Fletcher class destroyers of the United States Navy

Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 269. Chapters: USS Beale, USS Taylor, USS The Sullivans, USS Ammen, USS Uhlmann, USS Wadsworth, USS Waller, USS Wedderburn, USS Van Valkenburgh, USS Wickes, USS Abbot, USS Twining, USS Benham, USS Robinson, USS Terry, USS Walker, USS William D. Porter, USS Stevens, USS Philip, USS Bryant, USS Wadleigh, USS O'Bannon, USS Hunt, USS Nicholas, USS Charrette, USS Heermann, USS Stanly, USS Yarnall, USS Johnston, USS Hoel, USS Thatcher, USS Stoddard, USS Charles Ausburne, USS Healy, USS Sproston, USS Monssen, USS Watts, USS Remey, USS Kidd, USS Saufley, USS Ringgold, USS Sigourney, USS Cassin Young, USS Heywood L. Edwards, USS Porterfield, USS Fletcher, USS Harrison, USS Prichett, USS Eaton, USS John Rodgers, USS Halford, USS Halsey Powell, USS Aulick, USS Stephen Potter, USS Ross, USS Hazelwood, USS Laws, USS Hale, USS Stockham, USS Anthony, USS McDermut, USS Stembel, USS Preston, USS Hutchins, USS Hall, USS Gatling, USS Renshaw, USS Tingey, USS Isherwood, USS Cony, USS Haggard, USS Rooks, USS Hopewell, USS Murray, USS Lewis Hancock, USS McGowan, USS Marshall, USS Spence, USS Irwin, USS Miller, USS Erben, USS Chauncey, USS Hickox, USS Owen, USS Mullany, USS McNair, USS Conway, USS Twiggs, USS Young, USS Daly, USS Caperton, USS Morrison, USS Halligan, USS Cowell, USS Converse, USS Jenkins, USS Killen, USS McKee, USS Sigsbee, USS Schroeder, USS Shields, USS Hailey, USS Wren, USS Albert W. Grant, USS Melvin, USS Dyson, USS Knapp, USS Cogswell, USS Clarence K. Bronson, USS Cotten, USS Kimberly, USS Haraden, USS Rowe, USS Conner, USS McCord, USS Picking, USS Chevalier, USS Izard, USS Pringle, USS Jarvis, USS Guest, USS Gregory, USS Leutze, USS Charles J. Badger, USS Cushing, USS Longshaw, USS Capps, USS Braine, USS Mertz, USS Smalley, USS Claxton, USS Abner Read, USS Dortch, USS Strong, USS Dashiell, USS Colahan, USS Callaghan, USS Hudson, USS Newcomb, USS Black, USS Bradford, USS John Hood, USS Radford, USS Brown, USS Boyd, USS Fullam, USS Foote, USS David W. Taylor, USS Luce, USS Hart, USS Howorth, USS Richard P. Leary, USS Ingersoll, USS Franks, USS Paul Hamilton, USS Metcalf, USS Bennett, USS Bache, USS Wiley, USS Norman Scott, USS John D. Henley, USS Burns, USS Bush, USS Evans, USS La Vallette, USS Bennion, USS Bell, USS Colhoun, USS De Haven, USS Little, USS Bullard, USS Brownson, USS Bearss, USS Watson. Excerpt: USS Beale (DD/DDE-471), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale (1822-1893). Beale was laid down on 19 December 1941 at Staten Island, N.Y., by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched on 24 August 1942; sponsored by Miss Nancy Beale, a great-grandniece of LT Beale; and commissioned on 23 December 1942 at the New York Navy Yard, Commander Joe B. Cochran in command. Early in January 1943, Beale began shakedown training off the coast of New England. Later that month, she continued that training in the West Indies near Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. In mid-February, the destroyer returned north to New York for a month of post-shakedown repairs. She returned to sea on 15 March and headed back to the West Indies where she served as antisubmarine escort and plane guard for the recently commissioned aircraft carrier Essex during her shakedown training near Trinidad. Beale completed another repair period at the New York Navy Yard between 10 and 21 March and then embarked upon the long voyage to the Pacific Ocean. Steaming by way of Norfolk, Virgin...