USS Turner (DD-648)

Coordinates: 40°27′00″N 73°48′00″W / 40.45000°N 73.80000°W / 40.45000; -73.80000
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other ships with the same name, see USS Turner.
Undated photo of USS Turner on the East River in New York City near the Williamsburg Bridge
History
United States
NameUSS Turner
NamesakeDaniel Turner
BuilderFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down16 November 1942
Launched28 February 1943
Commissioned15 April 1943
FateSank, 3 January 1944
Stricken8 April 1944
General characteristics
Class and typeGleaves-class destroyer
Displacement1,630 long tons (1,656 t)
Length348 ft 3 in (106.15 m)
Beam36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
Installed power50,000 shp (37,000 kW)
Propulsion
  • 2 × geared turbines
  • 4 × boilers
  • 2 × shafts
Speed37.4 kn (43.0 mph; 69.3 km/h)
Range6,500 nmi (7,500 mi; 12,000 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement16 officers, 260 enlisted
Armament

USS Turner (DD-648), was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She was commissioned on 15 April 1943 and sank after suffering internal explosions on 3 January 1944.

Service history

Commission

Turner was named for Captain

New York Navy Yard
.

Convoy duty

Turner completed outfitting at the

Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, making a brief stop at Hampton Roads along the way. On the return trip, she rendezvoused with the British carrier HMS Victorious
and accompanied her to Norfolk.

Anti-submarine duty

During the first two weeks of September, Turner conducted anti-submarine warfare (ASW) training at Casco Bay, Maine, and then returned to New York to prepare for her second transatlantic voyage. On 21 September, the destroyer headed south to Norfolk. She arrived there on 23 September and, the following day, headed out across the Atlantic with her convoy. After an 18-day passage, during which she made one depth charge attack on a sound contact, Turner arrived at Casablanca on 12 October. Four days later, she departed again and headed for Gibraltar to join another convoy. The warship reached the strategic base on 17 October and, after two days in port, stood out to join the screen of convoy GUS 18.

On the night of 23 October, Turner was acting as an advance ASW escort for the convoy when she picked up an unidentified surface contact on her

Bofors, and Oerlikon guns. During the next few seconds, the destroyer scored one 5 in (127 mm) hit on the U-boat's conning tower as well as several 40- and 20-millimeter hits there and elsewhere. The submarine began to dive immediately and deprived Turner of any opportunity to ram her. However, while the U-boat made her dive, Turner began a depth-charge attack. She fired two charges from her port K-gun battery, and both appeared to hit the water just above the submerged U-boat. Then, as the destroyer swung around above the U-boat, Turner rolled a single depth charge off her stern. Soon after the three depth charges exploded, Turner crewmen heard a fourth explosion, the shock from which caused the destroyer to lose power to her SG and SD radars
, to the main battery, and to her sound gear. It took her at least 15 minutes to restore power entirely.

Meanwhile, she began a search for evidence to corroborate a sinking or regain contact with the target. At about 20:17, she picked up another contact on the SG radar — located about 1,600 yd (1,500 m) off the

port beam. Turner came left and headed toward the contact. Not long thereafter, her bridge watch sighted an object lying low in the water. Those witnesses definitely identified the object as a submarine which appeared to be sinking by the stern. Unfortunately, Turner had to break contact with the object in order to avoid a collision with another of the convoy's escorts. By the time she was able to resume her search, the object had disappeared. Turner and the destroyer escort Sturtevant remained in the area and conducted further searches for the submarine or for proof of her sinking but failed in both instances. All that can be said is she probably heavily damaged an enemy submarine and may have sunk her. No conclusive evidence exists to support the latter conclusion. The attacked sub may have been U-190.[1]

Destruction

On 24 October, the two escorts rejoined the convoy, and the crossing continued peacefully. When the convoy divided itself into two segments according to destination on 4 November, Turner took station as one of the escorts for the Norfolk-bound portion. Two days later, she saw her charges safely into port and then departed to return to New York where she arrived on 7 November.

USS Turner off Sandy Hook on 3 January 1944.

Following ten days in port, the warship conducted ASW exercises briefly at Casco Bay before returning to Norfolk to join another transatlantic convoy. She departed Norfolk with her third and final convoy on 23 November and saw the convoy safely across the Atlantic. On 1 January 1944, near the end of the return voyage, that convoy split into two parts according to destination as Turner's previous one had done. Turner joined the New York-bound contingent and shaped a course for that port. She arrived off Ambrose Light late on 2 January and anchored.

Early the following morning, the destroyer suffered a series of shattering internal explosions. By 06:50, she took on a 16°

list
; and explosions, mostly in the ammunition stowage areas, continued to stagger the stricken destroyer. Then, at about 07:50, a singularly violent explosion caused her to capsize and sink. The tip of her bow remained above water until about 08:27 when she disappeared completely taking with her 15 officers and 123 men.

After nearby ships picked up the survivors of the sunken destroyer, the injured were taken to the hospital at

Sandy Hook, New Jersey. A United States Coast Guard Sikorsky HNS-1 flown by Lieutenant Commander Frank A. Erickson — the first use of a helicopter in a life-saving role — flew two cases of blood plasma, lashed to the helicopter's floats, from New York to Sandy Hook. The plasma saved the lives of many of Turner's injured crewmen.[2] Turner's name was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 8 April 1944.

Awards

References

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

  1. ^ "U-190". Uboat.net. Retrieved 2008-03-03.
  2. ^ Captain Frank A. Erickson, USCG, retrieved 23 May 2015.

External links

40°27′00″N 73°48′00″W / 40.45000°N 73.80000°W / 40.45000; -73.80000

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