USS Mullinnix (DD-944)
Encyclopedia
USS Mullinnix (DD-944) was a Forrest Sherman-class
destroyer
of the United States Navy
. She was named for Admiral Henry M. Mullinnix
USN (1892–1943), who was killed in action during World War II
, when USS Liscome Bay
(CVE-56) was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine
I-175 and sank southwest of Butaritari Island on 24 November 1943.
Mullinnix was built by the Bethlehem Steel
Corporation's Fore River Shipyard
in Quincy, Massachusetts
, and launched by Mrs. Kathryn F. Mullinnix.
Mullinnix conducted patrol duty in the Caribbean
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
in 1962, participated in the Gemini program recovery operations in March 1966, and served as plane guard for aircraft carriers on Yankee Station
in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Sea Dragon
operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out Naval Gunfire Support
missions during the Vietnam War
.
Mullinix and her sister ship USS Edson
appered in The Twilight Zone
episode, "The Thirty-Fathom Grave
."
Forrest Sherman class destroyer
The 18 Forrest Sherman-class destroyers were the first US post-war destroyers . and later ships were equipped with B&W Bailey Meter Company's new automatic boiler combustion control system, and a modified hurricane bow/anchor configuration...
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...
of 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...
. She was named for Admiral Henry M. Mullinnix
Henry M. Mullinnix
Henry Maston Mullinnix was an aviator and Admiral of the United States Navy during World War II.-Biography:...
USN (1892–1943), who was killed in action 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...
, when USS Liscome Bay
USS Liscome Bay (CVE-56)
USS Liscome Bay , a during World War II, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Liscome Bay in Dall Island in the Alexander Archipelago off Alaska's southeast coast...
(CVE-56) was torpedoed by the Japanese submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
I-175 and sank southwest of Butaritari Island on 24 November 1943.
Mullinnix was built by the Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
The Bethlehem Steel Corporation , based in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, was once the second-largest steel producer in the United States, after Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based U.S. Steel. After a decline in the U.S...
Corporation's Fore River Shipyard
Fore River Shipyard
The Fore River Shipyard of Quincy, Massachusetts, more formally known as the Fore River Ship and Engine Building Company, was a shipyard in the United States from 1883 until 1986. Located on the Weymouth Fore River, the yard began operations in 1883 in Braintree, Massachusetts before being moved...
in Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy, Massachusetts
Quincy is a city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. Its nicknames are "City of Presidents", "City of Legends", and "Birthplace of the American Dream". As a major part of Metropolitan Boston, Quincy is a member of Boston's Inner Core Committee for the Metropolitan Area Planning Council...
, and launched by Mrs. Kathryn F. Mullinnix.
Mullinnix conducted patrol duty 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...
during the Cuban Missile Crisis
Cuban Missile Crisis
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a confrontation among the Soviet Union, Cuba and the United States in October 1962, during the Cold War...
in 1962, participated in the Gemini program recovery operations in March 1966, and served as plane guard for aircraft carriers on Yankee Station
Yankee Station
Yankee Station was a point in the Gulf of Tonkin off the coast of Vietnam used by the U.S. Navy aircraft carriers of Task Force 77 to launch strikes in the Vietnam War. While its official designation was "Point Yankee," it was universally referred to as Yankee Station...
in the Tonkin Gulf, participated in Sea Dragon
Operation Sea Dragon (Vietnam War)
Operation Sea Dragon occurred during the Vietnam War and was a series of American led naval operations beginning in 1966 to interdict sea lines of communications and supply going south from North Vietnam to South Vietnam, and to destroy land targets with naval gunfire, as well give CIA agents in...
operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out Naval Gunfire Support
Naval gunfire support
Naval gunfire support is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of a number of disciplines encompassed by the term Naval Fires...
missions during the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
.
Mullinix and her sister ship USS Edson
USS Edson (DD-946)
USS Edson was a of the United States Navy, named for Major General Merritt “Red Mike” Edson USMC , who was awarded the Medal of Honor while serving as Commanding Officer of the First Marine Raider Battalion on Guadalcanal, and the Navy Cross and Silver Star for other actions in world War...
appered in The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
episode, "The Thirty-Fathom Grave
The Thirty-Fathom Grave
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:In 1963, a U.S. Navy destroyer is on a routine patrol off Guadalcanal when sonar picks up the sound of metallic clanging beneath the waves; the crew speculates that it sounds like a...
."