Allied Warships

USS Claxton (ii) (DD 571)

Destroyer of the Fletcher class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassFletcher 
PennantDD 571 
Built byConsolidated Steel Corp., Ltd. (Orange, Texas, U.S.A.) 
Ordered9 Sep 1940 
Laid down25 Jun 1941 
Launched1 Apr 1942 
Commissioned8 Dec 1942 
End service18 Apr 1946 
History

Decommissioned 18 April 1946.
Transferred to West Germany on 16 December 1959 being renamed Z-4.
Z-4 was Transferred to Greece in February 1981, she was cannibalized to provide spare parts.

 

Commands listed for USS Claxton (ii) (DD 571)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1T/Cdr. Herald Franklin Stout, USN8 Dec 19426 Jul 1944
2Lt.Cdr. Miles Hunter Hubbard, USN6 Jul 194420 Nov 1944
3T/Cdr. Maxim William Firth, USN20 Nov 194421 Sep 1945
4Lcmdr Kenneth George Robinson, USN21 Sep 194518 Apr 1946

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Notable events involving Claxton (ii) include:


24 Jan 1943
USS R-12 (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby, USN) participated in A/S exercises off Guantanamo Bay together with USS Claxton (Cdr. H.F. Stout, USN), USS Charles Ausburne (Lt.Cdr.L.K. Reynolds, USN) and USS Stanly (Cdr. R.W. Cavenagh, USN).

28 Jan 1943
USS R-12 (Lt.Cdr. E.E. Shelby, USN) participated in A/S exercises off Guantanamo Bay together with USS Claxton (Cdr. H.F. Stout, USN).

21 Apr 1943

Convoy GUS 6A.

This convoy departed Algiers on 21 April 1943.

It was made up of the following merchant vessels; Fort Ellice (British, 7129 GRT, built 1942), Harry Lane (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942), J.E.B. Stuart (American, 7196 GRT, built 1942), John Steele (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942), John Walker (American, 7191 GRT, built 1942), Matthew Maury (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942), Rufus W. Peckham (American, 7200 GRT, built 1942), William A. Graham (American, 7177 GRT, built 1942), William A. Richardson (American, 7258 GRT, built 1942), William C. Endicott (American, 7181 GRT, built 1942), William Cullen Bryant (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942) and Zebulon Pike (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942).

The damaged submarine HMS Torbay (Lt. R.J. Clutterbuck, RN) in tow of the tug Hengist was also part of the convoy as was the RFA tanker Dingledale (8145 GRT, built 1941).

On departure from Algiers the convoy was escorted by the escort destroyers HMS Eggesford (Lt.Cdr. D.W. Austin, RN), corvette HMS Pentstemon (T/Lt. D.C. Williams, RNVR) and the minesweepers HMS Bude (Lt. F.A.J. Andrew, RN), HMS Rhyl (Cdr. L.J.S. Ede, DSO, RN) and HMS Fantome (Capt. J.W. Boutwood, RN).

On 22 April 1943, following merchant vessels joined the convoy coming from Oran / Mers-el-Kebir; Exchange (American, 6737 GRT, built 1940), Fluor Spar (American, 5562 GRT, built 1919), George Davis (American, 7177 GRT, built 1942) and William M. Stewart (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942).

Also joining was the motor minesweeper HMS MMS 20 (T/Lt. H.A. Ledeboer, RNR) for passage to Gibraltar.

The escort was reinforced by the destroyer HMS Boreas (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Jones, DSC, RN) and the escort destroyer HMS Liddesdale (Lt.Cdr. A.A. Mackenzie, RNR).

On 23 April 1943, the following merchant vessels joined the convoy coming from Gibraltar; Artemis Ward (American, 7177 GRT, built 1942), Esso Bayonne (American (tanker), 7698 GRT, built 1937), Joel Chandler Harris (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942), Rhea (French (tanker), 7813 GRT, built 1928) and Tide Water (American (tanker), 8886 GRT, built 1930).

Also joining from Gibraltar were the fleet tanker USS Enoree (T/Cdr. W.S. Campbell, USN) and the destroyers USS Charles Ausburne (T/Cdr. L.K. Reynolds, USN) and USS Spence (T/Cdr. H.J. Armstrong, Jr., USN).

HMS Torbay, still being towed by the Hengist, and MMS 20 then parted company and entered Gibraltar.

On the 24th the Casablanca section of the convoy joined, it was made up of the following merchant vessels; Caleb Strong (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942), Elorn (French, 5482 GRT, built 1930), Empire Cobbett (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942), John M. Schofield (American, 7181 GRT, built 1942), Richard H. Alvey (American, 7191 GRT, built 1942), Robert F. Stockton (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942) and William F. Cody (American, 7176 GRT, built 1942).

They were escorted by the destroyers USS Stevenson (T/Cdr. F.E. Wilson, USN, with COMDESRON 19, T/Capt. J. Connor, USN, on board), USS Stockton ( T/Cdr. R.E. Braddy, Jr., USN), USS Ringgold (T/Cdr. T.F. Conley, Jr., USN), USS Schroeder (T/Cdr. B.L. Austin, USN), USS Foote () and USS Claxton (T/Cdr. H.F. Stout, USN) which then joined the convoy relieving the British escorts which then proceeded to Gibraltar where they arrived on the 25th, except HMS Boreas which arrived at Casablanca on the 24th.

During 1 May 1943, USS Enoree fuelled all eight destroyers.

The convoy arrived in Hampton Roads on 8 May 1943.

Media links


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.


U.S. Destroyers

Friedman, Norman


United States Destroyer Operations In World War II.

Roscoe, Theodore


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