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USS Jarvis (DD-393)
Encyclopedia
USS Jarvis (DD-393), 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.
The second Jarvis (DD-393) was laid down by Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington
, 21 August 1935; launched 6 May 1937; sponsored by Mrs Thomas T. Craven, wife of Vice Admiral
Craven; and commissioned 27 October 1937, Lieutenant Commander
R. R. Ferguson in command.
26 April, cruised the Pacific to Midway and Johnston Islands, and steamed to San Francisco 8 February 1941 for overhaul. Returning to Pearl Harbor 17 April to commence more than seven months of intensive maneuvers as part of Destroyer Division Eight (DesDiv 8) of Destroyer Squadron Four, she put into Pearl Harbor 4 December following exercises off Maui
Island.
in berth B6 of the Navy yard for minor repairs, Jarvis opened fire with 5-inch guns and machine guns and made preparations to get underway. Within minutes of the initial attack, her 5-inch guns were among the first to challenge the enemy raiders, and her gunners proudly claimed four planes. As the first wave of enemy bombers raked Battleship Row
with torpedoes and bombs, Ensign
W. F. Greene laconically appraised the situation with the following entry in Jarvis Deck Log: "0758 Hostilities with Japan commenced with air raid on Pearl Harbor. Went to General Quarters." Emerging from the attack with no loss of crew and only superficial damage, Jarvis sortied that morning with several cruisers and destroyers to conduct surveillance and ASW
patrols.
and joined Task Force 14, steaming to relieve the beleaguered defenders on Wake Atoll. Recalled to Pearl Harbor 23 December, after the rescue mission aborted, Jarvis returned the 29th to resume ASW patrols. While operating with Lexington (CV-2)
and her screening cruisers, Jarvis rescued 182 survivors of the stricken fleet oiler Neches (AO-5)
6 hours after she was torpedoed during mid-watch 23 January 1942.
Jarvis departed Pearl Harbor 5 February to escort a convoy to Brisbane
, Australia. Following her return 27 March, she sailed 8 April for San Francisco to undergo alterations with the other ships of DesRon Four. She returned to Pearl 18 May escorting 13 ships and proceeded 5 days later via Fiji to Sydney
, Australia. Arriving 18 June, she commenced convoy escort and ASW patrols from Australia to New Caledonia
, continuing this duty until called to participate in the invasion of Guadalcanal
.
, New Zealand, the 19th to join Task Force 62, which sailed 22 July for the Solomons. After conducting rehearsal landings in the Fiji Islands 28-30 July, the invasion force of 84 ships and 20,000 marines steamed for Guadalcanal 31 July. Protected from Japanese search planes by rain and heavy mists, the force arrived off the landing beaches at dawn 7 August.
Following naval and air bombardment of enemy defenses, the first amphibious operation of the war commenced at 0650. Jarvis patrolled watchfully as part of the protective screen while Marines established a beachhead. As landing operations progressed, Americans expected the Japanese to strike vigorously at the transports with land-based planes. However, during two attacks which occurred that afternoon the Americans sustained only minor damage on Mugford (DD-389) while splashing 14 enemy planes.
Following night patrol off the southern end of Savo Island
, Jarvis returned to Lunga Point to screen the unloading transports. Warning of an impending air attack suspended these operations; and the transports and their protective screen of destroyers and cruisers deployed in the body of water between Guadalcanal and Florida Island, soon to be called "Ironbottom Sound". When enemy torpedo bombers appeared about noon 8 August, they met a lethal stream of antiaircraft fire. Only 9 of the 26 planes breached the deadly defense of flaming lead, but they set George F. Elliott (AP-13)
ablaze and torpedoed Jarvis.
and one of the planes during the thick of the fight. As antiaircraft fire consumed the plane, its torpedo exploded against Jarvis starboard side near the forward fireroom, stopping her dead in the water and killing 14 crewmen. Her crew jettisoned the port torpedoes and quickly brought under control the fires that followed the explosion. Dewey (DD-349)
towed her to shallow anchorage off Lunga Point; and, after the attack, she crossed "Iron-bottom Sound" to Tulagi
, where she transferred her seven wounded and commenced emergency repairs.
Despite a 50-foot gash in her side, she was considered seaworthy and ordered to proceed under cover of darkness to Efate
, New Hebrides, escorted by the minesweeper Hovey. Apparently unaware of the order because her radios had been disabled, her skipper, Lt. Comdr. William W. Graham Jr., decided to steam to Sydney, Australia, for immediate repairs from Dobbin (AD-3)
. Unnoticed by her own ships, Jarvis departed Tulagi at midnight 9 August and moved slowly westward through "Ironbottom Sound" and between Savo Island and Cape Esperance. At 0134 she passed 3,000 yards northward of Rear Admiral
Mikawa
's cruisers, steaming to meet the Americans at the costly Battle of Savo Island
. Mistaking her for a cruiser of the New Zealand Achilles-class, they fired torpedoes, and destroyer Yūnagi
later engaged her briefly, all without effect.
The destroyer, continuing to retire westward, had little speed, no radio communications, and few operative guns; but she refused aid from Blue (DD-387)
upon being sighted at 0325. After daybreak a Saratoga-based scout plane sighted her 40 miles off Guadalcanal, trailing fuel oil and down by the bow. That was the last time Americans saw her.
Jarvis received three battle stars for World War II service.
Bagley class destroyer
The Bagley class of destroyers 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 destroyers, and thus had a...
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...
, was the 2nd ship of 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...
to be named for James C. Jarvis
James C. Jarvis
James C. Jarvis was a midshipman in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France.Jarvis was appointed midshipman from the state of New York in 1799. Midshipman Jarvis was killed at the age of 13 during the historic engagement between the famed frigate Constellation and the French...
, a U.S. Navy midshipman who was killed during the Quasi-War
Quasi-War
The Quasi-War was an undeclared war fought mostly at sea between the United States and French Republic from 1798 to 1800. In the United States, the conflict was sometimes also referred to as the Franco-American War, the Pirate Wars, or the Half-War.-Background:The Kingdom of France had been a...
with France.
The second Jarvis (DD-393) was laid down by Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
, 21 August 1935; launched 6 May 1937; sponsored by Mrs Thomas T. Craven, wife of Vice Admiral
Vice admiral (United States)
In the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, and the United States Maritime Service, vice admiral is a three-star flag officer, with the pay grade of...
Craven; and commissioned 27 October 1937, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
R. R. Ferguson in command.
Pre-war
Clearing Puget Sound 4 January 1938, Jarvis operated along the California coast and in the Caribbean until 1 April 1940 when she departed San Diego for fleet exercises off the Hawaiian Islands. She arrived 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...
26 April, cruised the Pacific to Midway and Johnston Islands, and steamed to San Francisco 8 February 1941 for overhaul. Returning to Pearl Harbor 17 April to commence more than seven months of intensive maneuvers as part of Destroyer Division Eight (DesDiv 8) of Destroyer Squadron Four, she put into Pearl Harbor 4 December following exercises off Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
Island.
Attack on Pearl Harbor
Three days later the Japanese executed the carefully planned, devastating attack on Pearl Harbor. Moored next to Mugford (DD-389)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:...
in berth B6 of the Navy yard for minor repairs, Jarvis opened fire with 5-inch guns and machine guns and made preparations to get underway. Within minutes of the initial attack, her 5-inch guns were among the first to challenge the enemy raiders, and her gunners proudly claimed four planes. As the first wave of enemy bombers raked Battleship Row
Battleship Row
Battleship Row was the grouping of eight US battleships in port at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. These ships bore the brunt of the Japanese assault. They were moored next to Ford Island when the attack commenced. The ships were , , , , , , , and...
with torpedoes and bombs, Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
W. F. Greene laconically appraised the situation with the following entry in Jarvis Deck Log: "0758 Hostilities with Japan commenced with air raid on Pearl Harbor. Went to General Quarters." Emerging from the attack with no loss of crew and only superficial damage, Jarvis sortied that morning with several cruisers and destroyers to conduct surveillance and ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
patrols.
First war cruises
On the 16th she cleared Pearl Harbor with Saratoga (CV-3)USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
and joined Task Force 14, steaming to relieve the beleaguered defenders on Wake Atoll. Recalled to Pearl Harbor 23 December, after the rescue mission aborted, Jarvis returned the 29th to resume ASW patrols. While operating with Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
and her screening cruisers, Jarvis rescued 182 survivors of the stricken fleet oiler Neches (AO-5)
USS Neches (AO-5)
USS Neches was laid down on 8 June 1919 by the Boston Navy Yard in Boston, Massachusetts; launched on 2 June 1920, sponsored by Miss Helen Griffin, daughter of Rear Admiral Robert Griffin; and commissioned on 25 October 1920, with Commander H. T. Meriwether, USNRF, in command.Originally classified...
6 hours after she was torpedoed during mid-watch 23 January 1942.
Jarvis departed Pearl Harbor 5 February to escort a convoy to Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
, Australia. Following her return 27 March, she sailed 8 April for San Francisco to undergo alterations with the other ships of DesRon Four. She returned to Pearl 18 May escorting 13 ships and proceeded 5 days later via Fiji to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia. Arriving 18 June, she commenced convoy escort and ASW patrols from Australia to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, continuing this duty until called to participate in the invasion of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
.
Guadalcanal campaign
Steaming from Sydney 14 July, Jarvis arrived WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand, the 19th to join Task Force 62, which sailed 22 July for the Solomons. After conducting rehearsal landings in the Fiji Islands 28-30 July, the invasion force of 84 ships and 20,000 marines steamed for Guadalcanal 31 July. Protected from Japanese search planes by rain and heavy mists, the force arrived off the landing beaches at dawn 7 August.
Following naval and air bombardment of enemy defenses, the first amphibious operation of the war commenced at 0650. Jarvis patrolled watchfully as part of the protective screen while Marines established a beachhead. As landing operations progressed, Americans expected the Japanese to strike vigorously at the transports with land-based planes. However, during two attacks which occurred that afternoon the Americans sustained only minor damage on Mugford (DD-389) while splashing 14 enemy planes.
Following night patrol off the southern end of Savo Island
Savo Island
Savo Island is a volcanic island in the Solomon Islands group in the South Pacific ocean. It is located to the northeast of the northern tip of Guadalcanal Island at . Politically, Savo Island is a part of the Solomons' Central Province. The indigenous language of Savo is the Savosavo language.The...
, Jarvis returned to Lunga Point to screen the unloading transports. Warning of an impending air attack suspended these operations; and the transports and their protective screen of destroyers and cruisers deployed in the body of water between Guadalcanal and Florida Island, soon to be called "Ironbottom Sound". When enemy torpedo bombers appeared about noon 8 August, they met a lethal stream of antiaircraft fire. Only 9 of the 26 planes breached the deadly defense of flaming lead, but they set George F. Elliott (AP-13)
USS George F. Elliott (AP-13)
USS George F. Elliott was a Heywood-class transport acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War I and then reacquired by the Navy for service as a troop carrier during World War II...
ablaze and torpedoed Jarvis.
Torpedoed
With 5-inch shells and machine gun fire pouring out at the attackers, Jarvis maneuvered between Vincennes (CA-44)USS Vincennes (CA-44)
USS Vincennes was a United States Navy New Orleans-class heavy cruiser sunk at the Battle of Savo Island in 1942. She was the second ship to bear the name....
and one of the planes during the thick of the fight. As antiaircraft fire consumed the plane, its torpedo exploded against Jarvis starboard side near the forward fireroom, stopping her dead in the water and killing 14 crewmen. Her crew jettisoned the port torpedoes and quickly brought under control the fires that followed the explosion. Dewey (DD-349)
USS Dewey (DD-349)
The first USS Dewey was a Farragut-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Admiral George Dewey.-History:...
towed her to shallow anchorage off Lunga Point; and, after the attack, she crossed "Iron-bottom Sound" to Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
, where she transferred her seven wounded and commenced emergency repairs.
Despite a 50-foot gash in her side, she was considered seaworthy and ordered to proceed under cover of darkness to Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, New Hebrides, escorted by the minesweeper Hovey. Apparently unaware of the order because her radios had been disabled, her skipper, Lt. Comdr. William W. Graham Jr., decided to steam to Sydney, Australia, for immediate repairs from Dobbin (AD-3)
USS Dobbin (AD-3)
USS Dobbin is the name of a United States Navy destroyer tender of World War II, named after James Cochrane Dobbin, the Secretary of the Navy from 1853 to 1857.The USS Dobbin was launched on 5 May 1921 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard...
. Unnoticed by her own ships, Jarvis departed Tulagi at midnight 9 August and moved slowly westward through "Ironbottom Sound" and between Savo Island and Cape Esperance. At 0134 she passed 3,000 yards northward of Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Mikawa
Gunichi Mikawa
was a Vice-Admiral in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II.Mikawa was the commander of a heavy cruiser force that carried out spectacular I.J.N. victory over the U.S. Navy and the Royal Australian Navy at the Battle of Savo Island in Ironbottom Sound on the night of August 1942. In...
's cruisers, steaming to meet the Americans at the costly Battle of Savo Island
Battle of Savo Island
The Battle of Savo Island, also known as the First Battle of Savo Island and, in Japanese sources, as the , was a naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II, between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval forces...
. Mistaking her for a cruiser of the New Zealand Achilles-class, they fired torpedoes, and destroyer Yūnagi
Japanese destroyer Yunagi (1924)
was the ninth and final vessel of the Kamikaze-class destroyers built for the Imperial Japanese Navy following World War I. Advanced for their time, these ships served as first-line destroyers through the 1930s, but were considered obsolescent by the start of the Pacific War.-History:Construction...
later engaged her briefly, all without effect.
The destroyer, continuing to retire westward, had little speed, no radio communications, and few operative guns; but she refused aid from Blue (DD-387)
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...
upon being sighted at 0325. After daybreak a Saratoga-based scout plane sighted her 40 miles off Guadalcanal, trailing fuel oil and down by the bow. That was the last time Americans saw her.
Loss of Jarvis
The Japanese, however, still mistaking Jarvis for an escaping cruiser, dispatched 31 planes from Rabaul to search out and destroy her. Once discovered, the determined, but badly damaged, destroyer was no match for bombers raking the ship with bullets and torpedoes. According to Japanese records, Jarvis "split and sank" at 1300 on 9 August. None of her 233 remaining crew survived the onslaught.Jarvis received three battle stars for World War II service.