_off_Boston%2c_Massacusetts_(USA)%2c_on_7_May_1943.jpg) USS Bennett DD-473 off Naval Yard Boston 1943 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | Floyd Bennett |
| Builder | Boston Navy Yard |
| Laid down | 10 December 1941 |
| Launched | 16 April 1942 |
| Commissioned | 9 February 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 18 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 1 August 1973 |
| Fate | Transferred toBrazil, 15 December 1959 |
| History | |
 Brazil | |
| Name | Paraíba |
| Acquired | 15 December 1959 |
| Stricken | 1978 |
| Fate | Scrapped in 1978 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Fletcher-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 2,050 tons |
| Length | 376 ft 6 in (114.7 m) |
| Beam | 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m) |
| Propulsion | 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
| Speed | 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 6500nmi. (12,000 km) at 15 kt |
| Complement | 336 |
| Armament |
|
USSBennett (DD-473), aFletcher-classdestroyer, was a ship of theU.S. Navy that was named for thenaval aviatorFloyd Bennett (1890–1928), who flew towards theNorth Pole withRichard E. Byrd in 1926, but it is disputed whether they made it there.
TheBennett (DD-473) waslaunched on 16 April 1942 at theBoston Navy Yard, sponsored by Mrs. Floyd Bennett, the widow of Aviation Machinist Bennett. She wascommissioned on 9 February 1943 with CommanderEdmund B. Taylor in command.
TheBennett arrived atPearl Harbor on 31 May, and she then spent the next two months patrolling in theHawaiian Islands. After escorting a convoy toEfate in theNew Hebrides, she acted as a plane guard and patrolled out of Efate (27 August through 28 October). Moving to theSolomon Islands 4 November, she patrolled and escortedconvoys until 5 April 1944. Included in her service in theSolomon Islands was support of theCape Torokina,Bougainville landings (on 1 November 1943 on the western side of the island) andGreen Island (on 15 February 1944) landings, and bombardments of the Japanese base atKavieng onNew Ireland, (on 18 February 1944) andRabaul,New Britain (29 February).
TheBennett next steamed north to take part in the invasions ofSaipan (14 June through 1 July) and ofGuam (2nd through 16 August). Returning to theCentral Pacific later in the month she supported theinvasion of the Palaus (Peleliu) (6 through 25 September), and then she returned toSan Francisco for upkeep work, arriving on 25 October 1944.
TheBennett returned to Pearl Harbor on 24 December, and she remained in Hawaiian waters for the next month. Then she steamed west to take part in theinvasion of Iwo Jima (19 February through 5 March 1945), where she was slightly damaged by a dud bomb (1 March). On 1 April she was a unit of the forces taking part in theinvasion of Okinawa. At 08:50, on 7 April, she was hit by anImperial Japanese Navykamikaze plane, damaging the forward engine room, and knocking out all of her electrical power. Seven sailors ultimately died from their injuries, and fourteen survived serious injuries.[1][2]
TheBennett was able to make it to the small naval base atKerama Retto under her own power, and on the following day she departed forSaipan under tow of the fleet tugboatUSS Yuma (ATF-94). After emergency repairs, she steamed toPuget Sound Navy Yard where she underwent further repairs (May though August 1945). In August she reported toAdak, in theAleutian Islands, and then she made one voyage toPetropavlovsk on theKamchatka Peninsula, with weather personnel (28 August through 26 September). Returning toSan Diego, she was placed in commission in reserve on 21 December 1945, and out of commission in reserve on 18 April 1946.[2]
Stricken 1 August 1973.Bennett was transferred toBrazil 15 December 1959, where she was renamedParaíba.
The ship was stricken by theBrazilian Navy and scrapped in 1978.
Bennett received ninebattle stars and aNavy Unit Commendation for her service inWorld War II.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
