_underway_at_sea_on_6_April_1962_(NH_107244).jpg) USSMullany underway on 6 April 1962 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Mullany |
| Namesake | James Robert Madison Mullany |
| Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down | 15 January 1942 |
| Launched | 10 October 1942 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs Elton W. Grenfell |
| Commissioned | 23 April 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 14 February 1946 |
| Recommissioned | 8 March 1951 |
| Decommissioned | 6 October 1971 |
| Renamed | fromBeatty |
| Stricken | 6 October 1971 |
| Identification |
|
| Motto |
|
| Honours & awards | SeeAwards |
| Fate | Transferred toTaiwan, 6 October 1971 |
| Badge | _insignia%2c_in_1970_(NH_70135-KN).png) |
| History | |
 Taiwan | |
| Name |
|
| Namesake | Chin Yang |
| Acquired | 6 October 1971 |
| Commissioned | 6 October 1971 |
| Reclassified |
|
| Decommissioned | 16 July 1988 |
| Stricken | 16 July 1999 |
| Identification | Hull number: DD-9 |
| Fate | Sunk as artificial reef, 1 November 2001 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Fletcher-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 2,050 tons |
| Length | 376 ft 6 in (114.76 m) |
| Beam | 39 ft 8 in (12.09 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft 9 in (5.41 m) |
| Propulsion | 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
| Speed | 35 kn (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) @ 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
| Complement | 336 |
| Armament |
|
USSMullany (DD-528), aFletcher-classdestroyer, was the second ship of theUnited States Navy to be named for Rear AdmiralJames Robert Madison Mullany (1818–1887).
Mullany was originallyBeatty (DD-528) but was renamed on 28 May 1941. Laid down 15 January 1942 byBethlehem Steel Co., Union Plant,San Francisco, Calif., she waslaunched 10 October 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Elton W. Grenfell; andcommissioned 23 April 1943.
_in_San_Francisco_Bay%2c_California_(USA)%2c_in_May_1943_(80-G-65235).jpg)
After shakedown and training offSan Diego and escort duty in theAleutians,Mullany joined the7th Fleet in thesouthwest Pacific in December 1943. Her first action came 2 to 4 March 1944 when she protectedminesweepers clearing the approaches toSeeadler Harbor,Admiralty Islands, prior to the amphibious landings onLos Negros, the island forming the northeastern side of the harbor. AttractingJapanese gunfire,Mullany silenced the Japanese harbor defenses with 5 inch fire, enabling the minesweepers to complete their vital mission. For the next 2 daysMullany fired to support American troops fighting ashore.
Screening 7th FleetflagshipUSS Wasatch (AGC-9) during theinvasion of Leyte Gulf,Mullany fired to help drive off nine separate enemy air attacks from 20 to 29 October, then sailed for overhaul at San Francisco. After training nearHawaii in January 1945, she joined Task Force 54 (TF 54) for theinvasion of Iwo Jima, to which she escorted troop transports. After firing in the preinvasion bombardment, she supported troops landing and fighting ashore, hitting caves and machinegun nests onMount Suribachi 19 February.
While on anti-submarine picket duty guarding theOkinawa invasion force on 6 April 1945,Mullany opened fire on a Japanesekamikaze plane at 17:45. A few seconds later the fighter was smoking from numerous hits, but somehow managed to stay together. Skipper Comdr. Albert O. Momm ordered the ship to turn out of the kamikaze's path, but couldn't get out of the way in time. The plane slammed into the aft deckhouse. Before damage control parties could remove all the wounded from the twisted metal and exploding ammunition, the ship'sdepth charges exploded. In the next 20 minutes three more enemy aircraft attacked strickenMullany. Her forward gunners downed two and drove the other away.
_off_the_Hunters_Point_Naval_Shipyard%2c_San_Francisco%2c_California_(USA)%2c_on_6_January_1945.jpg)
An hour later, Momm received a report that the bulkhead of one of the aftmagazines was hot and an explosion was apparently imminent. Many of the ship's officers had seen the disastrous consequences of a magazine explosion, and at 18:29 Momm gave the order to abandon ship.USS Gherardi (DMS-30) stood by to take on survivors while her rescue and assistance team continued to spray water onMullany. TheUSS Execute (AM-232) rescued 70 members of the Mullany crew from the water. TheExecute then came alongside and helped fight the fires. In the next hoursUSS Purdy (DD-734) came alongside the burning ship and extinguished the flames. Since the expected explosion had been prevented by punctured fuel and water tanks flooding the compartments above the hot magazine, Commander Momm took a skeleton crew back aboard at 23:00. After the fires were extinguished theExecute attempted a tow using her sweep gear. At first theMullany was in tow at low speed. With an increase in speed the sweep cable snapped and the tow attempt was discontinued. TheMullany crew then succeeded in lighting off one boiler, andMullany limped off on one shaft forPearl Harbor and San Francisco, arriving 29 May. Courage and determination had saved their ship, but 21 of her crew were killed, nine missing, and 36 wounded.
_underway%2c_circa_in_the_late_1950s_(NH_73458).jpg)
Completely repaired,Mullany put to sea 25 September for thePanama Canal and duty with theAtlantic Fleet, until decommissioning 14 February 1946 to join theReserve Fleet atCharleston, South Carolina
Recommissioned 8 March 1951,Mullany rejoined the Atlantic Fleet and by January 1954 had made three deployments to theMediterranean to join in the peace-keeping missions of the6th Fleet.
With her squadron,Destroyer Squadron 18 (DesRon 18),Mullany departedNewport, R.I. 1 December 1954 for San Diego, where the squadron was redesignatedDesRon 21 for service in the Pacific Fleet. In the next 10 years,Mullany served eight times in the western Pacific with the 7th Fleet, joining in patrol and training operations essential to the protection of freedom inAsia.
_and_USS_Stoddard_(DD-566)_at_Pearl_Harbor_c1960.jpg)
VeteranMullany returned to combat during her ninth cruise to the coast of Asia, screening carrierUSS Independence (CVA-62) in flight operations offVietnam in 1965, as well as serving as harbor defense ship atDa Nang. On 6 July 1965,Mullany's five-inch guns werefired in anger for the first time sinceOkinawa. This time it was in support of theU.S. 7th Marine Regiment landing atQui Nhon. During that cruise Mullany encountered the first known Soviet spy ship off the coast of Vietnam. The "Ivan", as Mullany's crew dubbed her, was disguised as a fishing vessel. Mullany "shadowed" the Ivan for several days, collecting vital intelligence before turning over the shadowing duty to a fleet tug. The following year she returned to the coast of Vietnam to seek out and destroy craft moving enemy supplies. From 20 to 30 November 1966, she destroyed 28 enemy watercraft and damaged 26 others with her 5-inch guns. She screenedUSS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) until sailing for San Diego in March 1967. Following an overhaul atLong Beach,Mullany spent the remainder of the year conducting refresher training and local operations off the coast of California.
In February 1968, she once again deployed to the Western Pacific. On 24 April 1968 the positions of the1st Battalion, 26th Marines atWunder Beach were hit by 11-15 rounds of fire from the ship killing two Marines.[1] On 9 July 1968,Mullany left Vietnamese waters for the last time. During 137 days at sea, she had steamed 46,468 miles, nearly twice around the Earth. Over a career that spanned 25 years, she would have circumnavigated the globe more than 40 times. After a visit toAuckland, New Zealand, she returned to San Diego in September.
Based in Long Beach,Mullany spent the next two years steaming up and down the West Coast as a reserve training ship. By 1971,Mullany was the oldest destroyer on active service. She was decommissioned and stricken from theNaval Vessel Register 6 October 1971, and sold to theRepublic of China for $150,000, plus $3,000, "administrative charges."
On 9 December 1969, the ship underwent an overhaul and Wujin No. 1 special shipyard at the No. 1 Naval Shipyard. the originalMark 37fire control and command system was replaced with Wuyi fire control and command system. In 1971, the completion in May greatly increased the combat power of the ship.[2]
Transferred to theRepublic of China Navy 6 October 1971, the ship was renamedChin-yang (慶陽).
In December 1974, the ship began the installation of theHsiung Feng II missile at the Navy's No. 1 Shipyard. The Installation was completed in May 1975.[2]
On 2 April 1975, at 10:10 a.m. DDG-909 successfully launched the first Surface-to-Air missile in ROC Navy history, and that marks the missile era for the ROC Navy. DDG-909 Chin-Yang was in service of ROC Navy for 26 years and through 20 Commanding Officers. The mission was patrolling the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters to convoy offshore-islands-support-and-supply, task flotilla and various missions. She played an important role on the Navy force built-up and fleet combat readiness, secure the safety of Taiwan Strait and Maritime communications.
The ship's weapon system was gradually modified and In January 1976, her number was changed to DD-947.[2]
Later on 1 October 1979, her number was changed to DD-909.[2]
The ship was later modified by Wujin No. 1 to become a missile destroyer, DDG-909.[2]
She was stricken 16 July 1999 and sunk as an artificial reef on 1 November 2001.[2]
The ship's anchor and propeller is on display at Mantou Military History Park,Tainan.[3] One of her gun, the other anchor and propeller is on display at the Yuanzhiluxiuxian Park, Tainan.[4] Another 5-inch gun has been moved aboard the museum shipUSSSarsfield with her anchor and propeller is located inDayuan.[5]
Mullany received sevenbattle stars forWorld War II service.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in April 1945 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2001 | |
|---|---|
| Shipwrecks |
|
| Other incidents |
|
23°12′15″N120°12′39″E / 23.2042572°N 120.2108276°E /23.2042572; 120.2108276
