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USS Ramsay (DD-124)
Encyclopedia
USS Ramsay (DD–124) was a Wickes class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during the World War I
, reclassified as DM-16 during World War II
and again reclassified as AG-98. She was the first ship named for Rear Admiral
Francis Ramsay
.
Ramsay was laid down 21 December 1917 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
; launched 8 June 1918; sponsored by Miss Mary Virginia Ramsay, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Ramsay; and commissioned 15 February 1919, Commander
H. H. Norton in command.
in March, participated in fleet maneuvers in early April, and then sailed for New York. She got underway in May for the Azores
to act as a guide and weather observer for the NC
transatlantic flight
s. Steaming between the Azores and Portugal
from 16 May to 25 May, she returned to the United States 6 June. For the next month she conducted tactical exercises along the East Coast and, on 6 July, put into Norfolk
to prepare for transfer to the Pacific.
Ramsay arrived at San Diego
7 August and, after overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
, commenced 2 years of operations with Destroyer Force, Pacific. On 17 July 1920 she was designated DD-124. In the spring of 1922, she prepared for inactivation and, on 30 June 1922, she was decommissioned and berthed at San Diego as a unit of the Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 8 years later, 2 June 1930, she was reclassified as a light minelayer
, redesignated DM-16 on 13 June, and homeported at Pearl Harbor
. Converted at the Navy Yard there, she operated with Minecraft, Battle Force, primarily in the Hawaii
an area until 1937 when she returned to San Diego for her second inactivation and was decommissioned 14 December 1937. Recommissioned 25 September 1939, she joined MinDiv 5, Minecraft, Battle Force, and for the next year conducted patrols engaged in gunnery drills and landing exercises, and trained naval reservists along the Pacific coast.
's declaration of war
on the United States
.
Underway from the harbor before 0900, for offshore patrol, Ramsay made sound contact with a submarine
at 1120. She released 10 depth charges, and then watched an oil slick spread over the attack area. She had damaged, and possibly had sunk one of the midget submarine
s used by the Japanese in the attack. Eight days later, while escorting a merchant ship off Kauai
, she made her second contact. During two runs over the enemy, she dropped her depth charges and again was rewarded by the appearance of an oil slick on the surface indicating damage to her quarry.
Into February 1942, Ramsay continued patrol escort services in the Hawaiian area. On the 22nd, she got underway with TF 19 for Samoa
. Arriving Pago Pago 4 March, she planted defensive minefields off Tutuila
and Apia, then shifted to Suva
for mining activities among the Fiji Islands. On 3 May she steamed out of Suva for the New Hebrides
and by 11 June had completed, with , the Efate
defensive minefields. The next day, she cleared Vila
harbor, and returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 July.
For the next 2 months, she again performed escort and patrol assignments in the Hawaiian Islands. Then, on 14 September, she sailed for the Aleutians. Still with Montgomery, she arrived at Adak
22 September and 3 days later resumed mineplanting activities. In November she returned to California
; underwent overhaul at Hunters Point; and on 13 January 1943 arrived back in the Aleutians for 9 months of escort and patrol duty from Unalaska in the east to Attu
in the west.
On 17 September, Ramsay sailed south. Steaming via Pearl Harbor, she put into San Francisco 4 October for another overhaul. Out of the shipyard by 20 December, she sailed west on the 24th. She joined ServRon 6 at Pearl Harbor on 2 January 1944, and on the 21st headed for the Gilberts. After a brief stop at Tarawa
, she rendezvoused with TG 50.15 on the 30th and screened during the bombardment of Wotje that afternoon. The next day, she guarded during shelling, and, on 2 February, she arrived at Majuro
, where she conducted antisubmarine patrols until 14 March. An escort run to the Gilberts followed, and on the 19th she got underway to return to Pearl Harbor. Arriving on the 27th, she was assigned convoy escort duty. Between then and mid-September, she shepherded ships to Majuro, San Francisco and Eniwetok. In October, she served with the Submarine Training Force and, in November, returned to the Marshalls for escort and training duty off Majuro.
With the new year, 1945, Ramsay headed east and during February again worked with the Submarine Training Force. At the end of the month, she sailed for San Pedro, where, after overhaul, she was designated a miscellaneous auxiliary and was reclassified AG-98, effective 5 June. On the 15th, she once more got underway for Pearl Harbor, and for the next 3 months, she served as plane guard for carriers training in Hawaiian waters. On 24 September, she arrived back at San Pedro to await her third, and final, inactivation. She was decommissioned 19 October 1945, struck from the Navy list 13 November 1945; and sold for scrapping 21 November 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 the 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...
, reclassified as DM-16 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...
and again reclassified as AG-98. She was the first ship named for 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"...
Francis Ramsay
Francis Munroe Ramsay
Admiral Francis Munroe Ramsay was an officer in the United States Navy who distinguished himself in the American Civil War, and who later served as Chief of the Navy's Bureau of Navigation.-Early life and career:...
.
Ramsay was laid down 21 December 1917 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
; launched 8 June 1918; sponsored by Miss Mary Virginia Ramsay, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Ramsay; and commissioned 15 February 1919, 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...
H. H. Norton in command.
Service history
Assigned to Division 12, Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet, Ramsay completed shakedown off CubaCuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
in March, participated in fleet maneuvers in early April, and then sailed for New York. She got underway in May for 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...
to act as a guide and weather observer for the NC
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,...
transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight
Transatlantic flight is the flight of an aircraft across the Atlantic Ocean. A transatlantic flight may proceed east-to-west, originating in Europe or Africa and terminating in North America or South America, or it may go in the reverse direction, west-to-east...
s. Steaming between the Azores and Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
from 16 May to 25 May, she returned to the United States 6 June. For the next month she conducted tactical exercises along the East Coast and, on 6 July, put into Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
to prepare for transfer to the Pacific.
Ramsay arrived at San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
7 August and, after overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
, commenced 2 years of operations with Destroyer Force, Pacific. On 17 July 1920 she was designated DD-124. In the spring of 1922, she prepared for inactivation and, on 30 June 1922, she was decommissioned and berthed at San Diego as a unit of the Reserve Fleet. Recommissioned 8 years later, 2 June 1930, she was reclassified as a light minelayer
Minelayer
Minelaying is the act of deploying explosive mines. Historically this has been carried out by ships, submarines and aircraft. Additionally, since World War I the term minelayer refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines...
, redesignated DM-16 on 13 June, and homeported at Pearl Harbor
Pearl 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...
. Converted at the Navy Yard there, she operated with Minecraft, Battle Force, primarily in the 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...
an area until 1937 when she returned to San Diego for her second inactivation and was decommissioned 14 December 1937. Recommissioned 25 September 1939, she joined MinDiv 5, Minecraft, Battle Force, and for the next year conducted patrols engaged in gunnery drills and landing exercises, and trained naval reservists along the Pacific coast.
World War II
On 10 December 1940, Ramsay returned to Pearl Harbor and, throughout the next year, operated with Mine Divisions 5 and 2. Moored at Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941, she fired her guns in combat for the first time at carrier-based planes delivering JapanJapan
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...
's declaration of war
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 the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Underway from the harbor before 0900, for offshore patrol, Ramsay made sound contact with 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...
at 1120. She released 10 depth charges, and then watched an oil slick spread over the attack area. She had damaged, and possibly had sunk one of the midget submarine
Midget submarine
A midget submarine is any submarine under 150 tons, typically operated by a crew of one or two but sometimes up to 6 or 8, with little or no on-board living accommodation...
s used by the Japanese in the attack. Eight days later, while escorting a merchant ship off Kauai
Kauai
Kauai or Kauai, known as Tauai in the ancient Kaua'i dialect, is geologically the oldest of the main Hawaiian Islands. With an area of , it is the fourth largest of the main islands in the Hawaiian archipelago, and the 21st largest island in the United States. Known also as the "Garden Isle",...
, she made her second contact. During two runs over the enemy, she dropped her depth charges and again was rewarded by the appearance of an oil slick on the surface indicating damage to her quarry.
Into February 1942, Ramsay continued patrol escort services in the Hawaiian area. On the 22nd, she got underway with TF 19 for Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. Arriving Pago Pago 4 March, she planted defensive minefields off Tutuila
Tutuila
Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
and Apia, then shifted to Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
for mining activities among the Fiji Islands. On 3 May she steamed out of Suva for the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
and by 11 June had completed, with , the 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...
defensive minefields. The next day, she cleared Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
harbor, and returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 July.
For the next 2 months, she again performed escort and patrol assignments in the Hawaiian Islands. Then, on 14 September, she sailed for the Aleutians. Still with Montgomery, she arrived at Adak
Adak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
22 September and 3 days later resumed mineplanting activities. In November she returned to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
; underwent overhaul at Hunters Point; and on 13 January 1943 arrived back in the Aleutians for 9 months of escort and patrol duty from Unalaska in the east to Attu
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
in the west.
On 17 September, Ramsay sailed south. Steaming via Pearl Harbor, she put into San Francisco 4 October for another overhaul. Out of the shipyard by 20 December, she sailed west on the 24th. She joined ServRon 6 at Pearl Harbor on 2 January 1944, and on the 21st headed for the Gilberts. After a brief stop at Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
, she rendezvoused with TG 50.15 on the 30th and screened during the bombardment of Wotje that afternoon. The next day, she guarded during shelling, and, on 2 February, she arrived at Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
, where she conducted antisubmarine patrols until 14 March. An escort run to the Gilberts followed, and on the 19th she got underway to return to Pearl Harbor. Arriving on the 27th, she was assigned convoy escort duty. Between then and mid-September, she shepherded ships to Majuro, San Francisco and Eniwetok. In October, she served with the Submarine Training Force and, in November, returned to the Marshalls for escort and training duty off Majuro.
With the new year, 1945, Ramsay headed east and during February again worked with the Submarine Training Force. At the end of the month, she sailed for San Pedro, where, after overhaul, she was designated a miscellaneous auxiliary and was reclassified AG-98, effective 5 June. On the 15th, she once more got underway for Pearl Harbor, and for the next 3 months, she served as plane guard for carriers training in Hawaiian waters. On 24 September, she arrived back at San Pedro to await her third, and final, inactivation. She was decommissioned 19 October 1945, struck from the Navy list 13 November 1945; and sold for scrapping 21 November 1946.
See also
- USS Ramsey for ships of that name
- List of United States Navy destroyers
- List of World War II ships
- List of ship launches in 1918
- List of ship commissionings in 1919
- List of ship decommissionings in 1945