USS Gatling

	Gatling in 1943
History
United States
Name	USS Gatling
Namesake	Richard Jordan Gatling
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, N.J.
Laid down	3 March 1943
Launched	20 June 1943
Commissioned	19 August 1943
Decommissioned	2 May 1960
Stricken	1 December 1974
Fate	Sold for scrap, 22 February 1977
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 tons
Length	376 ft 5 in (114.73 m)
Beam	39 ft 7 in (12.07 m)
Draft	17 ft 9 in (5.41 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45,000 kW);; geared turbines;; 2 propellers;
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	329 officers and enlisted
Armament	5 × DP guns,; 10 × AA guns,; 7 × 20 mm AA guns,; 10 × 21 in (53 cm) torpedo tubes,; 6 × depth charge projectors,; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Gatling (DD-671) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named after Richard Jordan Gatling, the inventor of the Gatling gun.

Gatling was laid down 3 March 1943 by the

New York Navy Yard

.

World War II

After shakedown out of Bermuda and alteration at New York early November, the new destroyer called at Norfolk, Virginia, to conduct training cruises for crews of destroyers still under construction.

On 19 November 1943 Gatling proceeded to

San Francisco, California, arriving 22 December. The next day she sailed for Pearl Harbor

.

1944

On 16 January 1944 Gatling sortied with the Fast Carrier Task Force (then Fifth Fleet's TF 58, also known as Third Fleet's TF 38) to support the forthcoming invasion of the Marshall Islands; thereafter, Gatling was continuously with the carrier task forces as they struck Japanese outposts and finally hit the heart of Japan itself.

In February the first carrier strikes against

Sarmi, Western New Guinea, the task force supported Army landings at Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay, and Humboldt Bay from 21 to 26 April. During this action, Gatling stood radar picket duty and directed fighter planes. After new attacks on Truk late April 1944, Gatling supported the invasion and occupation of the Marianas from 10 June to 5 July. In the Battle of the Philippine Sea

, 19 and 20 July, Gatling was credited with shooting down or aiding in the destruction of six Japanese planes.

Late that month, carrier task forces again struck the Palaus and blasted Yap and Ulithi. In early August the Bonin Islands became targets for Gatling guns, and in September the carriers she guarded repeatedly struck Japanese targets in the Philippines.

October saw attacks against

Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, Gatling rescued over 300 of the vessel's survivors. For heroism in saving these men, four Gatling crewmen were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and 16 others received the Bronze Star

.

Gatling landed the survivors at Ulithi and rejoined the carrier task force for November and December strikes against the Philippines. After powerful

Typhoon Cobra

, in which three destroyers capsized, Gatling searched for survivors and helped to save over 100 men from the sea.

1945

At Christmas 1944, the destroyer returned to Ulithi. The task force sortied 29 December to strike Formosa and Luzon during January 1945. Hoping to locate and destroy a Japanese fleet in that area, Admiral

Indochina and on the China

coast.

In the middle of February, the carriers launched initial attacks against

B-29 bomber forced down while returning from a mission against Nagoya

.

On 29 March 1945, she stood out from Iwo Jima, escorting transports carrying victorious marines to Guam. The destroyer then sailed to the United States for well-earned overhaul and repairs, arriving San Francisco 18 April.

After repairs and refresher training, Gatling escorted

Eniwetok, bombarding Wake Island en route. Continuing to escort New Jersey, she arrived at Guam 9 August. There the news came that Japan had accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agreed to surrender. Gatling now headed for Japan escorting transports bearing the 4th Marine Division as the 3d Fleet rendezvoused off Japan. On 3 September 1945, Gatling steamed into Tokyo Bay

as a unit of the Allied Naval Occupation Forces of Japan.

During her aggressive career in World War II, Gatling traveled over 175,000 miles (282,000 km) and fired 77 tons of high explosives from her guns. She sank two enemy ships and splashed eight Japanese planes, either as kills or assists. In addition to her other rescue missions, preserving the lives of over 400 sailors, she saved 37 aviators forced to ditch at sea. Finally, these heroic exploits through two busy battle-filled years were accomplished without the loss of a single man from enemy action, sickness, or accident.

Gatling decommissioned 16 July 1946 and entered the

Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston, South Carolina

1951–60

After fighting erupted in Korea, the veteran destroyer recommissioned 4 June 1951 at Charleston, South Carolina. Until August 1952, she operated off the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies before proceeding to the Boston Navy Yard for repairs.

In the fall of 1952, Gatling (as a unit of the

Saigon, Singapore, Colombo, and, passing through the Suez Canal

, called at France] and Portugal. She returned to Philadelphia in December 1953.

After repairs and training in New England waters, Gatling sailed to Portugal, France, and Italy. Recrossing the Atlantic and transiting the Panama Canal, the destroyer arrived Guayaquil, Ecuador, 7 October 1955. The following year she visited France and Cuba as a part of her varied operating schedule.

In 1957 Gatling again took part in NATO exercises, calling at Spain, Greece, Turkey, and Lebanon. Further operations brought her to England, to Spain again, and in 1958 to San Juan and Cuba. Her last major operations took her to Mediterranean ports of call, Pakistan and Iran, after which Gatling returned to her home base at Rhode Island 11 October 1959.

Gatling, after distinguished service in war and peace, again decommissioned 2 May 1960 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk. She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 December 1974, sold 22 February 1977 and broken up for scrap.

Awards

Gatling received eight

battle stars for World War II service and one battle star for Korean War

service.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.