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USS Meade (DD-602)
Encyclopedia
USS Meade (DD-602) was a in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was the second ship named for Richard Worsam Meade
and Robert Leamy Meade
.
Meade was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Shipbuilding Division, Staten Island, New York, 25 March 1941, launched 15 February 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Moray Nairne Wootton, and commissioned at Brooklyn Navy Yard
22 June 1942, Lieutenant Commander
R. S. Lamb in command.
, Meade sailed in the screen escorting to the southwest Pacific. After arriving Tongatapu
14 September, she guarded carrier task groups defending the sea lanes between Allied bases in the South Pacific and American forces in the Solomon Islands
. Operating out of Nouméa
, New Caledonia
, she served during the months in late 1942 during the protracted struggle for control of Guadalcanal
.
As escort for and YT‑130, Meade cruised off Guadalcanal during the costly but decisive night cruiser battle 13 November. She reached Tulagi
the 14th, and following the night battleship battle 14 to 15 November, she crossed Ironbottom Sound
and for the better part of an hour blasted four beached enemy transports north of Tassafaronga with 5‑inch rapid fire. The transports previously had suffered aerial strafing and bombing attacks, and Meade's concentrated gunfire left them wrecks "blazing with many internal explosions." Thence she cruised the waters between Savo Island
and Guadalcanal and rescued 266 men from destroyers and sunk during the fierce fighting of the previous night. After returning to Tulagi, she joined the search off San Cristobal
16 November for survivors from .
Between 22 November and 16 December, Meade operated as escort for during salvage operations. She screened damaged cruiser to Sydney
, Australia
and guarded en route to the New Hebrides
. She continued escort operations between Guadalcanal and bases in New Caledonia and the New Hebrides. During the Battle of Rennell Island
, 29 to 30 January 1943, she screened escort carriers of TF 18.
11 May. Before departing the Aleutians, she also took part in the bloodless occupation of Kiska Island, previously evacuated by the Japan
ese.
, she steamed via Pearl Harbor
to Wellington, New Zealand, 29 October for duty with the 5th Fleet Assault Force. She departed Efate, New Hebrides, 13 November and sailed as part of the fire support group of the southern task force (TF 53) for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands
. She screened cruisers and provided shore bombardment support during the bitterly contested assaults on Betio Island, Tarawa
, 20 November.
Two days later, Meade made an underwater sound contact while screening to westward of the transport area. Between 1530 and 1736, Meade and launched five intensive depth charge attacks. Meades final barrage forced to surface, and both destroyers directed "a devastating fire upon the target with all batteries." Five minutes later, Meade checked her fire and at 1751, Frazier rammed the sub, hitting her port quarter abaft the conning tower. I‑35 settled and sank, stern first, at 1754.
The destroyers launched boats to recover four survivors. One was killed during a brief exchange of gunfire; as Meades boat returned with a second, seriously wounded prisoner, an American dive bomber mistook it for a submarine conning tower and bombed it with a 500‑pound delayed fuze bomb. It landed 3 feet away, and the underwater explosion
lifted the boat out of the water and holed it. Meade recovered the motor whaleboat crew who were "shaken up somewhat."
. She sortied with TF 52 on 22 January 1944, and on the 30th participated in heavy bombardment of enemy installations on Taroa
island, Maloelap Atoll
. Arriving off Kwajalein Island the 31st, she screened battleship
s and cruiser
s during intensive shore bombardments. In addition she provided scheduled and spotter‑directed gunfire against installations on 1 and 2 February, destroying blockhouses, pillboxes, and machinegun emplacements. She remained in the Kwajalein area until 16 February, thence sailed via Majuro to Pearl Harbor, arriving the 24th.
. Between 30 March and 2 April TF 58 carried out intensive airstrikes against enemy positions on Yap
, Woleai
, and the Palau
s. She supported similar strikes in western New Guinea
21 to 24 April, then protected the mighty carriers during heavy air raids against Truk and Ponape
, Carolines, 29 to 30 April. She returned to the Marshalls 4 May.
Between 12 May and 10 July Meade operated out of Majuro while conducting shore bombardments and blockade patrols against bypassed islands in the Marshalls, including Wotje, Maloelap, Mille, and Jaluit. Departing Majuro 11 July, she steamed via Pearl Harbor to the west coast, arriving San Francisco 26 July. After overhaul at Mare Island
, she returned to Pearl Harbor 20 September. During the next 2 months she provided training facilities for the Pacific Fleet Torpedo and Gunnery School, then sailed 1 December in the screen for .
, Carolines, 9 December, Meade returned to the Marshalls 15 to 19 December escorting two merchant ships. Thence, between 25 December and 16 January 1945 she completed two escort voyages between Eniwetok and Guam
. Departing the Marshalls 21 January, she steamed via Ulithi to the Philippines
where she arrived the 28th for duty with the 7th Fleet. As a unit of DesDiv 27, she escorted LSTs and merchant ships from Leyte Gulf
via Mindoro
and Subic Bay
to Lingayen Gulf
, Luzon
, 8 to 13 February. For more than 2 months Meade operated out of Lingayen Gulf, patrolling the approaches of the gulf and the coast of western Luzon for enemy submarines and aircraft. She returned to Leyte Gulf 5 May.
Assigned to TG 78.3, Meade enter Macajalar Bay, Mindoro, 10 May and laid down fire support during unopposed amphibious landings. She departed the area the 15th, and escorted ships to Cebu
and Mindanao before returning to Leyte 20 May. She continued escort runs to the southern Philippines until 9 July; a month later she sailed for Subic Bay, arriving there just prior to Japanese capitulation.
; closed the coast of Table Island
in the Gulf of Tonkin
the 23rd; and delivered provisions and medical supplies to French military personnel. After returning to Manila Bay 29 September, she completed her duty in the Philippines and departed for the United States 2 November. Steaming via San Diego, California
and the Panama Canal
, she reached Norfolk, Virginia
, 9 December. Two days later she began extensive overhaul. On 4 March 1946 she sailed to Charleston, South Carolina
. Meade decommissioned there 17 June 1946, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 June 1971, and sunk as a target in February 1973. Her ship's bell was removed prior to the sinking and is now on display at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA.
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 Richard Worsam Meade
Richard Worsam Meade
Richard Worsam Meade III was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
and Robert Leamy Meade
Robert Leamy Meade
Robert Leamy Meade was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the American Civil War, Spanish-American War and Boxer Rebellion....
.
Meade was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Shipbuilding Division, Staten Island, New York, 25 March 1941, launched 15 February 1942, sponsored by Mrs. Moray Nairne Wootton, and commissioned at Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
22 June 1942, 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...
R. S. Lamb in command.
Southwest Pacific Service
After shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay, CubaCuba
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...
, Meade sailed in the screen escorting to the southwest Pacific. After arriving Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
14 September, she guarded carrier task groups defending the sea lanes between Allied bases in the South Pacific and American forces in the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
. Operating out of Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, she served during the months in late 1942 during the protracted struggle for control of Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
.
As escort for and YT‑130, Meade cruised off Guadalcanal during the costly but decisive night cruiser battle 13 November. She reached Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
the 14th, and following the night battleship battle 14 to 15 November, she crossed Ironbottom Sound
Ironbottom Sound
"Ironbottom Sound" is the name given by Allied sailors to Savo Sound, the stretch of water at the southern end of The Slot between Guadalcanal, Savo Island, and Florida Island of the Solomon Islands, because of the dozens of ships and planes that sank there during the Battle of Guadalcanal in...
and for the better part of an hour blasted four beached enemy transports north of Tassafaronga with 5‑inch rapid fire. The transports previously had suffered aerial strafing and bombing attacks, and Meade's concentrated gunfire left them wrecks "blazing with many internal explosions." Thence she cruised the waters between Savo Island
Savo Island
Savo Island is a volcanic island in the Solomon Islands group in the South Pacific ocean. It is located to the northeast of the northern tip of Guadalcanal Island at . Politically, Savo Island is a part of the Solomons' Central Province. The indigenous language of Savo is the Savosavo language.The...
and Guadalcanal and rescued 266 men from destroyers and sunk during the fierce fighting of the previous night. After returning to Tulagi, she joined the search off San Cristobal
Makira
The island of Makira is the largest island of Makira-Ulawa Province in the Solomon Islands. The island is located east of Guadalcanal and south of Malaita. The largest and capital city is Kirakira....
16 November for survivors from .
Between 22 November and 16 December, Meade operated as escort for during salvage operations. She screened damaged cruiser to Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and guarded en route to the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
. She continued escort operations between Guadalcanal and bases in New Caledonia and the New Hebrides. During the Battle of Rennell Island
Battle of Rennell Island
The Battle of Rennell Island took place on 29–30 January 1943, and was the last major naval engagement between the United States Navy and the Imperial Japanese Navy during the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II...
, 29 to 30 January 1943, she screened escort carriers of TF 18.
Aleutians Campaign
Meade departed the South Pacific 18 March for the Aleutians, arriving 15 April. During 4 months of patrol and escort duty in the North Pacific, she provided shore bombardment and fire support during the invasion and occupation of fog‑shrouded Attu IslandAttu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
11 May. Before departing the Aleutians, she also took part in the bloodless occupation of Kiska Island, previously evacuated by the 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.
Tarawa
After overhaul at Puget SoundPuget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, she steamed via 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...
to Wellington, New Zealand, 29 October for duty with the 5th Fleet Assault Force. She departed Efate, New Hebrides, 13 November and sailed as part of the fire support group of the southern task force (TF 53) for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
. She screened cruisers and provided shore bombardment support during the bitterly contested assaults on Betio Island, Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
, 20 November.
Two days later, Meade made an underwater sound contact while screening to westward of the transport area. Between 1530 and 1736, Meade and launched five intensive depth charge attacks. Meades final barrage forced to surface, and both destroyers directed "a devastating fire upon the target with all batteries." Five minutes later, Meade checked her fire and at 1751, Frazier rammed the sub, hitting her port quarter abaft the conning tower. I‑35 settled and sank, stern first, at 1754.
The destroyers launched boats to recover four survivors. One was killed during a brief exchange of gunfire; as Meades boat returned with a second, seriously wounded prisoner, an American dive bomber mistook it for a submarine conning tower and bombed it with a 500‑pound delayed fuze bomb. It landed 3 feet away, and the underwater explosion
Underwater explosion
An underwater explosion, also known as an UNDEX, is an explosion beneath the surface of water. The type of explosion may be chemical or nuclear...
lifted the boat out of the water and holed it. Meade recovered the motor whaleboat crew who were "shaken up somewhat."
Marshall Islands
Meade returned to Pearl Harbor 7 December and during the next 6 weeks trained for the invasion of the Marshall IslandsMarshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. She sortied with TF 52 on 22 January 1944, and on the 30th participated in heavy bombardment of enemy installations on Taroa
Taroa
Taroa, also known as Tarawa, is an island in the east of Maloelap Atoll in the Marshall Islands. During World War II, it was the site of a major Japanese airfield...
island, Maloelap Atoll
Maloelap Atoll
The Maloelap Atoll is a coral atoll of 71 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is only,. but that encloses a lagoon of . It is located north of the atoll of Aur...
. Arriving off Kwajalein Island the 31st, she screened battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
s and cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s during intensive shore bombardments. In addition she provided scheduled and spotter‑directed gunfire against installations on 1 and 2 February, destroying blockhouses, pillboxes, and machinegun emplacements. She remained in the Kwajalein area until 16 February, thence sailed via Majuro to Pearl Harbor, arriving the 24th.
Caroline Islands
Meade returned to Majuro 8 March for screening duty with the fast carriers of TF 58. After supporting shore bombardment and airstrikes against, Mille Atoll, Marshalls, 18 March, she screened the carriers westward to the Caroline IslandsCaroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
. Between 30 March and 2 April TF 58 carried out intensive airstrikes against enemy positions on Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
, and the Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
s. She supported similar strikes in western 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...
21 to 24 April, then protected the mighty carriers during heavy air raids against Truk and Ponape
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
, Carolines, 29 to 30 April. She returned to the Marshalls 4 May.
Between 12 May and 10 July Meade operated out of Majuro while conducting shore bombardments and blockade patrols against bypassed islands in the Marshalls, including Wotje, Maloelap, Mille, and Jaluit. Departing Majuro 11 July, she steamed via Pearl Harbor to the west coast, arriving San Francisco 26 July. After overhaul at Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
, she returned to Pearl Harbor 20 September. During the next 2 months she provided training facilities for the Pacific Fleet Torpedo and Gunnery School, then sailed 1 December in the screen for .
Philippines Campaign
Arriving UlithiUlithi
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...
, Carolines, 9 December, Meade returned to the Marshalls 15 to 19 December escorting two merchant ships. Thence, between 25 December and 16 January 1945 she completed two escort voyages between Eniwetok and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
. Departing the Marshalls 21 January, she steamed via Ulithi to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
where she arrived the 28th for duty with the 7th Fleet. As a unit of DesDiv 27, she escorted LSTs and merchant ships from Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
via Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
and Subic Bay
Subic Bay
Subic Bay is a bay forming part of Luzon Sea on the west coast of the island of Luzon in Zambales, Philippines, about 100 kilometers northwest of Manila Bay. Its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility named U.S...
to 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...
, 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...
, 8 to 13 February. For more than 2 months Meade operated out of Lingayen Gulf, patrolling the approaches of the gulf and the coast of western Luzon for enemy submarines and aircraft. She returned to Leyte Gulf 5 May.
Assigned to TG 78.3, Meade enter Macajalar Bay, Mindoro, 10 May and laid down fire support during unopposed amphibious landings. She departed the area the 15th, and escorted ships to Cebu
Cebu Island
Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
and Mindanao before returning to Leyte 20 May. She continued escort runs to the southern Philippines until 9 July; a month later she sailed for Subic Bay, arriving there just prior to Japanese capitulation.
End of World War II and fate
Between 31 August and 9 September, Meade completed an escort voyage to Okinawa and back. She sailed 20 September for French IndochinaFrench Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
; closed the coast of Table Island
Table Island
Table Island is an uninhabited island within the Canadian Arctic Archipelago in the territory of Nunavut. It lies in Norwegian Bay, north of Devon Island, and is also south Cornwall Island, separated by Belcher Channel. Ekins Island is a small islet about to the southwest.-References:*...
in the Gulf of Tonkin
Gulf of Tonkin
The Gulf of Tonkin is an arm of the South China Sea, lying off the coast of northeastern Vietnam.-Etymology:The name Tonkin, written "東京" in Hán tự and Đông Kinh in romanised Vietnamese, means "Eastern Capital", and is the former toponym for Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam...
the 23rd; and delivered provisions and medical supplies to French military personnel. After returning to Manila Bay 29 September, she completed her duty in the Philippines and departed for the United States 2 November. Steaming via 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...
and 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...
, she reached Norfolk, Virginia
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....
, 9 December. Two days later she began extensive overhaul. On 4 March 1946 she sailed to 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...
. Meade decommissioned there 17 June 1946, and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She was struck 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 1 June 1971, and sunk as a target in February 1973. Her ship's bell was removed prior to the sinking and is now on display at the Joint Forces Staff College in Norfolk, VA.
External links
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center
- Photo gallery at navsource.org