USS Samuel N. Moore

	USS Samuel N. Moore underway in 1950s
History
United States
Name	Samuel N. Moore
Namesake	Samuel Nobre Moore
Builder	Bethlehem Mariners Harbor
Laid down	30 September 1943
Launched	23 February 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Samuel N. Moore
Commissioned	24 June 1944
Decommissioned	24 October 1969
Stricken	24 October 1969
Identification	Callsign: NHWZ; ; Hull number: DD-747;
Fate	Transferred to the Republic of China, 10 December 1969
Badge
Taiwan
Name	Heng Yang; (襄陽);
Namesake	Heng Yang
Acquired	10 December 1969
Commissioned	25 April 1970
Identification	Hull number: DD-2
Reclassified	DD-902; DDG-902;
Decommissioned	1 December 1994
Stricken	May 1995
Fate	Sunk as target
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 (130 mm) 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 Samuel N. Moore (DD-747), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Samuel N. Moore.

Namesake

Samuel Nobre Moore was born on 7 September 1891 in Washington, D.C. He entered the United States Naval Academy in 1909 and was commissioned Ensign in 1913. From April 1914 to February 1915, he served on board USS Hopkins (DD-6) and participated in the occupation of Veracruz. He served on USS Nicholson (DD-52) from May 1915 to January 1917 and on USS Michigan (BB-27) while the United States participated in World War I.

During the interwar period, he held numerous naval posts ashore and at sea with the

Asiatic Fleets. In command of Destroyer Division 21 from September 1937 into 1939, Moore organized the New England section of the Neutrality Patrol in late 1939. He took command of USS Quincy (CA-39) on 20 May 1942 and died on the night of 8–9 August 1942 when that cruiser was sunk while fighting in the Battle of Savo Island

.

Construction and commissioning

Samuel N. Moore (DD-747) was

launched on 23 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Samuel N. Moore. The ship was commissioned

on 24 June 1944.

Service in the United States Navy

World War II

Following shakedown off

Sagami Wan

, Japan. She rescued one aviator on 10 June and two more on 18 July.

After Japan capitulated, Samuel N. Moore aided occupation forces, visiting

Pusan, Korea. From 1947 into 1950, she operated off the west coast. Departing San Diego

on 1 May 1950, she steamed to the western Pacific.

Korean War

In response to

Koje Island in March. In April, she aided the defense of Yang-do Island and patrolled near Chongjin; in May, she fought enemy shore batteries at Wonsan Harbor. In June, she patrolled the Taiwan Strait; and, in July, she provided shore bombardment off Korea. After the end of fighting in Korea, she returned to Long Beach, California

on 30 August.

Departing Long Beach on 4 May 1954, she cruised with antisubmarine forces in the western Pacific; patrolled Taiwan Strait, and visited the

Tachen Islands

on 19 August, before returning to Long Beach on 5 December.

From 1955 through 1959, she made annual deployments to the western Pacific, visiting the Philippines, Taiwan, and Japan. In 1960 and 1961, she served with a specialized antisubmarine task force in the western Pacific, before conducting operations off the West Coast in 1962 and 1963.

Vietnam War

From 13 March to 2 October 1964, Samuel N. Moore was away from Long Beach on another deployment to the western Pacific. In August, during the crisis following the Gulf of Tonkin incident, Samuel N. Moore supplied ammunition to the destroyer Maddox, and transferred documents from Maddox and Turner Joy to Ticonderoga.

Sailing from the West Coast for the western Pacific on 28 September 1965, she provided gunfire support off Vietnam, operated as a plane guard in the South China Sea, and fired on targets in the Mekong Delta, before returning to Long Beach on 8 April. Getting underway again for the western Pacific on 28 March 1967, she patrolled off North Vietnam, as part of Operation Sea Dragon, and protected aircraft carriers in the Tonkin Gulf, before arriving at Long Beach on 20 September. Underway from Long Beach to the western Pacific on 18 July 1968, she again conducted several shore bombardments and guarded carriers in the Tonkin Gulf before returning to Long Beach on 26 February 1969.

In April, she became a Naval Reserve training ship at

battle stars for World War II, three battle stars for Korea, and seven battle stars for Vietnam.^[1]

Service in the Republic of China Navy

She was sold in December 1969 to the

Republic of China.^[a] The ship served in the Republic of China Navy as Heng Yang (DD-2).^[1] By 1986 Heng Yang, by now carrying the pennant number D-976, underwent the Tien Shi modification, with the ship's aft 5-inch mount and 3-inch anti-aircraft guns were removed, allowing six Hsiung Feng I anti-ship missiles in two triple mounts and two twin 40-mm anti-aircraft mounts to be added.^[3]^[4]^[5] She later had a quadruple Sea Chaparral surface-to-air missile launcher added, and changed pennant number to D902.^[5] She was stricken in May 1995 and later sunk as target.^[6]

Notes

^ DANFS states that she was sold on 10 December 1969,^[1] while Jane's Fighting Ships 1971–72 gives a date of sale of 9 December 1969, with formal transfer occurring on 11 December 1969.^[2]