_underway_in_1942.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Kearny |
| Namesake | Lawrence Kearny |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company |
| Laid down | 1 March 1939 |
| Launched | 9 March 1940 |
| Commissioned | 13 September 1940 |
| Decommissioned | 7 March 1946 |
| Stricken | 1 June 1971 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 6 October 1972 |
| 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 (69.3 km/h; 43.0 mph) |
| Range | 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Complement | 16 officers, 260 enlisted |
| Armament |
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USSKearny (DD-432), aGleaves-classdestroyer, was aUnited States Navy warship duringWorld War II. She was noted for being torpedoed by aGermanU-boat in October 1941, before the U.S. had entered the war. She survived that attack, and later served in North Africa and the Mediterranean.
She was named forCommodoreLawrence Kearny (1789–1868).
Kearny was launched 9 March 1940, by theFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company inKearny, New Jersey, sponsored by Miss Mary Kearny. She was commissioned on 13 September 1940.
After shakedown and sea trials,Kearny got underway 19 February 1941, fromNew York Harbor forSt. Thomas, Virgin Islands, where she took part in theNeutrality Patrol off Fort de France,Martinique,French West Indies, until 9 March. The new destroyer patrolled aroundSan Juan, Puerto Rico, and escorted ships in theNorfolk area until August when she sailed forNS Argentia,Newfoundland, to escort North Atlantic convoys.
| Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HX 151 | 24 Sept-1 Oct 1941[1] | fromNewfoundland toIceland prior to US declaration of war | |
| ON 24 | 13-14 Oct 1941[2] | from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war | |
| SC 48 | 16-17 Oct 1941[3] | battle reinforcement prior to US declaration of war; torpedoed by U-568 | |
| AT 18 | 6-17 Aug 1942[4] | troopships fromNew York City toFirth of Clyde |
_alongside_USS_Monssen_(DD-436)_at_Iceland%2c_19_October_1941_(80-G-28788).jpg)
On October 17, 1941, while the U.S. was still officially neutral inWorld War II,Kearny was docked atReykjavík inIceland, whoseoccupation had been taken over from the Allies by the Americans in July that year. A "wolfpack" of German U-boats attacked a nearby British convoy, and overwhelmed her Canadian escorts.Kearny and three other U.S. destroyers were summoned to assist.
Immediately on reaching the action,Kearny droppeddepth charges on the U-boats, and continued to barrage throughout the night. This action was specifically cited as a provocation inHitler's declaration of war on the U.S. two months later.[5] At the beginning of the midwatch 17 October, a torpedo fired byU-568 struckKearny on the starboard side, killing 11 and injuring 22 others. The crew confined flooding to the forward fire room, enabling the ship to get out of the danger zone with power from the aft engine and fire room. Regaining power in the forward engine room,Kearny steamed toIceland at 10 knots (20 km/h), arriving 19 October. After temporary repairsKearny got underway Christmas Day 1941, and moored six days later atBoston, Massachusetts, for permanent repairs.
The survival ofKearny led to renewed support for split fire rooms and engine rooms in naval vessels.[6]
From 5 April to 28 September 1942,Kearny escorted convoys to Great Britain, thePanama Canal, andGalveston, Texas. Late in September, she was assigned to theNorth African invasion. There she screenedUSS Texas andSavannah on fire support missions, shot down an enemy plane, and escorted troop ships toSafi,French Morocco.Kearny departed the invasion theater and escorted a convoy back to New York, arriving 3 December 1942.
Through most of 1943,Kearny escorted ships toPort of Spain,Trinidad;Recife,Brazil; andCasablanca. On 25 November 1943,Kearny joined the "hunter-killer"task group based on theescort carrierCore on 25 November. During the day of 1 January 1944, in coordination withCore's planes,Kearny fired a depth charge attack on a submarine resulting in a large oil slick. She returned to New York 18 January.
Next monthKearny joined theEighth Fleet inFrench Algeria. On 10 March, she was attached to the cruiserBrooklyn in a group providing fire support for theU.S. 5th Army inItaly. Due to their daily fire-support trips to theAnzio beachhead area, the warships became known as the "Anzio Express." They were commended by the Fifth Army commander,GeneralMark W. Clark, for this fire support.[7]
_approaching_Gibraltar_c1944.jpg)
Kearny was detached from the group the beginning of June and steamed to Anzio alone to give Allied troops their last naval fire support prior to their breakthrough and capture ofRome. The veteran destroyer saw more convoy duty before sailing for theinvasion of southern France on 15 August.
Kearny was inner fire support ship for Red Beach inCavalaire Bay, and rendered counter-battery fire and pre-H-hour bombardment. She screened heavy fire support ships and laidsmoke screens offToulon. On 19 August 1944, she began two months of duty escorting troopships betweenNaples and southern France.
Afterward,Kearny made several trans-Atlantic voyages between New York andOran. On 6 August 1945,Kearny transited the Panama Canal to the Pacific, arriving atPearl Harbor late in August after hostilities had ended. She escorted a transport squadron carrying occupation troops to Japan viaSaipan, arriving atWakayama, Japan, 27 September. During the next monthKearny made voyages to thePhilippines andOkinawa before returning to Japan in October. She sailed from Wakayama, Japan, 29 October 1945, for home via Pearl Harbor, San Diego, and the Panama Canal, arrivingCharleston, South Carolina, 5 December 1945. She decommissioned there 7 March 1946, and went into reserve.Kearny was subsequently moved toOrange, Texas.The ship was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 June 1971, sold 6 October 1972, and broken up for scrap.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
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