USS Clark (DD-361), USS Case (DD-370), Cummings (DD-365), Shaw (DD-373) and Tucker (DD-374) , San Diego 1941 |
|
USS Clark (DD-361) was a Porter class destroyer that served in the Pacific for the first year after Pearl Harbor, taking part in the battles of Midway and the naval battle of Guadalcanal, then served in the south-east Pacific until the summer of 1944, ending the war on escort duty across the Atlantic.
The Clark was named after Charles E. Clark, who fought in the US Navy during the American Civil War, fighting at the battle of Mobile Bay, and commanded USS Oregon during the Spanish-American War.
The Clark was launched by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp of Quincy, Mass, on 15 October 1935 and commissioned on 20 May 1936.
The Clark briefly served in the Atlantic and Caribbean, before moving to the Pacific Fleet. She was photographed at San Diego in March 1938. She was part of the fleet that moved to Pearl Habor on 1 April 1940.
Between 3 March and 10 April 1941 she took part in a cruise to Samoa, Australia and Fiji. Later in 1941 she returned to the West Coast, and she was undergoing an overhaul at San Diego when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor.
The Clark’s overhaul was quickly completed, and she departed from the west coast on 27 December 1941 escorting two convoys to Pearl Harbor.
She them moved to Pago Pago, Samoa, to carry out anti-submarine patrols. In February-March 1942 she joined the carrier task force carrying out raids on Japanese targets on New Guinea.
In April-May 1942 the Clark escorted four convoys between Pearl Harbor and San Francisco. After the last convoy she continued on to Midway.
During the battle of Midway she was one of four destroyer posted to French Frigate Shoals, to prevent the Japanese using the islands (between Midway and Hawaii) as a seaplane base, as they had briefly in March 1942.
She then returned to San Diego, before moving south to Balboa to join a convoy heading for Wellington, New Zealand. Between 12 August and 8 September 1942 she formed part of the screen for the oilers supporting the carrier task groups. This was followed by a month of duty escorting convoys from New Zealand to the South Pacific. Another month was spent on local escort and patrol duties at Moumea.
On 11 November 1942 she departed from Noumea as part of Task Force 16 (built around South Dakota, Washington and Enterprise), heading for the Solomons. She was with that force during the naval battle of Guadalcanal, for which she was awarded a battle star.
On 11 December 1942 the Clark departed for Balboa, where she became the flagship of the Commander, Southeast Pacific Forces.
From then until 10 August 1944 the Clark operated along the west coast of South America.
In August 1944 she departed for an overhaul on the US East Coast.
Between 4 September 1944 and 11 April 1945 she escorted six convoys across the Atlantic to ports in Britain and France.
At the end of this duty she arrived at Philadelphia on 15 June 1945. She was decommissioned on 23 October 1945 and scrapped on 29 March 1946.
Clark received two battle stars for World War II service, for the Bougainville and Salamaua-Lae raids of 1942 and the naval battle of Guadalcanal of November 1942.
Displacement (standard) |
1,850t (design) |
Displacement (loaded) |
2,131t (design) |
Top Speed |
37kts design |
Engine |
2-shaft Parsons turbines |
Range |
7,800nm at 12kts design |
Length |
381ft 0.5in |
Width |
36ft 10in |
Armaments |
Eight 5in/38 SP in four twin mounts |
Crew complement |
206 |
Laid down |
|
Launched |
15 October 1935 |
Commissioned |
20 May 1936 |
Scrapped |
29 March 1946 |
U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, Norman Friedmann .
The standard history of the development of American destroyers, from the earliest torpedo boat destroyers to the post-war fleet, and covering the massive classes of destroyers built for both World Wars. Gives the reader a good understanding of the debates that surrounded each class of destroyer and led to their individual features.
USS Clark (DD-361) at Sydney, 1941