.gif)
USS Picking (DD-685)
Encyclopedia
USS Picking (DD-685), a Fletcher-class
destroyer
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for Sherwood Picking
(1890–1941), a submarine
commander during World War I
.
Picking (DD–685) was laid down 24 November 1942 by Bethlehem Steel
Co., Inc., Staten Island, N.Y.; launched
1 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Sherwood Picking; and commissioned
21 September 1943, Commander Raymond S. Lamb in command.
, Picking proceeded via the Panama Canal
to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where she arrived 28 December 1943 to serve with the North Pacific Fleet, Destroyer Squadron 49. She bombarded Paramushiro, Kuriles, 4 February 1944, Matsuwa Island, Kuriles, 13 June, and Paramushiro again 26 June. In August she steamed to San Francisco, California
for upkeep, and then to Hawaii
, arriving Pearl Harbor on the 31st where she joined the 3rd Fleet. Escorting attack transports, she arrived at Manus Island
3 October.
Assigned to the 7th Fleet, she screened for the southern landings on Leyte
20 October. While escorting unloaded transports bound for Hollandia
, New Guinea
, she splashed one plane 24 October. Upon news of the Battle off Samar
Island, Picking rushed to provide protection. She and Hale
(DD–642) splashed one plane 25 October. After the Battle for Leyte Gulf, she escorted Mount Olympus
(AGC–8) and Auriga (AK–98) to Manus Island and returned to Leyte 20 November to protect Allied convoy
s bringing reinforcements.
Following replenishment at Manus, Picking provided antiaircraft protection for the beachhead at Lingayen Gulf
, P.I.
, 9 January 1945. She screened landings at San Antonio, P.I., 29 January and provided fire support and screen protection as troops went ashore on Mariveles
, P.I., 15 February, and on Corregidor
16 February.
Following replenishment at Leyte, the destroyer arrived off Kerama Retto
, Ryukyus, 26 March, and screened transports during landings that morning. Assigned to fire support duty 1 April, she bombarded Japanese positions on Okinawa vigorously. She splashed two enemy planes 6 April, another 9 April, and saved one Navy aviator 17 April. She rescued survivors from Longshaw
(DD–559), off Naha
, Okinawa, 18 May. Relieved of fire support duties 7 June, she served as a radar picket until 23 June when she sailed for Saipan
.
Following her return to San Francisco at the end of the war, Picking decommissioned 20 December 1945, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego.
, Picking recommissioned 26 January 1951. Following duty out of Newport, R.I.
, she arrived at Yokosuka
, Japan, 4 May 1953. Off Korea
she operated with Task Forces 77 and 95, conducting shore bombardment with 95 and saved one naval aviator. Upon completion of Korean duty, she departed Sasebo
, Japan, 5 August, and proceeded via the Suez Canal
to Boston
arriving 2 October.
Following stateside operations in 1954, she sailed 5 January 1955 for Europe
an and Mediterranean
duty. Operating out of Derry
, Northern Ireland
, she studied British
convoy escort techniques, and then served with the 6th Fleet, before returning to Newport 26 May.
Transferred to the Pacific Fleet, she arrived at Long Beach, California
, 15 April 1956. She departed 5 June for a tour of duty with the 7th Fleet, which included a Taiwan
patrol, and returned to Long Beach 18 November. Departing Long Beach 13 August, she made another tour of the Far East, and returned 24 January 1958. On her next WestPac deployment, 8 October 1958 to 27 March 1959, she operated with an antisubmarine hunter-killer group led by Yorktown (CVS-10). During this tour, she carried emergency supplies to the fire-damaged Japanese town of Koniya.
In the fall she participated in antisubmarine exercises with Canadian forces
off the west coast. From January to June 1960, and from August 1961 to February 1962, she made two more WestPac deployments. During the Cuban missile crisis
of October 1962, she escorted Ranger (CVA-61). East coast operations and training filled 1963.
Deployed to the 7th Fleet 13 March 1964, she performed escort duty off Vietnam
in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident
before returning to Long Beach 2 October. Sailing for WestPac 10 July 1965, she arrived at Dixie Station
off Vietnam 11 September. During September and November, she bombarded enemy positions in South Vietnam
. She returned to Long Beach 16 December.
Following training and local operations in 1966, she departed for WestPac 27 December. She bombarded enemy military, naval, and logistical areas in North and South Vietnam, and destroyed several logistical craft in coastal waters off North Vietnam
. Training off the west coast in antisubmarine warfare and gunnery completed 1967. In February 1968 she departed for WestPac, and arrived at Yankee Station
25 April. Following gunfire support duty off South Vietnam and a return to Yankee Station, she arrived Long Beach 17 August.
Following duties with the Pacific Fleet in 1969, Picking decommissioned 6 September 1969 at Long Beach, Calif., and entered the Reserve Fleet
. She was stricken from the Navy list
1 March 1975, and sunk as a target 27 February 1997.
Picking received 5 battle stars for World War II
service. and one battle star for Korean service.
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
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 a 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...
named for Sherwood Picking
Sherwood Picking
Sherwood Picking was a U.S. Navy officer who became a notable submarine commander during World War I.A native of Baltimore, Maryland, Picking graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1911. During World War I, he was cited for his heroism as a submarine commander. During the inter-war period, he...
(1890–1941), a 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...
commander 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...
.
Picking (DD–685) was laid down 24 November 1942 by Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
Co., Inc., Staten Island, N.Y.; 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...
1 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Sherwood Picking; 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...
21 September 1943, Commander Raymond S. Lamb in command.
World War II
Following shakedown off BermudaBermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Picking proceeded via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, where she arrived 28 December 1943 to serve with the North Pacific Fleet, Destroyer Squadron 49. She bombarded Paramushiro, Kuriles, 4 February 1944, Matsuwa Island, Kuriles, 13 June, and Paramushiro again 26 June. In August she steamed to 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...
for upkeep, and then to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, arriving Pearl Harbor on the 31st where she joined the 3rd Fleet. Escorting attack transports, she arrived at Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
3 October.
Assigned to the 7th Fleet, she screened for the southern landings on Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
20 October. While escorting unloaded transports bound for Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, she splashed one plane 24 October. Upon news of the Battle off Samar
Battle off Samar
The Battle off Samar was the centermost action of the Battle of Leyte Gulf, one of the largest naval battles in history, which took place in the Philippine Sea off Samar Island, in the Philippines on 25 October 1944...
Island, Picking rushed to provide protection. She and Hale
USS Hale (DD-642)
USS Hale , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Maine Senator Eugene Hale ....
(DD–642) splashed one plane 25 October. After the Battle for Leyte Gulf, she escorted Mount Olympus
USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8)
USS Mount Olympus was a Mount McKinley-class amphibious force command ship, named after the highest peak in the Olympic Mountains of Washington...
(AGC–8) and Auriga (AK–98) to Manus Island and returned to Leyte 20 November to protect Allied convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s bringing reinforcements.
Following replenishment at Manus, Picking provided antiaircraft protection for the beachhead at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
, P.I.
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, 9 January 1945. She screened landings at San Antonio, P.I., 29 January and provided fire support and screen protection as troops went ashore on Mariveles
Mariveles
Mariveles may refer to:* Mariveles, Bataan * Mariveles Mountains...
, P.I., 15 February, and on Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
16 February.
Following replenishment at Leyte, the destroyer arrived off Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
, Ryukyus, 26 March, and screened transports during landings that morning. Assigned to fire support duty 1 April, she bombarded Japanese positions on Okinawa vigorously. She splashed two enemy planes 6 April, another 9 April, and saved one Navy aviator 17 April. She rescued survivors from Longshaw
USS Longshaw (DD-559)
USS Longshaw , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Dr. William Longshaw, Jr. , who served in the Navy and was killed during the Civil War....
(DD–559), off Naha
Naha, Okinawa
is the capital city of the Japanese prefecture of Okinawa.Naha is a coastal city located on the East China Sea coast of the southern part of Okinawa Island, the largest of the Ryukyu Islands...
, Okinawa, 18 May. Relieved of fire support duties 7 June, she served as a radar picket until 23 June when she sailed for Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
.
Following her return to San Francisco at the end of the war, Picking decommissioned 20 December 1945, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego.
1951 – 1969
In response to the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, Picking recommissioned 26 January 1951. Following duty out of Newport, R.I.
Naval Station Newport
The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...
, she arrived at Yokosuka
Yokosuka, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa, Japan. As of 2010, the city had an estimated population of 419,067 and a population density of 4,160 people per km². It covered an area of 100.62 km²...
, Japan, 4 May 1953. Off Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
she operated with Task Forces 77 and 95, conducting shore bombardment with 95 and saved one naval aviator. Upon completion of Korean duty, she departed Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, Japan, 5 August, and proceeded via the Suez Canal
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal , also known by the nickname "The Highway to India", is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea and the Red Sea. Opened in November 1869 after 10 years of construction work, it allows water transportation between Europe and Asia without navigation...
to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
arriving 2 October.
Following stateside operations in 1954, she sailed 5 January 1955 for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Mediterranean
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
duty. Operating out of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, she studied British
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...
convoy escort techniques, and then served with the 6th Fleet, before returning to Newport 26 May.
Transferred to the Pacific Fleet, she arrived at Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, 15 April 1956. She departed 5 June for a tour of duty with the 7th Fleet, which included a Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
patrol, and returned to Long Beach 18 November. Departing Long Beach 13 August, she made another tour of the Far East, and returned 24 January 1958. On her next WestPac deployment, 8 October 1958 to 27 March 1959, she operated with an antisubmarine hunter-killer group led by Yorktown (CVS-10). During this tour, she carried emergency supplies to the fire-damaged Japanese town of Koniya.
In the fall she participated in antisubmarine exercises with Canadian forces
Canadian Forces Maritime Command
The Royal Canadian Navy , is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the unified Canadian Forces. Operating 33 warships and several auxiliary vessels, the Royal Canadian Navy consists of 8,500 Regular Force and 5,100 Primary Reserve sailors, supported by...
off the west coast. From January to June 1960, and from August 1961 to February 1962, she made two more WestPac deployments. During the Cuban missile crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
of October 1962, she escorted Ranger (CVA-61). East coast operations and training filled 1963.
Deployed to the 7th Fleet 13 March 1964, she performed escort duty off Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident
Gulf of Tonkin Incident
The Gulf of Tonkin Incident, or the USS Maddox Incident, are the names given to two incidents, one fabricated, involving North Vietnam and the United States in the waters of the Gulf of Tonkin...
before returning to Long Beach 2 October. Sailing for WestPac 10 July 1965, she arrived at Dixie Station
Dixie Station
Dixie Station was a geographic position during the Vietnam War in the South China Sea off the Mekong Delta from which United States Navy aircraft carriers launched strikes providing close air support for US and ARVN ground troops in South Vietnam...
off Vietnam 11 September. During September and November, she bombarded enemy positions in South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
. She returned to Long Beach 16 December.
Following training and local operations in 1966, she departed for WestPac 27 December. She bombarded enemy military, naval, and logistical areas in North and South Vietnam, and destroyed several logistical craft in coastal waters off North Vietnam
North Vietnam
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , was a communist state that ruled the northern half of Vietnam from 1954 until 1976 following the Geneva Conference and laid claim to all of Vietnam from 1945 to 1954 during the First Indochina War, during which they controlled pockets of territory throughout...
. Training off the west coast in antisubmarine warfare and gunnery completed 1967. In February 1968 she departed for WestPac, and arrived at Yankee Station
Yankee Station
Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...
25 April. Following gunfire support duty off South Vietnam and a return to Yankee Station, she arrived Long Beach 17 August.
Following duties with the Pacific Fleet in 1969, Picking decommissioned 6 September 1969 at Long Beach, Calif., and entered the Reserve Fleet
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
. She was stricken from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
1 March 1975, and sunk as a target 27 February 1997.
Picking received 5 battle stars for 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...
service. and one battle star for Korean service.