Allied Warships

USS Buck (DD 420)

Destroyer of the Sims class


USS Buck on 11 September 1943. Photo from Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum

NavyThe US Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassSims 
PennantDD 420 
Built byPhiladelphia Navy Yard (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down6 Apr 1938 
Launched22 May 1939 
Commissioned15 May 1940 
Lost9 Oct 1943 
Loss position39° 57'N, 14° 28'E
History

At 00.40 hours on 9 October 1943, the USS Buck (Lt.Cdr. Millard Jefferson Klein, USN) was on patrol off Salerno in position 39º57'N, 14º28'E , when she was hit in the bow by a Gnat fired by U-616, causing the forward magazine to explode and sank within four minutes.

The 94 survivors were picked up by the American destroyers USS Gleaves (DD 423) and USS Plunkett (DD 431), the British cruiser HMS Delhi (D 74) and the British landing craft HMS LCT-170. Amongst the 168 killed was the Commanding Officer.

 

Hit by U-boat
Sunk on 9 Oct 1943 by U-616 (Koitschka).

U-boat AttackSee our U-boat attack entry for the USS Buck

Commands listed for USS Buck (DD 420)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1Lt.Cdr. Horace Clovis Robison, USN15 May 19401 May 1942
2Lt.Cdr. Lewis Robinson Miller, USN1 May 1942Sep 1942
3T/Lt.Cdr. John Spencer Reese, USNSep 194220 Dec 1942
4Bosquet Neil Lev, USN20 Dec 194210 Feb 1943
5Lt. George Solon Lambert, USN10 Feb 194328 Feb 1943 (1)
6T/Cdr. Millard Jefferson Klein, USN28 Feb 19439 Oct 1943 (+) (1)

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Notable events involving Buck include:


28 Mar 1942
HMS H 50 (Lt. M.L.C. Crawford, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with HMS Reading (Lt.Cdr. D.V. Clift, RN), HMS Sunflower (Lt.Cdr. J.T. Jones, RD, RNR), HMS Saladin (Lt.Cdr. G.V. Legassick, RNR), HMS Sabre (Lt. R.L. Caple, DSC, RN), USS Bristol, USS Buck and USS Edison. (2)

3 Aug 1943
The Italian submarine Argento is scuttled off Pantellaria in position 36°52'N, 12°08'E after being heavily damaged by the US destroyer USS Buck.

20 Aug 1943
Around 0845B/20, the damaged aircraft carrier HMS Indomitable (A/Capt. P.W.W. Wootten, RN) departed Gibraltar for Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.A. for repairs.

She is escorted by the destroyers HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN) and USS Buck (T/Cdr. M.J. Klein, USN).

The destroyers were fuelled by HMS Indomitable on 24 August 1943. (3)

28 Aug 1943
Around 1230P/28, HMS Indomitable (A/Capt. P.W.W. Wootten, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN) and USS Buck (T/Cdr. M.J. Klein, USN) arrived at Bermuda from Gibraltar. (3)

29 Aug 1943
Around 1630P/29, HMS Indomitable (A/Capt. P.W.W. Wootten, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN) and USS Buck (T/Cdr. M.J. Klein, USN) departed Bermuda for Norfolk, Virginia. (3)

31 Aug 1943
In the afternoon, HMS Indomitable (A/Capt. P.W.W. Wootten, RN), HMS Opportune (Cdr. J. Lee-Barber, DSO and Bar, RN), HMS Obdurate (Lt.Cdr. C.E.L. Sclater, DSO and Bar, RN) and USS Buck (T/Cdr. M.J. Klein, USN) arrived at Norfolk, Virginia from Bermuda. (3)

Media links


U-Boat Attack Logs

Daniel Morgan and Bruce Taylor


amazon.co.uk
(£ 38.25)


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.


Blood on the Sea

Parkin, Robert Sinclair


amazon.com
($ 15.98)


U.S. Destroyers

Friedman, Norman


United States Destroyer Operations In World War II.

Roscoe, Theodore

Sources

  1. http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/420.htm
  2. ADM 173/17271
  3. ADM 53/117672

ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.


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