.gif)
USS Fairfax (DD-93)
Encyclopedia
USS Fairfax (DD-93) was a Wickes-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during the World War I
, later transferred to the Royal Navy
as HMS Richmond (G88), as a Town class destroyer
.
, she was launched 15 December 1917 by Mare Island Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. H. George; and commissioned 6 April 1918, Lieutenant Commander Stanford Caldwell Hooper
in command.
Fairfax arrived at Hampton Roads
6 June 1918 for convoy escort duty out of Newport News
. She guarded convoys of troop transports to midocean meeting points with escorts who had come out of English
and French
ports to meet them. Fairfax also guarded convoys moving between coastal ports, and patrolled off the coast until 16 October, when she stood down Hampton Roads bound for Brest
, France, escorting a troop convoy. On 18 October, she left her convoy to rescue 86 survivors of torpedoed USS Lucia, an NOTS ship, and on 27 October, arrived at Brest for patrol and escort duty in Europe
an waters.
On 3 December 1918, Fairfax arrived in the Azores
to meet and escort to Brest, the transport George Washington carrying President Woodrow Wilson
to the Peace Conference
. She sailed for home 21 December, reaching Norfolk
8 January 1919. Her post war operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean
were broken in May 1919, when she sailed to the Azores to take up station as an observer of the historic first aerial crossing of the Atlantic made by Navy seaplanes
. On 19 June 1922, she was decommissioned at Philadelphia
, and placed in reserve.
Recommissioned 1 May 1930, Fairfax operated primarily on training cruises for members of the Naval Reserve during the following 2 years, based at Newport, Rhode Island
, and Camden, New Jersey
. On 12 March 1932 she sailed from Hampton Roads for San Diego, California
, arriving 26 March. On the west coast, too, her primary duty was training reservists, but she also took part in gunnery exercises and fleet problems off Mexico
, Central America
, and the Panama Canal Zone
.
Fairfax took part in the Presidential Review taken by Franklin D. Roosevelt
in San Diego in March 1933, and then sailed for the East coast, where she continued her reserve training duty. She also patrolled in Cuba
n waters, and in the summers of 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940 sailed out of Annapolis
training midshipmen of the Naval Academy
. Between October 1935 and March 1937, she served with the Special Service Squadron
out of Coco Solo
and Balboa, Canal Zone, operating primarily on the Atlantic side of the Canal Zone.
The destroyer joined in representing the United States Navy at the opening of the New York City World's Fair
in April 1939, and after war
broke out in Europe that fall, operated on neutrality patrol
along with her training duties. On 21 November 1940, she arrived at Halifax
, Nova Scotia
, where she was decommissioned 26 November, and transferred to Great Britain under the destroyers for-land-bases exchange agreement
.
See USS Fairfax County (LST-1193)
for that ship.
as HMS Richmond (Pennant number
G88) 5 December 1940. She arrived at Plymouth
, England, 31 December 1940 to join the escorts sailing out of Liverpool
in the Western Approaches Command. These ships guarded the movement of vital convoys through the most dangerous waters of their passage across the Atlantic
. Between June and October 1941, she performed similar duty in the Newfoundland Force, and from February 1942 through March, made the dangerous run to Murmansk
. Her base for Atlantic escort duty between December 1942 and August 1943 was Greenock, Scotland. Richmond served in the Royal Canadian Navy
, based at St. John's, Newfoundland, until December 1943, when with newer escorts available, she was placed in reserve in the Tyne
. On 16 July 1944 she was transferred to the Soviet Navy
.
Живучий, "Tenacious") on 24 August 1944. The Soviet Union returned her in June 1949 to Britain, which sold her for scrap in July of that year.
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...
, later transferred to the Royal Navy
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...
as HMS Richmond (G88), as a Town class destroyer
Town class destroyer
The Town class destroyers were warships transferred from the United States Navy to the Royal Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy in exchange for military bases in the Bahamas and elsewhere, as outlined in the Destroyers for Bases Agreement between Britain and United States, signed on 2 September 1940...
.
USS Fairfax
Named in honor of Rear Admiral Donald FairfaxDonald Fairfax
Donald MacNeil Fairfax was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.The son of George William Fairfax, and Isabella McNeill, grandson of Ferdinando Fairfax, and great-grandson of Bryan Fairfax, he was born at the family seat of Mount Eagle, Virginia. Fairfax entered the...
, she was launched 15 December 1917 by Mare Island Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. H. George; and commissioned 6 April 1918, Lieutenant Commander Stanford Caldwell Hooper
Stanford Caldwell Hooper
Stanford Caldwell Hooper was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, and a noted radio pioneer who has been called "the Father of Naval Radio"...
in command.
Fairfax arrived at Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
6 June 1918 for convoy escort duty out of Newport News
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...
. She guarded convoys of troop transports to midocean meeting points with escorts who had come out of English
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and French
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...
ports to meet them. Fairfax also guarded convoys moving between coastal ports, and patrolled off the coast until 16 October, when she stood down Hampton Roads bound for 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, escorting a troop convoy. On 18 October, she left her convoy to rescue 86 survivors of torpedoed USS Lucia, an NOTS ship, and on 27 October, arrived at Brest for patrol and escort duty in 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 waters.
On 3 December 1918, Fairfax arrived in 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 meet and escort to Brest, the transport George Washington carrying President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
to the Peace Conference
Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
. She sailed for home 21 December, reaching 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....
8 January 1919. Her post war operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
were broken in May 1919, when she sailed to the Azores to take up station as an observer of the historic first aerial crossing of the Atlantic made by Navy seaplanes
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,...
. On 19 June 1922, she was decommissioned 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,...
, and placed in reserve.
Recommissioned 1 May 1930, Fairfax operated primarily on training cruises for members of the Naval Reserve during the following 2 years, based at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, and 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...
. On 12 March 1932 she sailed from Hampton Roads for San Diego, California
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...
, arriving 26 March. On the west coast, too, her primary duty was training reservists, but she also took part in gunnery exercises and fleet problems off Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, and the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
.
Fairfax took part in the Presidential Review taken by Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
in San Diego in March 1933, and then sailed for the East coast, where she continued her reserve training duty. She also patrolled in Cuba
Cuba
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...
n waters, and in the summers of 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, and 1940 sailed out of Annapolis
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Maryland, as well as the county seat of Anne Arundel County. It had a population of 38,394 at the 2010 census and is situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east of Washington, D.C. Annapolis is...
training midshipmen of the Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
. Between October 1935 and March 1937, she served with the Special Service Squadron
Special Service Squadron
The Special Service Squadron was a component of the United States Navy during the 1920s and 1930s.Under the United States Fleet, the squadron patrolled the Caribbean Sea as an instrument of gunboat diplomacy. It was headquartered in Balboa, Panama Canal Zone.-Commanders:* C.H. Hockson 1907 * Henry...
out of Coco Solo
Coco Solo
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base established in 1918 on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Panama Canal Zone, near Colón, Panama....
and Balboa, Canal Zone, operating primarily on the Atlantic side of the Canal Zone.
The destroyer joined in representing the United States Navy at the opening of the New York City World's Fair
1939 New York World's Fair
The 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
in April 1939, and after war
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...
broke out in Europe that fall, operated on neutrality patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
along with her training duties. On 21 November 1940, she arrived at Halifax
City of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
, Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, where she was decommissioned 26 November, and transferred to Great Britain under the destroyers for-land-bases exchange agreement
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
.
See USS Fairfax County (LST-1193)
USS Fairfax County (LST-1193)
USS Fairfax County was a United States Navy Newport class tank landing ship.Fairfax County was named for a county in Virginia. She was laid down on 28 March 1970 at San Diego, California, by the National Steel and Shipbuilding Company; launched on 19 December 1970; sponsored by Mrs. James W....
for that ship.
HMS Richmond
The former Fairfax was commissioned in the Royal NavyRoyal 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...
as HMS Richmond (Pennant number
Pennant number
In the modern Royal Navy, and other navies of Europe and the Commonwealth, ships are identified by pennant numbers...
G88) 5 December 1940. She arrived at Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
, England, 31 December 1940 to join the escorts sailing out of Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
in the Western Approaches Command. These ships guarded the movement of vital convoys through the most dangerous waters of their passage across the Atlantic
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. Between June and October 1941, she performed similar duty in the Newfoundland Force, and from February 1942 through March, made the dangerous run to Murmansk
Murmansk
Murmansk is a city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast, Russia. It serves as a seaport and is located in the extreme northwest part of Russia, on the Kola Bay, from the Barents Sea on the northern shore of the Kola Peninsula, not far from Russia's borders with Norway and Finland...
. Her base for Atlantic escort duty between December 1942 and August 1943 was Greenock, Scotland. Richmond served in the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
, based at St. John's, Newfoundland, until December 1943, when with newer escorts available, she was placed in reserve in the Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
. On 16 July 1944 she was transferred to the Soviet Navy
Soviet Navy
The Soviet Navy was the naval arm of the Soviet Armed Forces. Often referred to as the Red Fleet, the Soviet Navy would have played an instrumental role in a Warsaw Pact war with NATO, where it would have attempted to prevent naval convoys from bringing reinforcements across the Atlantic Ocean...
.
Zhivuchiy
The former Richmond was commissioned in the Soviet Navy as Zhivuchiy (rus.Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
Живучий, "Tenacious") on 24 August 1944. The Soviet Union returned her in June 1949 to Britain, which sold her for scrap in July of that year.
See also
- List of Royal Navy ships
- List of World War II ships
- List of ship launches in 1917
- List of ship commissionings in: 1918, 1940, 1944
- List of ship decommissionings in: 1940, 1944, 1949
External links
- history.navy.mil: USS Fairfax
- navsource.org: USS Fairfax
- hazegray.org: USS Fairfax
- SovietNavy-WW2: Таун ("Town") class
- U-boat.net: Zivuchij