Transportation Library VA 61 A2C 1964 UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON, D. C. For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office FOREWORD From our earliest struggles for independence to our present position of world dominance, our country's history is replete with stirring and heroic episodes of fighting ships. The steady advance of our maritime power is symbolized by the wealth of tradition encompassed between John Paul Jones' immortal, "I have not yet begun to fight," and the message, "Underway on nuclear power," from U.S.S. Nautilus. Although these cherished traditions that shaped America's greatness were forged by men, they were forged in ships. In the story of ships lies our country's consistent adherence to the principles of sea power. In its telling is portrayed our steady rise to leadership of the free world's confederation of the sea. What a vast difference between the first little ships of wood and sail in the American Revolution and the powerful, complex, atom driven, guided missile ships of today. These atomic powered, missile armed ships now building, as well as others of the future still to be conceived, that make our modern bulwark of the seas, will play an even greater part in our destiny than their predecessors in the Navy have in the past. This collection into one work of brief ship histories has long been needed. When completed, it will make available in easily accessible form basic information on every naval ship that has served its part in shaping the history and national spirit of the United States. The faithful and arduous service of these ships and the men who manned them, as well as many brilliant victories, have stimulated "national pride, patriotism and unity." This work will have enduring value to the Navy, to students and writers, and to all other Americans in developing a better understanding of the accomplishments of our ships which have contributed toward making our Navy the best in the world. It will especially help to build knowledge, esprit, and inspiration for the men who have served, to those who are serving, and to those who will serve our great Navy. Arleigh Benke ARLEIGH BURKE, Admiral, USN, Chief of Naval Operations. PREFACE The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, the first of a multivolume series, has been compiled to fill a long felt need within and outside the Navy to have in readily accessible form the basic information on every naval ship, each of which in large or small part has helped shape the destiny of the United States at sea. It is a long and noble line from the tiny sailing vessels of the American Revolution to the giant battleships and aircraft carriers of our time; and now Nautilus opens the way to atomic revolution in seapower. war. Men are the Navy, yet they live in ships. On the far spaces of the sea they become knit together; crew and ship forge into a single powerful unit to serve the United States in peace and The ship is their home, their weapon, their faith, their pride. Men who have served in a ship are always interested in her. When they have trained and fought for their country in a ship, it becomes a part of them and they, in turn, a part of her forever after. Today there are tremendous revolutions that take us into the heart of the atom and out into the far seas of space. One result has been special interest in ships as if in belated understanding of the great role the sea has played in shaping the United States' destiny. This role will not pass as long as the seas provide the highways for the movement of the bulk of world commerce, lifegiving arteries for the oceanic confederation of the Free World, the principal power for limiting war and keeping peace in the missile age. The information in the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is briefer than we would like to make it. Yet, it must be so for the Dictionary to be complete over 10,000 ships have served the United States in her swift growth to leadership of a far flung sea confederacy and of man's great hope of freedom. Volumes have been and will be written of the careers and achievements of many of the ships that have greatly served the United States. The purpose of this Dictionary, however, is to give the concise facts about every ship so that it may be a ready reference for those who have served in the ships and for the student, writer, and many others who seek a work like this. As the name implies, the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships is an alphabetical arrangement of the ships of the Continental and United States Navies, with a historical sketch on each one. The history of each ship includes, where known, her tonnage or displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, complement, armament, and class. The editors have striven to give the specifications of cach vessel as first commissioned or, where that is not possible, the earliest known following commissioning. It has been impossible to present uncontestable statistical information about every vessel, particularly the earlier ones, because of conflicting data. The editors have used that data which best stood the test of genealogy and logic. In addition each history presents, where known, the builder, sponsor, launching and commissioning dates, date of acquisition by the Navy, first commanding officer, a concise operational history, and disposition. Within each name borne by two or more vessels a lineage has been established. To count in the lineage a vessel must have carried the name while shown on the Navy List. Because of long custom, lineage has also included ships that served in the various organized forces that served the 13 Colonies in the American Revolution. In the case of a vessel serving under two or more names her history is given under the name carried when first commissioned unless her most significant service was under another name. Unless otherwise specified all ranks mentioned in this volume may be assumed to be USN. Included in the various volumes will be several |