USS Converse (DD-509)
USS Converse (DD-509) in San Francisco Bay, 9 October 1944.
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History | |
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United States | |
Namesake | George A. Converse |
Builder | Bath Iron Works |
Laid down | 23 February 1942 |
Launched | 30 August 1942 |
Commissioned | 20 November 1942 |
Decommissioned | 23 April 1946 |
Stricken | 1 October 1972 |
Fate | Transferred to Spain, 1 July 1959 |
Spain | |
Name | Almirante Valdés (D23) |
Acquired | 1 July 1959 |
Stricken | 17 November 1986 |
Fate | Scrapped in 1988 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | |
Displacement | 2,050 long tons (2,083 t) |
Length | 376 ft 6 in (114.7 m) |
Beam | 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) |
Draft | 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m) |
Propulsion | 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
Range | 6500 nmi (12,000 km) at 15 kt |
Complement | 336 |
Armament |
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USS Converse (DD-509), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for George A. Converse (1844–1909).
Converse was
Solomon Islands, May 1943 – March 1944
After training at
On the first of those dates, Converse sortied with her squadron and
Converse continued bombardments and escort duty supporting the Bougainville operation, and on the night of 16–17 November 1943 joined Stanly in firing on a surfaced submarine, scoring several hits. On the night of 24–25 November, the squadron intercepted five Japanese destroyers attempting to evacuate critically needed aviation troops from Buka to Rabaul. In a skillfully-executed torpedo attack followed by a persistent chase, during which Converse was struck by a torpedo which failed to explode in the engine room, the squadron sank three of the enemy ships and caused heavy damage to a fourth, while emerging unscathed themselves.
While escorting a group of ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to Bougainville 3 December 1943, Converse came under heavy attack from six waves of Japanese bombers. A near miss caused an electrical failure, putting her radar out of commission and resulting in a loss of power forward. Repairs were quickly made, and the Japanese force fought off, but Converse sailed from Port Purvis 14 December for complete repairs at Sydney, Australia. She rejoined her squadron at Port Purvis 30 January 1944 for bombardments and hunting forays against Japanese shipping through February and March in the northern Solomons.
Central Pacific, March – August 1944
Converse cleared Port Purvis 27 March 1944 to join the Fast Carrier Task Force (then-TF 58) for screening duty during the air strikes on the Palaus from 30 March to 1 April, and with that force covered the Hollandia landings through preinvasion air attacks and bombardment, continuing their fire during the landings 22 April. Carrier attacks on Truk, Satawan, and Ponape at the close of the month found Converse continuing her screening duties.
Attacks preparatory to, and covering, the
Philippines and Okinawa, November 1944 – August 1945
The destroyer returned to action 3 November 1944 when she joined the screen of carriers covering the convoy routes to newly invaded
After brief overhaul in
On 10 September she sailed from Okinawa for Pearl Harbor, the Panama Canal, and Washington, D.C., where on 19 October, the ceremonial award of the Presidential Unit Citation was made to her squadron. After overhaul at Brooklyn, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Charleston, South Carolina, 23 April 1946.
In addition to the Presidential Unit Citation, Converse received 11
Almirante Valdés (D23)
On 1 July 1959 Converse was transferred under the Mutual Assistance Program to Spain, where she was renamed Almirante Valdés (D23).
The ship was stricken 17 November 1986 and scrapped in 1988.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.