Bagley class destroyer
Encyclopedia
The Bagley class of destroyer
s was built by the United States
. All eight ships were ordered and laid down in 1935 and subsequently completed in 1937. Their layout was based upon the Gridley-class destroyer
design, but they retained the power plants of the Mahan-class destroyer
s, and thus had a lesser speed than the Gridleys. The Bagley class destroyers were readily distinguished visually by the external trunking of their boiler uptakes around their single stack.
All eight Bagley destroyers were present at the Attack on Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941, comprising Destroyer Squadron Four. They all served in the Pacific during World War II
, with Jarvis, Blue, and Henley lost in combat. In 1944 Mugford suffered extensive damage from a kamikaze
hit that put her out of combat for six months.
The remaining four Bagleys operated as Destroyer Squadron Six, with Ralph Talbot receiving a kamikaze hit off Okinawa. Bagley accepted the surrender of Japanese forces on Marcus Island.
Bagley, Helm, and Patterson were decommissioned in 1945 and scrapped in 1947. Mugford and Ralph Talbot, still in commission, were targets during the Operation Crossroads
atomic bomb tests at Bikini atoll
in 1946. Contaminated by radiation, they were scuttled off Kwajalein
in 1948.
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
s was built by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. All eight ships were ordered and laid down in 1935 and subsequently completed in 1937. Their layout was based upon the Gridley-class destroyer
Gridley class destroyer
The Gridley-class destroyers were a class of four 1500-ton destroyers in the United States Navy.The initial two ships were laid down on June 3, 1935 and commissioned in 1937. The second two were laid down in March of 1936 and commissioned in 1938....
design, but they retained the power plants of the Mahan-class destroyer
Mahan class destroyer
The Mahan-class destroyers served in the United States Navy before and during World War II. The lead ship of the class was named for Alfred T. Mahan, a US Naval officer and influential theorist on sea power....
s, and thus had a lesser speed than the Gridleys. The Bagley class destroyers were readily distinguished visually by the external trunking of their boiler uptakes around their single stack.
All eight Bagley destroyers were present at the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December 1941, comprising Destroyer Squadron Four. They all served in the Pacific during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, with Jarvis, Blue, and Henley lost in combat. In 1944 Mugford suffered extensive damage from a kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
hit that put her out of combat for six months.
The remaining four Bagleys operated as Destroyer Squadron Six, with Ralph Talbot receiving a kamikaze hit off Okinawa. Bagley accepted the surrender of Japanese forces on Marcus Island.
Bagley, Helm, and Patterson were decommissioned in 1945 and scrapped in 1947. Mugford and Ralph Talbot, still in commission, were targets during the Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
atomic bomb tests at Bikini atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
in 1946. Contaminated by radiation, they were scuttled off Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
in 1948.
Ships in class
| Ship Name | Hull No. | Builder | Commission– Decommission |
Fate | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bagley USS Bagley (DD-386) USS Bagley , a , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ensign Worth Bagley, officer during the Spanish-American War, distinguished as the only U.S... |
DD-386 | Norfolk Navy Yard | 1937-1946 | Sold for scrap, September 8, 1947 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b1/bagley-iii.htm |
| Blue USS Blue (DD-387) USS Blue , a Bagley-class destroyer, was the first United States Navy ship of that name, in honor of Rear Admiral Victor Blue . Blue served during World War II. She was launched 27 May 1937 by Norfolk Naval Shipyard; sponsored by Miss Kate Lilly Blue, sister of Rear Adm. Blue; and commissioned 14... |
DD-387 | Norfolk Navy Yard | 1937-1942 | Sunk by enemy action, on August 22, 1942 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/b7/blue-i.htm |
| Helm USS Helm (DD-388) USS Helm was a Bagley-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral James Meredith Helm. Helm received 11 battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific.-Pre-war:... |
DD-388 | Norfolk Navy Yard | 1937-1946 | Sold for scrap, October 2, 1947 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h4/helm.htm |
| Mugford USS Mugford (DD-389) USS Mugford , a Bagley-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for James Mugford, who commanded the schooner Franklin in the Continental Navy, serving through 1775.-Construction:... |
DD-389 | Boston Navy Yard Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was... |
1937-1946 | Sunk deliberately off Kwajalein, March 22, 1948 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/m15/mugford-ii.htm |
| Ralph Talbot USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) USS Ralph Talbot was a Bagley-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for USMC Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot , who was awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I... |
DD-390 | Boston Navy Yard Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was... |
1937-1946 | Sunk deliberately off Kwajalein March 8, 1948 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r2/ralph_talbot.htm |
| Henley USS Henley (DD-391) USS Henley , a Bagley-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Robert Henley, an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War.... |
DD-391 | Mare Island Navy Yard | 1937-1943 | Sunk by enemy action October 3, 1943 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h4/henley-ii.htm |
| Patterson USS Patterson (DD-392) USS Patterson , a , was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Daniel Todd Patterson, an officer of the US Navy that served in the Quasi-War with France, First Barbary War, and the War of 1812.... |
DD-392 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 1937-1945 | Sold for scrap, August 18, 1947 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p3/patterson-ii.htm |
| Jarvis USS Jarvis (DD-393) USS Jarvis , a Bagley-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for James C. Jarvis, a U.S. Navy midshipman who was killed during the Quasi-War with France.... |
DD-393 | Puget Sound Navy Yard | 1937-1942 | Sunk by enemy action, August 9, 1942 | http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/j2/jarvis-ii.htm |