USS Prichett

	USS Prichett (DD-561) underway in 1969
History
United States
Name	Prichett
Namesake	James M. Prichett
Builder	Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down	20 July 1942
Launched	31 July 1943
Commissioned	15 January 1944
Decommissioned	10 January 1970
Stricken	10 January 1970
Identification	Hull number: DD-561
Fate	Transferred to Italy, 17 January 1970
Italy
Name	Geniere
Acquired	17 January 1970
Stricken	1975
Identification	Pennant number: D 555
Fate	Scrapped in 1975
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 long tons (2,080 t)
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
Beam	39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)
Draft	17 ft 9 in (5.41 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45,000 kW); 2 propellers
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	319
Armament	5 × 5 in (130 mm) guns; 4 × 40 mm AA guns; 4 × 20 mm AA guns; 10 × 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes; 6 × depth charge projectors; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Prichett (DD-561), was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

Namesake

James M. Prichett was born in

Mediterranean Station

.

Assigned to the Washington Navy Yard in 1861, Prichett joined the Naval forces on the Mississippi River in 1862. On 4 July 1863, while commanding the gunboat Tyler, he participated in, and won praise for, effective action in repulsing a superior Confederate force during the battle of Helena, Arkansas. He also commanded monitor USS Mahopac during the war. After the war he sailed with Admiral David Farragut's expedition to Russia and, in 1869, returned to the Pacific Squadron. Lieutenant Commander Prichett died in 1871 while attached to receiving ship USS Vermont at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

Construction and commissioning

Prichett was laid down 20 July 1942 by the

launched 31 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Orville A. Tucker; and commissioned

15 January 1944.

Central Pacific campaigns

Following shakedown Prichett sailed, 1 April 1944, for

Eniwetok

to rejoin the fast carrier force, now designated TF 38.

Arriving on the 20th, she sortied with TG 38.3 on the 29th and for the next 28 days screened the carriers, and after 11 September, the battleships, as Japanese targets in the Palaus and the Philippines were pounded. Striking first at the Palaus to prepare for the mid-month invasion, the force then turned on Mindanao and the Central Philippines. Between the 15th and the 19th, they supported the Palau invasion, then struck at Luzon and the Visayas before retiring to Ulithi.

On 6 October, the force sortied again. The

Nansei Shoto, Luzon and Formosa were the targets blasted in preparation for the return to the Philippines. Fired on, by mistake, by a unit of TG 38.4, while off Formosa, 12th–15th, Prichett retired to Manus for repairs and replenishment. From the Admiralties, she steamed to Ulithi and rejoined TG 38.3 for further strikes against Luzon and the Visayas. The force returned again to the same area at the end of November, to support fighting on Leyte, and in December, to support the Mindoro

landings.

Iwo Jima and Okinawa

On 30 December, the Ulithi logistics base was left behind again as the force steamed west to welcome the new year, 1945, with strikes against Luzon and Formosa. The ships then thrust into the

Chichi Jima

area until 9 March.

By 12 March, the destroyer was back at Ulithi to prepare for the invasion of the last stepping stone to the enemy's home islands:

Kerama Retto followed. On 1 April, she participated in the demonstration "feint" on southern Okinawa, then swung around to screen the transports off the Hagushi

assault area.

Just after 01:00, 3 April, the Japanese commenced a long day of aerial resistance. At 01:42, Prichett, having beaten off several attacks, was closed by two bogies. The first veered off, but the second pressed on and dropped a 500-pound bomb on the fantail. Exploding close under the counter, it holed the destroyer below the waterline, causing flooding aft and a fire in the 20 mm. clipping room. The crippled destroyer, maintaining a speed in excess of 28 knots to minimize flooding and bringing the fire under control, remained in the area and continued to ward off enemy planes until relieved shortly before noon. She then retired to Kerama Retto for emergency repairs. On the 7th, she got underway for Guam where repairs were completed, and on 7 May she returned to Okinawa and radar picket duties. For almost 3 months she escaped further serious damage. However, on 29 July, while standing by Callaghan—a kamikaze victim—she became the target of a second suicide-minded Japanese pilot. Prichett took him under fire at 5,000 yards, but he bore on. Splashed into the sea approximately 6 feet off the destroyer's port side, his mission was partially accomplished as his lethal cargo exploded on impact, bowing in the ship's hull and causing extensive damage to her superstructure, port depth charge racks, and radio and power leads. Prichett, despite her damage, remained in the area and for another two hours continued to pick up survivors from Callaghan.

Awarded a

Pacific Reserve Fleet

.

1951–1954

Reactivated after the invasion of the

Sasebo 11 February and on the 15th rendezvoused with TF 77. Between then and 23 June she performed plane guard and screening duties for the carriers of TF 77, screened battleships and cruisers during bombardment missions, and provided gunfire support, plane control, interdiction and harassment fire, and hospital ship services for United Nations Forces fighting in coastal areas, primarily near Wonsan, North Korea

.

The Prichett returned to Norfolk via the Suez Canal, completing her round-the-world cruise 22 August. From 7 January to 11 March 1954 she deployed to the Mediterranean, then, after exercises in the Caribbean and shipyard availability, got underway, 5 January 1955, to return to the Pacific.

1955–1970

Assigned to DesDiv 192, she reported to

ASW-HUK and carrier exercises and Taiwan Strait

patrols, with training operations, including sonar and gunnery school ship assignments, off the west coast. In August 1964, however, her 7th Fleet deployment was extended and, for the third time, she joined in combat operations in the western Pacific.

On 30 August 1964 she joined TF 77 in the

Tonkin Gulf and until 31 October operated in the South China Sea in support of South Vietnamese and American operations against North Vietnamese and Viet Cong

forces.

Homeported at

Gulf of Siam to the north of Huế. Illustrative of such support were her actions, 20 February–10 March 1968, off Phan Thiết. There her guns silenced an enemy mortar battery, damaged the enemy's command post, and delivered accurate call fire to break up enemy emplacements, and personnel and supply concentrations to contribute to the enemy's withdrawal. Prichett made the final westpac cruise 5 June 1969 through 18 November 1969 serving on the gunline in Vietnam for "call to fire" support for 17 days, subsequently returning to the Tonkin Gulf for plane guard duty with the USS Hancock until returning to San Diego to be decommissioned and was struck from the Navy List

10 January 1970.

Geniere (D 555)

Prichett was transferred to Italy on 17 January 1970, and renamed Geniere (D 555). She was stricken and scrapped in 1975.

Honors

Prichett earned eight

battle stars during World War II, two during the Korean War, and six during the Vietnam War

.

References

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

External links

navsource.org: USS Prichett
hazegray.org: USS Prichett
Destroyer Geniere Marina Militare website