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USS Tarbell (DD-142)
Encyclopedia
USS Tarbell (DD–142) was a in the United States Navy
during World War I. She was the first ship named for Captain
Joseph Tarbell
.
Tarbell was laid down on 31 December 1917 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company, launched on 28 May 1918, sponsored by Miss Virgie Tarbell, and commissioned on 27 November 1918, Commander
Halsey Powell
in command.
. Based at San Francisco
, she served with Destroyer Division 15, of Destroyer Flotilla 5 and Destroyer Squadron 4, until late January 1920 when she joined Division 13 of the same flotilla and squadron. In February, her home yard was changed to Cavite
in the Philippines
, and in March, the destroyer joined the Asiatic Fleet. Tarbell served on the Asiatic Station until the summer of 1921, when she returned to the Pacific Fleet with her home yard at Puget Sound
. She operated with the Pacific Fleet until she was decommissioned on 8 June 1922 and berthed at San Diego, California
.
On 29 May 1930, Tarbell was recommissioned and assigned to Destroyer Division 11, Destroyer Squadron 10, Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Fleet
. Her home port was San Diego until January 1931, when it was changed to Charleston, South Carolina
. However, she remained assigned to the same administrative organization until March, when she was reassigned to Destroyer Division 3 of the Scouting Force. Sometime between July and October 1934, the destroyer changed home ports back to San Diego, but remained a part of the Scouting Force Destroyers. Late in 1936, Tarbell returned to the east coast to prepare for her second decommissioning, this time at Philadelphia.
She remained there until after war broke out in Europe in September 1939. To keep the war out of the Americas, President Franklin D. Roosevelt
issued two Neutrality Acts on the 5th and ordered the Navy to form a Neutrality Patrol
. A month later, on 4 October 1939, Tarbell was placed back in commission at Philadelphia, Lieutenant Commander
Edward W. Rawlins in command. She operated in the Atlantic with the Neutrality Patrol for over two years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
jolted the United States into the war.
One such rescue mission occurred on 26 March 1942. A Socony tanker, , was torpedoed off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Tarbells lookouts sighted her distress flares a little before 0900. The destroyer instantly rang up full speed; and, one-half hour later, she arrived at the scene of the attack. She dropped a depth-charge barrage to drive off any U-boat
s lurking in the vicinity and then picked up 22 survivors. After a futile search for the enemy submarine
, she disembarked the survivors at Morehead City, North Carolina
.
In May 1942, the destroyer began helping in the surveillance of Vichy French
warships in the Caribbean. To assure that those French ships were not turned over to the Germans
and that, in accordance with the Panama Declaration, there be no transfer of European possessions in America to any non-American power, she was assigned a patrol area around Pointe-à-Pitre
, Grand Terre Island, Guadeloupe
, and her specific charge was the old training cruiser Jeanne D'Arc.
Her rescue missions continued along with observation missions. On the 16th, she rescued 24 members of the crew of , torpedoed four days out of New York. On the evening of 25 May, when word reached her at San Juan, Puerto Rico
of a U-boat attack on , Tarbell got underway so rapidly that two of her officers and 13 crewmen were left behind in Puerto Rico
. The following day, she picked up eight wounded Blakeley crewmen at Martinique
, then participated in the search for the U-boat until the afternoon of the 27th. On 2 June, Tarbell rescued 19 survivors of . Two days later, the destroyer sighted survivors of the sinking of and brought them aboard, running her tally up to 31 men rescued on that mission.
Following additional escort duty in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico
, Tarbell began screening transatlantic convoys in mid-May 1943. Her first voyage was in the escort of convoy UGS-9 which was augmented by the latest development in antisubmarine warfare (ASW)—an escort carrier. The convoy reached Casablanca
safely on 15 June. Tarbell returned to the United States at New York, underwent repairs, and conducted training before joining another Casablanca-bound convoy in August. Upon her return to New York, the destroyer resumed local escort work until 22 October, when she departed New York in company with , , and to cover the passage of another convoy. The unit steamed via Bermuda
, where it was joined by , and arrived at Casablanca on 3 November. Following a short voyage to Gibraltar
, Tarbell headed back across the Atlantic on 10 November. The return convoy entered New York harbor on the 21st.
The following month brought an availability, refresher training, and time spent in training prospective crews for destroyer-type warships. On 26 December, she departed Norfolk
in company with and Destroyer Division 61 to cover convoy UGS-28 to North Africa, from there operating as a hunter/ killer group in the vicinity of the Azores
. On 31 December, Lea was severely damaged in a collision, and Tarbell took her in tow for Bermuda. On 3 January 1944, the destroyer was relieved of her towing duties by and and caught up with the convoy at Horta
in the Azores on the 7th.
After hunting submarines along the convoy routes, Tarbells group reached Norfolk, on 7 February, and the destroyer set out for a 10-day availability at Boston. Following that, she was assigned to the Air Force, Atlantic Fleet (AirLant) for air crew training operations off Provincetown, Massachusetts
. Relieved of that duty in April, she operated for a time in the screen of and . From then until July 1945, she alternated between carrier escort duty and target ship duty with AirLant. On 20 July 1945, Tarbell was placed out of commission at Philadelphia. Her name was struck from the Navy List
on 13 August 1945, and she was sold for scrapping on 30 November 1945 to the Boston Metal Salvage Company, Baltimore, Maryland.
As of 2004, no other ship in the United States Navy has borne this name.
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 I. She was the first ship named for Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
Joseph Tarbell
Joseph Tarbell
Joseph Tarbell was an officer in the United States Navy during the First Barbary War and the War of 1812.Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Tarbell was appointed midshipman in the Navy on 5 December 1798. He served in Constitution and other ships of the Mediterranean Squadron from 1800 to 1804, at the...
.
Tarbell was laid down on 31 December 1917 at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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,...
, by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Company, launched on 28 May 1918, sponsored by Miss Virgie Tarbell, and commissioned on 27 November 1918, Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
Halsey Powell
Halsey Powell
Captain Halsey Powell, USN was a United States Navy officer of the first half of the 20th century, who received the Distinguished Service Medal for outstanding performance as a destroyer division commander on convoy duty during World War I.-Biography:Powell was born 3 August 1883 in McAfee,...
in command.
Service history
Tarbell operated along the eastern seaboard until September 1919, when she was reassigned to the Pacific FleetUnited States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
. Based at San Francisco
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...
, she served with Destroyer Division 15, of Destroyer Flotilla 5 and Destroyer Squadron 4, until late January 1920 when she joined Division 13 of the same flotilla and squadron. In February, her home yard was changed to Cavite
Cavite
Cavite is a province of the Philippines located on the southern shores of Manila Bay in the CALABARZON region in Luzon, just 30 kilometers south of Manila. Cavite is surrounded by Laguna to the east, Metro Manila to the northeast, and Batangas to the south...
in 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...
, and in March, the destroyer joined the Asiatic Fleet. Tarbell served on the Asiatic Station until the summer of 1921, when she returned to the Pacific Fleet with her home yard at Puget Sound
Puget 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 operated with the Pacific Fleet until she was decommissioned on 8 June 1922 and berthed at 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...
.
On 29 May 1930, Tarbell was recommissioned and assigned to Destroyer Division 11, Destroyer Squadron 10, Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Fleet
Battle Fleet
The United States Battle Fleet or Battle Force was part of the organization of the United States Navy from 1922 to 1941.The General Order of 6 December 1922 organized the United States Fleet, with the Battle Fleet as the Pacific presence. This fleet comprised the main body of ships in the Navy,...
. Her home port was San Diego until January 1931, when it was changed 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...
. However, she remained assigned to the same administrative organization until March, when she was reassigned to Destroyer Division 3 of the Scouting Force. Sometime between July and October 1934, the destroyer changed home ports back to San Diego, but remained a part of the Scouting Force Destroyers. Late in 1936, Tarbell returned to the east coast to prepare for her second decommissioning, this time at Philadelphia.
She remained there until after war broke out in Europe in September 1939. To keep the war out of the Americas, President 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...
issued two Neutrality Acts on the 5th and ordered the Navy to form a 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...
. A month later, on 4 October 1939, Tarbell was placed back in commission at Philadelphia, 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...
Edward W. Rawlins in command. She operated in the Atlantic with the Neutrality Patrol for over two years before the Japanese 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...
jolted the United States into the war.
World War II
Tarbells duties remained much the same after the United States entered the conflict. The destroyer continued to escort convoys and perform antisubmarine work in the northern Atlantic. She shuttled merchantmen back and forth across the ocean and operated out of the east coast ports on rescue missions to pick up survivors of torpedoed ships.One such rescue mission occurred on 26 March 1942. A Socony tanker, , was torpedoed off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and Tarbells lookouts sighted her distress flares a little before 0900. The destroyer instantly rang up full speed; and, one-half hour later, she arrived at the scene of the attack. She dropped a depth-charge barrage to drive off any 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...
s lurking in the vicinity and then picked up 22 survivors. After a futile search for the enemy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
, she disembarked the survivors at Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City, North Carolina
Morehead City is a port city in Carteret County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 8,661 at the 2010 census. Morehead City celebrated the 150th anniversary of its founding on May 5, 2007...
.
In May 1942, the destroyer began helping in the surveillance of Vichy French
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
warships in the Caribbean. To assure that those French ships were not turned over to the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and that, in accordance with the Panama Declaration, there be no transfer of European possessions in America to any non-American power, she was assigned a patrol area around Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre
Pointe-à-Pitre is the largest city of Guadeloupe, an overseas région and département of France located in the Lesser Antilles, of which it is a sous-préfecture, being the seat of the Arrondissement of Pointe-à-Pitre....
, Grand Terre Island, Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...
, and her specific charge was the old training cruiser Jeanne D'Arc.
Her rescue missions continued along with observation missions. On the 16th, she rescued 24 members of the crew of , torpedoed four days out of New York. On the evening of 25 May, when word reached her at San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan, Puerto Rico
San Juan , officially Municipio de la Ciudad Capital San Juan Bautista , is the capital and most populous municipality in Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 395,326 making it the 46th-largest city under the jurisdiction of...
of a U-boat attack on , Tarbell got underway so rapidly that two of her officers and 13 crewmen were left behind in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The following day, she picked up eight wounded Blakeley crewmen at Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, then participated in the search for the U-boat until the afternoon of the 27th. On 2 June, Tarbell rescued 19 survivors of . Two days later, the destroyer sighted survivors of the sinking of and brought them aboard, running her tally up to 31 men rescued on that mission.
Following additional escort duty in the Caribbean and in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, Tarbell began screening transatlantic convoys in mid-May 1943. Her first voyage was in the escort of convoy UGS-9 which was augmented by the latest development in antisubmarine warfare (ASW)—an escort carrier. The convoy reached 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...
safely on 15 June. Tarbell returned to the United States at New York, underwent repairs, and conducted training before joining another Casablanca-bound convoy in August. Upon her return to New York, the destroyer resumed local escort work until 22 October, when she departed New York in company with , , and to cover the passage of another convoy. The unit steamed via Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, where it was joined by , and arrived at Casablanca on 3 November. Following a short voyage to Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
, Tarbell headed back across the Atlantic on 10 November. The return convoy entered New York harbor on the 21st.
The following month brought an availability, refresher training, and time spent in training prospective crews for destroyer-type warships. On 26 December, she departed 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....
in company with and Destroyer Division 61 to cover convoy UGS-28 to North Africa, from there operating as a hunter/ killer group in the vicinity of 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...
. On 31 December, Lea was severely damaged in a collision, and Tarbell took her in tow for Bermuda. On 3 January 1944, the destroyer was relieved of her towing duties by and and caught up with the convoy at Horta
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
in the Azores on the 7th.
After hunting submarines along the convoy routes, Tarbells group reached Norfolk, on 7 February, and the destroyer set out for a 10-day availability at Boston. Following that, she was assigned to the Air Force, Atlantic Fleet (AirLant) for air crew training operations off Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
. Relieved of that duty in April, she operated for a time in the screen of and . From then until July 1945, she alternated between carrier escort duty and target ship duty with AirLant. On 20 July 1945, Tarbell was placed out of commission at Philadelphia. Her name was struck from the Navy List
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 13 August 1945, and she was sold for scrapping on 30 November 1945 to the Boston Metal Salvage Company, Baltimore, Maryland.
As of 2004, no other ship in the United States Navy has borne this name.
Convoys escorted
| Convoy | Escort Group | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| HX 156 | 24 Oct-1 Nov 1941 | from Newfoundland to Iceland prior to US declaration of war | |
| ON 34 ON convoys The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic .-History:... |
12-21 Nov 1941 | from Iceland to Newfoundland prior to US declaration of war | |
| HX 163 HX convoys The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom... |
5-15 Dec 1941 | from Newfoundland to Iceland; war declared while escorting convoy | |
| ON 47 ON convoys The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic .-History:... |
22-23 Dec 1941 | from Iceland to Newfoundland | |
| HX 170 HX convoys The HX convoys were a series of North Atlantic convoys which ran during the Battle of the Atlantic in World War II. They were east-bound convoys and originated in Halifax, Nova Scotia from where they sailed to ports in the United Kingdom... |
16-22 Jan 1942 | from Newfoundland to Iceland | |
| ON 61 ON convoys The ON convoys were a series of North Atlantic trade convoys running Outbound from the British Isles to North America during the Battle of the Atlantic .-History:... |
1-10 Feb 1942 | from Iceland to Newfoundland |