_off_the_Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard%2c_California_(USA)%2c_on_20_September_1944_(19-N-73304).jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSFrazier (DD-607) |
| Namesake | Daniel Frazier |
| Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation,San Francisco,California |
| Launched | 17 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 30 July 1942 |
| Decommissioned | 15 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 1 July 1971 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 6 October 1972 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Benson-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,620 tons |
| Length | 348 ft 4 in (106.17 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m) |
| Draught | 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) |
| Installed power | 50,000 hp (37,000 kW)[1] |
| Propulsion | Four Babcock & Wilcox boilers,[2] Westinghouse geared turbines[3] |
| Speed | 37.5 kn (69.5 km/h) maximum,[4] 33 kn (61 km/h) full load[5] |
| Range | |
| Complement | 191 (peace), 276 (war)[8] |
| Armament | 4 x 5" (127 mm)/38caliber, 4x1.1" (28 mm)AA (1x4),[9] 6x0.5" (12.7mm)/63¾ caliber AA,[10] 7x20 mm AA,[11] 5 x21 inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes (1x5),[12] 4 dcp., 2 dct. |
USSFrazier (DD-607) was aBenson-classdestroyer in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II.
Daniel Frazier was born James North inDorchester County, Maryland, and joined the United States Navy in 1802.[13] Serving as aquartermaster aboard theUSSEnterprise in theMediterranean Sea during theFirst Barbary War, he took part inStephen Decatur's renowned foray intoTripoli harbor to destroy the capturedUSS Philadelphia and was again with Decatur in the attack on Tripoli on 3 August 1804. After boarding a Tripolitan gunboat, Decatur was locked in hand-to-hand combat with its commander. Another enemy sailor raised his sword against Decatur, but the blow was intercepted by Frazier, who suffered a head wound. Though this act of bravery has historically also been attributed to Frazier's shipmateReuben James, modern scholars agree that Frazier was Decatur's savior. Frazier suffered severe wounds during the battle, and began drawing a naval pension in 1805.[14][15] He died in New York City about 22 April 1833.[13]
Frazier was launched 17 March 1942 byBethlehem Steel Corporation,San Francisco, California; sponsored by Mrs. Richard McCullough; and commissioned 30 July 1942,Lieutenant CommanderFrank Virden in command.
Frazier arrived atNoumea,New Caledonia, 9 December 1942 in the escort for a group of troop transports. She served on escort and patrol in the South Pacific for the next 4 months, guarding transports toGuadalcanal, patrolling offEspiritu Santo, and coveringescort carriers as they patrolled the waters betweenEfate and theSolomon Islands. On 18 March 1943,Frazier departed Efate bound forPearl Harbor and a rendezvous with a task force assigned to operate in theAleutian Islands.
After firing in the preinvasion bombardment,Frazier covered thelandings onAttu 11 May 1943, and patrolled off that island andKiska, Alaska. On 12 May, she sighted two periscopes and opened gunfire onI-31 who dived quickly but not beforeFrazier had scored hits on the periscopes. Immediately gaining sonar contact, the destroyer began a depth charge attack which brought air bubbles, oil, and debris to the surface. Two more attacks ensured the submarine was sunk.
Early in the foggy morning of 10 June, with Lieutenant CommanderElliot M. Brown in command, she made two separate attacks on radar contacts which were believed to besubmarines. In the second attack, the destroyer's guns fired for five minutes as she pursued her target until its radar echo merged with land echo of Kiska. Late that night and again on the morning of 11 June,Frazier dropped depth charges on two different underwater contacts, but was unable to determine the results of these attacks; it is likely she sankI-9 in one of them.[16]
On 2 and 12 August, she fired shore bombardment on Kiska, then covered the unopposed landings of 15 August. She continued to screen large combatants in the Aleutians until early September, when she began a brief overhaul atPuget Sound.
Frazier sailed toWellington, New Zealand, to join the escort for transports assigned to theGilbert Islands operation. Between 7 and 13 November 1943 the group rehearsed at Efate, then sailed on toTarawa, whereFrazier provided preassault bombardment and call-fire support to the troops landed 20 November. Patrolling offBetio, on 22 November,Frazier joinedMeade in attackingI-35. After the two destroyers had depth-chargedI-35 to the surface, they attacked it with gunfire, andFrazier finally sent her to the bottom by ramming. Her bow was badly damaged, but none of her men was injured. Two days later, she sailed for repairs and training at Pearl Harbor.
Frazier sortied from Pearl Harbor 22 January 1944 for the invasion of theMarshall Islands. She bombardedTaroa andMaloelap on 30 January, and next screenedSan Francisco as thecruiser bombarded targets onKwajalein, while the landings were made. After patrolling against submarines off Kwajalein,Frazier returned to Pearl Harbor 15 February screening unladen transports. Between 28 February and 20 March, the destroyer carried out escort and patrol assignments in the Marshalls, then joined the fast carrier task force to screen during the air raids on thePalaus,Yap,Ulithi, andWoleai from 30 March to 1 April.
Returning to Majuro 6 April 1944,Frazier sailed a week later with a fast carrier task group for attacks onWakde Airfield andSawar Airfield inWestern New Guinea, on 21 and 22 April, to neutralize the danger of air attack on theLanding at Aitape and theBattle of Hollandia. The task group also struck at targets in theCaroline Islands as it sailed back to arrive at Kwajalein 4 May. From 10 May to 27 July,Frazier patrolled the bypassed Japanese-held islands in the Marshalls, which included Wotje,Jaluit, andMille. She bombarded Mille on 26 May, and on 9 June sent her motor whale-boat in under the guns of Taroa to rescue 10 survivors of a flying boat previously sent in to rescue a downed aviator and were stranded when their plane was damaged by a shore battery. Two weeks later she rescued twoMarine aviators off Mille.
A west coast overhaul and training at Pearl Harbor precededFrazier's assignment to escort duty out of Ulithi between 15 December 1944 and the close of the year. On 6 January 1945, the destroyer arrived inSan Pedro Bay, from which she sailed the next day for the invasion ofLingayen Gulf. From the day of the landings, 9 January, until 26 February,Frazier carried out bombardment, gunfire support, patrol, and escort missions all aroundLuzon, taking part in the bombardment ofCorregidor on 16 February. After replenishing at San Pedro Bay,Frazier returned to escort and fire support duties in theManila area, covered the landings atMindanao in mid-March, and patrolled against submarines between Lingayen Gulf andSubic Bay on 10 May.
Sailing from San Pedro Bay 13 May 1945,Frazier arrived at Morotai 2 days later, and based here for theBorneo operation. She took part in the invasions ofBrunei Bay andBalikpapan, and escorted support convoys to the assault areas until returning to Subic Bay 29 July for training.
Assigned to thePhilippine Sea Frontier for escort duty at the close of the war, she made voyages toOkinawa andJapan until 3 November, when she sailed forBoston, Massachusetts andCharleston, South Carolina. ThereFrazier was decommissioned and placed in reserve 15 April 1946. She was stricken from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 July 1971 and sold for scrap on 6 October 1972.
Frazier received 12battle stars for World War II service.
As of 2009, no other ship in the United States Navy has been namedFrazier.
 United States Navy | |
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 Republic of China Navy | |
 Marina Militare |
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