Asheville-class gunboat (1917)

Asheville, during her service in the Canal Zone.
Class overview
Builders: Charleston Naval Shipyard, North Charleston, South Carolina
Operators:  United States Navy
Built: 1917–1919
In commission: 1920–1948
Completed: 2
Lost: 1
Scrapped: 1
General characteristics
Type: Gunboat
Displacement: 1,575 LT (1,600 t)
Length: 241 ft 2 in (73.51 m)
Beam: 41 ft 3 in (12.57 m)
Draft: 11 ft 4 in (3.45 m)
Propulsion: 3 × Thornycroft Bureau Modified steam boilers
Speed: 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement: 159
Armament:

The Asheville-class gunboat was a class of two gunboats, USS Tulsa and USS Asheville.[1][2] The class was based on the model of USS Sacramento.[3] The class was awarded a total of three battle stars, one for Asheville and two for Tulsa. The two sister ships often served in the same areas, both served in Central America and the Pacific. Both ships spent most of their lives projecting US naval power across several different theaters. Tulsa principally served in Asia, serving variously with the South China Patrol, Yangtze Patrol, and Inshore Patrol; Asheville mostly stayed in Central America, but did spend a few years on the South China Patrol alongside Tulsa. When war came to the US, both were used to escort convoys when at war.[1][2]

Design

Characteristics

The class' design was derived from the design of the USS Sacramento.[3] The two gunboats were built to be 241 feet 2 inches (73.51 meters) long, 41 feet 3 inches (12.57 m) wide, 11 feet 4 inches (3.45 m) deep and to weigh 1,575 long tons (1,600 tons). They could travel at a top speed of 12 knots (22 kilometers per hour or 14 miles per hour). It was armed with three 4 in (102 mm)/50 caliber guns, two 3-pounder 47 mm (1.9 in) guns, two 1-pounder (37 mm (1.46 in) guns and four .30 Lewis MGs.[4] It was originally built to hold a crew of 159, but in 1942 it was modified to hold a crew of 166.[4] In 1922, USS Asheville was converted to use oil instead of coal for her engine.[3] Tulsa was one of the last ships to be given auxiliary sails by the US Navy, and during service, her crew built her a depth charge rack, giving her some manner of antisubmarine capacity.[5]

Service history

Pre-war

Tulsa while stationed in Hong Kong.

The two gunboats were built in the Charleston Navy Yard in North Charleston, South Carolina. Tulsa was sponsored by Dorothy V. McBirney, the daughter of a prosperous Tulsa banker, and Asheville was sponsored by Alyne J. Reynolds, the daughter of a wealthy Asheville doctor.[1][2]

Tulsa spent her first five years in Central American waters showing the flag, projecting America's naval power among the Central American states. It was later involved in the civil strife in Nicaragua in the late 1920sbluejackets and marines from Tulsa helped maintain order in Nicaragua. Tulsa was involved in operations in Nicaragua from August 1926 to December 1928.[1] On 1 April 1929, Tulsa was assigned to be flagship of the South China Patrol, which was based in Canton and Hong Kong, and patrolled the Pearl River and South China Sea. In June 1929, she was reassigned to a two-week deployment with the Yangtze Patrol. In July she was reassigned to Tientsin, to gather intelligence on the enemy, and reported it back to the Asiatic Fleet. In May 1941, she was reassigned to the Philippines, and made part of the Inshore Patrol, which guarded the littoral zone of Manila Bay.[5]

Asheville spent some time "showing the flag" in Central America, before "showing the flag" in the Middle East. She was in the Asiatic Fleet in 1922. She also served in the South China Patrol, but returned back to Central America in 1929.[2]

World War II

Tulsa served in the Pacific during World War II. The majority of her service was in escorting convoys, but she was also deployed in support of the Battle of Hollandia and the Battle of Wakde. She was attacked on 20 January 1943 by six Japanese bombers. In the short, sharp action which followed, the ship's crew utilized Tulsa's 3 in (76mm) main gun and 20 mm (0.79 in) antiaircraft battery to drive off the attackers with no damage to their ship, while dodging 12 bombs.[1] She was decommissioned on 6 March 1946, and then struck from the navy list on 17 April. In October 1946, she was turned over to the War Shipping Administration to be broken up.[5] Her 300 lb (136.08 kg) bell was placed in the Naval and Marine Corps Training Center in Tulsa, and fell from its mooring in 1953. This incident led to research on the safety of such heavy bells being used.[6]

Asheville also served in the Pacific during the war. On 1 March 1942, Tulsa, Lark, Isabel, and Asheville sailed out of Tjilatjap, and made for Australia. Asheville had engine difficulties during the voyage, which allowed her to be cornered and sunk by Arashi, Nowaki, and Maya on 3 March 1942, south of the island of Java, in what was Netherlands East Indies.[2][5] Only one crew member survived (Fred L. Brown, who held the rank of Fireman Second Class). He was captured after the battle and put in a Prisoner of War camp in Makassar, Java. After three years in captivity, he died of pellagra on March 18, 1945. He was given a posthumous Prisoner of War Medal.[7]

Ships

Ship Builder Laid down Launched Completed
USS Asheville Charleston Navy Yard 9 June 1917 4 July 1918 6 July 1920
USS Tulsa 9 December 1919 25 August 1922 3 December 1923

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Tulsa I (PG-22)". Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Asheville I (Gunboat No. 21)". Naval History & Heritage Command. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  3. 1 2 3 Silverstone, Paul (2013). The New Navy, 1883–1922. Routledge. p. 74. ISBN 9781135865429.
  4. 1 2 "PG-21 Asheville". Navsource. Retrieved 11 December 2016.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "USS Tulsa – Tulsa Historical Society & Museum". Tulsa Historical Society & Museum. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  6. "Old Gunboat Still in News – Tulsa Historical Society & Museum". Tulsa Historical Society & Museum. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  7. "Valor awards for Fred L. Brown". Hall of Valor. Military Times. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
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