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USS MEREDITH was an ALLEN M. SUMNER - class destroyer and the third ship in the Navy to bear the name. After only about 3 months of service, the MEREDITH was lost in the invasion of Normandy after striking a mine and an enemy bombing raid one day later. 35 crew members were lost with the ship. 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.
General Characteristics: | Awarded: 1942 |
Keel laid: July 26, 1943 | |
Launched: December 21, 1943 | |
Commissioned: March 14, 1944 | |
Sunk: June 9, 1944 | |
Builder: Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine | |
Propulsion system: four boilers, General Electric geared turbines; 60,000 SHP | |
Propellers: two | |
Length: 376.3 feet (114.7 meters) | |
Beam: 41 feet (12.5 meters) | |
Draft: 18.7 feet (5.7 meters) | |
Displacement: approx. 3,315 tons full load | |
Speed: 34 knots | |
Armament: three 5-inch/38 caliber twin mounts, twelve 40mm guns, ten 53.3 torpedo tubes, water bombs | |
Crew: 336 |
Crew List:
This section contains the names of sailors who served aboard USS MEREDITH. It is no official listing but contains the names of sailors who submitted their information.
USS MEREDITH History:
USS MEREDITH was laid down 26 July 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched 21 December 1943; sponsored by Mrs. William Kepper; and commissioned 14 March 1944, Comdr. George Kauspfer in command.
After shakedown off Bermuda, MEREDITH departed Boston 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 Beach; and 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 Bay of the 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.
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.
MEREDITH received one battle star for World War II service.
About the Ship's Name:
Jonathan Meredith, born in Bucks County, Pa., about 1772, enlisted in the Marine Corps 6 June 1803 and was promoted to sergeant 1 August of the same year.
During an engagement in the harbor of Tripoli 3 August 1805, Sergeant Meredith saved the life of Lt. John Trippe of VIXEN, who with a party of nine men had boarded a Tripolitan ship. Heavily outnumbered, the boarding party fought a fierce hand-to-hand combat, in which Trippe was severely wounded; Meredith protected him from what would have been the final blow. Four days later Meredith was killed in the explosion of Gunboat No. 3 during a similar attack against the Tripolitans.
USS MEREDITH Image Gallery: