 a.m. the DesDiv 46 intervened and fired 19 torpedoes at the Japanese ships, none of which hit. As the battle continued, the Foote was hit by a torpedo and lost her stern. The Spence scraped along the USS Thatcher . Both ships remained operational. On the Japanese side, the light cruiser Sendai and the destroyer Hatsukatze were lost. The next day, TF 39 was attacked by over 100 aircraft. Over 20 machines were shot down while the Montpelier was hit by two bombs.

During an inspection of the Thatcher it was found that the damage caused by the collision was so serious that the destroyer had to drive to the Mare Island Naval Yard via Esperitu Santo after a temporary repair of the starboard shaft on Nouméa . On November 20, the ship left Esperitu Santo and escorted the USS Birmingham to San Francisco . The two ships reached their destination on December 14th.

1944

Thatcher on February 7, 1944

In February 1944, the USS Thatcher left San Francisco for Pearl Harbor. There she performed exercises to regain readiness for action. From March 14th she belonged again to TF 39 and supported the landing on Emirau on March 20th. She was subordinated to Task Group (TG) 58.3 of TF 58 on March 26 and escorted the aircraft carriers during the air raids on Palau , Yap , Ulithi and Woleai between March 30 and April 1, 1944. Subsequently, TG 58.3 withdrew returned to the Marshall Islands area to prepare for the following operations. On April 13, ran TF 58 with target Guinea in order on 21 and 22 April air raids on Hollandia , Wakde , Sawar , and Sarmi perform to the landings at Aitape and in the Tanahmerah Bay and in the Humboldt Bay to support. On April 29th, the USS Thatcher was with the aircraft carriers that carried out a two-day air strike on Pohnpei .

The destroyer returned to Majuro on May 4th to be docked for repairs. After the repairs were completed, gun exercises were carried out. In an accident on May 26th, gun 53 fired into the 20 mm gun located on the starboard side in the center of the ship, killing five men. The necessary repairs were finished early so that the destroyer could set course for the Mariana Islands with the TG 58.4 .

While the Task Group was operating near Saipan , USS Thatcher and USS Charles Ausburne were ordered to rescue pilots near Pagan on the evening of June 12 . The two ships came within five nautical miles of the Japanese-occupied island. Just before dark, the USS Charles Ausburne picked up the pilots while the USS Thatcher investigated a ship that was sighted six nautical miles away. It was a small freighter that caught fire after being fired and exploded. A short time later, the USS Charles Ausburne sank another cargo ship.

The porters carried out attacks on the Bonin Islands on June 15 and 16 and then ran to Saipan . On June 18, the USS Thatcher took up position on the north flank of TF 58 and took part in the battle in the Philippine Sea. The TG 58.4 was then supplied with fuel and continued the attacks on Rota and Guam . On 27 June, accompanied desron 23 the USS Miami and USS Houston at the bombardment of targets on both islands. The attack was repeated on June 30th.

The Thatcher ran together with the Task Group on July 6th to Eniwetok and stayed there for the next three weeks before heading back to the Mariana Islands. After his return to Eniwetok on July 2nd, the destroyer TG 30.8 was placed under the 3rd US Fleet. On August 31, it reached the TG 30.8 Seeadlerhafen together with the fuel suppliers . For the following three months she operated together with various units in the Task Group.

From December 1944 the USS Thatcher belonged to TG 38.3 . The aircraft carriers carried out air strikes against Lzuon between December 14 and 16 to aid the landings on Mindoro . The task group then withdrew to take over fuel when a typhoon approached. The USS Thatcher was able to take half of the possible amount of fuel before the hoses broke through the heavy seas. When trying to drive out of the typhoon , however, the ships ran into the storm due to an incorrect assessment by the meteorologist . Three destroyers, including the USS Spence , were lost in the typhoon. After the storm subsided, the TF 38 gathered again. The USS Thatcher was reassigned to TG 30.8 .

1945

On January 8, 1945, a special supply group consisting of six fast fuel suppliers, two escort aircraft carriers , the Thatcher and eight other destroyers was put together to ensure the supply of the aircraft carriers in the South China Sea . The group accompanied the aircraft carriers in the South China Sea and took up position between the Philippines and the coast of Indochina . The destroyer ran for Guam on January 20th with a group of empty utilities.

Then the Thatcher was ordered to Leyte and joined the 7th US Fleet to escort a convoy into Subic Bay on February 13th . Between February 19 and March 3, she supported the US Army with her artillery on land. After two weeks of escort she was assigned to TG 78.3 , which was supposed to attack Visayas . The group departed on March 15 and headed for the landing sections in southern Panay . On March 18, the Thatcher was off the island, fighting two cut-off Japanese groups with their guns. When landing at Negros Occidental on March 29, she used her artillery to support the advancing troops. On April 5, she left the Philippines and was ordered to San Pedro to be equipped for the upcoming operations against the Ryūkyū Islands .

On May 13, the USS Thatcher sailed for the Kerama Islands . It was used as a radar outpost and had the task of locating and intercepting approaching enemy aircraft before they could reach the roadsteads with the transport ships. On May 20, they located a large number of Japanese planes approaching the anchorage. All ships opened fire on the attackers. The USS Thatcher was the target of a low-flying Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar , which pounced on the destroyer and hit him behind the bridge. The ship was idle and unable to maneuver and had a hole about six square meters between the keel and the bilge . The USS Boyd and USS Pavlic came alongside and helped with the recovery of the wounded and the fire fighting. 14 men were killed and 53 wounded in the kamikaze attack. The damaged ship was taken to the Kerama Islands and docked there. On July 13, the USS Thatcher was repaired to the point that it was seaworthy and could ride a typhoon in Bruckner Bay . On July 19, she was again the target of a kamikaze attack, which caused only minor damage and wounded two men. The USS Thatcher set course for the west coast of the United States on July 25 and sailed via Ulithi, Majuro, Eniwetok, Johnston Island and Hawaii to Bremerton , where it arrived on August 20. After assessing the damage, it was decided to scrap the destroyer. On November 23, the USS Thatcher was decommissioned.

Whereabouts

On January 23, 1948, the ship was sold for demolition.

Awards

The USS Thatcher received twelve Battle Stars .

literature

Web links