USS Breckinridge (DD-148)

USS Breckinridge (DD-148) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I. Named for Joseph Cabell Breckinridge Sr., a United States Marine Corps officer and Spanish–American War veteran, the ship served through two world wars. It spent most of its career in training and patrol roles before being converted for other duties and ultimately scrapped after the Second World War.

Construction and commissioning

The vessel was authorized as part of the massive 1916 Naval Appropriations Act and her keel was laid down on 11 April 1918 at the William Cramp & Sons shipyard in Philadelphia. She was launched on 29 November 1918, sponsored by Miss Lelia Breckinridge, daughter of the ship's namesake. The destroyer was commissioned into active service on 27 August 1919 at the Philadelphia Navy Yard under the command of Lieutenant Commander Frank M. Knox, who would later become the United States Secretary of the Navy.

Service history

Following shakedown and initial training exercises in the Atlantic Ocean, Breckinridge was assigned to the United States Pacific Fleet in 1920. She operated along the West Coast of the United States, conducting fleet maneuvers and training Naval Reserve personnel. In 1922, she was placed in reduced commission at San Diego before being decommissioned entirely on 22 June 1922 and placed in reserve at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The ship remained in mothballs for over a decade until rising global tensions prompted her recommissioning on 25 November 1930.

World War II

At the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Breckinridge was assigned to the Caribbean Sea Frontier, based at San Juan, Puerto Rico, performing vital convoy escort and anti-submarine warfare patrols against German U-boats. In early 1942, she was transferred to the U.S. East Coast, escorting coastal convoys between New York City and Key West under the command of the Eastern Sea Frontier. By 1944, the aging destroyer was deemed unsuitable for front-line fleet duty and was converted into a high-speed transport, redesignated APD-148. In this new role, she participated in amphibious training exercises in the Pacific Theater and supported operations in the Philippines campaign.

Decommissioning and fate

After the surrender of Japan, Breckinridge sailed for the United States, arriving at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in October 1945. She was decommissioned for the final time on 30 November 1945. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 19 December 1945, and the hull was sold for scrap on 29 October 1946 to the Boston Metals Company of Baltimore, Maryland.

Awards

For her wartime service, USS Breckinridge was awarded the American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet Clasp), the American Campaign Medal, the European–African–Middle Eastern Campaign Medal (with one battle star), the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal, and the World War II Victory Medal.

Category:Wickes-class destroyers Category:Ships built in Philadelphia Category:World War I destroyers of the United States Category:World War II destroyers of the United States