USS Livermore (DD-429)

History
United States
Name	Livermore
Namesake	Samuel Livermore
Builder	Bath Iron Works
Laid down	6 March 1939
Launched	3 August 1940
Commissioned	7 October 1940
Decommissioned	24 January 1947
Stricken	19 July 1956
Fate	Sold 3 March 1961 for scrapping
General characteristics
Class and type	Gleaves-class destroyer
Displacement	1,630 tons
Length	341 ft (104 m) waterline,; 348 ft 3 in (106.15 m) overall;
Beam	36 ft (11 m)
Draft	11 ft 9 in (3.58 m),; 17 ft 3 in (207 in) full load;
Propulsion	Four boilers; General Electric SR geared turbines; 2 shafts;; 50,000 shp (37,000 kW);
Speed	37.5 kn (69.5 km/h; 43.2 mph)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	16 officers, 260 enlisted (war)
Armament	5 × DP guns,; 6 × .50 cal (12.7 mm) guns,; 6 × AA guns,; 10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes,; 1 × depth charge projector; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Livermore (DD-429), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the 1st ship of the United States Navy to be named for Samuel Livermore, the first naval chaplain to be honored with a ship in his name.

Originally planned as Grayson, DD-429 was renamed Livermore 23 December 1938; laid down 6 March 1939 by

Lieutenant Commander Vernon Huber

in command.

Launched in the aftermath of the fall of France, Livermore, after a brief training period, was assigned 29 April 1941 to the neutrality patrol. With ships like the aircraft carrier Wasp and sister destroyers, she escorted as far as Iceland convoys bound for England. There ensued a shadowy undeclared war with Nazi wolfpacks. She was on convoy duty with the destroyer Kearny when the latter was torpedoed on 17 October. The hazards of this duty for Livermore also included a temporary grounding on 24 November during a storm and having a friendly battery on Iceland fire across the ship.

1942

The attack on Pearl Harbor and full U.S. participation in World War II enlarged the scope of her actions. On 7 April 1942 Livermore departed New York for the first of many transatlantic escort missions. Completing her second voyage to Greenock, Scotland on 27 June, she began coastal patrol and convoy duty southward into the Caribbean.

Livermore arrived off

French Morocco, 9 November for the north African invasion

and was assigned antisubmarine, antiaircraft, and fire support duties. Five days later, the invasion force successfully established ashore, she sailed for Norfolk, arriving 26 November.

1943-1944

The year 1943 began with patrol duty off

New York Navy Yard

.

Convoys escorted

Convoy	Dates	Notes
HX 151	24 Sept-1 Oct 1941^[1]	from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war
ON 24	13-15 Oct 1941^[2]	from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war
SC 48	16-17 Oct 1941^[3]	battle reinforcement prior to US declaration of war
HX 159	10-19 Nov 1941^[1]	from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war
ON 39	29 Nov-4 Dec 1941^[2]	from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war
AT 18	6-17 Aug 1942^[4]	troopships from New York City to Firth of Clyde

End of World War II and fate

The war ended in Europe while Livermore was on the third of a new series of escort crossings between the east coast and Oran. Completing her last transatlantic voyage 29 May, she prepared for duty in the Pacific.

Though she departed New York on 22 June,

San Francisco. Completing this duty 22 December 1945, she proceeded to the east coast, arriving at Charleston, South Carolina

on 18 January 1946.

Designated for use in the Naval Reserve Training Program, she was placed in commission, in reserve 1 May 1946. Livermore then decommissioned and was placed "in service" 24 January 1947, and was assigned to Naval Reserve training in the 6th Naval District. She was reassigned to the

Pope's Creek, Maryland

. She was towed away for scrapping 17 April 1961.

Livermore received three

battle stars

for World War II service.