_off_the_Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard%2c_California_(USA)%2c_on_11_July_1943_(19-N-48259).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | Samuel Chester Reid |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company |
| Laid down | 25 June 1934 |
| Launched | 11 January 1936 |
| Commissioned | 2 November 1936 |
| Fate | Sunk bykamikazes,[1] 11 December 1944 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Mahan-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,500 tons |
| Length | 341 ft 4 in (104 m) |
| Beam | 35 ft (10.7 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft 10 in (2.8 m) |
| Speed | 37 knots (69 km/h) |
| Complement | 158 officers and crew |
| Armament |
|
The thirdUSSReid (DD-369) was aMahan-classdestroyer in theUnited States Navy before and duringWorld War II. She was named forSamuel Chester Reid, a U.S. Navy officer in theWar of 1812 who helped design the 1818 version of the flag of the United States.
Reid was laid down 25 June 1934 byFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company,Kearny, New Jersey; launched 11 January 1936; sponsored by Mrs. Beatrice Reid Power; and commissioned 2 November 1936, CaptainRobert B. Carney in command.
From 1937 into 1941,Reid participated in training and fleet maneuvers in theAtlantic andPacific. During theattack on Pearl Harbor,Reid's gunners fired at theJapanese planes and downed one of them. After the attack,Reid patrolled off theHawaiian Islands,Palmyra Atoll, andJohnston Island during December. In January 1942, she escorted a convoy toSan Francisco, California. Returning to Hawaii for more patrol duty, she later steamed toMidway Island, and then twice more escorted convoys fromPearl Harbor to San Francisco.
Departing Pearl Harbor on 22 May 1942,Reid steamed north to bombard Japanese positions onKiska Island,Alaska on 7 August 1942. She supported landings atAdak, Alaska on 30 August and sank by gunfire theJapanese submarine Ro-61 on 31 August. After transferring five Japanese prisoners toDutch Harbor, Alaska, she reached Pearl Harbor on 30 September 1942, then departed on 7 October to escort Task Group 15.1 to Pago Pago, American Samoa, which she reached on 22 October. She departed Pago Pago on 23 October for Pearl Harbor, arriving there on 30 October 1942. She left for San Francisco on 4 November 1942, arriving on 12 November 1942. She remained at Mare Island Navy Yard for overhaul until 6 December 1942, when she departed with Task Group 2.17 for New Caledonia. En route, she called in with the Task group to Nadi, Fiji on 18 December 1942. She shifted with the Task group to Suva, Fiji on 20 December 1942.
DepartingSuva Harbor, Fiji Islands on Christmas Day 1942, she escorted Army troops toGuadalcanal before guarding a convoy toEspiritu Santo,New Hebrides. In January 1943, she bombarded several enemy locations on Guadalcanal.
After patrols in theSolomon Islands,Reid provided radar information and fighter direction for landings atLae,New Guinea on 4 September 1943. While supporting landings atFinschhafen, New Guinea, she downed two enemy planes on 22 September 1943.
Following patrol and escort duty off New Guinea, she sailed fromBuna Roads, New Guinea, to escort troop transports for landings atArawe,New Britain, 15 December 1943. She protected landings atCape Gloucester, New Britain, on 26 December 1943, and atSaidor, New Guinea, 2 January 1944. She guarded landings atLos Negros Island,Admiralty Islands, 29 February 1944, and atHollandia, New Guinea, 22 April. Her guns supported landings atWakde Island 17 May, atBiak on the 27 May, and atNoemfoor Island, New Guinea, 2 July.
Departing Pearl Harbor 29 August 1944, she supported air strikes againstWake Island 3 September. After patrols offLeyte,Philippine Islands in November, she steamed toOrmoc Bay, Leyte,Philippines. She supported landings there 7 December, and escorted the damaged destroyerLamson toward Leyte Gulf.
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InReid's final two weeks in the waters around Leyte, the crew was able to sleep only an hour or two at a time. They were called to battle stations (condition red) an average of 10 times a day. It was a period of near constant combat. While escorting reinforcements for Ormoc Bay nearSurigao Straits 11 December 1944,Reid destroyed seven Japanese planes, when the following took place:
Reid was protecting a re-supply force of amphibious craft bound for Ormoc Bay off the west coast of Leyte. At about 1700 hours, twelve enemy planes approached the convoy.Reid was the nearest ship to the oncoming planes. Planes 1 and 2 were shot down by the 5-inch battery, and Plane 3 exploded about 500 yards (460 m) off the starboard beam. Plane 4 hooked a wing on the starboard rigging, crashing at the waterline. Its bomb exploded, causing considerable damage forward. Plane 5 strafed the starboard side and crashed on the port bow. Plane 6 strafed the bridge from the port side and crashed off the starboard bow. Planes 5 and 6 apparently had no bombs or their bombs were duds. Plane 7 came in from astern, strafedReid and crashed into the port quarter. Its bomb exploded in the after magazine, blowing the ship apart. All this action took place in less than a minute.
The ship was mortally wounded but still doing 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph). As the stern opened up, she rolled violently, then lay over on her starboard side and dove to the bottom at 600 fathoms (3,600 ft; 1,100 m). It was over in less than two minutes, and 103 crewmen went down with the ship. The survivors were strafed in the water by Japanese planes before rescue.[2] Her 150 survivors were picked up by landing craft in her convoy.
Reid received sevenbattle stars for World War II service.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1944 | |
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| Other incidents |
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