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USS Kalk (DD-611)
Encyclopedia
USS Kalk (DD-611) was a Benson-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was the second ship named for Lieutenant
Stanton Frederick Kalk
.
Kalk was laid down 30 June 1941 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco, California
; launched 18 July 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Flora Stanton Kalk, mother of Lieutenant Kalk; and commissioned 17 October, Lieutenant Commander
C. T. Singleton, Jr.
, in command.
coast, Kalk departed San Francisco 28 December for patrol and escort duty in the Aleutian Islands. Steaming via Dutch Harbor, she arrived Adak
9 January and patrolled from Adak to Amchitka Island. On the 16th, she embarked 185 survivors of and which had foundered in an Arctic storm. She transported them to Adak, then continued intermittent patrols until she sailed 26 February for home, arriving San Francisco 4 March.
After repairs, Kalk steamed from San Francisco 7 April and proceeded via the Panama Canal
to New York
, where she arrived a fortnight later for Atlantic convoy escort duty. She cleared New York 28 April, and the next day joined a 35-ship convoy, UGF-8, headed for Oran, Algeria. Arriving 12 May, she searched for a suspected U-boat
. The destroyer departed Casablanca
, French Morocco
, 19 May escorting a westbound convoy. Arriving New York 31 May, she sailed 13 June via Casco Bay
, Maine
, and NS Argentia
, Newfoundland
, to Norfolk
for further convoy-escort duty. From 27 June to 6 December she escorted three convoys between the United States and North Africa
. After overhaul at New York and Boston, she arrived Norfolk 29 December and then sailed 2 January 1944 for the Pacific.
She departed Balboa
, Canal Zone, 8 January with DesDiv 38, escorting and . Reaching Funafuti
, Ellice Islands 27 January, Kalk searched for downed fighter planes before sailing for New Guinea
31 January to join the 7th Fleet
at Milne Bay
7 February. She operated in the New Guinea area, primarily on patrol and convoy escort duty, until 12 June. During the protracted struggle for New Guinea, she also covered amphibious invasions, bombarding Manus
, Pityilu, Los Negros
, and Rambutye Islands, Admiralties: Tanahmerah Bay and Wakde-Sarmi, New Guinea; and Biak and Owi, Schouten Islands
.
After providing fire support during the invasion of Biak Island 27 May, Kalk continued escort and picket duty between Biak and Humboldt Bay
. While on patrol 12 June off the southern coast of Biak, an enemy plane dived out of the sun and released a bomb which struck abaft her forward stack at the base of her starboard torpedo tubes. As Kalks 20 mm gunfire downed the attacker, the bomb exploded the air flasks of her torpedoes, destroying several 20 mm guns, showering her crew with shrapnel, and damaging her superstructure amidships. Though suffering 70 casualties, her crew rallied to save the destroyer. Firefighters extinguished each blaze; and, while other hands tended the wounded, volunteers detached the warheads from torpedoes scattered about the deck.
The only Allied ship seriously damaged in more than 2 weeks of repeated air attacks at and near Biak, Kalk retired to Hollandia
, New Guinea, for emergency repairs and sailed 20 June via the Admiralties and Pearl Harbor
for the United States. Reaching San Francisco 31 July, she received complete repairs and underwent alteration at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
.
Then the destroyer departed 26 October for Pearl Harbor, arriving 1 November. On 12 November she headed via Eniwetok to Ulithi
, Western Carolines, where she arrived 26 November to resume her duty in the western Pacific.
For more than 8 months Kalk operated out of Ulithi on anti-submarine warfare patrols screening sea logistics forces during offensive operations from Luzon
to Okinawa. From 16 to 23 December she patrolled northeast of Luzon during replenishment of the 3rd Fleet. Sailing from Ulithi 29 December, she screened supply units which supported TF 38 during the crucial Lingayen Gulf
operations on western Luzon. She continued this duty until returning to Ulithi 27 January 1945.
As a unit of DesDiv 38, Kalk rendezvoused with TG 50.8 on 18 February for refueling and replenishment operations of TF 58 during the campaign on Iwo Jima
. Returning to Ulithi 6 March, she sailed northward 13 March with TG 50.8 to screen logistic support for the 5th Fleet which was then clearing Ryūkyū waters of Japan
ese shipping and aircraft in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa 1 April. From then to the end of the war, Kalk operated with the 5th and 3rd Fleets off the Ryūkyūs as escort, plane guard, and ASW screen. Concerned primarily with screening supply ships between Ulithi and Okinawa, she destroyed numerous Japanese mines during patrols. While steaming for Okinawa 5 June with logistic support group TG 30.8, she passed through a raging typhoon with destructive winds of more than 90 knots. Suffering only minor damage, Kalk continued screening patrols. When the war ended 15 August, she was steaming from Okinawa to Ulithi.
Departing Ulithi 20 August, Kalk sailed via Saipan
and Okinawa to Japan, arriving Tokyo Bay
1 September escorting . Present at the formal Japanese surrender 2 September, she departed the 3rd on an escort run to Eniwetok. After returning to Tokyo Bay 16 September, she departed for the United States 12 October via the Philippines, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor. Reaching San Diego
17 November, she proceeded on the 17th for the East Coast, arriving Boston 11 December. After overhaul, she departed Boston 18 January 1946 and arrived Charleston, South Carolina
on the 20th. Kalk decommissioned at Charleston 3 May 1946, entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas
. Kalk was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
in June 1968. She was sunk as a target in March 1969.
Benson class destroyer
The Benson class was a class of 30 destroyers of the U.S. Navy built 1939–1943. The first ship of the class was the . The U.S. Navy customarily names a class of ships after the first ship of the class; hence the Benson class....
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 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 for 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...
Stanton Frederick Kalk
Stanton Frederick Kalk
Stanton Frederick Kalk was an officer in the United States Navy during World War I. He received the Navy's Distinguished Service Medal for his actions after his ship was torpedoed by a German submarine.-Biography:...
.
Kalk was laid down 30 June 1941 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
; launched 18 July 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Flora Stanton Kalk, mother of Lieutenant Kalk; and commissioned 17 October, 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...
C. T. Singleton, Jr.
C. T. Singleton, Jr.
Charles Tod Singleton, Jr. was a Rear Admiral of the United States Navy, who served during World War II and the Korean War.-Biography:...
, in command.
Service history
Following shakedown along the CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast, Kalk departed San Francisco 28 December for patrol and escort duty in the Aleutian Islands. Steaming via Dutch Harbor, she arrived Adak
Adak, Alaska
Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...
9 January and patrolled from Adak to Amchitka Island. On the 16th, she embarked 185 survivors of and which had foundered in an Arctic storm. She transported them to Adak, then continued intermittent patrols until she sailed 26 February for home, arriving San Francisco 4 March.
After repairs, Kalk steamed from San Francisco 7 April and proceeded via 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...
to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she arrived a fortnight later for Atlantic convoy escort duty. She cleared New York 28 April, and the next day joined a 35-ship convoy, UGF-8, headed for Oran, Algeria. Arriving 12 May, she searched for a suspected U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
. The destroyer departed 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...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
, 19 May escorting a westbound convoy. Arriving New York 31 May, she sailed 13 June via Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, and NS Argentia
Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
, 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...
, 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....
for further convoy-escort duty. From 27 June to 6 December she escorted three convoys between the United States and 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...
. After overhaul at New York and Boston, she arrived Norfolk 29 December and then sailed 2 January 1944 for the Pacific.
She departed Balboa
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, Canal Zone, 8 January with DesDiv 38, escorting and . Reaching Funafuti
Funafuti
Funafuti is an atoll that forms the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 4,492 , making it the most populated atoll in the country. It is a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres wide, encircling a large lagoon 18 km long and 14 km wide, with a surface of...
, Ellice Islands 27 January, Kalk searched for downed fighter planes before sailing for New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
31 January to join the 7th Fleet
United States Seventh Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is the United States Navy's permanent forward projection force based in Yokosuka, Japan, with units positioned near Japan and South Korea. It is a component fleet force under the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of the forward-deployed U.S. fleets, with...
at Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
7 February. She operated in the New Guinea area, primarily on patrol and convoy escort duty, until 12 June. During the protracted struggle for New Guinea, she also covered amphibious invasions, bombarding Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, Pityilu, Los Negros
Los Negros
Los Negros was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. On 2010 it went independent and had been contesting the control of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. It was then the criminal...
, and Rambutye Islands, Admiralties: Tanahmerah Bay and Wakde-Sarmi, New Guinea; and Biak and Owi, Schouten Islands
Schouten Islands
The Indonesian Schouten Islands are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea...
.
After providing fire support during the invasion of Biak Island 27 May, Kalk continued escort and picket duty between Biak and Humboldt Bay
Teluk Yos Sudarso
Yos Sudarso Bay also known earlier as Humboldt Bay is a small bay in Indonesia. It is on the north coast of New Guinea, about 50 kilometers west of the border between Indonesia's province of Papua and the country of Papua New Guinea...
. While on patrol 12 June off the southern coast of Biak, an enemy plane dived out of the sun and released a bomb which struck abaft her forward stack at the base of her starboard torpedo tubes. As Kalks 20 mm gunfire downed the attacker, the bomb exploded the air flasks of her torpedoes, destroying several 20 mm guns, showering her crew with shrapnel, and damaging her superstructure amidships. Though suffering 70 casualties, her crew rallied to save the destroyer. Firefighters extinguished each blaze; and, while other hands tended the wounded, volunteers detached the warheads from torpedoes scattered about the deck.
The only Allied ship seriously damaged in more than 2 weeks of repeated air attacks at and near Biak, Kalk retired to Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea, for emergency repairs and sailed 20 June via the Admiralties and 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...
for the United States. Reaching San Francisco 31 July, she received complete repairs and underwent alteration at Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
.
Then the destroyer departed 26 October for Pearl Harbor, arriving 1 November. On 12 November she headed via Eniwetok 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...
, Western Carolines, where she arrived 26 November to resume her duty in the western Pacific.
For more than 8 months Kalk operated out of Ulithi on anti-submarine warfare patrols screening sea logistics forces during offensive operations from Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
to Okinawa. From 16 to 23 December she patrolled northeast of Luzon during replenishment of the 3rd Fleet. Sailing from Ulithi 29 December, she screened supply units which supported TF 38 during the crucial Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
operations on western Luzon. She continued this duty until returning to Ulithi 27 January 1945.
As a unit of DesDiv 38, Kalk rendezvoused with TG 50.8 on 18 February for refueling and replenishment operations of TF 58 during the campaign on Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
. Returning to Ulithi 6 March, she sailed northward 13 March with TG 50.8 to screen logistic support for the 5th Fleet which was then clearing Ryūkyū waters of Japan
Japan
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 shipping and aircraft in preparation for the invasion of Okinawa 1 April. From then to the end of the war, Kalk operated with the 5th and 3rd Fleets off the Ryūkyūs as escort, plane guard, and ASW screen. Concerned primarily with screening supply ships between Ulithi and Okinawa, she destroyed numerous Japanese mines during patrols. While steaming for Okinawa 5 June with logistic support group TG 30.8, she passed through a raging typhoon with destructive winds of more than 90 knots. Suffering only minor damage, Kalk continued screening patrols. When the war ended 15 August, she was steaming from Okinawa to Ulithi.
Departing Ulithi 20 August, Kalk sailed via 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 Okinawa to Japan, arriving Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
1 September escorting . Present at the formal Japanese surrender 2 September, she departed the 3rd on an escort run to Eniwetok. After returning to Tokyo Bay 16 September, she departed for the United States 12 October via the Philippines, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor. Reaching 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...
17 November, she proceeded on the 17th for the East Coast, arriving Boston 11 December. After overhaul, she departed Boston 18 January 1946 and arrived Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
on the 20th. Kalk decommissioned at Charleston 3 May 1946, entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
. Kalk was 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...
in June 1968. She was sunk as a target in March 1969.