USS Buckley (DE-51)
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| Image:USS Buckley;0605101.jpg | |
| Career | 
|
|---|---|
| Ordered: | |
| Laid down: | 29 June 1942 |
| Launched: | 9 January 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 30 April 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 3 July 1946 |
| Struck: | 1 June 1968 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap, July 1969 |
| General Characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 1,400 tons light, 1,673 tons standard |
| Length: | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam: | 37 ft (11.3 m) |
| Draft: | 13.5 ft (4.1 m) |
| Propulsion: | Turbo-electric drive, 12,000 hp (8.9 MW) |
| Speed: | 24 knot (speed)s (44 km/h) |
| Complement: | 186 |
| Armament: | 3 x 3 in/50 cal (76.2 mm) 4 x 1.1 in/40 (1x4) 8 x 20 mm (8x1) 3 x 21 in torpedo tubes (1x3) 8 depth charge projectors (8x1) 2 depth charge racks |
USS Buckley (DE/DER-51), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Ordnanceman John D. Buckley (1920 - 1941), who was killed in action during the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian Islands.
Buckley was launched 9 January 1943 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Mass., sponsored by Mrs. James Buckley, mother of Aviation Ordnanceman Buckley; and commissioned on 30 April 1943 with Lieutenant Commander A. W. Slayden in command.
Between July 1943 and 22 April 1944, Buckley operated along the eastern seaboard as training ship for prospective officers and nucleus crews of other destroyer escorts.
On 22 April 1944, she joined hunter-killer Task Group 21.11 (TG 21.11) for a sweep of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean convoy routes. On the morning of 6 May, aircraft from the escort carrier Block Island (CVE-21) reported an enemy submarine near Buckley. She steamed toward the surfaced submarine, evading her torpedoes and gunfire, and commenced firing., At 0328 Buckley rammed the German submarine U-66 and then backed off. Shortly thereafter, the submarine struck Buckley, opening a hole in the escort vessel's starboard side. The U-66 drew astern of Buckley and sank at 0341 in 17°17' N., 32°24' W. Buckley picked up 36 German survivors and then retired to New York where she underwent repairs until 14 June 1944.
After completing refresher training at Casco Bay, Maine, in July 1944, Buckley escorted two convoys to North Africa (14 July–7 November 1944). She then operated on anti-submarine and convoy escort duty along the eastern seaboard and in the North Atlantic until June 1945. During this period Buckley and Reuben James (DE-153) sank the German submarine U-879 on 19 April 1945 in 42°19' N., 61°45' W.
Buckley escorted one more convoy to Algeria during June–July 1945, and upon her return to the east coast, she commenced conversion to a picket ship. In October 1945, she participated in the Navy Day ceremonies at Jacksonville, Fla., and then on the 31 October reported to the 16th Fleet at St. John's River, Florida. Buckley was placed out of commission in reserve 3 July 1946. On 26 April 1949 her classification was changed to DER-51, and on 29 September 1954, she was reclassified back to DE-51.
Buckley was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 June 1968; she was sold for scrapping July 1969.
Buckley received the Navy Unit Commendation for sinking U-66 and three battle stars for her World War II service.
[edit] References
This article includes text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
[edit] External links
