_underway_at_sea%2c_circa_in_August_1942_(80-G-K-417).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Buchanan |
| Namesake | Franklin Buchanan |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company |
| Laid down | 11 February 1941 |
| Launched | 22 November 1941 |
| Commissioned | 21 March 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 28 April 1948 |
| Fate | Transferred toTurkey, 28 April 1949 |
| Stricken | 7 June 1949 |
 Turkey | |
| Name | Gelibolu |
| Acquired | 28 April 1949 |
| Stricken | 1976 |
| Fate | Scrapped, 1976 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Gleaves-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,630 tons |
| Length | 348 ft 3 in (106.15 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m) |
| Draft | 11 ft 10 in (3.61 m) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 37.4 knots (69 km/h) |
| Range | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 16 officers, 260 enlisted |
| Armament |
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USSBuchanan (DD-484) was aGleaves-classdestroyer, the second ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forFranklin Buchanan, who was an officer in the U.S. Navy who became anadmiral in theConfederate Navy during theAmerican Civil War.
Buchanan (DD-484) waslaunched on 22 November 1941 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co.,Kearny, New Jersey; sponsored by Miss Hildreth Meiere, great-granddaughter of Admiral Buchanan. The ship wascommissioned on 21 March 1942.
Buchanan got underway for the Pacific 28 May 1942. She played an effective role in the landings atGuadalcanal andTulagi (7–9 August) and on 9 August she was present during theBattle of Savo Island and rescued many survivors of thecruisersAstoria,Quincy,Vincennes, andHMAS Canberra, sunk during the battle. In September she escorted theaircraft carrierWasp and other units to Nouméa, New Caledonia. Shortly thereafter, as part of TF 64.2,Buchanan assisted in the occupation ofFunafuti Island in theEllice Islands.
On the night of 11–12 October, as a unit of TG 64.2Buchanan took part in theBattle of Cape Esperance. On 12 November the destroyer was damaged during the initial stages of theNaval Battle of Guadalcanal when she was accidentally hit by U.S. naval gunfire. She suffered the loss of five of her crew and had to withdraw from the action. After undergoing repairs, she was assigned toconvoy escort duty until February 1943.
After leave in Sydney, Australia,Buchanan joined the screen of TF 15. On 30 April 1943, while screening in convoy, the ship ran aground off the southern coast of Guadalcanal and, after jettisoning heavy gear and ammunition, she was eased off the reef by three tugs. She proceeded to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, for repairs. Repairs completed, she participated in the New Georgia Group operations (30 June – 13 July) and while under heavy attack she effectively bombarded the enemy shore batteries during the invasion of Rendova. She participated in the bombardment ofMunda (12 July) and theBattle of Kolombangara (13 July).Buchanan was damaged when she collided with the destroyerWoodworth during the latter engagement and retired to Nouméa for repairs. During the ensuing months,Buchanan convoyed ships to Nouméa, Espiritu Santo, and Guadalcanal. She participated in the Treasury-Bougainville operation (1–11 November), taking part in the Rabaul and Buka-Bonis strikes. Next, as a unit of TF 38, she bombarded Shortland Island and Bougainville (8 and 13 January 1944). On 22 January, while going to the rescue of the torpedoed oilerCache,Buchanan hunted down and sank the Japanese submarineRO-37 in11°47′S164°17′E / 11.783°S 164.283°E /-11.783; 164.283.
During February the destroyer participated in various phases of the Bismarck Archipelago operation (15 February – 1 March). She covered the Green Island landings and took an active part in the bombardment of Kavieng, Rabaul, and New Ireland before steaming to the United States to undergo a yard overhaul at Mare Island.
She participated in theBattle of Karavia
Upon completion of overhaul and refresher trainingBuchanan returned to the Pacific and served with the transport screen during the assault and capture of the southern Palaus (6 September – 14 October 1944). She next participated in the strikes against Luzon between 14 and 16 December. On 18 December she was damaged by atyphoon in thePhilippine Sea. Upon completion of repairs, she engaged in attacks on Luzon, Formosa, and the China coast (6–16 January 1945) in support of the Luzon operation. During the remainder of World War II she participated in theIwo Jima invasion (15 February – 5 March),Okinawa operation and supporting3rd and5th Fleet raids (16 March – 30 June); as well as the 3rd Fleet operations against Japan (10 July – 15 August 1945).
On 29 August she enteredTokyo Bay escorting thebattleshipSouth Dakota. On 1 September she carriedFleet AdmiralsNimitz andHalsey from their respective flagships toYokohama where they met withGeneral MacArthur and then returned them to the fleet. The following day she carried General MacArthur to the battleshipMissouri where he accepted the Japanese surrender and then returned him to Yokohama. She remained on occupation duty in the Far East until 8 October and then departed for San Francisco where she arrived 20 October.Buchanan steamed toCharleston, South Carolina for pre-inactivation overhaul and went out of commission in reserve there 21 May 1946.
Buchanan received thePresidential Unit Citation and 16battle stars for her World War II service, placing her among themost decorated US ships of World War II.
Buchanan was recommissioned 11 December 1948 at Charleston and underwent shakedown and refresher training with a nucleus Turkish crew aboard. On 29 March 1949, she got underway forGölcük, Turkey, where she was turned over to theTurkish Navy on 28 April 1949.
The destroyer served in the Turkish Navy asTCGGelibolu (D-346) until retired in 1976.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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