USS Shannon

History
United States
Name	Shannon
Namesake	Harold D. Shannon
Builder	Bath Iron Works
Laid down	14 February 1944
Launched	24 June 1944
Commissioned	8 September 1944
Decommissioned	24 October 1955
Stricken	1 November 1970
Fate	Sold for scrap, May 1973
General characteristics
Class and type	Robert H. Smith-class destroyer
Displacement	2,200 tons
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
Beam	40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
Draft	18 ft 10 in (5.74 m)
Speed	34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Complement	363 officers and enlisted
Armament	6 x 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. guns; 12 x 40 mm guns; 8 x 20 mm cannons; 2 x depth charge tracks; 4 x depth charge projectors;

USS Shannon (DD-737/DM-25/MMD-25) was a

destroyer minelayer in the United States Navy

.

Namesake

Harold Douglas Shannon was born on 16 September 1892 in

Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 17 October 1913 and served in Mexico in 1914. On 5 July 1917, he was appointed Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps Reserve and was subsequently commissioned Second Lieutenant in the Marine Corps. From October 1917 through the end of World War I, he served in France and was awarded the Silver Star and the Croix de Guerre for his actions during the Belleau Wood

Campaign. In October 1919, he returned to the United States.

Over the next 20 years, he served at various stations in the United States and completed tours in

6th Defense Battalion during the Battle of Midway (4 June 1942 – 7 Jun 1942). He is shown in John Ford's 1942 film, The Battle of Midway, attending a service for deceased American servicemen at the conclusion of the battle.^[2]

Colonel Shannon remained on Midway into August 1942. He was then transferred to Pearl Harbor; and, in October 1942, to

San Diego, California, where he died on 16 February 1943 from pneumonia.^[1]

Construction and commissioning

Shannon (DD-737) was

launched on 24 June 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Harold D. Shannon The ship was reclassified DM-25 on 19 July 1944; and commissioned

on 8 September 1944.

Service history

Transfer to Pacific

Completing shakedown in the Bermuda area in late October, Shannon was ordered to overtake convoy GUS-54 and deliver election ballots before proceeding to Norfolk, Virginia for availability. She accomplished her mission; completed the yard work; and, on 21 November, sailed for the Pacific. On 25 November, she rescued two crewmen of a downed scout plane launched from the cruiser USS Tuscaloosa. She arrived in the Panama Canal Zone on 27 November.

From there, she continued on to

Eniwetok, Saipan, and Iwo Jima. At the latter island, on 19 February, she conducted antisubmarine patrols as Marines

landed; then, during the afternoon, she moved in to provide fire support. For the next five days, she rotated between those duties; then returned to Saipan to escort reinforcement and resupply echelons to the embattled island.

She returned to Iwo Jima on 3 March and resumed duty-night illumination, harassing fire, and call fire- in support of the

Okinawa

.

Okinawa

Shannon arrived off

Tori Shima

area on 11 May and in the Iheya Shima area from 30 May to 3 June.

From mid-June through the end of July, Shannon accompanied minesweeping units as they continued sweeping operations in the immediate Okinawa area and in the

Buckner Bay

for availability. On 12 August, she resumed operations with the minesweepers which continued until the war ended on 15 August.

Yellow Sea

After the cessation of hostilities in the Pacific, Shannon moved into the

Atlantic Fleet

.

Post World War II and fate

Arriving in

Baltimore, Maryland

, and was delivered to that firm in May 1973.

Shannon earned four

battle stars during World War II

.

References

^ ^a ^b "Harold Douglas Shannon: Colonel, United States Marine Corps". Arlington National Cemetery. Archived from the original on 2020-02-01.
^ Ford, John (Director) (1942). The Battle of Midway (documentary). United States Navy. Event occurs at 16:10. Retrieved 2022-06-09.

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

External links

Photo gallery at navsource.org

[ANC-1] "Harold Douglas Shannon: Colonel, United States Marine Corps". Arlington National Cemetery. Archived from the original on 2020-02-01.

[2] Ford, John (Director) (1942). The Battle of Midway (documentary). United States Navy. Event occurs at 16:10. Retrieved 2022-06-09.

[2]

[1]

v t e Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayers
United States Navy	Robert H. Smith Thomas E. Fraser Shannon Harry F. Bauer Adams Tolman Henry A. Wiley Shea J. William Ditter Lindsey Gwin Aaron Ward
Turkish Navy	Muavenet (ex-Gwin)
Preceded by: USS Pruitt Followed by: None
List of destroyers of the United States Navy List of mine warfare vessels of the United States Navy