USS Frazier
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History | |
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Name | USS Frazier (DD-607) |
Namesake | Daniel Frazier |
Builder | Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, San Francisco, California |
Launched | 17 March 1942 |
Commissioned | 30 July 1942 |
Decommissioned | 15 April 1946 |
Stricken | 1 July 1971 |
Fate | Sold for scrap, 6 October 1972 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Benson-class destroyer |
Displacement | 1,620 tons |
Length | 348 ft 4 in (106.17 m) |
Beam | 36 ft 1 in (11.00 m) |
Draught | 17 ft 4 in (5.28 m) |
Installed power | 50,000 hp (37,000 kW)[12] |
Propulsion | Four Babcock & Wilcox boilers,[3] Westinghouse geared turbines[4] |
Speed | 37.5 kn (69.5 km/h) maximum,[10] 33 kn (61 km/h) full load[11] |
Range | |
Complement | 191 (peace), 276 (war)[5] |
Armament | 4 x 5" (127 mm)/38 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes (1x5),[9] 4 dcp., 2 dct. |
USS Frazier (DD-607) was a
.Namesake
Daniel Frazier was born ca. 1785 in Dorchester County, Maryland. He joined the Navy as a seaman in 1802. Serving in the Mediterranean Sea during the First Barbary War, he took part in Stephen Decatur's renowned foray into Tripoli harbor to destroy the captured USS Philadelphia and was again with Decatur in the attack on Tripoli on 3 August 1804. He was severely wounded in the gunboat attack, and is believed by many historians to have received these wounds while protecting Decatur with his own body. This act of bravery is commonly attributed (incorrectly) to another sailor, Reuben James, due to an image with a tattoo displaying the name James. He died in New York City about 22 April 1833.
Construction and commissioning
Frazier was launched 17 March 1942 by
1942 and 1943
Frazier arrived at
After firing in the preinvasion bombardment, Frazier covered the
Early in the foggy morning of 10 June, with Lieutenant Commander Elliot M. Brown in command, she made two separate attacks on radar contacts which were believed to be submarines. In the second attack, the destroyer's guns fired for five minutes as she pursued her target until its radar echo merged with land echo of Kiska. Late that night and again on the morning of 11 June, Frazier dropped depth charges on two different underwater contacts, but was unable to determine the results of these attacks; it is likely she sank I-9 in one of them.[13]
On 2 and 12 August, she fired shore bombardment on Kiska, then covered the unopposed landings of 15 August. She continued to screen large combatants in the Aleutians until early September, when she began a brief overhaul at Puget Sound.
Frazier sailed to
1944
Frazier sortied from Pearl Harbor 22 January 1944 for the invasion of the
Returning to Majuro 6 April 1944, Frazier sailed a week later with a fast carrier task group for attacks on
A west coast overhaul and training at Pearl Harbor preceded Frazier's assignment to escort duty out of Ulithi between 15 December 1944 and the close of the year. On 6 January 1945, the destroyer arrived in San Pedro Bay, from which she sailed the next day for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf. From the day of the landings, 9 January, until 26 February, Frazier carried out bombardment, gunfire support, patrol, and escort missions all around Luzon, taking part in the bombardment of Corregidor on 16 February. After replenishing at San Pedro Bay, Frazier returned to escort and fire support duties in the Manila area, covered the landings at Mindanao in mid-March, and patrolled against submarines between Lingayen Gulf and Subic Bay on 10 May.
1945, end of World War II and fate
Sailing from San Pedro Bay 13 May 1945, Frazier arrived at Morotai 2 days later, and based here for the Borneo operation. She took part in the invasions of Brunei Bay and Balikpapan, and escorted support convoys to the assault areas until returning to Subic Bay 29 July for training.
Assigned to the
Awards
Frazier received 12
As of 2009, no other ship in the United States Navy has been named Frazier.
Notes
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Fitzsimons, p.315.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Lenton, p.89.
- ^ Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare (London: Phoebus, 1978), Vol. 3, p.315, "Benson".
- ^ Fitzsimons, p.315.
- ^ Lenton, H. T. American Fleet and Escort Destroyers (Doubleday, 1973), Vol.1, p.89.
- JANACcould not be certain.
References
- Fitzsimons, Bernard, ed. Encyclopedia of 20th Century Weapons and Warfare, Vol. 3, p.315, "Benson". London: Phoebus, 1978.
- Lenton, H. T. American Fleet and Escort Destroyers, Vol.1. Doubleday, 1973.
- Stille, Mark. Imperial Japanese Navy Submarines 1941-45. Osprey, 2007.
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.