USS Meredith (DD-726)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Meredith.

History
United States
Namesake	Jonathan Meredith
Ordered	1942
Builder	Bath Iron Works
Laid down	26 July 1943
Launched	21 December 1943
Commissioned	14 March 1944
Fate	Sunk 9 June 1944, sold and scrapped 5 August 1960
General characteristics
Class and type	Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer
Displacement	2,200 tons
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.8 m)
Beam	40 ft (12.2 m)
Draft	15 ft 8 in (4.8 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45 MW) 2 propellers
Speed	34 knots (63 km/h)
Range	6500 nm @ 15 kn (12,000 km @ 28 km/h)
Complement	336
Armament	6 × 5 in (130 mm)/38 guns, 12 × 40 mm AA guns, 11 × 20 mm AA guns, 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes, 6 × depth charge projectors, 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Meredith (DD-726), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Jonathan Meredith, a Marine sergeant who saved the life of Lieutenant John Trippe of Vixen, during the Barbary Wars.

Meredith was laid down on 26 July 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corporation, Bath, Maine; launched on 21 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. William Kopper; and commissioned on 14 March 1944.

Service history

After shakedown off Bermuda, Meredith departed Boston on 8 May 1944 as an escort in a convoy, arriving Plymouth, England, on the 27th. Between 5 and 6 June, she served as escort to transports assembling for the Normandy invasion. On 6 June, Meredith gave gunfire support to the landing forces on Utah Beach. Early in the morning of the following day, while patrolling the offshore waters as a screening vessel, she struck a mine. Severely damaged, with a loss of seven killed and over 50 wounded and missing, Meredith was towed to an anchorage in the Baie de la Seine to be salvaged. However, on the morning of 9 June, her seams were further opened by an enemy bombing raid and shortly after she broke in two without warning and sank. Bates rescued 163 survivors.

On 5 August 1960, the sunken hulk was sold to St. Française de Recherches of France. The hulk of the Meredith was raised and scrapped in September 1960.

Awards

Meredith received one battle star for World War II service.

References

•  This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• navsource.org: USS Meredith
• hazegray.org: USS Meredith