USS DeLong (DD-129),
aground in Halfmoon Bay
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USS DeLong (DD-129) was a Wickes class destroyer that was scrapped after she ran aground on 1 December 1921, only two years after being commissioned.
The DeLong was named after George W. DeLong, an officer in the US Navy who died during an attempt to reach North Pole in 1879.
The DeLong was launched on 29 October 1918 at Camden New Jersey and commissioned on 20 September 1919. After taking part at exercises off Guantanamo Bay she briefly operated off Honduras, before moving to her new base at San Diego on 24 December. She took part in a series of exercises before she was placed into the reserve on 20 June 1920, to undergo an overhaul.
The DeLong returned to San Diego on 26 June 1921 and resumed operations on 21 October with a reduced complement. On 1 December she ran aground at Halfmoon Bay (just to the south of California) in a heavy fog. The destroyers Badger (DD-126) and Ballard (DD-267) and a tug helped rescue her, and she was salvaged and towed to Mare Island on 17 December. It wasn't worth repairing her, and on 18 March 1922 she was decommissioned, before being sold for scrap on 25 September 1922.
| Displacement (standard) | 1,160t (design) |
Displacement (loaded) |
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Top Speed |
35kts (design) |
Engine |
2 shaft Parsons turbines |
Range |
3,800nm at 15kts on trial (Wickes) |
Armour - belt |
|
- deck |
|
Length |
314ft 4in |
Width |
30ft 11in |
Armaments (as built) |
Four 4in/50 guns |
Crew complement |
114 |
Launched |
29 October 1918 |
Commissioned |
20 September 1919 |
Decommissioned |
18 March 1922 |
Sold for scrap |
25 September 1922 |
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.
