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Hull Number: DD-600

Launch Date: 06/15/1942

Commissioned Date: 08/15/1942

Decommissioned Date: 03/29/1946


Class: BENSON

BENSON Class

Data for USS Benson (DD-421) as of 1945


Length Overall: 347' 10"

Beam: 36' 1"

Draft: 13' 6"

Standard Displacement: 1,620 tons

Full Load Displacement: 2,525 tons

Fuel capacity: 2,912 barrels

Armament:

Four 5″/38 caliber guns
Two 40mm twin anti-aircraft mounts
Two 21″ quintuple torpedo tubes

Complement:

16 Officers
260 Enlisted

Propulsion:

4 Boilers
2 Bethlehem Turbines: 47,000 horsepower

Highest speed on trials: 36.7 knots

Namesake: THOMAS BOYLE

THOMAS BOYLE

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (Published 1963)

Thomas Boyle was born in Marblehead, MA, 29 June 1775. He was a noted privateer commander during the War of 1812. Between 16 April and 8 September 1813 he served in the Navy as a Sailing Master in command of the small schooners COMET and CHASSEUR on commerce protection duty in Chesapeake Bay.


Disposition:

Sunk as target 05/03/1973.


USS BOYLE DD-600 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (Published 1959)

Boyle (DD-600) was launched 15 June 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, MA; sponsored by Mrs. Margaret A. Glascock, great-granddaughter of Sailing Master Boyle; and commissioned 15 August 1942, Lieutenant Commander E. S. Karpe in command.

Boyle joined the Atlantic Fleet and sailed from Norfolk 25 October 1942 as part of TF-34 bound for the invasion of North Africa. She took part in the landings at Fedhala, French Morocco (8-11 November), and the skirmish with French corvettes off Casablanca (10 November). Returning to the United States 30 November she patrolled off the east coast and in the Caribbean until February 1943.

Between then and 4 April 1944 Boyle made six convoy runs to North Africa and three to Ireland. The monotony of convoy duty was broken by participation in the Sicilian invasion, where she served as a guide ship for the Seoglitti landings (9-15 July 1943). After serving with a hunter-killer group off New York in April 1944, she returned to the Mediterranean. She patrolled in the Gulf of Naples, Italy, during May and June taking part in the bombardment of Formia and Anzio (13-18 May). Between 15 August and 1 September she took part in the invasion of southern France. Boyle returned to New York 14 September.

Following a yard period at Boston she returned to the Mediterranean 21 December 1944 and remained there on fire support and escort duty until 22 April 1945. Returning to the east coast 1 May, she sailed for the Pacific 23 May and arrived at San Diego, Calif., 12 June.

After cruising between San Diego and Pearl Harbor (25 June-17 July 1945) she steamed to the western Pacific, arriving at Saipan 5 August. Enroute, BOYLE took part in the bombardment of Wake Island (1 August 1945). The destroyer reached Okinawa 12 August and patrolled there until 1 September when she departed for Tokyo, Japan. She arrived off Tokyo 11 September and served in Japanese, Okinawan, and Chinese waters until departing Okinawa 1 November. She arrived at Charleston, SC, 8 December 1945 and remained there until being placed out of commission in reserve 29 March 1946.

Boyle received four battle stars for her World War II service.