USS Chauncey (DD-3)
.jpg) USS Chauncey | |
| Career (United States) |  |
|---|---|
| Name: | USS Chauncey |
| Namesake: | Commodore Isaac Chauncey |
| Builder: | Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| Launched: | 26 October 1901 |
| Commissioned: | 21 February 1903 |
| Fate: | Sunk following an accident on 19 November 1917. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Bainbridge-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 420 long tons (430 t) |
| Length: | 250 ft (76 m) |
| Beam: | 23 ft 7 in (7,190 mm) |
| Draft: | 6 ft 6 in (1,980 mm) |
| Propulsion: | 2 × reciprocating engines 2 × shafts[1] |
| Speed: | 29 kn (33 mph; 54 km/h) |
| Complement: | 75 officers and enlisted |
| Armament: | 2 × 3 in (76 mm)/50 cal guns, 2 × 18 in (460 mm) torpedo tubes |
The first USS Chauncey (DD-3) (originally "Destroyer No. 3") was a Bainbridge-class destroyer in the United States Navy named for Commodore Isaac Chauncey. It was launched in 1901 and sunk in 1917.
Construction and design
Chauncey was laid down at Neafie and Levy Ship and Engine Building Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on 2 December 1899 as a member of the Bainbridge class,[lower-alpha 1] and was launched on 26 October 1901.[5]
Chauncey was 249 feet 9 7⁄8 inches (76.15 m) long overall and 244 feet 2 7⁄8 inches (74.44 m) at the waterline, with a beam of 23 feet 5 inches (7.14 m) and a draft of 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m).[5][6] As the Bainbridge class was intended to be more seaworthy than the US Navy's torpedo boats, the ship had a raised forecastle instead of the "turtleback" forecastle common in European designs.[7] Design displacement was 420 long tons (430 t) and 631 long tons (641 t) full load,[6] although all ships of the class were overweight.[4] Four Thornycroft boilers fed steam at 250 pounds per square inch (1,700 kPa) to triple expansion steam engines rated at 8,000 indicated horsepower (6,000 kW) driving two shafts for a design speed of 28 knots (52 km/h; 32 mph). Four funnels were fitted.[5][6] Armament consisted of two 3 inch (76 mm) 50 caliber guns, five 6-pounder (57 mm) guns and two 18 inch torpedo tubes.[5]
Chauncey was placed in reduced commission on 20 November 1902, then placed in reserve on 2 December 1902 and received full commission on 21 February 1903. Lieutenant Stanford Elwood Moses was placed in command and Chauncey reported to the Atlantic Fleet.[8]
Pre-World War I
Chauncey served with the Coast Squadron until 20 September 1903, when she was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet and left Key West for the Orient on 18 December. After sailing by way of the Suez Canal, she arrived at Cavite to join the force representing US interest in the Far East as it cruised in the Philippines during winters and off China during summers. Aside from the period of 3 December 1905 – 12 January 1907, when she was in reserve at Cavite, Chauncey continued this service until the entrance of America into World War I.
Sinking
The destroyer sailed from Cavite on 1 August 1917 for convoy escort duty in the eastern Atlantic, based at St. Nazaire, France. On 19 November, while about 110 mi (180 km) west of Gibraltar on escort duty, Chauncey was rammed by the British merchantman SS Rose as both ships steamed in war-imposed darkness. At 03:17, Chauncey sank in 9,000 ft (2,700 m) of water, taking to their death 21 men including her captain, Lieutenant Commander Walter E. Reno. 70 survivors were picked up by Rose, and carried to port.
USS Chauncey in literature
The novel Delilah was written by a survivor of Chauncey, Marcus Goodrich, and is a fictional account based on his experience serving aboard Chauncey as an enlisted man.
Notes
- ↑ Haislip, Harvey, CAPT USN. (September 1977). "A Memory of Ships". United States Naval Institute Proceedings.
- ↑ Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, pp. 157–158.
- ↑ Osborne 2005, p. 45.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Friedman 1982, p. 17.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Chesneau and Kolesnik 1979, p. 157.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Friedman 1982, p. 392.
- ↑ Friedman 1982, pp. 14–15.
- ↑ "Chauncey". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Naval History and Heritage Command. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
References
- Chesneau, Roger; Kolesnik, Eugene M. (1979). Conway's All The World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. London: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-85177-133-5.
- Friedman, Norman (1982). U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated History. Annapolis, Maryland, USA: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 0-87021-733-X.
- Osborne, Eric W. (2005). Destroyers: An Illustrated History of their Impact. Santa Barbara, California, USA: ABC-Clio. ISBN 1-85109-484-9.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
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