- Yes
- Maybe
- Unsure
- I don’t think so
- Her first redesigned hull number (DDG-712)
- The one (DDG-1)
- Doesn’t matter/Unsure
- I said no to the first question
Background
The Gearing class is a class of 98 destroyer that were built during the 2nd world war, these ships were very comparable to the Sumner class destroyer with the Gearing class being an elongated version the Sumner in all fairness however over time they would differ from their predecessors as their larger hulls would benefit them later on as it allowed them to receive a modernization that made them superior to that of their predecessors at the time, however prior to the major and widespread FRAM I and FRAM II upgrades one ship would receive a one of a kind modification that none of her sisters ever received and though she did not end up keeping the one thing during her later years it would make her a important ship of her class, the ship in question if USS Gyatt who is in fact the very first US guided missile destroyer. With her refit into the first DDG she did not get a as extensive modernization as her sisters due to her being modernized earlier than her sisters and as a guided missile destroyer her primary armament was reduced to 4 5 inch (127mm) guns with 2 twin turrets in the original super firing turrets, the AA battery which had already been charged in previous years was retained with Gyat being armed with 4 3 inch (76mm) in 2 twin turrets, she was also given 2 triple 12.75 in (324mm) torpedo tubes, finally with her conversion to a guided missile destroyer she was armed with the twin armed terrier missile system which took the place of the rear turret with the ship itself carrying 14 reloads total, these missiles were the same ones found on the Boston guided missile cruisers, sadly however even though USS Gyat became the first US Guided missile destroyer she would see the system removed in the early 1960’s which saw her return to the destroyer designation however she would not receive any modernizations like her sisters.
History
USS Gyatt was laid down on September 7th, 1944 as the 28th ship of the Gearing class laid down, she was named after U.S. Marine Corps Private Edward E. Gyatt, a Marine Raider killed in the Battle of Guadalcanal and as such when she was launched on April 15th, 1945 she was sponsored by Mrs. Hilda Morrell, Private Gyatt’s mother, who was a member of the gold star mothers, and Gyatt would enter service on July 2nd, 1945.
Upon entering service Gyatt would undergo her shakedown cruise the Caribbean she was assigned to Norfolk, Virginia where she performed a variety of roles while based off the US east coast which also saw her take part in trying exercises as well as training operations with friendly carriers in the gulf of Mexico as well as in the Caribbean, then on January 24th, 1947 she would depart Norfolk where she sailed south towards Uruguay where she repressed the United States during the inauguration of the new Uruguayan President Berres at Montevideo from February 27th till March 6th before returning back home and while on her way back she made visits to Rio de Janeiro and Port of Spain, Trinidad.
Following this her return to Norfolk on November 20th Gyatt would be sent out on her first deployment when she was sent to the Mediterranean where she joined the 6th fleet which saw her return on March 2nd, 1948 and following this she participated in six subsequent deployments to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean while other operations saw her north from Norfolk to Nova Scotia and Iceland and south into the Caribbean.
Then on September 26th, 1955 USS Gyatt entered Boston naval yard where she was decommissioned on October 31st as part of her conversion into becoming the world’s first guided missile destroyer and there she would receive the twin Terrier guided missile launchers as well receiving the USN first Denny-Brown stabilization system with two 45 square foot (4 m²) retractable fins extending out from midships well below the waterline to greatly reduce pitch and roll on the sea and on December 1st, 1956 she was given he new hull number of DDG-712 and she returned to service on the 3rd.
Following her recommissioning she would spend almost the next 3 years undergoing intensive evaluation and development work along the Atlantic coast and on May 23rd, 1957 she had her hull number changed again to DDG-1 in recognition for being the first guided missile destroyer, and on January 28th ,1960 she was deployed back to the Mediterranean which also made her the first guided missile destroyer to deploy with an overseas fleet and by the time she had wrapped up her deployment after taking part in fleet readiness and training operations her homeport was changed to Charleston, South Carolina on August 31st, 1960 she returned home.
Following her return home she would in fact not be sent back into the MED at first but instead also got to take part in US Space program and during which she helped with nose-cone recovery station from November 5th to the 10th in 1960 and from April 24th to the 26th in 1961 to aid in Project Mercury. With tensions rising again however Gyatt was finally thrown back into the MED with the 6th fleet where she stayed up until March 3rd, 1962 which was then followed by her resuming training off the US East coast out of her homeport. Then on June 29th, 1962 Gyat entered the Charleston Naval Shipyard for an overhaul which saw the removal of the missile system due to the stresses it is said to have caused to her hull and she saw the installation of newly developed equipment that prepared her for specialized service with the Operational Test and Evaluation Force and as such she returned to her hull number of DD-712 on October 1st and the work was completed by January 1st, 1963 and following which she returned to Norfolk Virginia where she continued experimental work under the Operational Test and Evaluation Force which saw her event operate in the Caribbean and she would continue to operate in this area up until 1967 when she helped with patrol and ASW duty and trained the officers and men of the Navy in guided missile destroyer tactics. She was especially active in testing and evaluating new equipment and helping to improve the efficiency and modernity of the US Navy. And though the crew were fond of preserving her as a museum ships would sadly never see her preserved as in 1968 she transferred homeports which saw her in Washington DC and after being stricken from the naval register on October 22nd, 1969, she was used as a target ship off Virginia on June 11th, 1970 which as a result meant she was the 4th ship of her class to be taken out of service.
Specifications: (1956 as DDG-1)
Hide contents
Displacement:
2,616 long tons (2,658 t) standard
3,460 long tons (3,520 t) full load
Length: 390.5 ft (119.0 m)
Beam: 40.9 ft (12.5 m)
Draft: 14.3 ft (4.4 m)
Installed power:
4 × boilers
60,000 shp (45,000 kW)
Propulsion:
General Electric steam turbines
2 × shafts
Speed: 36.8 kn (68.2 km/h; 42.3 mph)
Range: 4,500 nmi (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement: 336
Additional note:
she was equipped with the first Denny-Brown stabilization system for any. USN ship with two 45 square foot (4 m²) retractable fins extending out from midships well below the waterline to greatly reduce pitch and roll on the sea
Armament:
Primary Armament:
2 × twin 5"/38 (127 mm) DP guns (2 x 2) (both located at the front of ship)
Anti Air weapons:
4 × 3"/50 (76 mm) guns (2 x 2)
Missile launchers:
1 × twin arm Terrier missile launcher for RIM-2 (14 reloads carried total)
Torpedo tubes:
6 × 12.75 in (324 mm) anti-submarine torpedo tubes (3 x 2)
Sources
Image Sources
_comes_alongside_of_USS_Boston_(CAG-1),_in_1960.jpg){kind=link}