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USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156)
Encyclopedia
USS J. Fred Talbott (DD-156), named for Joshua Frederick Cockey Talbott
(1843–1918), Representative from Maryland Second District from 1879 to 1885, from 1893 to 1895 and again from 1903 to 1918, was a Wickes-class
destroyer
.
Talbott was laid down by the William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company
at Philadelphia in Pennsylvania
on 8 July 1918, launched on 14 December 1918 by Mrs. Robert L. Bates, niece of Representative Talbott and commissioned on 30 June 1919, Commander
T. G. Ellyson in command.
10 July for the Mediterranean
, where she acted as a station ship at various ports providing an element of stability in Europe
during the first troubled months of postwar adjustment and reconstruction. Upon her return to the United States 21 June 1920, the ship took part in Neutrality Patrol
duty on the East Coast and engaged in fleet exercises before decommissioning at Philadelphia
18 January 1923.
Talbott recommissioned 1 May 1930, Lieutenant
C. H. Cobb in command, and immediately began shakedown training in Delaware Bay. For the 10 years that followed, the ship operated along the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean
engaging in antisubmarine training; fleet operations; and carrying out the many far-ranging duties of the United States fleet. She also helped to train reserves and midshipmen.
With the outbreak of the war in Europe, and America's initial effort to protect its shipping while remaining neutral, Talbott was assigned patrol duties in the waters off the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal
. Following America's entry into the war with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor
, the ship took up convoy escort duties between New Orleans, Cuba
, and the Canal, helping to protect the sea lanes and to move the vast amounts of men and materiel needed for victory.
Following an overhaul in Boston in January 1944, Talbott sailed 13 February with her first transatlantic convoy, and, after her safe return from Casablanca
, took up escort duties with convoys from Iceland
southward into the Caribbean. Later in the year, after arrival 15 September, she was converted at New York and reclassified AG-81 25 September 1944. The ship arrived Port Everglades, Florida, 1 November to act as a target ship for torpedo bombers, continuing this important training service until the war's end.
Talbott was decommissioned at Boston
on 21 May 1946, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 19 June 1946 and sold for scrap to the Boston Metals Corporation of Baltimore
in Maryland
on 22 December 1946.
Joshua Frederick Cockey Talbott
Joshua Frederick Cockey "Fred" Talbott was a U.S. Congressman who represented the second Congressional district of Maryland.-Biography:...
(1843–1918), Representative from Maryland Second District from 1879 to 1885, from 1893 to 1895 and again from 1903 to 1918, was a Wickes-class
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...
.
Talbott was laid down by the William Cramp and Sons Ship and Engine Building Company
William Cramp and Sons
thumb | upright | 1899 advertisement for William Cramp & Sons William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia was founded in 1825 by William Cramp, and was the preeminent U.S. iron shipbuilder in the 19th century. The American Ship & Commerce Corporation bought the yard in 1919 but closed...
at Philadelphia in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on 8 July 1918, launched on 14 December 1918 by Mrs. Robert L. Bates, niece of Representative Talbott and commissioned on 30 June 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...
T. G. Ellyson in command.
Service history
J. Fred Talbott departed Newport, Rhode IslandNewport, 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...
10 July for the Mediterranean
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...
, where she acted as a station ship at various ports providing an element of stability 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...
during the first troubled months of postwar adjustment and reconstruction. Upon her return to the United States 21 June 1920, the ship took part in 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...
duty on the East Coast and engaged in fleet exercises before decommissioning 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,...
18 January 1923.
Talbott recommissioned 1 May 1930, Lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
C. H. Cobb in command, and immediately began shakedown training in Delaware Bay. For the 10 years that followed, the ship operated along the Atlantic 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...
engaging in antisubmarine training; fleet operations; and carrying out the many far-ranging duties of the United States fleet. She also helped to train reserves and midshipmen.
With the outbreak of the war in Europe, and America's initial effort to protect its shipping while remaining neutral, Talbott was assigned patrol duties in the waters off the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
. Following America's entry into the war with the surprise 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...
, the ship took up convoy escort duties between New Orleans, 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...
, and the Canal, helping to protect the sea lanes and to move the vast amounts of men and materiel needed for victory.
Following an overhaul in Boston in January 1944, Talbott sailed 13 February with her first transatlantic convoy, and, after her safe return from Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
, took up escort duties with convoys 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...
southward into the Caribbean. Later in the year, after arrival 15 September, she was converted at New York and reclassified AG-81 25 September 1944. The ship arrived Port Everglades, Florida, 1 November to act as a target ship for torpedo bombers, continuing this important training service until the war's end.
Talbott was decommissioned at Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
on 21 May 1946, stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
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 19 June 1946 and sold for scrap to the Boston Metals Corporation of Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
on 22 December 1946.