- USS Talbot (DD-114)
The second USS "Talbot" (DD-114) was a "Wickes"-class
destroyer in theUnited States Navy duringWorld War I and later designated, APD-7 in theWorld War II . She was named in honor ofSilas Talbot .History
"Talbot" was laid down on
12 July 1917 atPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , byWilliam Cramp & Sons ; launched on20 February 1918 ; sponsored by MissElizabeth Major ; and commissioned on20 July 1918 , Lieutenant CommanderIsaac Foote Dortch in command.The destroyer stood out of New York on the 31st and steamed to the
British Isles . She made three more round-trip voyages toEngland and, in December, called at Brest,France . In 1919, she joined the Pacific Fleet and operated with it until31 March 1923 when she was decommissioned at San Diego. While in reserve, the ship was designated DD-114 on17 July 1920 ."Talbot" was recommissioned on
31 May 1930 and joined Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 10 of theBattle Force at San Diego. She remained with Battle Force until 1937 when she went toHawaii to support Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, for a year. In 1939, she served with the Battle Force and the Submarine Force. In 1940 and 1941, the destroyer was based at San Diego.World War II
The day after the
Japan eseattack on Pearl Harbor , "Talbot" got underway in the screen of Saratoga (CV-3) and headed for Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor exactly a week after the Japanese raid, patrolled off the islands for 10 days, and returned to San Diego. In February 1942, the ship joined the Patrol Force of the 12th Naval District and escorted convoys along the Pacific coast.Late in May, "Talbot" stood out of
Puget Sound to escort S-18, S-23, and S-28 toAlaska . They arrived atDutch Harbor on2 June and were subjected to a small and unsuccessful air attack the next day. With the exception of three escort trips back toSeattle , the destroyer performed patrol and escort duty in Alaskan waters for the next seven months. On31 October 1942 , the ship was reclassified a high-speed transport and redesignated APD-7. "Talbot" departed Dutch Harbor on31 January 1943 to be converted by theMare Island Navy Yard into a small but fast troopship. The work, enabling "Talbot" to transport 147 combat troops, was completed on15 March .The next day, the high-speed transport got underway for Hawaii, and she arrived at
Pearl Harbor the following week. On2 April , she headed forEspiritu Santo to join Transport Division (TransDiv) 12. For two months, the APD participated in training exercises with her division and also escorted ships toNew Caledonia ,New Zealand ,Australia , andGuadalcanal .In mid-June, she joined Task Group (TG) 31.1, the Rendova Attack Group, for the invasion of
New Georgia . She and "Zane" (DMS-14) were to capture two small islands that controlled the entrance toRoviana Lagoon fromBlanche Channel . The two ships embarked troops of the 169th Infantry Regiment atGuadalcanal ; and, on the 30th, they were off their assigned beaches when the assault began. Heavy rains obscured the islands, and "Zane" ran aground at 0230. After landing her troops and supplies without opposition, "Talbot" attempted to pull the minesweeper free but failed. Then "Rail" (ATO-139) arrived and pulled "Zane" free while "Talbot" provided air protection. During the operation, enemy aircraft could be seen attacking the main landing force. On the night of4 July , the ship and six other high speed transports arrived offRice Anchorage . During the landing of assault troops the next morning, a Japanese "long-lance" torpedo sank "Strong" (DD-467), one of the destroyers of the bombardment group."Talbot" returned to Guadalcanal to prepare for the occupation of
Vella Lavella . On14 August , she sortied with TG 31.5, the Advance Transport Group of the Northern Landing Force. The assault forces went ashore from the destroyer transports the next morning, unopposed. However, two hours later, the Japanese began air attacks against the ships and kept up the raids throughout the day. Nevertheless, the American fleet suffered no damage and claimed to have shot down 44 of the enemy planes.The high-speed transport next devoted over a month to escorting smaller ships and carrying supplies to various islands in the Solomons. Late in September, she joined
Admiral George H. Fort 's Southern Attack Force for the conquest of theTreasury Islands . Eight APD's and 23 smaller landing ships were loaded with troops of the 8th New Zealand Brigade Force. The smaller ships departed Guadalcanal on23 October and24 October , and the faster destroyer transports left on the 26th. On the 27th, the troops landed on Mono and Stirling islands, and the transports had cleared the area by 2000.On
3 November , "Talbot" called atNoumea to embark reinforcements for troops who, two days before, had landed on the beaches of Bougainville atEmpress Augusta Bay . She arrived on the 6th, disembarked her soldiers, loaded 19 casualties and screened a group of LST's to Guadalcanal. On the llth, she was back at the beachhead with a resupply echelon. Four days later, she got underway for Guadalcanal. The high-speed transport loaded troops, ammunition, and rations; held a practice landing; and headed for Bougainville. On the 16th, the destroyer transport and her five sister ships rendezvoused with a group of LST's and destroyers. At 0300, a Japanese snooper dropped a flare astern of the convoy. It was followed by enemy bombers which attacked for almost an hour before hitting "McKean" (APD-5) and setting her afire. Although under constant air attack, "Talbot's" boats rescued 68 crew members and 106 marine passengers from the stricken ship.APD-7 continued to
Cape Torokina and arrived there in the midst of another air attack. She landed her troops and headed for Guadalcanal.After her engines were overhauled at Nouméa in December, the ship made a round-trip to
Sydney . On8 January 1944 , she departedNew Caledonia for Espiritu Santo to pick up a convoy and escort it to Guadalcanal. She arrived offLunga Point on the 13th and patrolled between there and Koli Point for two weeks. On the 28th, the fast transport embarked elements of the 30th New Zealand Battalion and a group of intelligence and communications specialists of the United States Navy and headed for the Green Islands to participate in a reconnaissance in force.On the night of
30 January , the destroyer transports landed the raiding party; withdrew from the area; and returned the next night to pick them up. "Talbot" disembarked the New Zealanders at Vella Lavella and the Navy men at Guadalcanal. On13 February , "Talbot" reembarked New Zealand troops and sortied with TF 31, the Green Islands Attack Group. She was off Bara-hun Island on the 15th and launched her part of the assault wave. She then shuttled reinforcements and supplies from Guadalcanal to the Green Islands.On
17 March , the transport loaded elements of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, at Guadalcanal and sailed with the amphibious force to theSt. Matthias Islands . The marines peacefully occupiedEmirau on20 March , and "Talbot" returned toPurvis Bay . She headed to New Guinea on4 April to participate in practice landings with the 168d Army Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Two weeks later, she loaded 145 men of that regiment and sortied with TG 77.3, the Fire Support Group, for the assault onAitape . On the 22d, "Talbot" landed her troops; shelledTumleo Island ; and returned toCape Cretin . She escorted resupply echelons to the landing area until10 May when the transports were released by the 7th Fleet."Talbot" joined the 5th Fleet at Guadalcanal on the 13th and began training with underwater demolition teams. On
4 June , she joined a convoy to the Marshalls and arrived atKwajalein on the 8th. Two days later, the high-speed transport joined TG 53.15 of the Southern Attack Force and got underway for the Marianas. However, she collided with "Pennsylvania" (BB-38) during an emergency turn; and the resulting flooding of several of her compartments forced her to return for repairs. "Talbot" got underway two days later, rejoined the group southeast ofSaipan , and was off the beaches there on the 15th, D-Day. During the first days of the operation, she screened the bombardment group. On the 17th, she captured a survivor of a wrecked Japanese boat. The ship developed engine trouble and anchored in the transport area where an enemy plane dropped a stick of bombs off her port bow, but caused no damage. She transferred her underwater demolition team to "Kane" (APD-18) and joined a convoy for Hawaii. She was then routed back toSan Francisco for an overhaul that lasted from11 July to28 August ."Talbot" returned to Pearl Harbor early in September and steamed onward to Eniwetok and Manus. She embarked Underwater Demolition Team No. 3 on
12 October and sortied with TG 77.6, the Bombardment and Fire Support Group, for Leyte. On the 18th, her swimmers made a daylight reconnaissance of the waters between San Jose andDulag . Although opposed by enemy machine-gun and mortar fire, the team reembarked with no casualties. The transport departed with a convoy and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on the 27th, where she transferred the demolition team to "President Hayes" (AP-39) on the last day of the month."Talbot" headed toward Oro Bay, joined "George Clymer" (AP-57), escorted her to
Cape Gloucester , and returned toSeeadler Harbor on the 8th. Two days later, she was anchored there, only some 800 yards from "Mount Hood" (AE-11), when that ammunition ship suddenly exploded and showered her with over 600 pounds of metal and debris. The transport was holed in several places and some crew members were injured."Talbot's" boats searched for survivors but found none.
On
15 December 1944 , after the high-speed transport's damage had been repaired at Manus, "Talbot" got underway and proceeded, via Aitape, toNoemfoor Island to participate in amphibious exercises with the 158th RCT. On4 January 1945 , she embarked troops and sortied with Task Unit 77.9.8 for Lingayen Gulf. The ship landed reinforcements atSan Fabian the following week and continued on to Leyte. She embarked troops of the llth Airborne Division on the 26th and headed for Luzon with a convoy. On31 January , she disembarked the troops as the second wave against Nasugbu and steamed to Mindoro. She loaded mortar and rocket boats and delivered them to Leyte.On
14 February , the high-speed transport embarked units of the 151st Infantry Regiment and steamed toBataan . She landed the troops atMariveles Harbor the next morning and returned toSubic Bay . On the 17th, she took a load of reinforcements to Corregidor. The transport escorted a convoy back toUlithi and remained there for several weeks before being ordered toGuam . "Talbot" andLSM-381 proceeded toParece Vela to conduct a survey of the reef and determine the feasibility of erecting a radio, weather, and observation station there. She returned to Guam on20 April and reached Ulithi the next day.On
22 April , "Talbot" joined a convoy bound forOkinawa . Five days later, she began antisubmarine patrols south ofKerama Retto and then, on the 30th, joined a convoy forSaipan . She returned to Kerama Retto and served as a picket ship from22 May to6 June when she went back to Saipan. From the Marianas, the high speed transport was routed to Eniwetok, Hawaii, and the United States.Fate
"Talbot" arrived at San Pedro on
6 July and was to be reconverted into a destroyer. Her classification reverted to "DD-114" on16 July . However, a Board of Inspection and Survey recommended that she be inactivated. "Talbot" was decommissioned on9 October and struck from the Navy list on24 October 1945 . She was sold to theBoston Metals Company ,Baltimore, Maryland , on30 January 1946 and scrapped."Talbot" received eight
battle star s forWorld War II service.ee also
*See USS "Talbot" for other ships of the same name.
*List of United States Navy destroyers References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t1/talbot-ii.htm
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/114.htm NavSource Photos]
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