- USS Childs (DD-241)
USS "Childs" (DD-241/AVP-14/AVD-1) was a sclass|Clemson|destroyer in the
United States Navy duringWorld War II . She was named for Earle W. F. Childs.History
"Childs" (DD-241) was launched
15 September 1920 byNew York Shipbuilding Corporation ; sponsored by Mrs. E. W. F. Childs; and commissioned22 October 1920 , Commander I. H. Mayfield in command.Arriving at
Gibraltar 14 February 1921 , "Childs" joinedU.S. Naval Forces, Europe , to cruise in theMediterranean , Adriatic, North, andBaltic Sea s until25 November , when she arrived atConstantinople . Here she joined the relief mission sent toRussia early in 1922, remaining in the Black Sea on diplomatic duties until1 April . On8 July , she departed fromCherbourg forPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania , returning to the United States29 July ."Childs" conducted training operations, and joined other ships in fleet exercises along the Atlantic coast and in the
Caribbean until14 February 1925 , when with theScouting Fleet she stood out of Guantanamo Bay for large scale fleet exercises in theHawaiian Islands and then returned to the east coast. In 1932, 1933, and 1934, the annual concentration of the Fleet for battle practice was again held on the West Coast, and "Childs" took part. With her home port changed toSan Diego, California 9 November "Childs" served asflagship of Destroyer Division 8 Rotating Reserve, Scouting Force,5 January -15 June when she was in full commission again. She spent the summer of 1935 cruising off the Pacific Northwest andAlaska .The next year "Childs" returned to the east coast for overhaul, then returned to duty at San Diego, cruising several times to the Hawaiian Islands before
14 May 1938 , when she cleared for Philadelphia and conversion to aseaplane tender . Reclassified AVP-14, she saw her first service in her new role during the annual fleet problem of 1939, operating between theFlorida coast andSan Juan, Puerto Rico , and after final preparations at Philadelphia, sailed for her new base atPearl Harbor , arriving29 June . She tended seaplanes there and on the plane guard stations off Midway,Wake Island , andGuam until1 October 1940 , when she was reclassified AVD-1, and ordered to theAsiatic Station . The next day she left Hawaii forCavite ,Philippines , arriving1 November to begin her service to air patrol squadrons.World War II
When war with
Japan broke out, "Childs" lay inCavite Navy Yard for repair, and during the devastation of the yard by Japanese aircraft on10 December 1941 , escaped damage by evasive maneuvering in the confined harbor area. She continued to tend her patrol aircraft fromManila for 4 more days, then began a lengthy base-to-base withdrawal until she reachedExmouth Gulf ,Australia ,28 February 1942 . From Fremantle and other west Australian ports, "Childs" continued her tender duties until12 August 1944 . During this time, her planes scouted and bombed Japanese positions and shipping, mined the waters offBalikpapan ,Borneo , and performed air-sea rescue missions."Childs" returned to the west coast
19 September 1944 , and after overhaul, conducted training operations off the west coast until the close of the war. She was decommissioned10 December 1945 , and sold3 January 1946 ."Childs" received one
battle star for World War II service.As of 2005, no other ship have been named "Childs".
References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/c8/childs.htm
External links
*http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/241.htm
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.