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USS Hale (DD-133)
Encyclopedia
The first USS Hale (DD–133) was a Wickes class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during the World War I
, later transferred to the Royal Navy
as HMS Caldwell (I20). She was named for Senator Eugene Hale
.
, Bath, Maine
, 29 May 1919; sponsored by Miss Mary Hale, granddaughter of Senator Hale; and commissioned at Boston 12 June 1919, Comdr. Allan S. Farquhar in command.
Hale joined Destroyer Squadron 3, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
, and after training exercises departed 11 July 1919 for Europe
. On this cruise, the ship paid goodwill visits to Europe
an and Mediterranean ports, assisted in the execution of the Austrian Armistice
in October, and joined the American detachment in Turkish
waters. Hale then carried refugees, relief officials, and freight between the ports of Greece
, Bulgaria
, and Russia
, showing the flag in the vital Mediterranean and Balkan area. She returned to Philadelphia
31 March 1920 and resumed her schedule of training and development exercises along the Eastern Coast. Hale decommissioned at Philadelphia 22 June 1922 and remained in reserve until 1 May 1930, when she re-commissioned.
Departing Philadelphia 15 May, Hale took part in refresher training operations and then resumed readiness exercises on the East Coast. She participated in Scouting Fleet
maneuvers in early 1931 in the Caribbean
, and arrived at San Diego
via the Panama Canal
4 April 1931. For the next few years Hale participated in maneuvers with the Battle Force along the California
coast and spent much time perfecting the techniques of modern carrier
tactics with carriers Saratoga
and Lexington
. The destroyer decommissioned once more at San Diego 9 April 1937.
Hale recommissioned at San Diego 30 September 1939, at a time of mounting crisis in both oceans, and departed 25 November for Neutrality Patrol
in the Caribbean. Her base was changed to Galveston
22 February 1940, and later to Key West
, but the ship continued to patrol the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico
. At Philadelphia 1 September 1940 she prepared for transfer to Great Britain
as a part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
. She arrived at Halifax 6 September 1940 and decommissioned 3 days later. Entering the Royal Navy
, she became HMS Caldwell (I20).
U-boat
menace. She joined the Royal Canadian Navy
in mid-1942, and while returning to St. John's, Newfoundland, 18 December 1942, was seriously damaged during a heavy gale. She became disabled, and was found drifting helplessly by Wanderer 21 December. Caldwell was then towed to St. John's and later to Boston. Ready for sea again in May 1943, the ship resumed convoy duty with the Royal Canadian Navy until 1 December, when she returned to Tyne
and was placed in reserve. She was recommissioned briefly as the Yarkey Sabar before broken up for scrap in September 1944.
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during the World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, later transferred to the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
as HMS Caldwell (I20). She was named for Senator Eugene Hale
Eugene Hale
Eugene Hale was a Republican United States Senator from Maine.Born at Turner, Maine, he was educated in local schools and at Maine's Hebron Academy. He was admitted to the bar in 1857 and served for nine years as prosecuting attorney for Hancock County, Maine. He was elected to the Maine...
.
United States Navy
Hale was launched by the Bath Iron WorksBath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
, Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
, 29 May 1919; sponsored by Miss Mary Hale, granddaughter of Senator Hale; and commissioned at Boston 12 June 1919, Comdr. Allan S. Farquhar in command.
Hale joined Destroyer Squadron 3, U.S. Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, and after training exercises departed 11 July 1919 for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. On this cruise, the ship paid goodwill visits to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an and Mediterranean ports, assisted in the execution of the Austrian Armistice
Armistice with Austria
The Armistice of villa Giusti ended warfare between Italy and Austria-Hungary on the Italian Front during World War I. The armistice was signed on November 3, 1918 in the Villa Giusti and was to take effect 24 hours later.-Background:...
in October, and joined the American detachment in Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
waters. Hale then carried refugees, relief officials, and freight between the ports of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, showing the flag in the vital Mediterranean and Balkan area. She returned to Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
31 March 1920 and resumed her schedule of training and development exercises along the Eastern Coast. Hale decommissioned at Philadelphia 22 June 1922 and remained in reserve until 1 May 1930, when she re-commissioned.
Departing Philadelphia 15 May, Hale took part in refresher training operations and then resumed readiness exercises on the East Coast. She participated in Scouting Fleet
Scouting Fleet
The Scouting Fleet was part of the United States Fleet in the United States Navy, and renamed the Scouting Force in 1930.Established in 1922, the fleet consisted mainly of older battleships and initially operated in the Atlantic...
maneuvers in early 1931 in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, and arrived at San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
4 April 1931. For the next few years Hale participated in maneuvers with the Battle Force along the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast and spent much time perfecting the techniques of modern carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
tactics with carriers Saratoga
USS Saratoga (CV-3)
USS Saratoga was the second aircraft carrier of the United States Navy and the fifth ship to bear her name. She was commissioned one month earlier than her sister and class leader, , which is the third actually commissioned after and Saratoga...
and Lexington
USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
. The destroyer decommissioned once more at San Diego 9 April 1937.
Hale recommissioned at San Diego 30 September 1939, at a time of mounting crisis in both oceans, and departed 25 November for Neutrality Patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
in the Caribbean. Her base was changed to Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
22 February 1940, and later to Key West
Key West
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida on the North American continent at the southernmost tip of the Florida Keys. Key West is home to the southernmost point in the Continental United States; the island is about from Cuba....
, but the ship continued to patrol the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
. At Philadelphia 1 September 1940 she prepared for transfer to Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
as a part of the Destroyers for Bases Agreement
Destroyers for Bases Agreement
The Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United States and the United Kingdom, September 2, 1940, transferred fifty mothballed destroyers from the United States Navy in exchange for land rights on British possessions...
. She arrived at Halifax 6 September 1940 and decommissioned 3 days later. Entering the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, she became HMS Caldwell (I20).
Royal Navy and Royal Canadian Navy
During her career in the British Navy, Caldwell was assigned to escort duty in the Atlantic and later in the Caribbean, as Britain tried desperately to cope with the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
menace. She joined the Royal Canadian Navy
Royal Canadian Navy
The history of the Royal Canadian Navy goes back to 1910, when the naval force was created as the Naval Service of Canada and renamed a year later by King George V. The Royal Canadian Navy is one of the three environmental commands of the Canadian Forces...
in mid-1942, and while returning to St. John's, Newfoundland, 18 December 1942, was seriously damaged during a heavy gale. She became disabled, and was found drifting helplessly by Wanderer 21 December. Caldwell was then towed to St. John's and later to Boston. Ready for sea again in May 1943, the ship resumed convoy duty with the Royal Canadian Navy until 1 December, when she returned to Tyne
River Tyne
The River Tyne is a river in North East England in Great Britain. It is formed by the confluence of two rivers: the North Tyne and the South Tyne. These two rivers converge at Warden Rock near Hexham in Northumberland at a place dubbed 'The Meeting of the Waters'.The North Tyne rises on the...
and was placed in reserve. She was recommissioned briefly as the Yarkey Sabar before broken up for scrap in September 1944.