USS Yarborough (DD-314)

USS "Yarborough" (DD-314) was a "Clemson"-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for George Hampton Yarborough, Jr.

History

"Yarborough" was laid down on 27 February 1919 at San Francisco, California, by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation's Union Iron Works plant; launched on 20 June 1919; sponsored by Miss Kate Burch, the fiancee of the late Lt. Yarborough; designated DD-314 on 17 July 1920; and commissioned at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, on 31 December 1920, Lieutenant Commander Charles E. Rosendahl —later the Navy's pre-eminent authority on airships — in command.

Following commissioning, "Yarborough" was fitted out at Mare Island into late January 1921 and departed the yard on the 25th, bound for Port Richmond, California, where she fueled. After trials in San Francisco Bay, Monterey Bay, and San Pedro Bay, the new destroyer tied up at the Reserve Dock at San Diego, California, on 2 February. Outside of a trip to San Pedro with liberty parties embarked, the ship remained pierside through mid-April.

One event was noteworthy during the ship's largely port-bound routine in 1921. She embarked Marine detachments from the cruisers but found nothing. Abandoning the search on the 13th, the ship retransmitted the canal and rejoined the Fleet.

Participating in Fleet Problem VII later that month, "Yarborough" operated off Gonaives, Haiti, and visited Staten Island and New York late in May and early in June. While in the New York area, the destroyer participated in the presidential review, when President Calvin Coolidge inspected the Fleet from the decks of his presidential yacht, "Mayflower", on 4 June.

"Yarborough" subsequently headed for Panama, arriving at Colon on 9 June. She shifted to Puerto Cabezas, Nicaragua, soon thereafter, due to an outbreak of unrest there. She joined USS|Denver|PG-28|3 and USS|Robert Smith|DD-324|3 in guarding American interests in that port before heading back to Colon, retransiting the Panama Canal, and undergoing a drydocking at Balboa. She returned to Puerto Cabezas on 9 July and found USS|Tulsa|PG-22|3 and "Shirk" in port.

"Yarborough" remained at Puerto Cabezas into early August, drilling her landing force in light marching order early in the deployment to be ready for any emergency. The destroyer sailed for the Panama Canal on 5 August, transited the canal on the 7th, and arrived at San Diego on the 23rd. She exercised out of San Diego and off San Clemente Island for the rest of 1927.

The following spring, "Yarborough" again operated in Hawaiian waters, taking part in Fleet Problem VIII which was staged between San Francisco and Honolulu. Returning to the west coast upon completion of that group of maneuvers, the destroyer continued her regular schedule of operations in tactics and gunnery out of Port Angeles, San Diego, and San Pedro.

"Yarborough" participated in her final large-scale maneuvers in January 1929, operating between San Diego and the westward side of the Panama Canal Zone, in Fleet Problem IX. That problem - significant in that the new aircraft carrier USS|Lexington|CV-2|3 participated in the Fleet's war games for the first time - pitted the Battle Fleet (less submarines and "Lexington") against a combination of forces including the Scouting Force (augmented by "Lexington"), the Control Forces, Train Squadron 1, and 15th Naval District and local Army defense forces. The scenario studied the effects of an attack upon the Panama Canal and conducted the operations necessary to carry out such an eventuality. As before, "Yarborough's" role was with the Battle Fleet, screening the dreadnoughts of the battle line.

After alternating periods in port and operating locally, "Yarborough" was moored at the Destroyer Base at San Diego that autumn and prepared for decommissioning. Simultaneously, she participated in the reactivation of ships that had been in reserve during the past few years. Two of those ships were USS|Upshur|DD-144|3 and USS|Tarbell|DD-142|3.

Fate

"Yarborough" was decommissioned on 29 May 1930; and, on 3 November 1930, her name was struck from the Navy list. Scrapped on 20 December of the same year, her remains were sold as scrap metal on 25 February 1932.

As of 2005, no other ships have been named "Yarborough".

References

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External links

* [http://sinpic.slv.vic.gov.au/cgi-bin/Pwebrecon.cgi?DB=local&Search_Arg=Green,%20Allan%20C.%201878-1954%20photographer.&SL=None&Search_Code=NALL&CNT=15 DD-314 Photo]
*http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/314.htm