34-678: USS Wilson (DD-408) , was a Benham -class destroyer of the United States Navy . Charles Wilson was born in 1836 in Boston, Massachusetts . He enlisted in the Navy on 15 October 1861, at Chicago, Illinois . Assigned to the gunboat USS Carondelet commanded by Commander Henry A. Walke , he served during the operations which captured Forts Henry and Donelson in February 1862. He exhibited "conspicuous courage under fire" on
68-610: A Gibbs & Cox design with a new high-pressure boiler design that allowed a reduction from four boilers to three, with an efficient turbine arrangement resembling the Mahan s '. The Bagley s were a Navy design that duplicated the machinery of the preceding long-range Mahan class; this led to their prominent boiler uptakes around the single stack that were their main recognition feature. The Gridley s were designed by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Company with advanced high-pressure boilers (also built by Bethlehem) but turbines generally similar to
102-479: A Y-gun on some ships. These ships later received two twin 40 mm Bofors mounts on their after deckhouses before being transferred to the Pacific. In 1945, Lang , Sterett , and Wilson also landed their remaining torpedo tubes and after 5-inch gun shields in favor of a total of four 40 mm twin mounts and four 20 mm twin mounts. This class, except Benham and Ellet , served on Neutrality Patrols in
136-534: A handling room below each gun, as in an enclosed mount. This allowed some of the class to be fitted with an enclosure for No. 4 gun and an open-top shield for No. 3 gun while on Neutrality Patrol in the Atlantic in 1941; but the shields were removed later to save weight for light anti-aircraft armament. In common with all US surface combatants in the 1930s, the as-built light AA armament was weak; only four .50 caliber machine guns (12.7 mm) were equipped. It
170-598: A series of three classes with similar characteristics laid down 1935-1937. The other two were the Gridley class (4 ships) and the Bagley class (8 ships). All three featured four 5-inch (127 mm) dual purpose guns (anti-surface and anti-aircraft) and sixteen 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in four quadruple mounts as built, the largest number of torpedo tubes on any US destroyers. Although all had only one stack, they differed primarily in their machinery. The Benham s were
204-645: The Battle of Guadalcanal and the Battle of Vella Gulf , and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service. Two of the class were lost during World War II, three were scrapped in 1947, while the remaining five ships were scuttled after being contaminated from the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. The ten Benham s were part of
238-503: The Gridley s. Features that improved fuel economy included boiler economizers , double reduction gearing , and cruising turbines. Range was somewhat less than in the Bagley s at 5,390 nmi (9,980 km; 6,200 mi) versus 6,940 nmi (12,850 km; 7,990 mi), possibly due to a smaller fuel capacity of 484 tons versus 504 tons. The main turbines developed 49,250 shp (36,730 kW) on Benham' s trials and were manufactured by Westinghouse . The Benham s had
272-755: The Japanese home islands until the end of World War II, including the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki . In the meantime, in order to secure the flank for U.S. forces preparing to attack Japanese forces in the Philippines, in September 1944, U.S. Marine and Army forces landed on the islands of Peleliu and Angaur in Palau . After heavy and intense combat on Peleliu and Angaur, both islands were finally secured by U.S. forces in November 1944, while
306-677: The Marianas Campaign and the Battle of the Philippine Sea , and also fired her guns at small craft and shore targets at Guam . After overhaul work in August–October 1944, she battled enemy suicide planes in late December while escorting a convoy to Mindoro, in the central Philippines. The next month, Wilson again engaged hostile aircraft and shore positions during the Lingayen Gulf invasion. On 16 April 1945, during
340-648: The Russell Islands , bombarded enemy positions on New Georgia and escorted shipping in and around the Solomon Islands . In November 1943, the destroyer screened U.S. aircraft carriers during strikes on Rabaul and Nauru and was similarly employed during attacks on the Marshall and Caroline Islands in January and February 1944. In June and July 1944, Wilson served with the carrier task forces during
374-655: The aircraft carrier Enterprise during the Doolittle Raid on Japan . In June 1942, while DesDiv 15 ( Lang , Stack , Sterett and Wilson ) escorted the aircraft carrier Wasp to the Pacific, DesDiv 16 ( Mayrant , Trippe , Rhind , and Rowan ) remained in the Atlantic, supporting the Operation Torch landings in North Africa in December 1942. In 1943 they served off Italy , where Mayrant
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#1732797743054408-621: The 10th, in the First Battle of Memphis on 6 June, and in the action with the Confederate ram CSS Arkansas on 15 July. On 24 January 1863, Walke officially commended Wilson "for the distinguished service." Wilson eventually attained the rank of boatswain . Wilson was laid down on 22 March 1937 at Bremerton, Washington , by the Puget Sound Navy Yard ; launched on 12 April 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Edward B. Fenner,
442-524: The 5-inch guns featured all-angle power loading and were director controlled , making them as effective as the technology allowed against aircraft. By late 1942, radio proximity fuses (VT fuses) made them much more effective. As in the last two Maury s, the two forward 5-inch guns were in enclosed mounts , while the after guns were open. However, in the Benham s, the after two mounts were a Mark 30 Mod 1 base-ring type with an integral ammunition hoist fed from
476-528: The Atlantic and escort duty in the Atlantic and Mediterranean as Destroyer Squadron 8 (with Wainwright as flagship ) from April 1940 to December 1941. Benham and Ellet were at sea in the Pacific on 7 December 1941 with Dunlap and Fanning of the Mahan class as Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 12 (part of Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 6, with Balch as flagship). Later, this four-ship division escorted
510-627: The Atlantic. In the last half of that year, and first months of 1942, she served an escort for major fleet units off the U.S. east coast and, in March–May 1942, steamed across the ocean to Iceland and the British Isles . Wilson returned to the Pacific as part of a task group centered on the aircraft carrier Wasp , and accompanied it to the south Pacific in July 1942. Early in the next month, she provided bombardment and anti-aircraft services to
544-604: The Japanese naval forces were decisively defeated with heavy and irreplaceable losses to their carrier-borne and land-based aircraft. U.S. forces executed landings on Saipan in June 1944 and Guam and Tinian in July 1944. After heavy fighting, Saipan was secured in July and Guam and Tinian in August 1944. The U.S. then constructed airfields on Saipan and Tinian where B-29s were based to conduct strategic bombing missions against
578-454: The campaign for Okinawa , she was hit by a kamikaze , which cost the lives of five of her crewmen and left an unexploded bomb in her after hull. Soon repaired, she served in the Okinawa area until June and operated out of Saipan until the war ended in August. Wilson was employed on occupation duty until December 1945, when she returned to the U.S. west coast. In May of the next year, she
612-558: The earlier Farragut class , which limited their range. Except for the 1850-ton Somers class , the Benham s' propulsion plant was the most advanced yet installed in US destroyers. A new Babcock & Wilcox boiler design was used that allowed a reduction from four boilers to three, saving considerable space and weight. Steam pressure was increased from 400 psi (2,800 kPa) to 600 psi (4,100 kPa) (one reference says 565 psi), superheated to 700 °F (371 °C) as in
646-492: The gunboat as it threaded its way through the tortuous channel. Walke's running the gauntlet turned out to be a crucial factor in the Union's capture of Island No. 10 and its later operations to the south. Later that year, Wilson also served during the capture of Confederate batteries opposite Point Pleasant on 6 April and Confederate positions below Madrid on the 7 April. He took part in the naval engagement above Fort Pillow on
680-660: The heaviest torpedo armament ever on US destroyers. They introduced a new high-pressure boiler that saved space and weight, as only three of the new boilers were required compared to four of the older designs. The class served extensively in World War II in the Atlantic , Mediterranean , and Pacific theaters, including Neutrality Patrols in the Atlantic 1940-1941. Sterett received the United States Presidential Unit Citation for
714-445: The invasion force during landings at Guadalcanal and Tulagi . While in that area on 9 August, Wilson engaged Japanese cruisers during the Battle of Savo Island , and later rescued survivors of the sunken cruisers Quincy , Astoria and Vincennes . Following a west coast overhaul, Wilson was back off Guadalcanal in January 1943, in time for the last weeks of the fighting there. She subsequently participated in landings on
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#1732797743054748-467: The night of 4 April 1862, during the flotilla's passage down the Mississippi River past Island No. 10 to New Madrid . During the passage, Wilson, knee-deep in water and exposed to Confederate gunfire stood on the bow of the gunboat as he took soundings and called out the depths of the river, enabling Carondelet to make the passage safely. His soundings were the only significant guide for
782-491: The offensive, United States Marine Corps and United States Army forces, with support from the United States Navy , executed landings on Saipan in June 1944. In response, the Imperial Japanese Navy 's Combined Fleet sortied to attack the U.S. Navy fleet supporting the landings. In the resulting aircraft carrier Battle of the Philippine Sea (the so-called "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot") on 19–20 June,
816-901: The overall command of Chester W. Nimitz , followed the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign and was intended to neutralize Japanese bases in the central Pacific, support the Allied drive to retake the Philippines , and provide bases for a strategic bombing campaign against Japan. The United States invasion force was supported by a massive combat force. The Fifth Fleet was commanded by Admiral Raymond A. Spruance . Task Force 58, commanded by Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher , consisted of 15 carriers, 7 battleships, 11 cruisers, 86 destroyers and over 900 planes. The invasion force, commanded by Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner , consisted of 56 attack transports, 84 landing craft and over 127,000 troops. Beginning
850-413: The same armament as the Gridley s and Bagley s: four 5-inch/38 caliber dual purpose guns (anti-surface and anti-aircraft (AA)) in single mounts and sixteen 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes in quadruple mounts. The Mark 15 torpedo was equipped. This was the heaviest armament in torpedoes ever on US destroyers. Compared with the Mahan s, they sacrificed one gun for four additional torpedo tubes. It
884-611: The war ended. Sterett , Ellet , and Lang were scrapped in 1947. The others, contaminated as targets in the Operation Crossroads atomic bomb tests , were decommissioned and scuttled in deep water off Kwajalein in 1948. Sterett earned 12 battle stars , the United States Presidential Unit Citation for the Battle of Guadalcanal and the Battle of Vella Gulf , and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service. Marianas Campaign Second Sino-Japanese War The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign , also known as Campaign Plan Granite II ,
918-703: The wife of Rear Admiral Edward B. Fenner , the Commandant of the 13th Naval District; and commissioned on 5 July 1939. Wilson operated along the west coasts of the United States, Central and South America into April 1940, when she went to the Territory of Hawaii to participate in Fleet Problem XXI . In June 1941, after a year mainly spent in the Hawaiian area, Wilson was transferred to
952-588: Was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Pacific Ocean between June and November 1944 during the Pacific War . The campaign consisted of Operation Forager, which captured the Mariana Islands , and Operation Statemate, which captured Palau . Operation Causeway , the invasion of Taiwan was also planned but not executed. The offensive, under
986-477: Was apparently felt that the heavy AA armament would shoot down most incoming aircraft in all situations, but the attack on Pearl Harbor showed that this was not true. While on Neutrality Patrol, some of the class landed their after torpedo tube mounts and .50-caliber machine guns so that their Depth charge and light AA batteries could be increased; photographs show six Oerlikon 20 mm cannon were added along with four K-gun depth charge throwers and, reportedly,
1020-583: Was assigned to Operation Crossroads target duty. Made radioactive by the July atomic bomb tests at Bikini , Wilson was decommissioned in August 1946 and sunk in deep water off Kwajalein on 8 March 1948. Wilson received 11 battle stars for her service during World War II [REDACTED] This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . The entry can be found here . Benham-class destroyer The Benham class of ten destroyers
1054-594: Was badly damaged and Benham sunk. Lang , Sterett , and Stack formed division "A-2" at the Battle of Vella Gulf in 1943 and, thereafter, all five remaining ships accompanied the advance through the Marshalls and Marianas . Reassigned as DesDiv 4 of DesRon 2, the former DesDiv 15 ships were at Leyte and later Okinawa ; Ellet was at Iwo Jima . In April 1945, Sterett and Wilson were both damaged in kamikaze attacks while on radar picket duty; Wilson remained in service while Sterett returned to service as
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1088-532: Was badly damaged by a German air attack off Palermo and Rowan sunk by an E-boat ( torpedo boat ) attack off Salerno . Meanwhile, the six Pacific destroyers operated in the Solomon Islands (where Ellet was ordered to sink the Australian heavy cruiser Canberra after the Battle of Savo Island ), and were on hand for the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , 13–15 November 1942, in which Sterett
1122-545: Was built for the United States Navy (USN). They were part of a series of USN destroyers limited to 1,500 tons standard displacement by the London Naval Treaty and built in the 1930s. The class was laid down in 1936-1937 and all were commissioned in 1939. Much of their design was based on the immediately preceding Gridley and Bagley -class destroyers . Like these classes, the Benham s were notable for including sixteen 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes ,
1156-590: Was suggested that these ships could use "curved ahead fire", using the adjustable post-launch gyro angle of their torpedoes to launch a sixteen-torpedo spread ahead of the ship. One reason for the heavy destroyer torpedo armament was that, alone among the major navies, the last nine of the seventeen US Treaty cruisers built in the 1920s and 1930s lacked torpedoes; eventually all of the US Treaty cruisers' torpedoes were removed in 1941 in favor of additional heavy AA guns. As with most other US destroyers of this period,
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