| Revision as of 15:04, 2 August 2012 editCanadakicks (talk | contribs)1 editm →Museum← Previous edit | Revision as of 22:09, 2 August 2012 edit undoDavidships (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users15,098 edits Lead written. General editing, but DANFS-based text needs a proper overhaul and referencing.Next edit → | ||
| Line 16: | Line 16: | ||
| |Ship ordered= | |Ship ordered= | ||
| |Ship awarded=27 January 1956 | |Ship awarded=27 January 1956 | ||
| |Ship builder=] | |Ship builder=], Bath ME | ||
| |Ship original cost= | |Ship original cost= | ||
| |Ship yard number= | |Ship yard number= | ||
| Line 44: | Line 44: | ||
| |Ship honors=], ], ], ], ], ] | |Ship honors=], ], ], ], ], ] | ||
| |Ship captured= | |Ship captured= | ||
| |Ship fate= |
|Ship fate=To become a museum ship at ], ] | ||
| |Ship status= | |Ship status= | ||
| |Ship notes= | |Ship notes= | ||
| Line 100: | Line 100: | ||
| | refnum=90000333 | | refnum=90000333 | ||
| }} | }} | ||
| '''USS ''Edson'' (DD-946)''' was a {{Sclass|Forrest Sherman|destroyer}} of the ], built by ] in Maine in 1958. Her ] was ], California and she initially served in the Western Pacific/Far East, operating particularly in the ] and off the coast of ]. Her exceptionally meritorious service in 1964 in the ] was recognized with the first of three Navy Unit Commendations. During the following years she was shelled by ] land forces, and apparently received ] from the ]. | |||
| Following an onboard fire in 1974, Edson returned to the West Pacific and was later commended for her roles in the evacuation of ] and ]. | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| She was decommissioned in 1988, but the following year became a ] at the ] in ]. Returning to Navy lay-up in 2004, it was agreed in 2012 that she should again become a museum ship, at ]. | |||
| ⚫ | ''Edson'' was laid down on 3 December 1956 by |
||
| ==Commissioning and Initial Service== | |||
| ⚫ | USS ''Edson'' was named for Major General ] ] (1897–1955), who was awarded the ] while serving as ] of the ] on ], and the ] and ] for other actions in ]. | ||
| ⚫ | ''Edson'' was laid down on 3 December 1956 by Bath Iron Works Corporation, ]; ] on 4 January 1958, sponsored by Mrs. M. A. Edson, widow of General Edson; and ] on 7 November 1958, with ] ] in command. | ||
| <!-- conflict about commissioning date: 11/58 or 4/59? * 1959 was when she reached her home port.* --> | <!-- conflict about commissioning date: 11/58 or 4/59? * 1959 was when she reached her home port.* --> | ||
| ''Edson'' called at ] and ] ports while conducting shakedown training en route to ], ], where she lay from 18 to 21 February 1959 delivering supplies for the U.S. Embassy in ]. She reached |
''Edson'' called at ] and ] ports while conducting shakedown training en route to ], ], where she lay from 18 to 21 February 1959 delivering supplies for the U.S. Embassy in ]. She reached Naval Station Long Beach, California, her home port, on 2 March and through the remainder of the year perfected her readiness with exercises along the west coast. On 5 January 1960, she sailed from Long Beach for her first deployment in the Far East, during which she patrolled in the Taiwan Straits and took part in amphibious operations off ], and exercises of various types off ]. On 29 April, she rescued three aviators from {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|6}}, whose A-3D aircraft had crash landed in the ocean. ''Edson'' returned to Long Beach on 31 May for an ] which continued through October. ''Edson'' spent the remainder of 1960 conducting training off ]. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| Line 112: | Line 118: | ||
| In June 1961 ''Edson'', together with the other ships of DESDIV 231, sailed to ], to represent the U.S. Navy at the annual Rose Festival. On 11 August 1961, ''Edson'' sailed from Long Beach harbor to start her second WESTPAC deployment. She spent three months in operations with the attack carriers USS ''Ranger'' and USS ''Ticonderoga'' and spent the month of December patrolling the straits between ] and the mainland of Communist China. | In June 1961 ''Edson'', together with the other ships of DESDIV 231, sailed to ], to represent the U.S. Navy at the annual Rose Festival. On 11 August 1961, ''Edson'' sailed from Long Beach harbor to start her second WESTPAC deployment. She spent three months in operations with the attack carriers USS ''Ranger'' and USS ''Ticonderoga'' and spent the month of December patrolling the straits between ] and the mainland of Communist China. | ||
| On Friday, 13 March 1964, ''Edson'' departed for her third WESTPAC deployment. After the transit, ''Edson'' began duties with the Taiwan Patrol Force, CTF 72. The end of May and the months of June and July 1964 were filled with carrier operations, Gunfire Support Training in the ], and operation LICTAS, a joint ] operation off the coast of the Philippines. August found ''Edson'' in the |
On Friday, 13 March 1964, ''Edson'' departed for her third WESTPAC deployment. After the transit, ''Edson'' began duties with the Taiwan Patrol Force, CTF 72. The end of May and the months of June and July 1964 were filled with carrier operations, Gunfire Support Training in the ], and operation LICTAS, a joint ] operation off the coast of the Philippines. August found ''Edson'' in the Gulf of Tonkin on special operations. It was here she was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service in support of operations in the Gulf of Tonkin during the period 2 - 5 August 1964. On her fifth deployment in 1967, she received a hit from a North Vietnamese shore battery while providing a naval gunfire support mission. | ||
| ''Edson'' served as plane guard for ]s on ] in the ], participated in ] operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties, and carried out ] missions during the ]. On 17 June 1968 she apparently took ] from the ], along with several other U.S. and ]n ships.<ref>{{cite web | ''Edson'' served as plane guard for ]s on ] in the ], participated in ] operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties, and carried out ] missions during the ]. On 17 June 1968 she apparently took ] from the ], along with several other U.S. and ]n ships.<ref>{{cite web | ||
| | url= http://www.gunplot.net/vietnam/hobartvietnam.html | | url= http://www.gunplot.net/vietnam/hobartvietnam.html | ||
| | title= HMAS HOBART — attacked by US Airforce June 1968 Vietnam | | title= HMAS HOBART — attacked by US Airforce June 1968 Vietnam | ||
| Line 124: | Line 130: | ||
| In January 1975, after repairs in Hawaii, the ''Edson'' continued on to WESPAC and in April she participated in ] (evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia) and ] (evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam), earning two Meritorious Unit Commendations. | In January 1975, after repairs in Hawaii, the ''Edson'' continued on to WESPAC and in April she participated in ] (evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia) and ] (evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam), earning two Meritorious Unit Commendations. | ||
| ⚫ | As part of the observances of the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution in 1986, the mayor and city council of West Haven CT formally designated USS ''Edson'' as the city's official ship. She made two visits to this shoreside community, and members of the crew marched in the Constitution Day Parade through the center of downtown West Haven. | ||
| ⚫ | ''Edson'' was decommissioned on 15 December 1988, and towed to the ] Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for storage. | ||
| ⚫ | The ''Edson'' was decommissioned on 15 December 1988, and towed to the ] Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for storage. | ||
| ==In Popular Culture== | ==In Popular Culture== | ||
| Line 130: | Line 138: | ||
| ==Museum== | ==Museum== | ||
| ]The ''Edson'' served as a |
]The ''Edson'' served as a museum ship at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City from 30 June 1989 to 14 June 2004 when it was replaced by a ] airliner. The ship was declared a ] in 1990.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web | ||
| The ship was declared a ] in 1990.<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web | |||
| | url= http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2092&ResourceType=Structure | | url= http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=2092&ResourceType=Structure | ||
| | title= USS Edson (Destroyer) | date= 2007-09-14 | | title= USS Edson (Destroyer) | date= 2007-09-14 | ||
| Line 145: | Line 152: | ||
| | date= 1990-01-08 | publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> | | date= 1990-01-08 | publisher=National Park Service}}</ref> | ||
| In 2004 the ship was towed to the ], where hull repairs were completed, and then towed back to the Philadelphia Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for storage. The at Bay City, Michigan, and the at ] both submitted applications to the ] to relocate the ''Edson'' and reinstate her as a museum ship in their respective locations. The Bay City proposal was successful. | |||
| ⚫ | As part of the observances of the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution in 1986, the mayor and city council of West Haven |
||
| The ownership of the USS Edson has been awarded to The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum. A formal transfer of title and ownership was scheduled to take place on May 17, 2012 in Bay City, Michigan. | |||
| The Navy declared USS Edson seaworthy on July 17, 2012 <ref>{{cite web|title=Navy declares USS Edson sea-worthy, destroyer to begin voyage to Saginaw River tomorrow|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2012/07/navy_declares_uss_edson_sea-wo.html|publisher=Michigan Live LLC}}</ref> and it was cleared to begin its journey to Michigan on July 18th with arrival at the museum expected |
The Navy declared USS ''Edson'' seaworthy on July 17, 2012 <ref>{{cite web|title=Navy declares USS Edson sea-worthy, destroyer to begin voyage to Saginaw River tomorrow|url=http://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2012/07/navy_declares_uss_edson_sea-wo.html|publisher=Michigan Live LLC}}</ref> and it was cleared to begin its journey to Michigan on July 18th with arrival at the museum expected in early August. | ||
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
Revision as of 22:09, 2 August 2012
_underway_off_Long_Beach,_California_(USA),_circa_in_the_mid-1960s.jpg)
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name | Edson |
| Awarded | 27 January 1956 |
| Builder | Bath Iron Works, Bath ME |
| Laid down | 3 December 1956 |
| Launched | 4 January 1958 |
| Sponsored by | Mrs. M. A. Edson (widow) |
| Acquired | 31 October 1958 |
| Commissioned | 7 November 1958 |
| Decommissioned | 15 December 1988 |
| Stricken | 31 January 1989 |
| Identification | NJRE (radio call sign) |
| Nickname(s) | The Grey Ghost of the Vietnamese Coast |
| Honors and awards | Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Navy Unit Commendation, Vietnam Service Medal, National Defense Medal, Combat Action Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation |
| Fate | To become a museum ship at Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum, Bay City, Michigan |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Forrest Sherman-class destroyer |
| Displacement | list error: <br /> list (help) 2,800 tons standard. 4,050 tons full load. |
| Length | list error: <br /> list (help) 407 ft (124 m) waterline, 418 ft (127 m) overall. |
| Beam | 45 ft (14 m) |
| Draught | 22 ft (6.7 m) |
| Propulsion | 4 × 1,200 psi (8.3 MPa) Babcox & Wilcox boilers, Worthington steam turbines; 70,000 shp (52 MW); 2 × shafts. |
| Speed | 32.5 knots (60.2 km/h) |
| Range | list error: <br /> list (help) 4,500 nautical miles at 20 kt (8,300 km at 37 km/h) |
| Complement | 17 officers, 218 enlisted. |
| Armament | list error: <br /> list (help) • 3 × 5 in (127 mm)/54 calibre dual purpose Mk 42 guns; (3x1) • 4 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 calibre Mark 33 anti-aircraft guns (2x2); • 2 × mark 10/11 Hedgehogs; • 6 × 12.75 in (324 mm) Mark 32 torpedo tubes. |
| USS EDSON (DD-946) | |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
| U.S. National Historic Landmark | |
| NRHP reference No. | 90000333 |
|---|---|
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | 21 June 1990 |
| Designated NHL | 21 June 1990 |
USS Edson (DD-946) was a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer of the United States Navy, built by Bath Iron Works in Maine in 1958. Her home port was Long Beach, California and she initially served in the Western Pacific/Far East, operating particularly in the Taiwan Strait and off the coast of Vietnam. Her exceptionally meritorious service in 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin was recognized with the first of three Navy Unit Commendations. During the following years she was shelled by North Vietnamese land forces, and apparently received friendly fire from the US Air Force.
Following an onboard fire in 1974, Edson returned to the West Pacific and was later commended for her roles in the evacuation of Phnom Penh and Saigon.
She was decommissioned in 1988, but the following year became a museum ship at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York. Returning to Navy lay-up in 2004, it was agreed in 2012 that she should again become a museum ship, at Bay City, Michigan.
Commissioning and Initial Service
USS Edson was named for Major General Merritt “Red Mike” Edson USMC (1897–1955), who was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Raider Battalion on Guadalcanal, and the Navy Cross and Silver Star for other actions in world War II.
Edson was laid down on 3 December 1956 by Bath Iron Works Corporation, Bath, Maine; launched on 4 January 1958, sponsored by Mrs. M. A. Edson, widow of General Edson; and commissioned on 7 November 1958, with Commander Thomas J. Moriarty in command.
Edson called at Ciudad Trujillo and Caribbean ports while conducting shakedown training en route to Callao, Peru, where she lay from 18 to 21 February 1959 delivering supplies for the U.S. Embassy in Lima, Peru. She reached Naval Station Long Beach, California, her home port, on 2 March and through the remainder of the year perfected her readiness with exercises along the west coast. On 5 January 1960, she sailed from Long Beach for her first deployment in the Far East, during which she patrolled in the Taiwan Straits and took part in amphibious operations off Okinawa, and exercises of various types off Japan. On 29 April, she rescued three aviators from USS Ranger, whose A-3D aircraft had crash landed in the ocean. Edson returned to Long Beach on 31 May for an overhaul which continued through October. Edson spent the remainder of 1960 conducting training off San Diego.
WESTPAC Deployments
In June 1961 Edson, together with the other ships of DESDIV 231, sailed to Portland, Oregon, to represent the U.S. Navy at the annual Rose Festival. On 11 August 1961, Edson sailed from Long Beach harbor to start her second WESTPAC deployment. She spent three months in operations with the attack carriers USS Ranger and USS Ticonderoga and spent the month of December patrolling the straits between Taiwan and the mainland of Communist China.
On Friday, 13 March 1964, Edson departed for her third WESTPAC deployment. After the transit, Edson began duties with the Taiwan Patrol Force, CTF 72. The end of May and the months of June and July 1964 were filled with carrier operations, Gunfire Support Training in the Philippines, and operation LICTAS, a joint SEATO operation off the coast of the Philippines. August found Edson in the Gulf of Tonkin on special operations. It was here she was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation for exceptionally meritorious service in support of operations in the Gulf of Tonkin during the period 2 - 5 August 1964. On her fifth deployment in 1967, she received a hit from a North Vietnamese shore battery while providing a naval gunfire support mission.
Edson served as plane guard for aircraft carriers on Yankee Station in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Sea Dragon operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties, and carried out Naval Gunfire Support missions during the Vietnam War. On 17 June 1968 she apparently took friendly fire from the US Air Force, along with several other U.S. and Australian ships.
On 12 December 1974, Edson suffered a fire in the after fireroom while training with the USS Coral Sea. The fire was caused by the ignition of oil which was spraying from a rupture in a lube oil gauge line. The area was secured and fire extinguished with no personnel casualties.
In January 1975, after repairs in Hawaii, the Edson continued on to WESPAC and in April she participated in Operation Eagle Pull (evacuation of Phnom Penh, Cambodia) and Operation Frequent Wind (evacuation of Saigon, Vietnam), earning two Meritorious Unit Commendations.
As part of the observances of the Bicentennial of the U. S. Constitution in 1986, the mayor and city council of West Haven CT formally designated USS Edson as the city's official ship. She made two visits to this shoreside community, and members of the crew marched in the Constitution Day Parade through the center of downtown West Haven.
The Edson was decommissioned on 15 December 1988, and towed to the Philadelphia Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for storage.
In Popular Culture
The ship's name is prominently displayed in episode 104 of The Twilight Zone, "The Thirty-Fathom Grave", first aired in 1963. While all of the action occurs on the Edson, the ship in the opening and closing stock shots is another Sherman-class destroyer, the USS Mullinnix.
Museum
The Edson served as a museum ship at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York City from 30 June 1989 to 14 June 2004 when it was replaced by a Concorde airliner. The ship was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1990.
In 2004 the ship was towed to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where hull repairs were completed, and then towed back to the Philadelphia Inactive Ships Maintenance Facility for storage. The Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum at Bay City, Michigan, and the Wisconsin Naval Ship Association at Sheboygan, Wisconsin both submitted applications to the Naval Sea Systems Command to relocate the Edson and reinstate her as a museum ship in their respective locations. The Bay City proposal was successful.
The Navy declared USS Edson seaworthy on July 17, 2012 and it was cleared to begin its journey to Michigan on July 18th with arrival at the museum expected in early August.
See also
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
- "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
- ^ "USS Edson (Destroyer)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. 2007-09-14.
- "HMAS HOBART — attacked by US Airforce June 1968 Vietnam". Retrieved 2007-09-25.
- . National Park Service. 1990-01-08.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - . National Park Service. 1990-01-08.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help) - "Navy declares USS Edson sea-worthy, destroyer to begin voyage to Saginaw River tomorrow". Michigan Live LLC.
External links
- history.navy.mil: USS Edson
- navsource.org: USS Edson
- hazegray.org: USS Edson
- USS Edson DD946 Association
- Wisconsin Naval Ship Association Inc.
- Saginaw Valley Naval Ship Museum
- NavySite
- "Veterans group drops USS Edson from consideration" Site defunct prior to 1/11
| Forrest Sherman-class destroyer | |
|---|---|
| |
| U.S. National Register of Historic Places | |
|---|---|
| Topics | |
| Lists by state |
|
| Lists by insular areas | |
| Lists by associated state | |
| Other areas | |
| Related | |
Categories:
- Forrest Sherman class destroyers
- Cold War destroyers of the United States
- Vietnam War destroyers of the United States
- Museum ships in Pennsylvania
- National Historic Landmarks in New York
- Bay City, Michigan
- Ships on the National Register of Historic Places in New York
- 1958 ships
- Military and war museums in Pennsylvania
- Naval museums in the United States