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USS Walker (DD-163)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Walker (DD-163) was a Wickes class
destroyer
that saw service in the United States Navy
during World War I
. She was named for Admiral John Grimes Walker
.
, by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company under contract from Bethlehem Steel Co.
; launched on 14 September 1918; sponsored by Mrs. Francis Pickering Thomas; and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard
on 31 January 1919 with Lieutenant Commander Harold A. Waddington in command.
Walker got underway on 20 February to rendezvous with transport George Washington as it returned from France with President Woodrow Wilson
. Upon completion of this duty, the new destroyer returned to Boston, where she was soon assigned to Division 18, Destroyer Force. She proceeded to Newport, Rhode Island
, and loaded her full allotment of torpedo
es at the Naval Torpedo Station. She sailed for the West Indies on 6 March and, soon after her arrival in the Caribbean fell into the Fleet's regular schedule of exercises and maneuvers. Walker conducted tactical exercises off San Juan, Puerto Rico
, and gunnery exercises out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the late winter and early spring of 1919 before she headed north.
After steaming into New York harbor on 14 April, the destroyer was sent to her base at Newport, R.I. Early the next month, she supported the Navy's NC-boat transatlantic flights. Initially stationed at Trepassy Bay from 6 May to 8 May, she later operated at sea from the 10th to the 17th, serving as one of the chain of picket ships to provide the NC flying boat
s with position reports and bearings. When this mission was completed, she returned to Newport on the 20th.
After calling at Annapolis in early June for a two-day visit during Naval Academy graduation exercises, Walker headed south and transited the Panama Canal
on 24 July. She called briefly at Acapulco
, Mexico, for two days before steaming for southern California
, arriving at Coronado
on 8 August.
Based at San Diego, Walker conducted local operations off the west coast into late 1919, when she was assigned to the Reserve Destroyer Flotilla. She embarked naval reservists for an indoctrination cruise on 27 October 1920 and remained in "rotating reserve" duty, conducting periodic target practices, full-power runs, and undergoing overhauls at the Mare Island Navy Yard. Decommissioned on 7 June 1922, as part of an austerity program, Walker was placed in reserve at San Diego, where she remained into the 1930s.
After 16 years on "Red Lead Row," the ship was struck from the Navy list on 28 March 1938 and slated for disposal by sale. Logistics requirements of west coast naval districts, however, resulted in the former destroyer being placed back on the list and earmarked for conversion to a water barge. Redesignated YW-57 on 1 April 1939, the ship was undergoing conversion at the Mare Island Navy Yard when the Navy again decided to change the vessel's role. With the outbreak of war in Europe and the possibility of American involvement in the conflict, the ship was slated for use as a damage control hulk.
, plans were made to tow DCH-1 (which had been stripped of propulsion machinery during the initial conversion work to YW-57) to the Hawaiian Islands. On 28 December 1941, damage control hulk DCH 1 (IX-44), formerly destroyer Walker (DD-163), while being towed from San Diego, California, to Pearl Harbor, by oiler , was cast adrift and scuttled by gunfire from Neches at 26°35′N 143°49′W.
, written by Taylor Anderson
. The series begins with the Walker in the U.S. Asiatic Fleet at the outbreak of World War II. She is pursued by superior Japanese naval forces following the Battle of the Java Sea
and seeks refuge in a squall. USS Walker and her sister, USS Mahan are transported to an alternate Earth, one where a different evolutionary path occurred. Taylor Anderson also uses other decommissioned ships in these books, such as USS Mahan (DD-102)
, USS S-19 (SS-124)
, and the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi.
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...
that saw service 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 I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. She was named for Admiral John Grimes Walker
John Grimes Walker
John Grimes Walker was an admiral in the United States Navy who served during the Civil War. After the war, he served as Chief of the Bureau of Navigation and head of the Lighthouse Board...
.
History
Walker was laid down on 19 June 1918 at Quincy, MassachusettsQuincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, by the Fore River Shipbuilding Company under contract from Bethlehem Steel Co.
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
; launched on 14 September 1918; sponsored by Mrs. Francis Pickering Thomas; and commissioned at the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
on 31 January 1919 with Lieutenant Commander Harold A. Waddington in command.
Walker got underway on 20 February to rendezvous with transport George Washington as it returned from France with President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
. Upon completion of this duty, the new destroyer returned to Boston, where she was soon assigned to Division 18, Destroyer Force. She proceeded to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, 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...
, and loaded her full allotment of torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es at the Naval Torpedo Station. She sailed for the West Indies on 6 March and, soon after her arrival in the Caribbean fell into the Fleet's regular schedule of exercises and maneuvers. Walker conducted tactical exercises off 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...
, and gunnery exercises out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the late winter and early spring of 1919 before she headed north.
After steaming into New York harbor on 14 April, the destroyer was sent to her base at Newport, R.I. Early the next month, she supported the Navy's NC-boat transatlantic flights. Initially stationed at Trepassy Bay from 6 May to 8 May, she later operated at sea from the 10th to the 17th, serving as one of the chain of picket ships to provide the NC flying boat
Flying boat
A flying boat is a fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a float plane as it uses a purpose-designed fuselage which can float, granting the aircraft buoyancy. Flying boats may be stabilized by under-wing floats or by wing-like projections from the fuselage...
s with position reports and bearings. When this mission was completed, she returned to Newport on the 20th.
After calling at Annapolis in early June for a two-day visit during Naval Academy graduation exercises, Walker headed south and transited 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...
on 24 July. She called briefly at Acapulco
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Mexico, for two days before steaming for southern California
California
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...
, arriving at Coronado
Coronado, California
Coronado, also known as Coronado Island, is an affluent resort city located in San Diego County, California, 5.2 miles from downtown San Diego. Its population was 24,697 at the 2010 census, up from 24,100 at the 2000 census. U.S. News and World Report lists Coronado as one of the most expensive...
on 8 August.
Based at San Diego, Walker conducted local operations off the west coast into late 1919, when she was assigned to the Reserve Destroyer Flotilla. She embarked naval reservists for an indoctrination cruise on 27 October 1920 and remained in "rotating reserve" duty, conducting periodic target practices, full-power runs, and undergoing overhauls at the Mare Island Navy Yard. Decommissioned on 7 June 1922, as part of an austerity program, Walker was placed in reserve at San Diego, where she remained into the 1930s.
After 16 years on "Red Lead Row," the ship was struck from the Navy list on 28 March 1938 and slated for disposal by sale. Logistics requirements of west coast naval districts, however, resulted in the former destroyer being placed back on the list and earmarked for conversion to a water barge. Redesignated YW-57 on 1 April 1939, the ship was undergoing conversion at the Mare Island Navy Yard when the Navy again decided to change the vessel's role. With the outbreak of war in Europe and the possibility of American involvement in the conflict, the ship was slated for use as a damage control hulk.
Fate
Designated DCH-1 on 11 July 1940, the vessel was based at the Destroyer Base, San Diego, and used for training exercises in formulating and evolving new damage control techniques. In the following year, as the Pacific Fleet's base had been moved from San Diego to Pearl HarborPearl 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...
, plans were made to tow DCH-1 (which had been stripped of propulsion machinery during the initial conversion work to YW-57) to the Hawaiian Islands. On 28 December 1941, damage control hulk DCH 1 (IX-44), formerly destroyer Walker (DD-163), while being towed from San Diego, California, to Pearl Harbor, by oiler , was cast adrift and scuttled by gunfire from Neches at 26°35′N 143°49′W.
Fiction
USS Walker DD-163 is the main ship used in the alternate history series DestroyermenDestroyermen series
The Destroyermen series is a series of alternate history books, written by American writer and historian Taylor Anderson. The six books in the series so far are Into The Storm, Crusade , Maelstrom, Distant Thunders, Rising Tides, and the most recent book Firestorm.The books chronicle the adventures...
, written by Taylor Anderson
Taylor Anderson
Taylor Anderson is a gunsmith, re-enactor, and history professor. He is the author of the Destroyermen book series, about the USS Walker , USS Mahan , and USS S-19 , and their fight against the Grik. His fifth book of the series; Rising Tides, has been published.-References:...
. The series begins with the Walker in the U.S. Asiatic Fleet at the outbreak of World War II. She is pursued by superior Japanese naval forces following the Battle of the Java Sea
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
and seeks refuge in a squall. USS Walker and her sister, USS Mahan are transported to an alternate Earth, one where a different evolutionary path occurred. Taylor Anderson also uses other decommissioned ships in these books, such as USS Mahan (DD-102)
USS Mahan (DD-102)
The first USS Mahan was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I and later designated, DM-7, in the years following. She was named in honor of Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan.-History:...
, USS S-19 (SS-124)
USS S-19 (SS-124)
USS S-19 was a first-group S-class submarine of the United States Navy. Her keel was laid down on 15 August 1918 by the Electric Boat Company in New York City, on subcontract to Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Quincy, Massachusetts. She was launched on 21 June 1920 sponsored by Ms...
, and the Japanese battlecruiser Amagi.
See also
- See USS WalkerUSS WalkerTwo ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Walker, in honor of Admiral John Grimes Walker , who served during the American Civil War....
for other ships of this name. - List of United States Navy destroyers