USS Badger (DD–126) was a 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...

. She was named for Commodore

Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...

 Oscar C. Badger

Oscar C. Badger

Oscar C. Badger received appointment as a midshipman in the United States Navy on 9 September 1841 and, after a tour of duty in Independence, served in Saratoga along the Atlantic coast of Africa.-Service in Africa and during the Mexican-American War:While serving in the latter ship, he saw his...

.

Badger was launched 24 August 1918 by New York Shipbuilding Corporation, Camden, New Jersey

Camden, New Jersey

The city of Camden is the county seat of Camden County, New Jersey. It is located across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city had a total population of 77,344...

; sponsored by Mrs. Henry F. Bryan, granddaughter of Commodore Badger; commissioned 29 May 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...

 Q. T. Swasey in command; and reported to the Atlantic Fleet.

Service history

Following commissioning, Badger steamed to the Mediterranean where she cruised until August 1919. Upon her return to the east coast, she was assigned to 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...

, arriving at San Diego in September. She served at various naval bases on the west coast until May 1922, when she was placed out of commission.

Upon recommissioning in January 1930, Badger served with the Battle Force and Scouting Force in the Pacific. In April 1933, she returned to the Atlantic and thereafter participated in coastal cruises and reserve training. During 1938 to 1939, she operated with Special Squadron 4 based at Villefranche

Villefranche-sur-Mer

Villefranche-sur-Mer is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the French Riviera.-Geography:...

, 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...

. Upon her return to 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....

, she joined Destroyer Division 53, Patrol Force with additional summer assignments to the Midshipmen Coastal Cruise Detachment.

World War II

Between December 1941 and October 1944, Badger operated as a convoy escort in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Twice she escorted convoys to North Africa

North Africa

North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...

 (15 October – 28 November 1943 and 15 February – 24 March 1944), and for a brief period (27 June – 1 September 1943) she served as a unit of anti-submarine hunter killer groups 21.12 and 21.16.

In October 1944, Badger transited the Panama Canal and conducted anti submarine training off Balboa, Canal Zone. Between 15 November 1944 and 20 June 1945, Badger served with the Anti-Submarine Development Detachment, Port Everglades, Florida, conducting anti-submarine development exercises. She arrived at Philadelphia

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,...

 22 June 1945 and was decommissioned 20 July. She was sold 30 November 1945.

Convoys escorted

Convoy	Escort Group	Dates	Notes
ON ON convoys The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic .-History:...  26		20-29 Oct 1941	33 ships escorted without loss from Iceland Iceland Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...  to Newfoundland Dominion of Newfoundland The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...  prior to US declaration of war
HX HX convoys The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom...  159		10-19 Nov 1941	32 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war
ON 39		29 Nov-4 Dec 1941	35 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war
HX 166		21-31 Dec 1941	33 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
ON 53		9-19 Jan 1942	26 ships escorted without loss from Iceland to Newfoundland
HX 174		9-17 Feb 1942	27 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Iceland
SC SC convoys The SC convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys that ran during the battle of the Atlantic during World War II.They were east-bound slow convoys originating in Sydney, Cape Breton ; from there they sailed to ports in the UK, mainly Liverpool.For a time after the entry of the...  71		5 March 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 77		11-14 April 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 79		21 April 1942	Iceland shuttle
ON 91		1-5 May 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 81		5 May 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 83		17 May 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 85		7 June 1942	Iceland shuttle
HX 194		22 June 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 89		29 June 1942	Iceland shuttle
ON 112		14-17 July 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 91		19 July 1942	Iceland shuttle
HX 212	MOEF group A3 Mid-Ocean Escort Force Mid-Ocean Escort Force referred to the organization of anti-submarine escorts for World War II trade convoys between Canada and the British Isles...	23 Oct-1 Nov 1942	from Newfoundland to 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... ; 5 ships torpedoed & sunk
ON 145	MOEF group A3	10-18 Nov 1942	from Northern Ireland to Iceland; 3 ships torpedoed (1 sank)
ON 144		19-22 Nov 1942	Iceland shuttle
SC 111	MOEF group A3	2-16 Dec 1942	20 ships escorted without loss from Newfoundland to Northern Ireland
ON 156	MOEF group A3	24 Dec 1942-8 Jan 1943	19 ships escorted without loss from Northern Ireland to Newfoundland
UGS UG convoys The UG convoys were a series of east-bound trans-Atlantic convoys from the United States to Gibraltar carrying food, ammunition, and military hardware to the United States Army in North Africa and southern Europe during World War II...  11		14-19 July 1943	59 ships escorted without loss from Chesapeake Bay Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...  to Mediterranean Sea 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...
UGS 15	Support Group with USS Core USS Core (CVE-13) USS Core was originally classified AVG-13, but was reclassified ACV-13, 20 August 1942; CVE-13, 15 July 1943; CVHE-13, 12 June 1955; CVU-13, 1 July 1958; and T-AKV-41, 7 May 1959. She was launched 15 May 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Washington, under a Maritime Commission...	27 August-2 September 1943	50 ships escorted without loss from Chesapeake Bay to Mediterranean Sea
UGS 21	Support Group with USS Block Island USS Block Island (CVE-21) USS Block Island was a for the United States Navy during World War II. She was the first of two escort carriers named after Block Island Sound off Rhode Island. Block Island was launched on 6 June 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation of Seattle, Washington, under a Maritime Commission...	15-18 October 1943	67 ships escorted without loss from Chesapeake Bay to Mediterranean Sea
GUS UG convoys The UG convoys were a series of east-bound trans-Atlantic convoys from the United States to Gibraltar carrying food, ammunition, and military hardware to the United States Army in North Africa and southern Europe during World War II... 20	Support Group with USS Block Island	13-14 November 1943	78 ships escorted without loss from Mediterranean Sea to Chesapeake Bay
UGS 23	Support Group with USS Block Island	14-19 November 1943	51 ships escorted without loss from Chesapeake Bay to Mediterranean Sea
GUS 32		7-23 March 1944	91 ships escorted without loss from Mediterranean Sea to Chesapeake Bay

External links

• NavSource Online:Destroyer Photo Index DD-126 USS BADGER. Verified availability 03-06-2005.