Completion Picture for USS Duncan (DD-485), 1942 |
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USS Duncan (DD-485) was a Gleaves class destroyer that took part in the battle for Guadalcanal before being sunk during the battle of Cape Esperance.
The Duncan was named after Silas Duncan, who lost his right arm during the battle of Lake Champlain (War of 1812).
The Duncan was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J, launched on 20 February 1942 when she was sponsored by Mrs. D. C. Thayer and commissioned on 16 April 1942.
The Duncan was originally classified as a Bristol class ship, which were built with four 5in guns instead of the five installed on the Livermore/ Gleaves class. However after the fifth gun was removed from those ships all of the Bristol class ships joined the Livermore/ Gleaves class.
The Duncan left New York on 20 June 1942 heading for the Pacific and reached Espiritu Santo on 14 September. There she joined with TF 17 and TF 18, and left on the same day to escort transports carrying the 7th Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal.
The Duncan was in the screen of the Wasp on 15 September when she was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine and fatally damaged. The Duncan helped pick up her survivors and transferred 701 officers and men to other ships and 18 wounded and 2 bodies to the base hospital on Espiritu Santo on the following day.
Duncan continued to operate from Espiritu Santo to the Solomons, screening transports and ship of the covering forces.
On 11 October she was part of the screen of TF 64 as it covered a convoy carrying more reinforcements to Guadalcanal, in the build-up to the battle of Cape Esperance. A Japanese force was known to be incoming, so Admiral Scott organised his ships into a single line, with destroyers ahead and behind his cruisers. The Duncan was second in the line. When contact was made the American fleet was in the middle of a course change. The Duncan picked up the Japanese on their radar and assumed that the US destroyers would attack. However she was the only one to head directly towards the Japanese force. She opened fire on a cruiser then a destroyer, and was about to launch torpedoes when she was hit by gunfire, almost certainly from both sides. The forward part of the ship was soon on fire, leaving the bridge so isolated that the bridge crew had to jump directly into the sea. The men in the rear part of the ship, behind the fire, attempted to save the ship, but the fire eventually forced them to abandon ship.
On the following morning USS McCalla found the ship, still afloat, and sent a salvage party over. However it was clear that the forward magazine might soon explode, so they were quickly withdrawn. The McCalla was able to rescue 195 men from the water. The Duncan sank later on 12 October, six miles to the north of Savo Island.
Duncan received one battle star for World War II service, for the battle of Cape Esperance.
Displacement (standard) |
1,630t design |
Displacement (loaded) |
2,395t |
Top Speed |
35kts design |
Engine |
2-shaft Westinghouse turbines |
Range |
6500nm at 12kt design |
Length |
348ft 3in |
Width |
36ft 1in |
Armaments |
Five 5in/38 guns |
Crew complement |
208 |
Laid down |
|
Launched |
20 February 1942 |
Commissioned |
16 April 1942 |
Sunk in battle |
11 October 1942 |
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.
