Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
United States Navy — Destroyer

USS Longshaw

Fletcher-class destroyer

USS Longshaw
U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-315217 from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Longshaw (DD-559) underway at sea on 4 February 1945, probably in the South China Sea off Formosa. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 32, Design 21D. The photo was taken from the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga (CV-3).

Service

  1. United States Navy as Longshaw4 December 1943 — 18 May 1945531 days of the war
Fletcher-class destroyer Particulars
Name
USS Longshaw
Namesake
William Longshaw, Jr.
Builder
Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation
Laid down
16 June 1942
Launched
4 June 1943
Commissioned
4 December 1943
Fate
Scuttled after running aground and receiving heavy shore fire south of Naha, 18 May 1945 (1945)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, standard
2,050 long tons (2,083 t)
Length
114.6 m (376 ft)
Beam
11.89 m (39 ft)
Draught
5.18 m (17 ft)
Speed
35 knots (64.8 km/h, 40.3 mph)
Range
6,500 nmi (12,038 km)
Complement
273
Main gun
127 mm (5 in)

USS Longshaw was a Fletcher-class destroyer built for the United States Navy. The ship was named after William Longshaw. Her keel was laid at Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation on 16 June 1942. She entered service on 4 December 1943, having been launched on 4 June 1943.

173 ships of the class were built. The class followed the Gleaves-class destroyer and was succeeded by the Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer.

Displacement was 2,050 long tons. She measured 114.6 m (376 ft) long with a beam of 11.9 m (39 ft). Her designed speed was 35 knots, and she carried a complement of 273. Her main battery was of 127 mm (5 in) calibre.

She was in commission for 531 days of the Second World War.

She was scuttled on 18 May 1945. The wreck survives.

Written from the harvested record. Every figure above is sourced; the wording is this site's own.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers
Armament
  • 5 × single Mk 12 5 in (127 mm)/38 guns
  • 5 × twin 40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors AA guns
  • 7 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) Oerlikon AA guns
  • 2 × quintuple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
  • 6 × single depth charge throwers
  • 2 × depth charge racks

Sister ships

148 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from USS Longshaw on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Photograph: U.S. Navy — U.S. Navy photo 80-G-315217 from Navsource.org — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons