USS Cassin (DD-43)

USS Cassin (DD-43) was the lead ship of her class of destroyers built for the United States Navy in the years leading up to World War I. Named for Stephen Cassin, a hero of the War of 1812, she served on neutrality patrols and later as a convoy escort during the war. Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, she was placed in reserve and eventually sold for scrap in the 1930s.

Construction and commissioning

The contract for the construction of USS Cassin was awarded to the Bath Iron Works shipyard in Bath, Maine. Her keel was laid down on 1 May 1912, and she was launched on 20 May 1913, sponsored by Miss H. M. Cassin, a descendant of her namesake. The vessel was commissioned into the United States Navy on 9 August 1913 under the command of Lieutenant Commander W. N. Vernou. As the lead ship of the Cassin-class destroyer, she incorporated design improvements over the preceding Paulding-class destroyer, including a more powerful propulsion plant and a revised armament layout.

Service history

Following her commissioning and shakedown exercises, Cassin was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. Her early service involved routine training operations and fleet maneuvers along the East Coast of the United States and in the Caribbean Sea. In 1914, during the United States occupation of Veracruz, she was deployed to Mexican waters as part of the American naval presence, though she did not see direct combat. For the next several years, she operated with the Torpedo Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet, conducting gunnery drills and tactical exercises to maintain readiness.

World War I service

After the United States entered World War I in April 1917, Cassin was initially tasked with coastal patrol and anti-submarine duties off the New England coast. In August 1917, she was assigned to convoy escort duties based out of Queenstown, Ireland, under the command of the United States Naval Forces in Europe. On 15 October 1917, while patrolling off the coast of Ireland, she engaged the German submarine SM U-61 in a historic action. During the battle, a shell from the U-boat struck her stern, causing significant damage and wounding her commanding officer, but she successfully drove off the attacker. This engagement marked a notable early combat action for the United States Navy in the Atlantic Ocean.

Interwar period and fate

Following the end of World War I, Cassin returned to the United States in January 1919. She was briefly placed in reduced commission and performed limited duties along the Atlantic coast. In July 1919, she was assigned to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland for a period as a training ship for midshipmen. She was decommissioned at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard on 29 May 1922 and placed in reserve. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 5 July 1934 to comply with the terms of the London Naval Treaty, her hulk was sold for scrap on 22 August 1934 to the Schiavone-Bonomo Corporation of New York City. Category:Cassin-class destroyers Category:Ships built in Maine Category:World War I destroyers of the United States