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USS Meredith (DD-726)
Encyclopedia
USS Meredith (DD-726), an , was the third ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Jonathan Meredith
, a Marine
sergeant
who saved the life of Lieutenant
John Trippe
of Vixen, during the Barbary Wars
.
Meredith was laid down on 26 July 1943 by Bath Iron Works
Corporation, Bath, Maine
; launched on 21 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. William Kepper; and commissioned on 14 March 1944, with Commander
George Knuepfer in command.
. Early in the morning of the following day, while patrolling the offshore waters as a screening vessel, she struck an enemy mine
. Severely damaged, with a loss of seven killed and over 50 wounded and missing, Meredith was towed to an anchorage in the Baie de la Seine
to be salvaged. However, on the morning of 9 June, her seams were further opened by an enemy bombing raid and shortly after she broke in two without warning and sank. rescued 163 survivors.
On 5 August 1960, the sunken hulk was sold to St. Française de Recherches of France. The hulk of the Meredith was raised and scrapped in September 1960.
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...
to be named for Jonathan Meredith
Jonathan Meredith
Jonathan Meredith was a United States Marine during the First Barbary War.-Biography:Born in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, Meredith enlisted in the Marine Corps June 6, 1803 and was promoted to Sergeant August 1, of the same year....
, a Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
who saved the life of 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...
John Trippe
John Trippe
John Trippe was an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France and the First Barbary War.-Biography:Born in Dorchester County, Maryland, Trippe was appointed a midshipman in the Navy on 5 April 1799...
of Vixen, during the Barbary Wars
Barbary Wars
The Barbary Wars were a series of wars between the United States of America and the Barbary States of North Africa in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. At issue was the Barbary pirates' demand of tribute from American merchant vessels in the Mediterranean Sea. If ships failed to pay, pirates...
.
Meredith was laid down on 26 July 1943 by Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
Corporation, Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
; launched on 21 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. William Kepper; and commissioned on 14 March 1944, with 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...
George Knuepfer in command.
Service history
After shakedown off Bermuda, Meredith departed Boston on 8 May 1944 as an escort in a convoy, arriving Plymouth, England, on the 27th. Between 5 and 6 June, she served as escort to transports assembling for the Normandy invasion. On 6 June, Meredith gave gunfire support to the landing forces on Utah BeachUtah Beach
Utah Beach was the code name for the right flank, or westernmost, of the Allied landing beaches during the D-Day invasion of Normandy, as part of Operation Overlord on 6 June 1944...
. Early in the morning of the following day, while patrolling the offshore waters as a screening vessel, she struck an enemy mine
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
. Severely damaged, with a loss of seven killed and over 50 wounded and missing, Meredith was towed to an anchorage in the Baie de la Seine
Baie de la Seine
The Baie de la Seine or Baie de Seine is a bay in northern France.-Geography:It is a wide, rectangular inlet of the English Channel, approximately 100 kilometres by 45 kilometres, bounded in the west by the Cotentin Peninsula, in the south by the Normandy coast and in the east by the estuary of...
to be salvaged. However, on the morning of 9 June, her seams were further opened by an enemy bombing raid and shortly after she broke in two without warning and sank. rescued 163 survivors.
On 5 August 1960, the sunken hulk was sold to St. Française de Recherches of France. The hulk of the Meredith was raised and scrapped in September 1960.