USS Cushing (DD-55)

The second USS "Cushing" (DD-55) was an "O'Brien"-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I.

"Cushing" was launched 16 January 1915 by Fore River Shipbuilding Company, Quincy, Massachusetts; sponsored by Miss M. L. Cushing, daughter of Commander William Barker Cushing; and commissioned 21 August 1915, Lieutenant Commander T. A. Kittinger in command.

"Cushing" served on the Neutrality patrol off Rose Bank, N.Y., until 28 December 1915. She sailed to the Caribbean for fleet maneuvers 4 January 1916 and after joining in fleet tactical exercises off Portland, Maine, and gunnery exercises off Norfolk reported to Newport 27 September to test torpedoes at the Naval Torpedo Station. She returned to the Caribbean for fleet exercises between January and March 1917.

"Cushing" put to sea from New York 15 May 1917 and arrived at Queenstown, Ireland, 24 May for duty in the war zone. She patrolled off the Irish coast, meeting and escorting convoys of merchant ships and troop transports to British ports and the French coast. Enemy submarines menaced the area and "Cushing" fought them unrelentingly, as well as performing rescue work on the ships that were sunk by U-boats. On 4 June she picked up 13 men adrift in a small boat, survivors of Italian brig "Luisa". She joined "Perkins" (DD-26) in rescuing survivors of the torpedoed and sinking British merchant ship SS "Tarquah" 7 July, and the next day, responding to an SOS from SS "Onitsha" who was being chased by an enemy submarine, picked up 54 survivors of SS "Obuasi" which had already been sunk. On 16 July she escorted SS "Tamele" to safety after the merchantman had received five hits, and the same day fired on two submarines at extremely long range following their attack on the Italian merchant vessel SS "Lamia" from whom _ she rescued 27 survivors. Five survivors from the British SS "Vienna" were saved 12 September after being adrift for 2 days. On 26 November, when SS "Crenella" was torpedoed, "Cushing" stood by, giving damage control assistance which kept the merchantman from sinking, then escorted her into Queenstown. "Cushing" rejoined her convoy the next day.

Continuing her convoy escort and patrol duty, "Cushing" on 23 April 1918 dropped 15 depth charges on U-104, damaging her severely. HMS "Jessamine" sank U-104 later the same day. "Cushing" operated from Brest, France, after 11 June 1918 escorting 11 troop convoys through the danger zones to French ports in which she made two depth charge attacks. She also towed "Murray" (DD-97), disabled when she grounded on the rocks in the Harbor of L'Abenach on 3 December, into the safety of Brest.

"Cushing" cleared Brest 21 December 1918 with one of the outstanding records for World War I service. Arriving in New York 6 January 1919, she was placed in reduced commission from 1 July 1919, and transferred to Philadelphia Navy Yard 6 April 1920. "Cushing" was decommissioned 7 August 1920, sold 30 June 1936, and scrapped in accordance with the London Naval Treaty for the limitation of naval armaments.

References

*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c16/cushing-ii.htm

External links

* [http://www.usscushing.com USS Cushing Reunion Association]