USS Greer (DD-145)

The first USS "Greer" (DD–145) was a "Wickes" class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral James A. Greer (1833–1904). She was the first US Navy ship to fire on a German ship, three months before the United States officially entered World War II.

"Greer" was launched by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1 August 1918; sponsored by Miss Evelina Porter Gleaves, daughter of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves; and commissioned 31 December 1918, Commander C. E. Smith in command.

1919 to 1941

"Greer"'s shake down took her to Azores, from which she rendezvoused with the "George Washington", carrying President Woodrow Wilson home from the Versailles Peace Conference, and escorted her to the United States. After exercises in coastal waters, "Greer" was assigned to Trepassy Bay, Newfoundland, for duties during a transatlantic flight by four Navy seaplanes, one of which, NC-4, safely completed the historic undertaking. After further training exercises and a European cruise, "Greer" was assigned to the Pacific Fleet, reaching San Francisco 18 November 1919.

Six months' duty with the Pacific Fleet terminated 25 March 1920 when "Greer" sailed to join the Asiatic Fleet. After standing by off Shanghai to protect American lives and property during riots there in May, "Greer" sailed to Port Arthur and Dairen on intelligence missions and returned to Cavite, Philippines, for fleet exercises. The destroyer returned to San Francisco 29 September 1921 via Guam, Midway, and Pearl Harbor. "Greer" decommissioned at San Diego 22 June 1922, and was placed in reserve.

"Greer" recommissioned 31 March 1930, Comdr. J. W. Bunkley in command. Operating with the Battle Fleet, she participated in a variety of exercises along the coast from Alaska to Panama, with an occasional voyage to Hawaii. Transferred to the Scouting Fleet 1 February 1931, she cruised off Panama, Haiti, and Cuba before being attached to the Rotating Reserve from August 1933 to February 1934. Training exercises, battle practice, and plane guard duty filled "Greer"'s peacetime routine for the next 2 years. She sailed for the East Coast and duty with the Training Squadron 3 June 1936. After conducting Naval Reserve cruises throughout that summer, "Greer" sailed for the Philadelphia Navy Yard 28 September and decommissioned there 13 January 1937.

As war swept across Europe, "Greer" recommissioned 4 October 1939, Comdr. J. J. Mahoney in command, and joined Destroyer Division 61 as flagship. After patrolling the East Coast and Caribbean, "Greer" joined the Neutrality Patrol in February 1940. Detached from this duty 5 October, the destroyer patrolled the Caribbean that winter. She joined other American ships on operations in the North Atlantic early in 1941, out of Reykjavík, Iceland, and NS Argentia, Newfoundland. United States ships, as non-belligerents, could not attack Axis submarines ; but, as the German high command stepped up the pace of the war through the summer of 1941, "Greer" found herself involved in an incident which brought America's entry into the war nearer.

The "Greer" Incident, Sept. 1941

The "Greer" Incident" occurred September 4. At 08:40 that morning "Greer", carrying mail and passengers to Iceland, was signalled by a British plane that a German submarine had crash-dived some 10 miles (16 km) ahead. Forty minutes later the DD's soundman picked up the German U-boat U-652, and "Greer" began to trail the submarine. The plane, running low on fuel, dropped four depth charges at 10:32 and returned to base, while "Greer" continued to dog the U-boat. Two hours later the German boat began a series of radical maneuvers and "Greer"'s lookouts saw her pass about 100 yards (100 m) off. An impulse bubble at 12:48 warned "Greer" of a torpedo and she rang up flank speed and bore rudder hard left. Lookouts watched the torpedo pass 100 yards (100 m) astern and the warship then charged in for an attack. She laid a pattern of eight depth charges which missed, and less than two minutes later a second torpedo passed 300 yards (300 m) to port.

"Greer" lost sound contact during the maneuvers, and began to quarter the area in search of the U-boat. After 2 hours, she re-established sound contact and laid down a pattern of 11 depth charges before discontinuing the engagement. "Greer" had held the German raider in sound contact 3 hours and 28 minutes; had evaded two torpedoes fired at her; and with her 19 depth charges had become the first American ship in World War II to attack the German Kriegsmarine.

When news of the attack against an American ship reached the United States, public feeling ran high. President Franklin D. Roosevelt seized this occasion to make another of his famed "fireside chats", one in which he brought America nearer to outright involvement in the European war. Declaring that Germany had been guilty of an act of piracy, President Roosevelt in effect unleashed American ships and planes for offensive action as he stated "in the waters which we deem necessary for our defense, American naval vessels and American planes will no longer wait until Axis submarines lurking under the water, or Axis raiders on the surface of the sea, strike their deadly blow—first." With this "shoot on sight order", the period of "undeclared war" in the Atlantic began.

World War II

"Greer" remained in the North Atlantic through 1941, shepherding convoys to and from MOMP, the mid-ocean meeting point at which American ships took over escort duties from the hard-pressed Royal Navy. After overhaul at Boston, she turned south 3 March 1942 to resume patrol duty in the Caribbean. In addition to regular escort duties, "Greer" performed many other tasks, including rescuing 39 victims of German U-boats. In May she stood guard off Pointe a Pitre, Guadaloupe, lest the Vichy French government try to get light cruiser "Jeanne d'Arc" to sea.

Sailing from Guantanamo Bay 23 January 1943, "Greer" sailed to Boston then headed for the Atlantic convoy duty. Departing NS Argentia, Newfoundland 1 March 1943, she escorted merchantmen for Northern Ireland. During heavy North Atlantic gales, Convoy SC-121 lost seven ships to three separate U-boat attacks before reaching Derry 13 March. "Greer" then escorted 40 merchantmen on the return voyage without incident, and continued on to Hampton Roads 15 April with tanker "Chicopee".

After exercises in Casco Bay, "Greer" departed New York 11 May with a convoy of 83 ships. Reaching Casablanca, Morocco, 1 June, the destroyer patrolled off the North African port and then recrossed the Atlantic, arriving New York 27 June. After another run to Northern Ireland, "Greer" returned to New York 11 August.

After steaming to Norfolk, she sailed for the British West Indies 26 August to serve briefly as plane guard to the escort carrier "Santee" (CVE-29). She rendezvoused with a convoy in the Caribbean and headed for North Africa. Diverted to New York, she docked there 14 September. Routine training exercises turned into tragedy 15 October as "Greer" collided with "Moonstone" (PYc-9) off the mouth of Indian River, Delaware Capes (35 miles (56 km) south-east of Cape May, New Jersey). "Moonstone" sank in less than 4 minutes, but "Greer" rescued all the crew but one.

After repairs, the destroyer escorted French cruiser "Gloire" from New York to Norfolk. "Greer" sailed 26 December with another Casablanca-bound convoy and after an uneventful crossing returned to Boston 9 February 1944. This was the final transatlantic crossing for the old four-stack destroyer, as she and her sister ships were replaced by newer and faster escorts.

The veteran destroyer spent the remainder of her long career performing a variety of necessary tasks in American waters. After a tour of submarine training duty at New London, "Greer" became plane guard for several new aircraft carriers during the summer of 1944. Operating from various New England ports, she served with
"Ranger" (CV-4),
"Tripoli" (CVE-64),
"Mission Bay" (CVE-59), and
"Wake Island" (CVE-65). Sailing to Key West in February 1945, "Greer" continued plane guard duty until 11 June when she sailed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard.

"Greer" decommissioned 19 July 1945. Her name was struck from the Navy list 13 August and her hull was sold to the Boston Metal Salvage Company of Baltimore, Maryland on 30 November 1945.

"Greer" received one battle star for World War II service.

As of 2005, no other ship in the United States Navy has borne this name.

ee also

*List of United States Navy destroyers

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g8/greer.htm

External links

* [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/ussgreer/index.html USS "Greer" website] at [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/index.html Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g8/greer.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Greer"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/145.htm navsource.org: USS "Greer"]