USS Decatur (DD-5)

USS Decatur (DD-5) was a Bainbridge-class destroyer of the United States Navy, the second ship named for the famed naval hero Stephen Decatur. Commissioned in the early 20th century, she served in both the Asiatic Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet, participating in the Philippine–American War and World War I. Her career spanned nearly two decades before she was decommissioned and sold for scrap.

Construction and commissioning

The contract for the vessel was awarded to the William R. Trigg Company of Richmond, Virginia, with her keel being laid down on 26 July 1899. She was launched on 26 September 1900, sponsored by Miss M. D. Mayo, a great-grandniece of Stephen Decatur. Following fitting out, the destroyer was commissioned into the United States Navy on 19 May 1902 at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard under the command of Lieutenant L. H. Chandler.

Service history

After commissioning, *Decatur* was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet, conducting training and patrol duties along the East Coast of the United States. In December 1903, she was transferred to the Asiatic Fleet, sailing via the Mediterranean Sea, the Suez Canal, and the Indian Ocean to join the squadron in the Philippines. Upon arrival, she immediately began operations supporting American interests during the final stages of the Philippine–American War, patrolling local waters and showing the flag. For several years, she operated out of Cavite and Olongapo as part of the First Torpedo Flotilla, conducting routine drills, port visits, and goodwill missions throughout the region, including to ports in China and Japan.

In 1910, *Decatur* returned to the United States for an overhaul. Following this, she was placed in reserve at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in California. With the American entry into World War I in April 1917, she was reactivated and assigned to patrol and escort duties along the Pacific Coast of the United States. In late 1917, she transited the Panama Canal to join the war effort in the Atlantic Ocean. Based out of Gibraltar, she served with the United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, performing critical anti-submarine patrols and convoy escort missions in the approaches to the Strait of Gibraltar and throughout the Mediterranean Sea, protecting Allied shipping from German submarines.

Fate

Following the Armistice of 11 November 1918, *Decatur* was ordered back to the United States. She arrived at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in early 1919. The aging destroyer was decommissioned there on 20 July 1919. Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 September 1919. On 3 January 1920, she was sold for scrap to the Joseph G. Hitner Company of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Category:Bainbridge-class destroyers Category:Ships built in Virginia Category:World War I destroyers of the United States