Recognition Guide Warships of the Second World War
United States Navy — Destroyer DD-434

USS Meredith (DD-434)

Gleaves-class destroyer

USS Meredith (DD-434)
Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 89418 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons Plate — DD-434 The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Meredith (DD-434) at Suva, Fiji Islands, on 23 June 1942. She is painted in Camouflage Measure 12 (Modified). The photo was taken from the seaplane tender USS Tangier (AV-8).

Service

  1. United States Navy as Meredith1 March 1941 — 15 October 1942593 days of the war
Full service history About 494 words
Gleaves-class destroyer Particulars
Name
USS Meredith
Pennant / hull number
DD-434
Namesake
Jonathan Meredith
Builder
Boston Navy Yard
Laid down
1 June 1939
Launched
24 April 1940
Commissioned
1 March 1941
Fate
Sunk by Japanese aircraft, 15 October 1942
By aircraft (1942)
Status
Wreck

Specifications

Displacement, standard
1,630 long tons (1,656 t)
Length
106.07 m (348 ft)
Beam
10.97 m (36 ft)
Draught
3.35 m (11 ft)
Speed
37.4 knots (69.3 km/h, 43 mph)
Range
6,500 nmi (12,038 km)
Complement
208
Main gun
127 mm (5 in)

(DD‑434: dp. 1,630; l. 341'; b. 35'4"; dr. 10'2"; s. 35 k.; cpl. 208; a. 5 5", 10 21" tt.; 12 .50 cal. mg.; cl. Gleaves )

Jonathan Meredith, born in Bucks County, Pa. about 1772, enlisted in the Marine Corps 6 June 1803 and was promoted to sergeant 1 August of the same year.

During an engagement in the harbor of Tripoli 3 August 1805, Sergeant Meredith saved the life of Lt. John Trippe of Vixen, who with a party of nine men had boarded a Tripolitan ship. Heavily outnumbered, the boarding party fought a fierce hand‑to‑hand combat, in which Trippe was severely wounded; Meredith protected him from what would have been the final blow. Four days later Meredith was killed in the explosion of Gunboat No. 3 during a similar attack against the Tripolitans.

Continue to the full service history About 494 words

From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (Meredith II (DD-434)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.

Armament and machinery

Armament and machinery
Propulsion
  • 50000 shp
  • 4 boilers
  • 2 propellers
Armament
  • 5 × 5 in/38 cal guns
  • 6 × Oerlikon 20 mm cannons
  • 6 × 0.50 in machine guns
  • 10 × 21 in torpedo tubes
  • 2 × depth charge tracks

Sister ships

41 more in the class

Sources

  • Facts harvested from USS Meredith (DD-434) on Wikipedia. Figures only — no wording is taken from it.
  • Service history reproduced verbatim from Meredith II (DD-434) , Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships — public domain, a work of the United States Government.
  • Photograph: Unknown author — U.S. Navy photo NH 89418 — Public domain — Wikimedia Commons