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USS Branch (DD-197)
Encyclopedia
USS Branch (DD-197) was a Clemson-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy
as HMS Beverley (H64) to serve during World War II
.
John Branch
(1782–1863), Branch was launched
19 April 1919 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
; sponsored by Miss Laurie O'Brien Branch, grandniece of Secretary Branch; and commissioned
26 July 1920, Commander F. H. Roberts in command.
Branch was fitted out at Norfolk Navy Yard and in October cruised to Annapolis, Maryland
for a test of her engineering performance. Before the end of 1920 she joined Destroyer Squadron 3, Atlantic Fleet
. The next year she maneuvered with the Squadron and engaged in tactical exercises on the Atlantic coast, sometimes operating in reduced commission with half her usual complement of crew. After 6 January 1922 she operated in the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina
, and Hampton Roads
. Arriving at Philadelphia Navy Yard in June, she was placed out of commission 11 August 1922. Branch remained inactive at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
until recommissioned 4 December 1939 for service with the Scouting Force. As flagship
of Destroyer Division 68 she participated in the Neutrality Patrol
. In the summer of 1940 she operated along the east coast and trained reserves. Early in October 1940 she departed Newport, Rhode Island
for Halifax, Nova Scotia
, where on 8 October 1940 Branch was decommissioned and transferred in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
to the British Navy
and renamed HMS Beverley (H64).
24 October and was modified for trade convoy escort service by removal of three of the original 4"/50 caliber guns and three of the triple torpedo
tube mounts to reduce topside weight for additional depth charge
stowage and installation of hedgehog
. In April 1942 she was an escort for Convoy PQ 14 en route to North Russia
. En route the convoy was attacked by a superior force of enemy destroyers, which had approached unobserved during a snow storm and fired several torpedoes at a range of 9,000 yards. One merchant ship was sunk. The enemy returned four times and took part in short gunnery duels, but did not close the range below 8,000 yards.
On 4 February 1943, while escorting Atlantic Convoy SC-118 with Escort Group B-2, Beverley sighted the German
submarine
U-187 (later sunk by HMS Vimy) southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland
. She also took part in attacks on other U-boat
s the next day.
Beverley was assigned to Escort Group B-4 of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force
for convoys ON-140, ON-161, ON-169, HX-229
and ON-176. On 9 April while escorting Convoy ON 176, she collided with the steamship Cairnvolona in bad weather and had her anti-submarine and degaussing gear put out of action. Two days later she was torpedoed by U-188 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Lüdden
in 52°19′N 40°28′W, and sank with the loss of 139 members of her crew, including her commanding officer.
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
destroyer
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...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Beverley (H64) to serve 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...
.
As USS Branch
The second Navy ship was named for Secretary of the NavyUnited States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
John Branch
John Branch
John Branch, Jr. served as U.S. Senator, Secretary of the Navy, the 19th Governor of the state of North Carolina, and was the sixth and last territorial governor of Florida....
(1782–1863), Branch was launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
19 April 1919 by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
; sponsored by Miss Laurie O'Brien Branch, grandniece of Secretary Branch; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
26 July 1920, Commander F. H. Roberts in command.
Branch was fitted out at Norfolk Navy Yard and in October cruised to Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
for a test of her engineering performance. Before the end of 1920 she joined Destroyer Squadron 3, Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
. The next year she maneuvered with the Squadron and engaged in tactical exercises on the Atlantic coast, sometimes operating in reduced commission with half her usual complement of crew. After 6 January 1922 she operated in the vicinity of Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, and Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
. Arriving at Philadelphia Navy Yard in June, she was placed out of commission 11 August 1922. Branch remained inactive at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
until recommissioned 4 December 1939 for service with the Scouting Force. As flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Destroyer Division 68 she participated in the Neutrality Patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
. In the summer of 1940 she operated along the east coast and trained reserves. Early in October 1940 she departed Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
for Halifax, Nova Scotia
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, where on 8 October 1940 Branch was decommissioned and transferred in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
to the British Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
and renamed HMS Beverley (H64).
As HMS Beverley
Beverley arrived at BelfastBelfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
24 October and was modified for trade convoy escort service by removal of three of the original 4"/50 caliber guns and three of the triple torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
tube mounts to reduce topside weight for additional depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
stowage and installation of hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
. In April 1942 she was an escort for Convoy PQ 14 en route to North Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. En route the convoy was attacked by a superior force of enemy destroyers, which had approached unobserved during a snow storm and fired several torpedoes at a range of 9,000 yards. One merchant ship was sunk. The enemy returned four times and took part in short gunnery duels, but did not close the range below 8,000 yards.
On 4 February 1943, while escorting Atlantic Convoy SC-118 with Escort Group B-2, Beverley sighted the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
U-187 (later sunk by HMS Vimy) southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland
Cape Farewell, Greenland
Cape Farewell , is a headland on the southern shore of Egger Island, Greenland. Located at it is the southernmost extent of Greenland, projecting out into the North Atlantic Ocean and the Labrador Sea on the same latitude as Stockholm and the Scottish Shetland Islands. Egger and the associated...
. She also took part in attacks on other U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
s the next day.
Beverley was assigned to Escort Group B-4 of the Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force
Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...
for convoys ON-140, ON-161, ON-169, HX-229
Convoys HX.229/SC.122
The battle around convoys HX 229 and SC 122 occurred during March 1943 in the Battle of the Atlantic, and was the largest convoy battle of World War II. British merchant shipping was formed into convoys for protection against...
and ON-176. On 9 April while escorting Convoy ON 176, she collided with the steamship Cairnvolona in bad weather and had her anti-submarine and degaussing gear put out of action. Two days later she was torpedoed by U-188 commanded by Kapitänleutnant Siegfried Lüdden
Siegfried Lüdden
Siegfried Lüdden was a German U-boat commander in World War II and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.-Awards:*Iron Cross **2nd Class **1st Class...
in 52°19′N 40°28′W, and sank with the loss of 139 members of her crew, including her commanding officer.