USS Walter X. Young (APD-131)

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For other ships with the same name, see USS Walter X. Young.
USS Walter X. Young
USS Walter X. Young, Tokyo Bay, September 1945
History
United States
NameUSS Walter X. Young
NamesakeWalter X. Young
Ordered1942
BuilderDefoe Shipbuilding Company, Bay City, Michigan
Laid down27 May 1944
Launched30 September 1944
Commissioned1 May 1945
Decommissioned2 July 1946
Stricken1 May 1962
FateSunk in missile-firing tests, 11 April 1967
General characteristics
Class and type
high speed transport
Displacement1,450 long tons (1,473 t)
Length306 ft (93 m)
Beam36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Draft13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Propulsion
  • 2 ×
    boilers
  • Turbo-electric drive with 2 ×
    turbines
  • 2 × solid manganese-bronze 3600 lb. 3-bladed propellers, 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m), 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) pitch
  • 12,000 hp (8.9 MW)
  • 2 rudders
  • 359 tons fuel oil
Speed23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph)
Range
  • 3,700 nmi (6,900 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
  • 6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried		4 × LCVPs
Troops162 troops
Complement204 (12 officers, 192 enlisted)
Armament

USS Walter X. Young (DE-715/APD-131) was a ship of the

Battle of Guadalcanal
.

Originally laid down on 27 May 1944 at the

launched on 30 September 1944, sponsored by Mrs. John J. McGeeney; and commissioned
on 1 May 1945.

Namesake

Walter Xavier Young was born in

U.S. Army Signal Corps School at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, and was then assigned to the Marine Barracks New River, North Carolina
, into 1942.

Promoted to

dock on the island, which was a key objective. While successfully penetrating and neutralizing the dugout, Young was wounded by rifle fire, and died later that day. For his actions Young was awarded the Navy Cross
posthumously.

In February 1944, the United States Navy destroyer escort USS Walter X. Young was named for Young, but its construction was cancelled in March 1944.

Service history

After conducting shakedown in

Nagasaki, and of the Soviet Union's entry into the Pacific War
the same day.

Two days after her arrival at San Diego on 12 August, further welcome news arrived, telling that Japan had accepted the unconditional surrender terms of the Potsdam Declaration and had capitulated. As a result of this development, Walter X. Young's original orders, calling for her embarked UDT personnel to take part in the projected invasion of Japan, were cancelled. Instead, the ship received a different mission.

On 16 August, Walter X. Young embarked the 93 men of UDT 22 and after sunset on that date, sailed for the Hawaiian Islands. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on the morning of 22 August, she fueled and provisioned to capacity, loaded UDT explosives, and got underway on the afternoon of the 23rd for Japan.

Her group steamed via the

dock areas at Yokohama, the scene for one of the major initial occupation landings, were found to be in good condition, suitable for immediate use. Thus, they did not require reconnoitering by the UDTs for possible mines or other obstructions. Midway through her stay in Tokyo Bay, Walter X. Young was buffeted about by a typhoon. With high winds and seas, she dragged her anchor and eventually shifted anchorage to the lee side of the bay. During the height of the tempest, the APD received word from the cruiser Topeka (CL-67) that one of Young's boats, an LCP(R)
which had been loaned to the cruiser, had broken away and been lost. When the storm cleared however, the "missing" craft was seen riding at a painter astern of the cruiser and later was recovered intact.

On 20 September, the ship's waiting period ended. In company with

Ominato
to pick up local Japanese officials to assist in the clearance program. Meanwhile, Young proceeded to Aomori, where, with the aid of underwater sounding devices, she located the hulks of three sunken ships. Swimmers from UDT 22 then attached buoys to them, while a fourth wreck also located during the survey was found to have been already helpfully buoyed by the Japanese.

On 23 September, UDT 22 surveyed the beach and its approaches, as well as the available exits to the main highway which ran parallel to the beach itself, to the eastward of Aomori. They found nothing which required dynamiting, but did attach buoys to some small wrecks at one end of the beach. They reported that the beach was suitable for all types of landing craft; was capable of supporting vehicles; and possessed several exits to the main road. Placing beach markers and drawing up maps of the area, Walter X. Young's UDT conducted an additional survey the following day, thus preparing the way for the landings at Aomori which followed on the 25th and continued throughout the day. Detached on the evening of the 25th, Young reported to Commander, TG 32.2, for orders.

Anchoring at Ominato on the evening of 26 September, the ship obtained information concerning Japanese minefields still extant in

Hokkaidō
, en route, to pick up an officer from UDT 22 who had served a tour of detached duty there.

Walter X. Young dropped anchor at

11th Naval District
.

Decommissioning and disposal

The ship was decommissioned on 2 July 1946, and placed in reserve at Stockton, California. Struck from the

Point Mugu, California. Subsequently, converted to a test hulk
, Walter X. Young was sunk in missile-firing tests on 11 April 1967.

References

External links

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