USS Ault
_underway_on_30_May_1944_(19-N-66338).jpg) USS Ault (DD-698), 30 May 1944
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | Ault |
| Namesake | William B. Ault |
| Builder | Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company |
| Laid down | 15 November 1943 |
| Launched | 26 March 1944 |
| Commissioned | 31 May 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 16 July 1973 |
| Stricken | 1 September 1973 |
| Honors and awards | battle stars |
| Fate | Sold 30 April 1974 and broken up for scrap. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 3,218 tons ( full ) |
| Length | 376.5 ft (114.8 m) |
| Beam | 41 ft (12.5 m) |
| Draft | 14 ft (4.3 m) |
| Propulsion | 60,000 shp (45,000 kW); GE geared turbines, 2 screws |
| Speed | 36.5 knots (67.6 km/h; 42.0 mph) |
| Range | 3,300 nmi (6,100 km; 3,800 mi) at 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 336 |
| Armament |
|
USS Ault (DD-698) was an
Built by
Service history
World War II
After fitting out, the destroyer departed New York on 10 July 1944 for shakedown training in the Caribbean. She returned to New York for post-shakedown availability and to complete preparations for the long cruise to join the action in the Pacific. Acting as an escort for the cruiser Wilkes-Barre, Ault sailed on 6 September for Trinidad. Detached from escort duty upon her arrival, she transited the Panama Canal and proceeded independently via San Diego to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 29 September.
After three months of intensive training in
When Ault reached the forward area,
Shortly before the assault on Iwo Jima, TF 38 was reorganized as TF 58 under Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher. Ault was assigned to Rear Admiral Forrest Sherman's Essex Task Group 58.3, which launched diversionary strikes against Formosa, Luzon, and the Japanese mainland on 16 and 17 February. The carriers provided air cover for the operations on Iwo Jima on 19 February and raided the Tokyo area on the 25th and Okinawa on 1 March before retiring to Ulithi on 4 March.
The destroyer returned to the action with TG 58.3 on 14 March for operations to neutralize Japanese air power during the forthcoming Okinawa campaign. In response to strikes against
Ault operated off the coast of Honshū on patrol until 2 September when she entered Tokyo Bay and anchored near Missouri during the formal surrender ceremony on board that battleship. The destroyer soon resumed patrol with the task group out of Tokyo and continued that duty until 30 October, when she steamed for Sasebo, Japan, to perform more carrier and escort duties. On 31 December 1945, the destroyer departed Japan, bound for the United States, and arrived at San Francisco on 20 January 1946. After a short respite, she was underway again and headed via the Panama Canal for Boston. Following brief stops along the east coast, the vessel entered the Boston Navy Yard on 26 April 1946 for a well-deserved overhaul.
1947–50
The yard work was completed on 15 March 1947, and Ault steamed to
. During this period, she also performed planeguard duties for carriers operating out of Pensacola, Florida, and underwent an overhaul in Charleston from 24 February to 11 May 1948.On 21 August 1949, after a month of intensive training in Guantanamo Bay, Ault put into
1950–53
However, her respite was brief. With the outbreak of the
Ault sailed for the Mediterranean on 3 September for another tour with the 6th Fleet and stopped for liberty calls in ports in Sicily, Italy, France, Greece, and Portugal. On 30 January 1952, she departed Gibraltar in Destroyer Division 222 (DesDiv 222) and steamed via Bermuda to Norfolk where she arrived on 10 February.
The warship's activities during the first few months of 1952 consisted of training exercises in the Virginia Capes, Caribbean operations, and an upkeep period in Charleston. On 4 June, she embarked midshipmen for a training cruise that took them to Torbay, England; Le Havre, France; and Guantanamo Bay. Upon her arrival back at Norfolk on 4 August, Ault conducted local type training into the new year.
During February 1953, the ship participated in drills in the Caribbean while operating out of
On 20 December 1953, Ault collided with Haynsworth during antisubmarine warfare (ASW) exercises in the Sea of Japan. The former's bow was torn off at frame eight. There was one casualty, Eugene Merril Whittington, who died of head injuries sustained during the collision. The damaged destroyer was towed to Yokosuka for repairs by Grapple.
1954–66
On 14 March 1954, Ault once again got underway for training and a subsequent voyage westward through the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean, across the Atlantic Ocean, to arrive home at Norfolk on 4 June. She operated with various warships along the way and made port calls at Hong Kong, Singapore;
, Spain; and Gibraltar. For the remainder of 1954, she operated along the east coast.For the first six months of 1955, the destroyer conducted Caribbean exercises and local operations, including plane guard duty off Jacksonville, Florida, with carrier Lake Champlain. She entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard on 1 July for a three-month overhaul which was followed by one month of refresher training at Guantanamo Bay. The warship returned to her home port on 26 November and commenced type training and local operations along the east coast.
On 1 May 1956, Ault sailed for the Mediterranean where she participated in Kiel Week ceremonies in Kiel, Germany; 6th Fleet exercises; and a month and one-half in the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. The cruise ended with her arrival in Norfolk on 17 September.
On 28 January 1957, Ault got underway again with DesRon 22 for a five-month tour of duty overseas. The destroyer exercised with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean and called at ports in Italy, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, and Sicily before returning to Norfolk in June. After three months of local operations along the east coast, Ault sortied with
In June, the ship entered the Great Lakes for Operation Inland Seas,[1] a celebration honoring the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway. Later in the year, she assisted the Fleet Sonar School in Key West, Florida, and participated in Atlantic coast exercises.[2]
With the beginning of 1960, Ault was again deployed to the Mediterranean. On 9 March 1960, the destroyer, in company with John W. Weeks, transited the Bosporus and the two became the first U.S. warships to enter the Black Sea since 1945.[2]
Her Black Sea entry was, in part, a secret radio probing mission, for which she was fitted with radio eavesdropping gear manned by civilian technicians.[
She returned to Norfolk in September and commenced overhaul in December. Ault emerged from the shipyard in March 1961, sailed to Guantanamo Bay for refresher training, and then resumed normal operations. She returned to the Mediterranean in August to participate in NATO Exercises Checkmate I and Checkmate II, and Operation Greenstone. She also took part in Operation Royal Flush V with the British Navy prior to her steaming back to the United States.
In June 1962, Ault entered the
After completion of the overhaul in February 1963, Ault devoted the rest of the year to improving her readiness and the skill of her crew through various exercises and training cruises. Following a midshipmen cruise during the summer, the ship proceeded to Norfolk to take on DASH and to continue training. Ault was the first destroyer to carry the drones to Europe, when she sortied for the Mediterranean in February 1964 with DesDiv 142. Following participation in NATO exercises and visits at the usual ports in the Mediterranean, the destroyer returned to the United States and a new home port,
On 17 March, Ault steered a familiar course toward the Mediterranean. Besides a full three-month schedule of drills, the ship made port calls in
Ault participated in Operation "Springboard" in January and February 1966, conducting ASW operations, shore bombardment, a full power run, and various gunnery exercises. She returned to Mayport only to head out to sea again for plane guard duty with Intrepid. Upon her return to her home port, the destroyer underwent a preoverhaul availability and then entered the Charleston Naval Shipyard on 12 April for major work which ended on 14 September.
Vietnam War
_underway_in_January_1965.jpg)
She arrived back in Mayport on 7 October 1966 and devoted the last quarter of the year to training at Guantanamo Bay in preparation for a lengthy deployment to Vietnam.
In company with DesDiv 161, Ault departed Mayport on 7 February 1967, transited the Panama Canal on 12 February, and stopped at Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Yokosuka before joining the 7th Fleet on 11 March. After a short period of ASW drills with Spinax near Subic Bay, she steamed with Ticonderoga to station in the Gulf of Tonkin for plane guard duties. On 16 April, the destroyer was assigned to Task Unit 77.1.1 for Operation Sea Dragon, offensive surface operations against waterborne logistic craft and coastal defense sites in North Vietnam. As part of this unit, she joined Collett, Boston, and Hobart in conducting sweeps from Cap Lay north to Thanh Hóa.
The warship was relieved on 30 April and returned to Subic Bay for upkeep. On 7 May, she got underway to the
From 28 May to 2 June, Ault provided gunfire support in the
1968–74
From 12 to 23 February, Ault participated in Operation Springboard 1968 in the San Juan operating area. On 4 March, she participated in another Caribbean exercise, Operation Rugby-Match, a major fleet exercise which simulated a realistic air, surface, and subsurface threat environment. On 27 April, Ault sailed with Bigelow for the Mediterranean and four months of continuous 6th Fleet operations. She returned to Mayport on 27 September, underwent upkeep, and performed three weeks of planeguard duties in December for Shangri-La. As a reward for her high degree of readiness and training, Ault was again awarded the Battle "E".
For the first quarter of 1969, the destroyer spent most of her time in port at Mayport. She made cruises to the Caribbean in May, June, and July for training and returned to her home port to prepare for her last overseas deployment. Ault sailed for the North Atlantic on 2 September 1969 to participate in the NATO exercise,
Ault spent the next three years making training cruises in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. On 1 May 1973, she departed Galveston for her last cruise, a voyage to NAVSTA Mayport for inactivation.[3] The destroyer was decommissioned on 16 July 1973, ending a career of 29 years service. Struck from the Navy List on 1 September 1973, Ault was sold to the Boston Metals Company, Baltimore, Maryland, and subsequently scrapped.[2]
Awards
Ault earned five
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- ^ "1959: Operation Inland Seas". Torsk Volunteer Association, Inc. Archived from the original on 26 May 2008. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
- ^ Naval Historical Center. Retrieved 27 April 2008.
- ^ "USS Ault to sail from Isle on Last Trip Today". Galveston Daily News. Galveston, Texas. 1 May 1973. p. 3.
