Allied Warships

USS Lansdale (DD 426)

Destroyer of the Benson / Gleaves class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassBenson / Gleaves 
PennantDD 426 
Built byBoston Navy Yard (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down19 Dec 1938 
Launched20 Oct 1939 
Commissioned17 Sep 1940 
Lost20 Apr 1944 
Loss position37° 03'N, 3° 51'E
History

USS Lansdale (Lt Cmdr Douglas Mckean Swift, USN) was sunk after being torpedoed by German aircraft about 15 miles northeast of Algiers, Algeria in position 37º03'N, 03º51'E, 49 of her crew were lost and 232 survivors which includes 76 wounded were rescued by the USS Menges/Newell; The Commanding officer was amongst the Survivors.

 

Commands listed for USS Lansdale (DD 426)

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. John Connor, USN17 Sep 194013 Feb 1942
2Lt.Cdr. Eugene Field McDaniel, USN13 Feb 19425 Jul 1942
3Lt.Cdr. Donald Cord Varian, USN5 Jul 194216 Sep 1942
4T/Cdr. Valery Havard, Jr., USN16 Sep 194231 Dec 1943
5T/Lt.Cdr. Douglas McKean Swift, USN31 Dec 194320 Apr 1944

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Notable events involving Lansdale include:


24 Jan 1941
HMS King George V (Capt. W.R. Patterson, CVO, RN) arrived in Chesapeake Bay where Lord Hallifax and his staff disembarked.

The battleship had been escorted in by the US destroyer USS Lansdale (Lt.Cdr. J. Connor, USN). (1)

25 Jan 1941
HMS King George V (Capt. W.R. Patterson, CVO, RN) departed Chesapeake Bay for the U.K. She had on board a naval delegation of cypher specialists and a copy of a Japanese Cypher machine for Bletchley Park. HMS King George V was escorted out by USS Lansdale (Lt.Cdr. J. Connor, USN).

En-route to the U.K, HMS King George V, was to give protection to a large tanker convoy (BHX 104) that was on passage from Bermuda to the U.K.

She joined the convoy on 31 January 1941 and parted company with it on 3 February 1942 to proceed to Scapa Flow.

[For more info on this convoy see the event convoy ' BHX 104 ' for 21 January 1941.] (2)

5 Sep 1941
USS Lansdale picks up 3 survivors from the Panamanian merchant Longtaker that was torpedoed and sunk on 18 August 1941 south-west of Iceland in position 61°26'N, 30°50'W by German U-boat U-38.

6 Aug 1942

Convoy AT 18.

This convoy departed New York on 6 August 1942.

It was made up of the following troop transports; Andes (British, 25689 GRT, built 1939), Argentina (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Batory (Polish, 14287 GRT, built 1936), Brazil (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Monterey (American, 148017 GRT, built 1932), Orcades (British, 23456 GRT, built 1937), Thomas H. Barry (American, 11250 GRT, built 1930), Uruguay (American, 20183 GRT, built 1928), Wakefield (American, 24289 GRT, built 1931) and West Point (American, 26454 GRT, built 1940).

The armed merchant cruiser HMS Queen of Bermuda (A/Capt.(Retd.) A.D. Cochrane, RN) was also part of the convoy.

The convoy was escorted by Task Force 38, which was made up of the battleship 5922 Arkansas (Capt. C.F. Bryant, USN, which was also COMTASKFOR 38), light cruiser USS Brooklyn (T/Capt. F.C. Denebrink, USN) and the with destroyers USS Livermore (T/Cdr. V. Huber, USN, with COMDESDIV 21, T/Capt. T.L. Madeira, USN, on board), USS Kearny (T/Cdr. A.H. Oswald, USN), USS Plunkett (T/Cdr. W.H. Standley, Jr., USN, with COMDESRON 7, Cdr. S.R. Clark, USN, on board), USS Niblack (Lt.Cdr. W.L. Dyer, USN, with COMDESDIV 13, T/Capt. P.R. Heineman, USN, on board), USS Benson (T/Cdr. C.A. Fines, USN), USS Gleaves (T/Cdr. C.L. Winecoff, USN), USS Mayo (T/Cdr. I.T. Duke, USN), USS Charles F. Hughes (Lt.Cdr. B.S. Copping, USN) and USS Hilary P. Jones (Lt.Cdr. R.B. Ellis, USN) as inner screen for the convoy. An outer screen was formed of the destroyers USS Madison (Cdr. W.B. Ammon, USN, with COMDESDIV 14, ???, on board), USS Nicholson (Cdr. J.S. Keating, USN), USS Eberle (Lt.Cdr. K.F. Poehlmann, USN), USS Ericsson (T/Cdr. C.M. Jensen, USN) and USS Roe (T/Cdr. J.N. Opie, 3rd, USN).

Around 2300Q/7, Eberle, Ericsson and Roe were detached to proceed to Boston. USS Hilary P. Jones then joined the outer screen.

The convoy arrived at Halifax on 8 August 1942.

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The convoy departed Halifax on 9 August 1942.

Two troop transports joined the convoy leaving Halifax, these were the; Cameronia (British, 16297 GRT, built 1920) and Capetown Castle (British, 27002 GRT, built 1938).

The convoy was now escorted by USS Arkansas, USS Brooklyn, USS Plunkett, USS Niblack, USS Gleaves, USS Mayo, USS Madison, USS Lansdale (T/Cdr. D.C. Varian, USN), USS Hilary P. Jones, USS Charles F. Hughes. The above destroyers served as inner screen. Also an out screen made up of the destroyers USS Mayrant (T/Capt. C.C. Hartman, USN, which was also COMDESDIV 16), USS Rhind (T/Cdr. H.T. Read, USN) and USS Nicholson was present.

Late on the 9th, the Cameronia straggled from the convoy. USS Hilary P. Jones was ordered to escort her. They rejoined on the 10th but the Cameronia had difficulty in keeping up with the convoy and was smoking badly.

On the 10th, USS Nicholson was detached to Casco Bay. Also on this day, USS Benson departed Halifax to overtake and join the convoy. She had been unable to depart with the convoy on the 9th due to the fact that she was in dock for repairs to her sonar installation.

On the 11th USS Benson joined from Halifax. USS Mayrant and USS Rhind were detached later on the 11th. They were to proceed to Argentia.

Around 1015Z/16, HMS Queen of Bermuda and the Batory were detached from the convoy and joined convoy DS 31 proceeding from the Clyde to Iceland. One of the escorts of convoy DS 31 then joined convoy AT 18, this was the AA cruiser HMS Curacoa (Capt. J.W. Boutwood, RN).

The convoy arrived in U.K. waters on 17 August 1942. (3)

21 Aug 1942
During 21/22 August 1942 HMS H 32 (Lt. J.R. Drummond, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Madison, USS Lansdale, USS Hilary P. Jones, USS Charles F. Hughes and USS Plunkett. These also included night exercises. (4)

21 Aug 1942
HMS H 43 (Lt. J.C.Y. Roxburgh, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Plunkett, USS Hilary P. Jones, USS Charles F. Hughes and USS Lansdale. (5)

23 Aug 1942
HMS H 32 (Lt. J.R. Drummond, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Lansdale, USS Plunkett, HMS Achates (Lt.Cdr. A.H.T. Johns, RN) and HMS Yestor (Lt. R.C. Holt, RNVR). (4)

11 Feb 1943
HMS H 44 (Lt. I.S. McIntosh, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Campbell, USS Lansdale and USS Hilary P. Jones. (6)

8 Apr 1943
HMS H 50 (Lt. G.S.C Clarabut, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Madison, USS Lansdale, USS Charles F. Hughes, USS Babbitt and USS Upshur. (7)

11 Jun 1943
HMS H 33 (Lt. J.A. Spender, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Madison, USS Lansdale, HMS Wanderer (Lt.Cdr. R.F. Whinney, RN) and HMS Inconstant (Lt.Cdr J.H. Eaden, DSC, RN). (8)

27 Jul 1943
HMS H 32 (Lt. J.A.R. Troup, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Madison, USS Lansdale, HMS Winchelsea (Lt.Cdr. G.W. Gregorie, RD, RNR), HMS Pennywort (Lt. O.G. Stuart, RCNVR) and HMS Clover (Lt. P.H. Grieves, RNR). (9)

27 Jul 1943
HMS P 511 (Lt. C.W. Taylor, RNR) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle together with HMCS Assiniboine (Cdr. K.F. Adams, RCN), USS Madison (Lt.Cdr. J.W. Hager, USN) and USS Lansdale (Cdr. V. Havard, Jr., USN). (10)

28 Jul 1943
HMS H 32 (Lt. J.A.R. Troup, DSC, RN) conducted A/S exercises off Lough Foyle with USS Madison, USS Lansdale and USS Charles F. Hughes. (9)

Media links


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. ADM 53/114500
  2. ADM 53/114500 + ADM 53/114501
  3. ADM 53/116482
  4. ADM 173/17216
  5. ADM 173/17252
  6. ADM 173/17813
  7. ADM 173/17827
  8. ADM 173/17783
  9. ADM 173/17772
  10. ADM 173/17926

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


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