USS Eugene A. Greene (DD-711)

For other ships of the same name, see USS Eugene A. Greene.

Career (USA)
Name:	USS Eugene A. Greene
Namesake:	Ensign Eugene A. Greene (1921-1942), a United States Navy officer and Navy Cross recipient
Builder:	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey
Laid down:	17 August 1944
Launched:	18 March 1945
Commissioned:	8 June 1945
Decommissioned:	31 August 1972
Struck:	2 June 1975
Fate:	Transferred to Spain, 31 August 1972
Career (Spain)
Name:	Churruca (D61)
Acquired:	31 August 1972
Struck:	15 September 1989
Fate:	Sunk as a target, 12 December 1991
General characteristics
Class and type:	Gearing-class destroyer
Displacement:	3,460 long tons (3,516 t) full
Length:	390 ft 6 in (119.02 m)
Beam:	40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
Draft:	14 ft 4 in (4.37 m)
Propulsion:	Geared turbines, 2 shafts, 60,000 shp (45 MW)
Speed:	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range:	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement:	336
Armament:	• 6 × 5"/38 caliber guns • 12 × 40 mm AA guns • 11 × 20 mm AA guns • 10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes • 6 × depth charge projectors • 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Eugene A. Greene (DD/DDR-711) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Ensign Eugene A. Greene (1921–1942), was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism in the Battle of Midway.

Eugene A. Greene was launched on 18 March 1945 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny, N.J.; sponsored by Mrs. Anita M. Greene, widow of Ensign Greene; and commissioned on 8 June 1945, Commander W. V. Pratt, III, in command.

Service history

US Navy, 1945–1972

Eugene A. Greene operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean on shakedown training, acting as plane guard during the qualification of pilots in carrier operations, and training men for the crews of new destroyers. From her home port in Norfolk, Virginia, she sailed to Guantanamo Bay for training early in 1947, and on 13 February sailed in a task group bound for Montevideo, Uruguay, to participate in the festivities accompanying the inauguration of Uruguay's President Berres. The group also paid a good will visit to Rio de Janeiro before returning to Norfolk on 31 March.

On 10 November 1947 Eugene A. Greene sailed on the first of nine Mediterranean cruises made over the next thirteen years. During those years, she and her sisters of the U.S. 6th Fleet have guarded the interests of peace and order in that sea which was the cradle of democratic government. Voyages to northern Europe and the Arctic varied the routine of overseas deployment for Eugene A. Greene.

Eugene A. Greene was placed out of commission from 1 April 1952 to 1 December 1952, during which period she was being converted to a radar picket destroyer. She was redesignated DDR-711 on 18 July 1952.

Greene reverted to DD-711 on 15 March 1963.

On 18 June 1970 the Greene and the oiler Waccamaw (AO-109) were in a minor collision in the eastern Mediterranean during refueling operations.^[1]

Eugene A. Greene was decommissioned on 31 August 1972 at Norfolk, and, along with four other destroyers, was loaned to Spain.

Spanish Navy, 1972–1991

The ship was commissioned in the Spanish Navy as Churruca (D61), named after Lieutenant General Cosme Damián de Churruca y Elorza (1761–1805), who died during the Battle of Trafalgar.

Churruca was decommissioned on 15 September 1989; she was sunk as a target on 12 December 1991.

Footnotes

1. ^ Arkin & Handler (1990). "NEPTUNE PAPERS III, NAVAL NUCLEAR ACCIDENTS AT SEA". Greenpeace. http://lists.peacelink.it/armamenti/msg00252.html. 

References

This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• destroyers.org: USS Eugene A. Greene
• Photo gallery of USS Eugene A. Greene at NavSource Naval History
• hazegray.org: USS Eugene A. Greene
• The sinking of the Churruca (YouTube - part 1)
• The sinking of the Churruca (YouTube - part 2)