USSJ. Fred Talbott
 J. Fred Talbottat anchor
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | J. Fred Talbott |
| Namesake | Joshua Frederick Cockey Talbott |
| Builder | William Cramp & Sons,Philadelphia |
| Yard number | 471 |
| Laid down | 8 July 1918 |
| Launched | 14 December 1918 |
| Commissioned | 30 June 1919 |
| Decommissioned | 18 January 1923 |
| Recommissioned | 1 May 1930 |
| Reclassified | Miscellaneous auxiliary,AG-81, 25 September 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 21 May 1946 |
| Stricken | 19 June 1946 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 22 December 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Wickes-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 1,090 tons |
| Length | 314 ft 5 in (95.8 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft 6 in (9.3 m) |
| Draft | 8 ft 8 in (2.6 m) |
| Speed | 35knots(65 km/h) |
| Complement | 101 officers and enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSJ. Fred Talbott(DD-156),named forJoshua Frederick Cockey Talbott(1843–1918), Representative from Maryland Second District from 1879 to 1885, from 1893 to 1895 and again from 1903 to 1918, was aWickes-classdestroyer.
Construction and commissioning
[edit]J. Fred Talbottwaslaid downby theWilliam Cramp & Sons Ship and Engine Building CompanyatPhiladelphiaon 8 July 1918,launchedon 14 December 1918 by Mrs. Robert L. Bates, niece of Representative Talbott andcommissionedon 30 June 1919.
Service history
[edit]J. Fred TalbottdepartedNewport, Rhode Islandon 10 July for theMediterranean Sea,where she acted as a station ship at various ports acting as US representation during reconstruction. Upon her return to the United States on 21 June 1920, the ship took part inNeutrality Patrolduty on theEast Coastand engaged infleet exercisesbefore herdecommissioningat Philadelphia on 18 January 1923.
J. Fred Talbottrecommissioned 1 May 1930 and immediately beganshakedown traininginDelaware Bay.For the ten years that followed, the ship operated along the Atlantic coast and in theCaribbean Seaengaging inanti-submarine training;fleet operations; and carrying out the many far-ranging duties of the United States fleet. She also helped to trainreservesandmidshipmen.
With the outbreak of the war in Europe, and the United States' initial effort to protect its shipping while remaining neutral,J. Fred Talbottwas assigned patrol duties in the waters off the Atlantic entrance to thePanama Canal.Following the US entry into the war with the surpriseattack on Pearl Harbor,the ship took upconvoyescort duties betweenNew Orleans,Cuba,and the Panama Canal.
Following anoverhaulinBostonin January 1944,J. Fred Talbottsailed on 13 February with her first transatlantic convoy, and, after her safe return fromCasablanca,took up escort duties with convoys fromIcelandsouthward into the Caribbean. Later in the year, after arrival on 15 September, she was converted atNew Yorkand reclassifiedAG-81on 25 September 1944. The ship arrivedPort Everglades, Florida,1 November to act as atarget shipfortorpedo bombers,continuing this training service until the war's end.
J. Fred Talbottwas decommissioned at Boston on 21 May 1946, stricken from theNaval Vessel Registeron 19 June 1946 and sold forscrapto the Boston Metals Corporation ofBaltimore,Marylandon 22 December 1946.
References
[edit]
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.The entry can be foundhere.
