USS Kearny

USS Kearny was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy commissioned in December 1940 and named for Robert Kearny. Kearny served on neutrality patrols during 1941, suffered a notable torpedo attack that year with international repercussions involving Nazi Germany, and went on to serve throughout World War II in Atlantic and Mediterranean operations before decommissioning after the war.

Construction and commissioning

Kearny was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Kearny, New Jersey on 10 December 1939, launched 7 September 1940 with sponsors linked to New Jersey civic circles, and commissioned 3 December 1940 into the United States Navy fleet under the command of Lieutenant Commander Calvin D. T. Chamberlain. The ship was built to the Gleaves-class destroyer design developed from the Bagley-class destroyer lineage and fitted with 5"/38 caliber gun mounts, General Electric geared turbines, and Babcock & Wilcox boilers, emphasizing speed and anti-submarine capability for escorting convoys bound for the United Kingdom, Iceland, and transatlantic sea lanes threatened by Kriegsmarine U-boats.

Service history

After commissioning Kearny operated along the Atlantic Ocean seaboard and in the Neutrality Patrol established by the Roosevelt administration prior to formal entry into World War II. Assigned to Destroyer Division duties within the Atlantic Fleet, Kearny escorted convoys and participated in high-profile patrols connected with ports such as New York Harbor, Norfolk, Virginia, and forward staging areas near Reykjavík, Iceland and the approaches to the North Atlantic Ocean convoy routes. Kearny's early service intersected with policy debates in the United States Congress and diplomatic incidents involving Winston Churchill's British War Cabinet discussions of convoy defense and American escort operations.

1941 torpedoing incident

On 17 October 1941 Kearny, while escorting a convoy with the USS Greer (DD-145) and other escorts under a task group operating out of Icelandic waters, was struck by a torpedo fired by U-569 of the Kriegsmarine U-boat arm commanded by Oberleutnant zur See Georg Lassen. The torpedo caused significant hull damage, killed 11 sailors, and ignited an international crisis that President Franklin D. Roosevelt used in public statements including his "shoot on sight" orders in the context of the Battle of the Atlantic. The incident was cited in correspondence and debates involving the United Kingdom, the Neutrality Acts, and the executive authority of the United States. Coverage and analysis of the attack appeared in contemporary communications involving the British Admiralty, the Office of Naval Intelligence, and diplomatic channels with Germany prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

World War II operations

After temporary repairs at Reykjavík and at the Naval Shipyard, Brooklyn and further work at Boston Navy Yard, Kearny returned to active convoy escort duty across the North Atlantic and later supported Operation Torch landings in North Africa and amphibious operations in the Mediterranean Sea including convoy protection during campaigns that involved forces from the United States Army, the United States Marine Corps, and allied armies commanded by leaders such as Dwight D. Eisenhower and Bernard Montgomery. Kearny performed anti-submarine warfare patrols using depth charges and sonar, escorted troop transports and supply ships to ports like Algiers and Naples, and screened fleet units in combined operations with the Royal Navy and Free French Naval Forces. During her wartime career Kearny underwent refits to improve anti-aircraft armament and radar suites compatible with Radar technology advances employed by Allied navies.

Postwar disposition and fate

With the end of hostilities in Europe and the conclusion of World War II Kearny returned stateside and was decommissioned 4 October 1945. She was placed in reserve as part of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and struck from the Naval Vessel Register before eventual disposal. The vessel was repurposed for target and experimental roles under naval supervision and ultimately sold for scrapping in 1972, closing the service life that had intersected with events involving Franklin D. Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, the Kriegsmarine, and the broader maritime history of the Battle of the Atlantic.

Category:Gleaves-class destroyers Category:Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey Category:1940 ships Category:World War II destroyers of the United States Navy