- USS Shubrick (DD-639)
USS "Shubrick" (DD-639), a "Gleaves"-class
destroyer , was the fourth ship of theUnited States Navy to be named forRear Admiral William B. Shubrick ."Shubrick" was laid down on
17 February 1942 by theNorfolk Navy Yard ,Norfolk, Virginia , launched on18 April 1942 , sponsored by Mrs. Grosvenor Bemis, great-great-granddaughter of R.Adm. Shubrick; and commissioned on7 February 1943 ,Lieutenant Commander Louis A. Bryan in command.After shakedown, "Shubrick" sailed for
North Africa with a largeconvoy on8 June 1943 . Reaching her destination, she prepared forOperation Husky and, on10 July , provided fire support for the landings atGela ,Sicily . She engaged enemy shore batteries and broke up an enemytank concentration, then retired to protect the transports offshore. On 11 and12 July , she shot down two aircraft. After two trips toBizerte and another period of shore bombardment, she escorted thecruiser "Savannah" (CL-42) toPalermo . There, during a night air raid on4 August , "Shubrick" was hit amidships by a 500-pound bomb which caused flooding of two main machinery spaces and left the ship without power. Nine were killed and 20 wounded in the attack. The damaged destroyer was towed by "Nauset" (AT-89) into the inner harbor for emergency repairs and then toMalta for drydocking. Using one screw, the ship returned to the United States, arriving in New York on9 October for permanent repairs.After completion of repairs and refresher training in January 1944, "Shubrick" made two convoy runs to Europe and back before joining the
Normandy bombardment group in Belfast. After escortingbattleship "Nevada" (BB-36) and five cruisers to the Normandy beaches "Shubrick" took her own fire support station and, at 05:50 on6 June , opened fire on her preassigned targets. She continued her fire as the troops landed, then checked her fire at 06:30 to avoid hitting friendly forces. She remained off the Normandy beaches for over a month, performing escort duties, fire support missions and anti-motor-torpedo-boat andantisubmarine patrols, with trips toEngland for replenishment. On27 June , she escorted six AmericanPT boat s toCherbourg . There, the patrol craft reconnoitered enemy defenses by drawing their fire. "Shubrick" herself came under fire before the mission was completed. She left Normandy for the last time on11 July and, five days later, joined a task group bound for theMediterranean .On
12 August , "Shubrick" sailed from Malta with four escort carriers and five other destroyer to provide air cover for the landings in southern France on15 August . Aside from float lights dropped on the evening after the landings, the force encountered no enemy opposition and was disbanded on30 August . On6 September , "Shubrick" sailed fromOran for overhaul in the United States.After overhaul, "Shubrick" made a convoy trip to
Taranto ,Italy , and then conducted training along the east coast of the United States. On1 February 1945 , she transited thePanama Canal to join theU.S. Pacific Fleet . After additional training, she departed fromPearl Harbor on21 April escorting the battleship "Mississippi" (BB-41) toOkinawa . On12 May , she and one other destroyer supported the landings at Tori Shima and shot down two attacking aircraft. "Shubrick" completed oneradar picket patrol in mid-May, but, on her way to her second, she was attacked at 00:10,29 May 1945 , by twokamikaze aircraft, one of which crashed into the ship. The bomb carried by the plane blew a 30-foot (10 m) hole in the starboard side, and further damage was done when one of the ship's depth charges exploded. At first the situation looked grim. "Van Valkenburg" (DD-656) came alongside at 01:13 and removed classified material and all wounded and unnecessary personnel. However, the crew finally controlled the flooding, and "Shubrick" was towed toKerama Retto by "ATR-9". The ship lost 35 men killed and missing, and 25 wounded in the attack."Shubrick" underwent emergency repairs until
15 July , when she began the trip back to the United States on one engine, arriving atPuget Sound Navy Yard on10 August . On17 August , due to the end of the war, theBureau of Ships decided not to repair the damage. The destroyer was decommissioned on16 November 1945 and struck from theNavy list on28 November . Later sold to theNational Metal and Steel Corporation ,Terminal Island ,Los Angeles, California , for scrapping, her hulk was removed on28 September 1947 ."Shubrick" received 4
battle star s for herWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/ussshubrick/index.html USS "Shubrick" website] at [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/index.html Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s12/shubrick-iv.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Shubrick"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/639.htm navsource.org: USS "Shubrick"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd639txt.htm hazegray.org: USS "Shubrick"]
* [http://www.ussshubrick.com/ "Shubrick" veterans' website]
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