Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War

United States Navy — Destroyer

USS Buck (DD-420) — service history

This is the full service history. For the vessel's particulars, photograph and specifications, see the entry.

In the words of the US Navy. The account below is reproduced verbatim from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command — a work of the United States Government, in the public domain, and the only text on this site not written here.

Before commissioning

Named for James Buck, born at Baltimore, Md., in 1808, who enlisted in the Navy in 1852. He was awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroic service during the Civil War on board the steamer Brooklyn where, though severely wounded, he stood at the wheel for eight hours and steered the vessel during the engagement with Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River. He died in Baltimore on 1 November 1865.

Interwar 1919–1938

1938

The second Buck (DD-420) was laid down on 6 April 1938 at the Philadelphia [Pa.] Navy Yard; launched on 22 May 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Julius C. Townsend, wife of Rear Adm. Julius C. Townsend, and commissioned on 15 May 1940, Lt. Cmdr. Horace C. Robison in command.

Second World War 1939–1945

1941

USS Buck (DD-420)
The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Buck (DD-420) leaving on patrol from Hvalfjörður, Iceland, on 19 or 20 November 1941. Lt. C.H. Parnall, Royal Navy — This photograph A 6455 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

After shakedown training, Buck joined the Atlantic Fleet for a brief period before augmenting the Pacific Fleet from February until June 1941. On 1 July, as part of Task Force (TF) 19, Buck got underway for Argentia, Newfoundland, where she joined a convoy carrying the First Marine Brigade (Provisional) to Reykjavik, Iceland. After landing the marines there on 7 July, the destroyer began convoy escort duty between Iceland and the United States.

With the entry of the United States into World War II in December 1941, Buck continued to serve as a convoy escort, steaming from the seaports of the eastern United States to ports in Newfoundland, Iceland, Northern Ireland, North Africa, and the Caribbean. As a convoy escort warship, Buck screened ships from enemy attack, pursued unidentified surface and undewater contacts and shepherded merchantmen to keep them in formation while underway.

1942

USS Buck (DD-420)
While assigned to the USS Buck in July 1942, Morison snapped this photo of Commander John B. Heffernan on one of the destroyer’s bridge wings. UA 450.05 SAMUEL L. MORISON COLLECTION, NAVAL HISTORY AND HERITAGE COMMAND Samuel Eliot Morison, U.S. naval officer and historian — https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/february/sam-morisons-war — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

While escorting a convoy during a dense fog off Nova Scotia on 22 August 1942, Buck was struck starboard side aft by British transport Awatea while trying to escort another vessel to her correct position in the convoy. The impact broke Buck 's keel and sliced about two-thirds through the fantail. Seven sailors were killed in the collision. As the starboard propeller was wrecked, and the port propeller damaged, the destroyer maintained steerway only with difficulty as the crew tried to secure the fantail with lines and wires. When the port propeller fell off a few hours later, leaving the destroyer helpless, the fantail was cut loose since wave action was battering and chafing the hull. To make matters worse, as destroyer Ingraham (DD-444) closed to assist she was mortally damaged by a collision with oiler Chemung (AO-30). After rescuing the survivors from Ingraham , the oiler managed to take Buck under tow until relieved by the tug Cherokee (AT-66). Buck reached Boston on the 26th, where she underwent repairs until November. Upon completion of yard work she returned to Atlantic convoy escort duty that winter, guarding convoys to European waters into June 1943, when she was ordered to the Mediterranean for patrol duty out of Tunisian and Algerian ports.

1943 Sicily

USS Buck (DD-420)
80-G-55374: Depth charges shown on USS Buck (DD 420) at Licata, Sicily, Italy. Photograph received November 11, 1943. (4/28/2015). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55374 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

Assigned to the Western Naval Task Force on 8 July 1943, Buck performed bombardment, screening, and patrol duties during Operation Husky , the invasion of Sicily (10 July 1943). On 10 July, the destroyer escorted a landing convoy of tank landing craft (LCT) to the beach before retiring to escort follow-on convoys to Sicily. On 3 August, while escorting a convoy of six cargo ships from Sicily to Algeria, Buck spotted the Italian submarine Argento making a reconaissance patrol off the Sicilian coast. The destroyer pursued and forced the submarine to surface after three depth charge attacks. The Italians quickly abandoned ship under the destroyers' heavy gunfire and the submarine sank at 36°52' N., 12°08' E., with Buck taking 45 of her crew of 49 as prisoners.

After escorting a convoy back to the United States, the destroyer returned to the Mediterranean in late September 1943 in support of Operation Avalanche , the landings at Salerno, Italy. Following the landings, the destroyer patrolled off the coast to protect the delivery of reinforcements and supplies to southern Italy. While on patrol off Salerno on 9 October, Buck was ambushed just after midnight by German submarine U-616 and hit forward starboard by at least one and possibly two torpedoes. The warship flooded quickly, settling down forward and sinking within four minutes. Although most of the depth charges were set to safe before the destroyer was abandoned, a severe underwater explosion killed and wounded sailors in the water. Spotted by friendly aircraft the next morning, 97 survivors were rescued by Gleaves (DD-423) and the British LCT-170 the following evening.

Other photographs

Held for this vessel, and not tied to any part of the account above.

USS Buck (DD-420)
80-G-55375: Depth charges shown on USS Buck (DD 420) at Licata, Sicily, Italy. Photograph received November 11, 1943. (4/28/2015). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55375 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
80-G-55385: USS Buck (DD 420) in the harbor at Licata, Sicily, Italy. Photograph received November 11, 1943. (4/28/2015). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55385 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
80-G-55386: USS Buck (DD 420) in the harbor at Licata, Sicily, Italy. Photograph received November 11, 1943. (4/28/2015). National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55386 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
USS Buck (DD-420)
Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons

References

Every work this entry draws on. There are no numbered markers in the text above: what we hold is the provenance of the page — this history, this article, these photographs.

  1. History Buck II (DD-420) Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History and Heritage Command. A work of the United States Government, in the public domain — the only text on this site reproduced verbatim.
  2. Facts USS Buck (DD-420) Structured facts only — dates, dimensions, armament and fate. No wording is taken from it. Harvested 1 August 2026.
  3. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420) off the Boston Navy Yard on 24 November 1942 U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships — Official U.S. Navy photo 19-N-36642 from the U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  4. Photograph 80-G-55374 (16690948324) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55374 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  5. Photograph 80-G-55375 (17105970817) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55375 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  6. Photograph 80-G-55385 (16690950934) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55385 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  7. Photograph 80-G-55386 (16690951914) National Museum of the U.S. Navy — 80-G-55386 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  8. Photograph Commander John B Heffernan on USS Buck bridge wing in 1942 Samuel Eliot Morison, U.S. naval officer and historian — https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2020/february/sam-morisons-war — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  9. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420) off Iceland in November 1941 Lt. C.H. Parnall, Royal Navy — This photograph A 6455 comes from the collections of the Imperial War Museums — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  10. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Hold, Second & First Platforms - NARA - 75840871 (page 1) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  11. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Hold, Second & First Platforms - NARA - 75840871 (page 2) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  12. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Hold, Second & First Platforms - NARA - 75840871 (page 3) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  13. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Hold, Second & First Platforms - NARA - 75840871 (page 4) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  14. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Inboard Profile - NARA - 75840866 (page 1) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  15. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Inboard Profile - NARA - 75840866 (page 2) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  16. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Inboard Profile - NARA - 75840866 (page 3) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  17. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Inboard Profile - NARA - 75840866 (page 4) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  18. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Main & Forecastle Decks & Bridges - NARA - 75840876 (page 1) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  19. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Main & Forecastle Decks & Bridges - NARA - 75840876 (page 2) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  20. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Main & Forecastle Decks & Bridges - NARA - 75840876 (page 3) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  21. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Booklet of General Plans. Main & Forecastle Decks & Bridges - NARA - 75840876 (page 4) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons
  22. Photograph USS Buck (DD-420)- Deck Supports & Compartment & Access Inboard Profile - NARA - 75840857 (page 1) Unknown author or not provided — U.S. National Archives and Records Administration — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons