- USS Somers
Six ships of the
United States Navy have borne the name USS "Somers" in honor ofMaster Commandant Richard Somers who was killed at Tripoli in action against theBarbary pirates .*The first "Somers" was a
schooner that fought under CommodoreOliver Hazard Perry onLake Erie andLake Huron , and took part in the capture of the British Squadron on10 September 1813 . She was captured by the British in 1814.*The second "Somers" was a
brig launched by theNew York Navy Yard on16 April 1842 and commissioned on12 May 1842 , CommanderAlexander Slidell Mackenzie in command. The ship is famous for the "Somers Affair", a controversy in which Commander Mackenzie ordered the hanging of three alleged mutineers, including the son of Secretary of WarJohn Canfield Spencer , during the first cruise. She sank in 1846 while serving in theMexican-American War .*The third, USS "Somers" (TB-22), was a
torpedo boat built inGermany in 1895 and purchased during the War of 1898. Her service until 1919 was principally with the Maryland and Illinois Naval Militias and on coastal patrol duringWorld War I . She was struck in 1919 and sold in 1920.*The fourth, "Somers" (DD-301), was a "Clemson"-class
destroyer launched in 1918. She engaged in peacetime operations with the Pacific Fleet from 1920 until she was scrapped under theLondon Disarmament Treaty in 1930.*The fifth, "Somers" (DD-381), was the
lead ship of the "Somers"-class destroyers. She was built at Federal, Kearny and commissioned1 December 1937 . She was struck in 1947.*The sixth, "Somers" (DDG-34, ex-DD-947), was a "Forrest Sherman"-class destroyer when her keel was laid down at the
Bath Iron Works on4 March 1958 , she was launched on30 May , and commissioned on3 April 1959 . She was reclassified as a guided missile Destroyer "'DDG-34" in 1967, and stricken in 1988. She was sunk as a target 1998.
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