 USS Endicott (DD-495) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Endicott |
| Namesake | Samuel Endicott |
| Builder | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down | 1 May 1941 |
| Launched | 5 April 1942 |
| Commissioned | 25 February 1943 |
| Identification | DD-495 |
| Reclassified | DMS-35, 30 May 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 17 August 1955 |
| Stricken | 1 November 1969 |
| Fate |
|
| 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 |
|
| 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 |
|
USSEndicott (DD-495), was aGleaves-classdestroyer of theUnited States Navy.
Samuel Endicott served as a quarter gunner on boardEnterprise in theBarbary Wars. He volunteered to participate in the expedition under LieutenantStephen Decatur, Jr., which destroyed the former U.S. frigatePhiladelphia.
Endicott waslaunched by theSeattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp.,Seattle, Washington, on 5 April 1942; sponsored by Miss Bettie L. Rankin. The ship wascommissioned on 25 February 1943. She was reclassifiedDMS-35 on 30 May 1945.
The destroyer underwentshakedown offSan Diego, was ordered to theU.S. Atlantic Fleet and in her first year escorted twoconvoys toAfrica and one toIreland,Panama, andTrinidad.
In preparation for the European invasionEndicott served as escort for merchantmen andtransports until 24 May 1944 when she collided with thefreighter SS Exhibitor and was forced to undergo repairs atCardiff,South Wales.
Endicott rejoined the fleet on 12 July and escortedLSTs andLCIs into theMediterranean for the buildup preparatory to the attack onsouthern France (Operation Dragoon). The destroyer, together withBritish gunboatsScarab,Aphis, and 17motor torpedo boats, was scheduled to make a diversionaryattack against the coast atLa Ciotat. The feint successfully deceived the enemy andEndicott sank a German merchantman during the bombardment. She then hastened to rescue the British gunboats in their uneven match against twoGerman warships,Nimet Allah andCapriola, and though battle weary she destroyed both. In the action she was hit by one shell; although a dud, it still tore a large hole in the ship and wounded a man. She continued to support coastal operations off southern France by escorting a convoy toCorsica, andHMS Eastway toSalerno.
Endicott underwent overhaul and refresher training from October through the end of 1944. In January 1945 she sailed viaBermuda on the scouting line, then proceeded to rendezvous with Task Group 21.5 (TG 21.5) to escort thecruiserQuincy — on which PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt was embarked — toMalta and back toNew York.[1]
She escorted a convoy toOran in mid-April and then entered theCharleston Navy Yard for conversion to a high-speedminesweeper. Dispatched to the Pacific, she arrived in San Diego three days after theJapanese surrender.
Endicott reported to Task Force 52 atOkinawa on 23 September 1945 to begin the huge task of ridding theYellow Sea ofmines. Designatedflagship of the sweeping group, she conducted similar operations in theInland Sea andKure area as well.
After a period of overhaul in May 1946, she operated out of San Diego in peacetime patrols and local exercises until the outbreak of theKorean War.
In June 1950 she weighed anchor for the coast of Korea where she screenedaircraft carriersBadoeng Strait andSicily. Steaming toChinhae Wan in August, she lent direct fire support to theUnited Nations troops and on 15 September escorted aKorean LST in a feint attack againstChang Sa Dong. When the LST broached,Endicott stood guard until help arrived.
She continued her harassment of the enemy following theInchon landings, cruising along the east coast of Korea and supporting the minesweeping force. For the remainder of the year she afforded sweeping assistance atWonsan and then atHungnam prior to the evacuation of troops forced by the penetration of theChinese Communists. She participated in the action of 12 October 1950, an engagement in which two American minesweepers were sunk.
In January 1951 she rescued the crew of the grounded Siamese frigatePrase and stood guard until the latter had to be destroyed. Early in February she led a mine-sweeping force in bombarding the port of Wonsan and sweeping to the northward.
An overhaul in San Diego was succeeded byEndicott's second tour in Korean waters. She reported to Commander Naval Forces in October and returned to shore bombardment and patrol. During the first half of 1952 she cruised on theSongjin Patrol and devoted the last four months of the year to overhaul atLong Beach Naval Shipyard. Early in 1953 she again sailed for the Far East to patrol and provide gun support for minesweepers operating in the Korean area.Endicott received repairs at Long Beach in August and thereafter conducted individual and fleet exercises in local waters. On 17 August 1954 she was decommissioned and placed in reserve at San Diego.Endicott was reclassifiedDD-495 on 15 July 1955.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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