USS Lowry

	USS Lowry
History
United States
Name	Lowry
Namesake	Reigart Bolivar Lowry
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding, San Pedro
Laid down	1 August 1943
Launched	6 February 1944
Commissioned	23 July 1944
Decommissioned	c.1973
Stricken	31 October 1973
Fate	To Brazil 31 October 1973
Brazil
Name	Espirito Santo
Stricken	2 February 1996
Fate	Scrapped October 1996
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	60,000 shp (45,000 kW);; 2 propellers;
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	6 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. guns,; 12 × 40 mm AA guns,; 11 × 20 mm AA guns,; 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes,; 6 × depth charge projectors,; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Lowry (DD-770), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Reigart Bolivar Lowry, who served in the Mexican–American War and was a member of Commodore Matthew C. Perry's expedition to Japan in 1855. He served with distinction in the American Civil War, capturing New Orleans and in the first attack on Vicksburg (April–June 1862).

Lowry was

launched on 6 February 1944; sponsored by Miss Ann Lowry. The ship was commissioned

on 23 July 1944.

Service history

World War II

Lowry cleared San Pedro 26 October 1944 for training at

Mindoro Island beachhead, and was also part of a special striking force that helped protect Mindoro from enemy attack. From 2 to 10 January 1945 she operated as an effective task force screen and gunfire support ship in the invasion of Luzon, then patrolled the approaches to Lingayen Gulf guarding the newly won beachhead until sailing for Ulithi

on 22 January.

The destroyer departed Ulithi on 10 February to screen fast carrier Task Force (TF) 58 for air strikes against

Okinawa to screen the support carrier group for the invasion until 29 April. Lowry then served as a radar picket off Okinawa. During this assignment, the ship engaged in numerous actions with enemy aircraft. The heaviest of these occurred on 28 May, when accompanying picket destroyer Drexler was hit by two kamikazes and sank with heavy loss of life. Lowry, after fighting to prevent the loss of her companion, stood by to rescue survivors despite the continued presence of enemy aircraft in the area. From 29 June she covered minesweeping operations in the South China Sea, then arrived San Pedro Bay on 27 July. For her work as radar picket she was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation

.

Lowry joined fast carrier TF 38 off Tokyo 24 August for occupation duty during which she furnished food to Allied prisoners of war until 1 October, when she sailed for Okinawa to embark passengers for the United States. Arrived at San Diego on 21 October for overhaul and west coast training.

Lowry left San Francisco 14 July 1946 for

atomic bomb

tests. She was on station from 24 July to 10 August, when she sailed for San Diego, arriving 22 August.

Training off the west coast and in the

Pacific Reserve Fleet

.

Korea

Lowry recommissioned on 27 December 1950. Assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, she arrived New York on 30 April 1951, was overhauled at Norfolk, and in August began training exercises in the Caribbean, returning to Norfolk 15 November. On 22 January 1952, Lowry sailed, via the Panama Canal, to join the 7th Fleet, arriving at Yokosuka on 27 February. With TF 77, Lowry served off the east coast of Korea on shore bombardment, plane guard, and screening duty until early April, then had similar duty off the west coast of Korea with TF 95, the United Nations Blockading and Escort Force, through May. On 8 June, she sailed to rejoin TF 77 for gunstrike missions. Sailing via the Suez Canal and the principal Mediterranean ports, Lowry arrived at Norfolk, Virginia on 19 August.

Between 19 August 1952 and 1 February 1954, Lowry made training cruises to the Caribbean and off

Naval Base Yokosuka, Japan from the Panama Canal on 9 March. After a number of simulated combat exercises, including a full‑scale mock invasion of Iwo Jima, she left Yokosuka on 29 June for Suez, completing her second circumnavigation at Naval Station Norfolk

, Virginia on 25 August.

Training along the coast and in the Caribbean prepared Lowry for her first deployment with the

"Strikeback" exercises

in the North Atlantic, continuing on to the Mediterranean from which she returned to Norfolk 22 December.

Her third tour with the 6th Fleet, 7 August 1959 to 26 February 1960, was followed by a

FRAM II overhaul at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

, completed 14 January 1961.

In June 1961, Lowry joined

Liberty Bell 7), and the Naval Quarantine of Cuba which played the major role in ending the Cuban Missile Crisis

of October–November 1962.

Vietnam

After her fourth Mediterranean deployment, 18 February 1965 to 12 July, Lowry had the DASH system installed, then participated in a large Atlantic Fleet operational exercise. Her 1966 6th Fleet deployment, 4 March to 12 August, was followed by duty as schoolship for the Fleet Sonar School, Key West. Through most of January and February 1967, Lowry embarked several Peruvian midshipmen for training under the Midshipmen Exchange Program. From 8 May through 22 September she underwent regular overhaul at Norfolk Naval Shipyard, followed by refresher training out of the Fleet Training Center,

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay

, Cuba.

Lowry departed Norfolk early in April 1968, passing thru the Panama Canal on Easter Sunday, then continuing for the Far East on her first 7th Fleet deployment of the

Pusan, Korea; and the Philippines. Lowlights included a collision at sea while highlining, and monsoon

seas with one of two screws non-functional. She arrived back at Norfolk on 27 November, then continued Atlantic coast operations into 1969.

On 29 May 1969 a forward gun turret exploded during regular sea operations near Puerto Rico. During gunnery practice, a shell detonated inside the barrel, blowing most of the barrel over the side and into the ocean. One man inside the gun mount was killed and several were injured.^[citation needed]

Lowry received four

battle stars

for World War II service and two for Korean service.

Brazilian service

Lowry was struck from the Naval Registry on 31 October 1973 and transferred to the Brazilian Navy on the same day. She was renamed Espirito Santo (Holy Spirit) and remained in Brazilian service until she was struck from service on 2 February 1996, used as target practice, and ultimately sunk in 1998.^{[citation needed]} Other sources indicate the ship was scrapped October 1996.^[1]

References

^ Destroyer Photo Index DD-770 USS LOWRY

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

External links

[1] Destroyer Photo Index DD-770 USS LOWRY

[1]