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USS Chew (DD-106)
Encyclopedia
USS Chew (DD-106) was a Wickes-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War I
and World War II
. She was named in honor of Samuel Chew.
Chew was launched 26 May 1918 by Union Iron Works
, San Francisco, California
; sponsored by Mrs. F. X. Gygax; and commissioned 12 December 1918, Commander
J. H. Klein, Jr., in command.
10 January 1919. After repairs at New York and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay
, she cleared New York 28 April to patrol during the first historic transatlantic seaplane flight, made by Navy craft
, then made visits to the Azores
, Gibraltar
, Malta
, and Constantinople
before returning to New York 5 June. After repairs, she cleared 17 September for San Diego, which she reached 12 October. From 19 November 1919 she was in reduced commission, operating only infrequently with Reserve Division 10 until placed out of commission 1 June 1922.
17 December 1940. Chew conducted patrols and had training duty from her home port until the outbreak of hostilities. When the Japan
ese attacked Pearl Harbor
7 December 1941, she was moored in port and opened fire at the enemy planes, aiding in shooting down one and hitting two more. She got underway for patrol immediately, making depth charge attacks on eight different contacts. Two of her crew was killed while on board assisting in rescue work.
Chew remained at Pearl Harbor throughout the war on patrol, inter-island escort, and submarine training duty. She also made occasional voyages as a convoy escort and screening vessel to San Francisco and Seattle. She departed Pearl Harbor 21 August 1945 for the east coast, arriving at Philadelphia 13 September. She was decommissioned there 10 October 1945, and sold 4 October 1946.
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
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...
during World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and 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...
. She was named in honor of Samuel Chew.
Chew was launched 26 May 1918 by Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; sponsored by Mrs. F. X. Gygax; and commissioned 12 December 1918, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
J. H. Klein, Jr., in command.
Service history
Chew sailed for the east coast on 21 December 1918, arriving at NewportNewport, 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...
10 January 1919. After repairs at New York and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
, she cleared New York 28 April to patrol during the first historic transatlantic seaplane flight, made by Navy craft
NC-4
The NC-4 was a Curtiss NC flying boat which was designed by Glenn Curtiss and his team, and manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company. In May 1919, the NC-4 became the first aircraft to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, starting in the United States and making the crossing as far as Lisbon,...
, then made visits to the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, and Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
before returning to New York 5 June. After repairs, she cleared 17 September for San Diego, which she reached 12 October. From 19 November 1919 she was in reduced commission, operating only infrequently with Reserve Division 10 until placed out of commission 1 June 1922.
World War II
Recommissioned 14 October 1940, Chew was assigned to Defense Force, 14th Naval District, and arrived at Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
17 December 1940. Chew conducted patrols and had training duty from her home port until the outbreak of hostilities. When the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese attacked 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...
7 December 1941, she was moored in port and opened fire at the enemy planes, aiding in shooting down one and hitting two more. She got underway for patrol immediately, making depth charge attacks on eight different contacts. Two of her crew was killed while on board assisting in rescue work.
Chew remained at Pearl Harbor throughout the war on patrol, inter-island escort, and submarine training duty. She also made occasional voyages as a convoy escort and screening vessel to San Francisco and Seattle. She departed Pearl Harbor 21 August 1945 for the east coast, arriving at Philadelphia 13 September. She was decommissioned there 10 October 1945, and sold 4 October 1946.