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USS Talbot (DD-114)
Encyclopedia
USS Talbot (DD-114) was a Wickes-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War I
and later designated, APD-7 in the World War II
. She was the second ship named in honor of Silas Talbot
.
Talbot was laid down on 12 July 1917 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, by William Cramp & Sons; launched on 20 February 1918; sponsored by Miss Elizabeth Major; and commissioned on 20 July 1918, Lieutenant Commander
Isaac Foote Dortch
in command.
on the 31st and steamed to the British Isles
. She made three more round-trip voyages to England
and, in December, called at Brest
, France
. In 1919, she joined the Pacific Fleet
and operated with it until 31 March 1923 when she was decommissioned at San Diego
. On 17 July 1920, the ship was designated DD-114 while in reserve.
Talbot was recommissioned on 31 May 1930, and joined Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 10 of the Battle Force at San Diego. She remained with Battle Force until 1937 when she went to Hawaii
to support Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, for a year. In 1939, she served with the Battle Force and the Submarine Force. In 1940 and 1941, the destroyer was based at San Diego.
ese attack on Pearl Harbor
, Talbot got underway in the screen of and headed for Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor exactly a week after the Japanese raid, patrolled off the islands for 10 days, and returned to San Diego. In February 1942, the ship joined the Patrol Force of the 12th Naval District and escorted convoys along the Pacific coast.
Late in May, Talbot stood out of Puget Sound
to escort , , and to Alaska
. They arrived at Dutch Harbor on 2 June and were subjected to a small and unsuccessful air attack the next day. With the exception of three escort trips back to Seattle, the destroyer performed patrol and escort duty in Alaskan waters for the next seven months. On 31 October 1942, the ship was reclassified a high-speed transport and redesignated APD-7. Talbot departed Dutch Harbor on 31 January 1943 to be converted by the Mare Island Navy Yard into a small but fast troopship. The work, enabling Talbot to transport 147 combat troops, was completed on 15 March.
The next day, the high-speed transport got underway for Hawaii, and she arrived at Pearl Harbor
the following week. On 2 April, she headed for Espiritu Santo
to join Transport Division (TransDiv) 12. For two months, the APD participated in training exercises with her division and also escorted ships to New Caledonia
, New Zealand
, Australia
, and Guadalcanal
.
In mid-June, she joined Task Group (TG) 31.1, the Rendova Attack Group, for the invasion of New Georgia
. She and were to capture two small islands that controlled the entrance to Roviana Lagoon from Blanche Channel
. The two ships embarked troops of the 169th Infantry Regiment at Guadalcanal
, and, on the 30th, they were off their assigned beaches when the assault began. Heavy rains obscured the islands, and Zane ran aground at 0230. After landing her troops and supplies without opposition, Talbot attempted to pull the minesweeper free but failed. Then, arrived and pulled Zane free while Talbot provided air protection. During the operation, enemy aircraft could be seen attacking the main landing force. On the night of 4 July, the ship and six other high speed transports arrived off Rice Anchorage. During the landing of assault troops the next morning, a Japanese "long-lance" torpedo sank , one of the destroyers of the bombardment group.
Talbot returned to Guadalcanal to prepare for the occupation of Vella Lavella
. On 14 August, she sortied with TG 31.5, the Advance Transport Group of the Northern Landing Force. The assault forces went ashore from the destroyer transports the next morning, unopposed. However, two hours later, the Japanese began air attacks against the ships and kept up the raids throughout the day. Nevertheless, the American fleet suffered no damage and claimed to have shot down 44 of the enemy planes.
The high-speed transport next devoted over a month to escorting smaller ships and carrying supplies to various islands in the Solomons
. Late in September, she joined Admiral
George H. Fort's Southern Attack Force for the conquest of the Treasury Islands
. Eight APD's and 23 smaller landing ships were loaded with troops of the 8th New Zealand Brigade Force. The smaller ships departed Guadalcanal on 23 October and 24 October, and the faster destroyer transports left on the 26th. On the 27th, the troops landed on Mono
and Stirling
islands, and the transports had cleared the area by 2000.
On 3 November, Talbot called at Noumea
to embark reinforcements for troops who, two days before, had landed on the beaches of Bougainville
at Empress Augusta Bay
. She arrived on the 6th, disembarked her soldiers, loaded 19 casualties and screened a group of LSTs to Guadalcanal. On the 11th, she was back at the beachhead with a resupply echelon. Four days later, she got underway for Guadalcanal. The high-speed transport loaded troops, ammunition, and rations; held a practice landing; and headed for Bougainville. On the 16th, the destroyer transport and her five sister ships rendezvoused with a group of LSTs and destroyers. At 0300, a Japanese snooper dropped a flare astern of the convoy. It was followed by enemy bombers which attacked for almost an hour before hitting and setting her afire. Although under constant air attack, Talbots boats rescued 68 crew members and 106 marine passengers from the stricken ship.
APD-7 continued to Cape Torokina
and arrived there in the midst of another air attack. She landed her troops and headed for Guadalcanal.
After her engines were overhauled at Nouméa in December, the ship made a round-trip to Sydney
. On 8 January 1944, she departed New Caledonia
for Espiritu Santo to pick up a convoy and escort it to Guadalcanal. She arrived off Lunga Point
on the 13th and patrolled between there and Koli Point for two weeks. On the 28th, the fast transport embarked elements of the 30th New Zealand Battalion and a group of intelligence and communications specialists of the United States Navy and headed for the Green Islands
to participate in a reconnaissance in force.
On the night of 30 January, the destroyer transports landed the raiding party; withdrew from the area; and returned the next night to pick them up. Talbot disembarked the New Zealanders at Vella Lavella and the Navy men at Guadalcanal. On 13 February, Talbot reembarked New Zealand troops and sortied with TF 31, the Green Islands Attack Group. She was off Bara-hun Island on the 15th and launched her part of the assault wave. She then shuttled reinforcements and supplies from Guadalcanal to the Green Islands.
On 17 March, the transport loaded elements of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, at Guadalcanal and sailed with the amphibious force to the St. Matthias Islands
. The Marines peacefully occupied Emirau
on 20 March, and Talbot returned to Purvis Bay
. She headed to New Guinea on 4 April to participate in practice landings with the 168nd Army Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Two weeks later, she loaded 145 men of that regiment and sortied with TG 77.3, the Fire Support Group, for the assault on Aitape
. On the 22nd, Talbot landed her troops; shelled Tumleo Island; and returned to Cape Cretin. She escorted resupply echelons to the landing area until 10 May when the transports were released by the 7th Fleet.
Talbot joined the 5th Fleet at Guadalcanal on the 13th and began training with underwater demolition teams. On 4 June, she joined a convoy to the Marshalls
and arrived at Kwajalein
on the 8th. Two days later, the high-speed transport joined TG 53.15 of the Southern Attack Force and got underway for the Marianas
. However, she collided with during an emergency turn; and the resulting flooding of several of her compartments forced her to return for repairs. Talbot got underway two days later, rejoined the group southeast of Saipan
, and was off the beaches there on the 15th, D-Day. During the first days of the operation, she screened the bombardment group. On the 17th, she captured a survivor of a wrecked Japanese boat. The ship developed engine trouble and anchored in the transport area where an enemy plane dropped a stick of bombs off her port bow, but caused no damage. She transferred her underwater demolition team to and joined a convoy for Hawaii. She was then routed back to San Francisco for an overhaul that lasted from 11 July to 28 August.
Talbot returned to Pearl Harbor early in September and steamed onward to Eniwetok and Manus. She embarked Underwater Demolition Team No. 3 on 12 October and sortied with TG 77.6, the Bombardment and Fire Support Group, for Leyte. On the 18th, her swimmers made a daylight reconnaissance of the waters between San Jose and Dulag
. Although opposed by enemy machine-gun and mortar fire, the team reembarked with no casualties. The transport departed with a convoy and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on the 27th, where she transferred the demolition team to on the last day of the month.
Talbot headed toward Oro Bay, joined , escorted her to Cape Gloucester
, and returned to Seeadler Harbor
on the 8th. Two days later, she was anchored there, only some 800 yards from , when that ammunition ship suddenly exploded and showered her with over 600 pounds of metal and debris. The transport was holed in several places and some crew members were injured.
Talbots boats searched for survivors but found none.
On 15 December 1944, after the high-speed transport's damage had been repaired at Manus, Talbot got underway and proceeded, via Aitape, to Noemfoor Island to participate in amphibious exercises with the 158th RCT. On 4 January 1945, she embarked troops and sortied with Task Unit 77.9.8 for Lingayen Gulf. The ship landed reinforcements at San Fabian
the following week and continued on to Leyte. She embarked troops of the 11th Airborne Division on the 26th and headed for Luzon with a convoy. On 31 January, she disembarked the troops as the second wave against Nasugbu and steamed to Mindoro. She loaded mortar and rocket boats and delivered them to Leyte.
On 14 February, the high-speed transport embarked units of the 151st Infantry Regiment and steamed to Bataan
. She landed the troops at Mariveles Harbor the next morning and returned to Subic Bay
. On the 17th, she took a load of reinforcements to Corregidor. The transport escorted a convoy back to Ulithi
and remained there for several weeks before being ordered to Guam
. Talbot and LSM-381 proceeded to Parece Vela to conduct a survey of the reef and determine the feasibility of erecting a radio, weather, and observation station there. She returned to Guam on 20 April and reached Ulithi the next day.
On 22 April, Talbot joined a convoy bound for Okinawa. Five days later, she began antisubmarine patrols south of Kerama Retto
and then, on the 30th, joined a convoy for Saipan
. She returned to Kerama Retto and served as a picket ship from 22 May to 6 June when she went back to Saipan. From the Marianas, the high speed transport was routed to Eniwetok, Hawaii, and the United States.
Talbot arrived at San Pedro on 6 July and was to be reconverted into a destroyer. Her classification reverted to DD-114 on 16 July. However, a Board of Inspection and Survey recommended that she be inactivated. Talbot was decommissioned on 9 October and struck from the Navy list
on 24 October 1945. She was sold to the Boston Metals Company, Baltimore, Maryland, on 30 January 1946 and scrapped.
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 later designated, APD-7 in the 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 the second ship named in honor of Silas Talbot
Silas Talbot
Silas Talbot was an officer in the Continental Army and in the Continental Navy. Talbot is most famous for commanding the USS Constitution from 1798 to 1801.-Biography:...
.
Talbot was laid down on 12 July 1917 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,...
, by William Cramp & Sons; launched on 20 February 1918; sponsored by Miss Elizabeth Major; and commissioned on 20 July 1918, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Isaac Foote Dortch
Isaac Foote Dortch
Isaac Foote Dortch was a captain in the United States Navy who was awarded the Navy Cross for actions during World War I.-Biography:Born in Gadsden, Alabama, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1905...
in command.
Service history
Talbot stood out of New YorkNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on the 31st and steamed to the British Isles
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
. She made three more round-trip voyages to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and, in December, called at Brest
Brest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. In 1919, she joined the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
and operated with it until 31 March 1923 when she was decommissioned 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...
. On 17 July 1920, the ship was designated DD-114 while in reserve.
Talbot was recommissioned on 31 May 1930, and joined Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 10 of the Battle Force at San Diego. She remained with Battle Force until 1937 when she went 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...
to support Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet, for a year. In 1939, she served with the Battle Force and the Submarine Force. In 1940 and 1941, the destroyer was based at San Diego.
World War II
The day after the 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...
ese attack on 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...
, Talbot got underway in the screen of and headed for Hawaii. She arrived at Pearl Harbor exactly a week after the Japanese raid, patrolled off the islands for 10 days, and returned to San Diego. In February 1942, the ship joined the Patrol Force of the 12th Naval District and escorted convoys along the Pacific coast.
Late in May, Talbot stood out of Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
to escort , , and to Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
. They arrived at Dutch Harbor on 2 June and were subjected to a small and unsuccessful air attack the next day. With the exception of three escort trips back to Seattle, the destroyer performed patrol and escort duty in Alaskan waters for the next seven months. On 31 October 1942, the ship was reclassified a high-speed transport and redesignated APD-7. Talbot departed Dutch Harbor on 31 January 1943 to be converted by the Mare Island Navy Yard into a small but fast troopship. The work, enabling Talbot to transport 147 combat troops, was completed on 15 March.
The next day, the high-speed transport got underway for Hawaii, and she arrived 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...
the following week. On 2 April, she headed for Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
to join Transport Division (TransDiv) 12. For two months, the APD participated in training exercises with her division and also escorted ships 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...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and 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...
.
In mid-June, she joined Task Group (TG) 31.1, the Rendova Attack Group, for the invasion of New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
. She and were to capture two small islands that controlled the entrance to Roviana Lagoon from Blanche Channel
Blanche Channel
Blanche Channel is a waterway in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It lies between the islands of New Georgia and Vangunu to the northeast, and Rendova and Tetepare to the southwest. It connects to the Solomon Sea at both east and west ends....
. The two ships embarked troops of the 169th Infantry Regiment at 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...
, and, on the 30th, they were off their assigned beaches when the assault began. Heavy rains obscured the islands, and Zane ran aground at 0230. After landing her troops and supplies without opposition, Talbot attempted to pull the minesweeper free but failed. Then, arrived and pulled Zane free while Talbot provided air protection. During the operation, enemy aircraft could be seen attacking the main landing force. On the night of 4 July, the ship and six other high speed transports arrived off Rice Anchorage. During the landing of assault troops the next morning, a Japanese "long-lance" torpedo sank , one of the destroyers of the bombardment group.
Talbot returned to Guadalcanal to prepare for the occupation of Vella Lavella
Vella Lavella
Vella Lavella is an island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. It lies to the west of New Georgia, but is considered one of the New Georgia Group...
. On 14 August, she sortied with TG 31.5, the Advance Transport Group of the Northern Landing Force. The assault forces went ashore from the destroyer transports the next morning, unopposed. However, two hours later, the Japanese began air attacks against the ships and kept up the raids throughout the day. Nevertheless, the American fleet suffered no damage and claimed to have shot down 44 of the enemy planes.
The high-speed transport next devoted over a month to escorting smaller ships and carrying supplies to various islands in the Solomons
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. Late in September, she joined Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
George H. Fort's Southern Attack Force for the conquest of the Treasury Islands
Treasury Islands
Treasury Islands are a small group of islands a few kilometers to the south of Bougainville and 24 kilometers from the Shortland Islands. They form part of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands. The two largest islands in the Treasuries are Mono Island and the smaller Stirling Island...
. Eight APD's and 23 smaller landing ships were loaded with troops of the 8th New Zealand Brigade Force. The smaller ships departed Guadalcanal on 23 October and 24 October, and the faster destroyer transports left on the 26th. On the 27th, the troops landed on Mono
Mono Island
Mono Island is the largest island of the Treasury Islands, Solomon Islands, at .- Geography :Mono island is a volcanic island in the northwest of the Solomon Islands. It is separated by the Blanche Harbour from Stirling Island and the other coral islands surrounding it. The village of Falamai is...
and Stirling
Stirling Island
Stirling Island is the smaller island of the Treasury Islands, Solomon Islands, at . It is separated from the largest Mono Island by Blanche Harbor. Stirling Island is composed of coral which was once part of the barrier reef surrounding Mono Island....
islands, and the transports had cleared the area by 2000.
On 3 November, Talbot called at Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
to embark reinforcements for troops who, two days before, had landed on the beaches of Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
at Empress Augusta Bay
Empress Augusta Bay
Empress Augusta Bay is a major bay on the western side of the island of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea, at . It is a major subsistence fishing area for the people of Bougainville. It is named after Augusta Viktoria of Schleswig-Holstein, wife of German Emperor William II.In November 1943, the...
. She arrived on the 6th, disembarked her soldiers, loaded 19 casualties and screened a group of LSTs to Guadalcanal. On the 11th, she was back at the beachhead with a resupply echelon. Four days later, she got underway for Guadalcanal. The high-speed transport loaded troops, ammunition, and rations; held a practice landing; and headed for Bougainville. On the 16th, the destroyer transport and her five sister ships rendezvoused with a group of LSTs and destroyers. At 0300, a Japanese snooper dropped a flare astern of the convoy. It was followed by enemy bombers which attacked for almost an hour before hitting and setting her afire. Although under constant air attack, Talbots boats rescued 68 crew members and 106 marine passengers from the stricken ship.
APD-7 continued to Cape Torokina
Cape Torokina
Cape Torokina is a promontory at the north end of Empress Augusta Bay, along the central part of the southeastern coast of Bougainville, in Papua New Guinea....
and arrived there in the midst of another air attack. She landed her troops and headed for Guadalcanal.
After her engines were overhauled at Nouméa in December, the ship made a round-trip 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...
. On 8 January 1944, she departed 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...
for Espiritu Santo to pick up a convoy and escort it to Guadalcanal. She arrived off Lunga Point
Lunga Point
Lunga Point is a promontory on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, the site of a naval battle during World War II. It was also the name of a nearby airfield, later named Henderson Field....
on the 13th and patrolled between there and Koli Point for two weeks. On the 28th, the fast transport embarked elements of the 30th New Zealand Battalion and a group of intelligence and communications specialists of the United States Navy and headed for the Green Islands
Green Islands, Papua New Guinea
The Green Islands are a small group of islands in Papua New Guinea. They are located at , about east of Rabaul on New Britain and about northwest of Bougainville. The Green Islands are administered as part of Bougainville Province .Nissan is the largest island of the group. Other islands include:...
to participate in a reconnaissance in force.
On the night of 30 January, the destroyer transports landed the raiding party; withdrew from the area; and returned the next night to pick them up. Talbot disembarked the New Zealanders at Vella Lavella and the Navy men at Guadalcanal. On 13 February, Talbot reembarked New Zealand troops and sortied with TF 31, the Green Islands Attack Group. She was off Bara-hun Island on the 15th and launched her part of the assault wave. She then shuttled reinforcements and supplies from Guadalcanal to the Green Islands.
On 17 March, the transport loaded elements of the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, at Guadalcanal and sailed with the amphibious force to the St. Matthias Islands
St. Matthias Islands
The St Matthias Islands are a small group of islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, that makes up part of Papua New Guinea. They are part of New Ireland Province.There are at least 10 islands...
. The Marines peacefully occupied Emirau
Landing on Emirau
The Landing on Emirau was the last of the series of operations that made up Operation Cartwheel, General Douglas MacArthur's strategy for the encirclement of the major Japanese base at Rabaul. A force of nearly 4,000 United States Marines landed on the island of Emirau on 20 March 1944. The island...
on 20 March, and Talbot returned to Purvis Bay
Purvis Bay
Purvis Bay is located in the Florida Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands. The bay was used by the US Navy during World War Two....
. She headed to New Guinea on 4 April to participate in practice landings with the 168nd Army Regimental Combat Team (RCT). Two weeks later, she loaded 145 men of that regiment and sortied with TG 77.3, the Fire Support Group, for the assault on Aitape
Aitape
Aitape is a small town of about 8,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the highway between these two capitals...
. On the 22nd, Talbot landed her troops; shelled Tumleo Island; and returned to Cape Cretin. She escorted resupply echelons to the landing area until 10 May when the transports were released by the 7th Fleet.
Talbot joined the 5th Fleet at Guadalcanal on the 13th and began training with underwater demolition teams. On 4 June, she joined a convoy to the Marshalls
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
and arrived at Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
on the 8th. Two days later, the high-speed transport joined TG 53.15 of the Southern Attack Force and got underway for the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. However, she collided with during an emergency turn; and the resulting flooding of several of her compartments forced her to return for repairs. Talbot got underway two days later, rejoined the group southeast of 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...
, and was off the beaches there on the 15th, D-Day. During the first days of the operation, she screened the bombardment group. On the 17th, she captured a survivor of a wrecked Japanese boat. The ship developed engine trouble and anchored in the transport area where an enemy plane dropped a stick of bombs off her port bow, but caused no damage. She transferred her underwater demolition team to and joined a convoy for Hawaii. She was then routed back to San Francisco for an overhaul that lasted from 11 July to 28 August.
Talbot returned to Pearl Harbor early in September and steamed onward to Eniwetok and Manus. She embarked Underwater Demolition Team No. 3 on 12 October and sortied with TG 77.6, the Bombardment and Fire Support Group, for Leyte. On the 18th, her swimmers made a daylight reconnaissance of the waters between San Jose and Dulag
Dulag, Leyte
Dulag is a third-class municipality in the province of Leyte in Eastern Visayas in the Philippines. This coastal town covering 11,007 hectares of land is home to 44,143 residents...
. Although opposed by enemy machine-gun and mortar fire, the team reembarked with no casualties. The transport departed with a convoy and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on the 27th, where she transferred the demolition team to on the last day of the month.
Talbot headed toward Oro Bay, joined , escorted her to Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester
Cape Gloucester is a headland, in the northwest of the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea, at . During World War II, the Japanese captured New Britain, and had driven most of Cape Gloucester's native population out to construct two airfields...
, and returned to Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
on the 8th. Two days later, she was anchored there, only some 800 yards from , when that ammunition ship suddenly exploded and showered her with over 600 pounds of metal and debris. The transport was holed in several places and some crew members were injured.
Talbots boats searched for survivors but found none.
On 15 December 1944, after the high-speed transport's damage had been repaired at Manus, Talbot got underway and proceeded, via Aitape, to Noemfoor Island to participate in amphibious exercises with the 158th RCT. On 4 January 1945, she embarked troops and sortied with Task Unit 77.9.8 for Lingayen Gulf. The ship landed reinforcements at San Fabian
San Fabián
San Fabián is one of 21 communes in the Ñuble Province of central Chile's Biobío Region. The capital is the town of San Fabián de Alico. The commune spans an area of .-Administration:...
the following week and continued on to Leyte. She embarked troops of the 11th Airborne Division on the 26th and headed for Luzon with a convoy. On 31 January, she disembarked the troops as the second wave against Nasugbu and steamed to Mindoro. She loaded mortar and rocket boats and delivered them to Leyte.
On 14 February, the high-speed transport embarked units of the 151st Infantry Regiment and steamed to Bataan
Bataan
Bataan is a province of the Philippines occupying the whole of the Bataan Peninsula on Luzon. The province is part of the Central Luzon region. The capital of Bataan is Balanga City and it is bordered by the provinces of Zambales and Pampanga to the north...
. She landed the troops at Mariveles Harbor the next morning and returned to Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
. On the 17th, she took a load of reinforcements to Corregidor. The transport escorted a convoy back to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
and remained there for several weeks before being ordered to Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Talbot and LSM-381 proceeded to Parece Vela to conduct a survey of the reef and determine the feasibility of erecting a radio, weather, and observation station there. She returned to Guam on 20 April and reached Ulithi the next day.
On 22 April, Talbot joined a convoy bound for Okinawa. Five days later, she began antisubmarine patrols south of 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....
and then, on the 30th, joined a convoy 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...
. She returned to Kerama Retto and served as a picket ship from 22 May to 6 June when she went back to Saipan. From the Marianas, the high speed transport was routed to Eniwetok, Hawaii, and the United States.
Talbot arrived at San Pedro on 6 July and was to be reconverted into a destroyer. Her classification reverted to DD-114 on 16 July. However, a Board of Inspection and Survey recommended that she be inactivated. Talbot was decommissioned on 9 October and struck from the Navy list
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 24 October 1945. She was sold to the Boston Metals Company, Baltimore, Maryland, on 30 January 1946 and scrapped.
See also
- USS TalbotUSS TalbotThere have been three United States Navy ships that have borne the name Talbot*The first USS Talbot was a torpedo boat commissioned in 1898 and was named after US Navy lieutenant John Gunnell Talbot....
lists other ships of the same name. - List of United States Navy destroyers