USS Collett
USS Collett (DD-730), off Boston, Massachusetts, 31 May 1944
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Collett |
Namesake | John A. Collett |
Builder | Bath Iron Works |
Laid down | 11 October 1943 |
Launched | 5 March 1944 |
Commissioned | 16 May 1944 |
Decommissioned | 18 December 1970 |
Stricken | 1 February 1974 |
Identification | DD-730 |
Motto | Virtus Velox ("Swift Courage") |
Fate | To Argentina 4 June 1974 |
Argentina | |
Name | ARA Piedrabuena |
Acquired | 4 June 1974 |
Commissioned | 17 May 1977 |
Decommissioned | 18 February 1985 |
Stricken | 18 February 1985 |
Identification | D-29 |
Fate | Sunk by missile in naval exercise, 1988 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer |
Displacement | 2,200 tons |
Length | 376 ft 6 in (114.76 m) |
Beam | 40 ft (12 m) |
Draft | 15 ft 8 in (4.78 m) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph) |
Range | 6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph) |
Complement | 336 |
Armament |
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USS Collett (DD-730) was a World War II-era Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy.
Namesake
John Austin Collett was born on 31 March 1908 in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1929. He was killed in action during the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands on 26 October 1942, while commanding Torpedo Squadron 10 on the USS Enterprise.
Construction and commissioning
Collett was launched 5 March 1944 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. C. C. Baughman as proxy for Mrs. J. D. Collett; and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard on 16 May 1944, with Commander James D. Collett, the brother of LCdr Collett, in command.
U.S. service history
World War II
Assigned to the
On 14 November 1944, while acting as a picket for TF 38, she was attacked by four Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers. The ship is credited with shooting down two Betty bombers and dodging two torpedoes on this day.[1]
In January the carriers she screened continued to launch air attacks on Taiwan, the China coast, and the
Collett returned to Empire waters with the carrier task force to screen during air raids on Honshū 25 February 1945, joined in the bombardment of
After replenishing at Ulithi, Collett rejoined TF 58 11 May 1945 for its final month of air strikes supporting the Okinawa operation, and from 10 July to 15 August sailed with the carriers as they flew their final series of heavy air attacks on the Japanese home islands. With her squadron, she swept through the Sagami Nada on 22 and 23 July, aiding in the sinking of several Japanese merchantmen. After patrol duty off Japan, and guarding the carriers as they flew air cover for the landing of occupation troops, Collett entered Tokyo Bay 14 September 1945, and 4 days later sailed for a west coast overhaul.
Korean War
Remaining on active duty with the Pacific Fleet from World War II into 1960, Collett alternated local operations and cruises along the west coast with tours of duty in the Far East, the first of which came in 1946–1947. She was in the Far East upon the outbreak of the
Her second tour of duty in the Korean war, from 18 June 1951 to 17 February 1952, found her screening TF 77 as it conducted air strikes on the Korean east coast, training with an antisubmarine group off Okinawa, patrolling in the
From the close of the Korean war, Collett served in the Far East in between 1953 and 1959. Early in 1960 she began an extensive modernization, which continued until July 1960. On 19 July 1960, Collett collided with the destroyer
Vietnam War
Following repairs in 1961, Collett was home ported in Yokosuka, Japan, 1962-1964 for
In the autumn of 1964, a
According to the Command History USS Collett, DD 730 Westpac deployment 1966-1968 document, the weapons delivery systems of the Collett during this time were three 5 inch/38 twin mounts, two fixed and trainable torpedo tubes, two hedgehog mounts, and DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter). The ship was again home-ported in Yokosuka, Japan, 1966–1968, and performed a variety of combat missions in the Gulf of Tonkin. Her assignments included Search and Rescue (SAR),
Per the Cruise Summary for 1969-1970, in September 1969, Collett left for a six-month deployment with the Seventh Fleet and served at Yankee Station on 27 October to 14 November. A second tour at Yankee Station from 21 December 1969 to 20 January 1970 was followed by a third tour in February when Collett's motor whaleboat was used to rescue 7 survivors of a Navy helicopter. Later in February, Collett provided 4 days of shore bombardment in support of Operation Dung Son 3/70. On 27 February 1970, Collett arrived in Subic Bay for the journey home.
According to the website www.history.navy.mil, awards and citations presented to various personnel aboard the Collett from 1958 to 1970 include: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; CINCPACFLT Letter of commendation; Combat Action; Naval Unit Commendation; Navy and Marine Corps Medal; Navy Achievement Medal with Combat "V"; Navy Commendation Medal; Republic of Vietnam Meritorious Citation – Gallantry; Seventh Fleet Letter of Commendation; and the Vietnam Service Medal.
Argentine service
In 1974, Collett and
On 17 May 1977, she was commissioned in the Argentine Navy as ARA Piedrabuena (D-29), the fourth ship in Argentine service with that name.
Falklands War
During the Falklands War, on 2 May 1982, Piedrabuena was steaming in company with the cruiser ARA General Belgrano when the cruiser was sunk by the British attack submarine HMS Conqueror. In author Michael Rossiters' 'Sink the Belgrano', (Random House, London, 2009), it says Belgrano was unable to send any Mayday signal because of electrical failure; this and poor visibility meant the two escorting destroyers, the other being ARA Bouchard, (both also ex-United States Navy vessels), were unaware of the sinking until some hours later. A total of 323 men were killed.
Decommissioning and fate
On 18 February 1985, Piedrabuena was decommissioned from and stricken from the ships' register. In November 1988, ex-Piedrabuena was sunk in a naval missile exercise, by an MM38 missile fired by the newly commissioned corvette ARA Espora.
Awards
Collett received six
References
- ^ Morison, Samuel Eliot (1958). XII History of United States Naval Operations in World War II. New York, NY, USA: Little. Brown & Co. p. 356.
2. Command History USS Collett, DD 730 Westpac deployment 1966–1968.
3. Cruise Summary for 1969–1970.
4. www.history.navy.mil
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.