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USS McFarland (DD-237)
Encyclopedia
USS McFarland (DD-237/AVD-14) was a Clemson-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was named for American Civil War
sailor and Medal of Honor
recipient John McFarland.
McFarland was laid down 31 July 1918 and launched 30 March 1920 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation; sponsored by Miss Louisa Hughes; and commissioned 30 September 1920, Lieutenant Commander
Preston B. Haines in command.
, sailing for Gibraltar
31 January 1921. On 9 March she arrived at Split
for a 4-month tour with the Adriatic Detachment. In July she continued eastward, and at Constantinople
, on the 31st, joined ships of the Turkish Waters Detachment.
Returning to the United States only once (8 July to 22 October 1922), McFarland remained in the Black Sea
and eastern Mediterranean area until spring 1923. During that period she performed quasi-diplomatic and humanitarian roles necessitated by the aftermath of World War I
. She cruised regularly to Black Sea and Anatolia
n ports, distributing American relief supplies to Russia
n, Greek
, and Turkish
refugees and providing transportation, mail, and communications facilities.
McFarland returned to New York and on 15 September 1923 joined the Scouting Fleet
at Newport, Rhode Island
. With only two interruptions, she operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean
for the next 17 years. The first interruption came with a cruise to Hawaii
for the 1925 fleet problem involving an attack on Oahu
; the second, a year out of commission, in reserve, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
1931. On 2 August 1940, McFarland, undergoing conversion, was redesignated AVD-14, seaplane tender
(destroyer). On 5 October she was recommissioned in full and assigned to the Pacific Fleet
.
, was conducting antisubmarine maneuvers off Maui
. Receiving word of the Japanese attack
, she patrolled to the southwest, returning to Oahu on the 9th. For the next 7 months she operated from Pearl Harbor, completing several voyages to Palmyra Atoll
and Johnston Islands. On these missions she carried marine
reinforcements to the islands and returned with civilian personnel.
McFarland sailed for the South Pacific 2 June 1942. She arrived at Noumea
on the 16th and within a month she made her first contact with an enemy submarine in Bulari Pass, 15 July. In August, as the Guadalcanal
offensive neared, she assumed tender duties in the Espiritu Santo
– Santa Cruz Islands
area. Assigned to keeping the supply lines open, McFarland carried supplies to the embattled island and evacuated wounded marine personnel while the planes she tendered performed scouting and fighting missions.
On 16 October, McFarland was unloading cargo and embarking wounded personnel in Lunga Roads when she was attacked by nine dive bombers. While the first seven scored no hits, the eighth hit a gasoline barge in tow alongside the tender’s starboard quarter. The blazing barge was cut loose as the ninth plane made its run. At least one bomb hit McFarlands stern, knocking out her rudder and steering engine. Her crew shot down one plane, but lost eleven of its members in the fight; five killed, six missing, with an additional 12 critically wounded. For this action, the ship was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
McFarland was towed to Florida Island, where she moored to the beach in the upper channel (later called McFarland Channel) of Tulagi
harbor. She completed makeshift repairs to her hull by 26 November and sailed to Espiritu Santo, where further repairs increased her seaworthiness. On 17 December she began to make her way back to Pearl Harbor, arriving on the 29th.
Repairs completed by 17 April 1943, McFarland sailed for the west coast. Redesignated DD-237 on 1 December 1943, and homeported at San Diego, California
for the remainder of the war, she operated with carriers as they conducted training exercises and pilot qualification landings. On 30 September 1945, she sailed for the east coast.
Decommissioned at Philadelphia 8 November 1945, she was struck from the Navy Register
19 December and her hulk was sold for scrap, 29 October 1946, to the North American Smelting Company, Philadelphia.
As of 2005, no other ships have been named McFarland.
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
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 World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named for American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
sailor and Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient John McFarland.
McFarland was laid down 31 July 1918 and launched 30 March 1920 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation; sponsored by Miss Louisa Hughes; and commissioned 30 September 1920, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
Preston B. Haines in command.
Service history
McFarland, having served a month with the Atlantic Fleet, departed for European waters 30 November 1920. For the next 2 months she operated in the English ChannelEnglish Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
, sailing for Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
31 January 1921. On 9 March she arrived at Split
Split (city)
Split is a Mediterranean city on the eastern shores of the Adriatic Sea, centered around the ancient Roman Palace of the Emperor Diocletian and its wide port bay. With a population of 178,192 citizens, and a metropolitan area numbering up to 467,899, Split is by far the largest Dalmatian city and...
for a 4-month tour with the Adriatic Detachment. In July she continued eastward, and at Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, on the 31st, joined ships of the Turkish Waters Detachment.
Returning to the United States only once (8 July to 22 October 1922), McFarland remained in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
and eastern Mediterranean area until spring 1923. During that period she performed quasi-diplomatic and humanitarian roles necessitated by the aftermath of 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...
. She cruised regularly to Black Sea and Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
n ports, distributing American relief supplies to 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...
n, Greek
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and 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...
refugees and providing transportation, mail, and communications facilities.
McFarland returned to New York and on 15 September 1923 joined the 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...
at Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. With only two interruptions, she operated along the east coast and 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...
for the next 17 years. The first interruption came with a cruise to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
for the 1925 fleet problem involving an attack on Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
; the second, a year out of commission, in reserve, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
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,...
1931. On 2 August 1940, McFarland, undergoing conversion, was redesignated AVD-14, seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
(destroyer). On 5 October she was recommissioned in full and assigned to the Pacific Fleet
United States Pacific Fleet
The United States Pacific Fleet is a Pacific Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources under the operational control of the United States Pacific Command. Its home port is at Pearl Harbor Naval Base, Hawaii. It is commanded by Admiral Patrick M...
.
World War II
On 7 December 1941, McFarland, operating out of Pearl HarborPearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, was conducting antisubmarine maneuvers off Maui
Maui
The island of Maui is the second-largest of the Hawaiian Islands at and is the 17th largest island in the United States. Maui is part of the state of Hawaii and is the largest of Maui County's four islands, bigger than Lānai, Kahoolawe, and Molokai. In 2010, Maui had a population of 144,444,...
. Receiving word of the Japanese attack
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, she patrolled to the southwest, returning to Oahu on the 9th. For the next 7 months she operated from Pearl Harbor, completing several voyages to Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll
Palmyra Atoll is an essentially unoccupied equatorial Northern Pacific atoll administered as an unorganized incorporated territory by the United States federal government...
and Johnston Islands. On these missions she carried marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
reinforcements to the islands and returned with civilian personnel.
McFarland sailed for the South Pacific 2 June 1942. She arrived at Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
on the 16th and within a month she made her first contact with an enemy submarine in Bulari Pass, 15 July. In August, as the Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
offensive neared, she assumed tender duties in the Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
– Santa Cruz Islands
Santa Cruz Islands
The Santa Cruz Islands are a group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, part of Temotu Province of the Solomon Islands. They lie approximately 250 miles to the southeast of the Solomon Islands Chain...
area. Assigned to keeping the supply lines open, McFarland carried supplies to the embattled island and evacuated wounded marine personnel while the planes she tendered performed scouting and fighting missions.
On 16 October, McFarland was unloading cargo and embarking wounded personnel in Lunga Roads when she was attacked by nine dive bombers. While the first seven scored no hits, the eighth hit a gasoline barge in tow alongside the tender’s starboard quarter. The blazing barge was cut loose as the ninth plane made its run. At least one bomb hit McFarlands stern, knocking out her rudder and steering engine. Her crew shot down one plane, but lost eleven of its members in the fight; five killed, six missing, with an additional 12 critically wounded. For this action, the ship was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation.
McFarland was towed to Florida Island, where she moored to the beach in the upper channel (later called McFarland Channel) of Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
harbor. She completed makeshift repairs to her hull by 26 November and sailed to Espiritu Santo, where further repairs increased her seaworthiness. On 17 December she began to make her way back to Pearl Harbor, arriving on the 29th.
Repairs completed by 17 April 1943, McFarland sailed for the west coast. Redesignated DD-237 on 1 December 1943, and homeported at San Diego, California
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...
for the remainder of the war, she operated with carriers as they conducted training exercises and pilot qualification landings. On 30 September 1945, she sailed for the east coast.
Decommissioned at Philadelphia 8 November 1945, she was struck from the Navy Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
19 December and her hulk was sold for scrap, 29 October 1946, to the North American Smelting Company, Philadelphia.
Awards
McFarland received two battle stars for her World War II service.As of 2005, no other ships have been named McFarland.
External links
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org
- Photo gallery at Naval Historical Center