- USS Walke (DD-34)
The first USS "Walke" (DD-34) was a Sclass|Paulding|destroyer in the
United States Navy duringWorld War I . She was named for Rear AdmiralHenry A. Walke ."Walke" was laid down on
5 March 1910 atQuincy, Massachusetts , by theFore River Shipbuilding Company ; launched on3 November 1910 ; sponsored by Miss Mildred Walke Walter, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Walke; and commissioned on22 July 1911 at theBoston Navy Yard , LieutenantCharles R. Train in command.Upon commissioning, "Walke" was assigned to the 9th Division,
Atlantic Torpedo Fleet . After fitting out atBoston, Massachusetts , she moved to theTorpedo Station atNewport, Rhode Island , where she loaded torpedoes for training with the Atlantic Torpedo Fleet. During the fall and winter, the destroyer conducted battle practice and torpedo-firing exercises with the destroyers andsubmarine s of the torpedo fleet. In addition, she operated with the larger units of the Atlantic Fleet itself during training in more comprehensive combat drills. Those exercises covered the entire Atlantic coast fromCape Cod in the north toCuba in the south.Such operations occupied the destroyer until
1 November 1913 , when she was placed in reserve at theNew York Navy Yard . Though in reserve for the next 17 months, "Walke" never went out of commission. During her semi-retirement, the ship retained a commanding officer and at least a partial crew. Though not active with the Fleet, she did get underway periodically to keep her machinery in good working order while always remaining close to New York. During October and November 1914 "Walke" was employed in experimental deep sea diving trials which culminated in Navy diver Stephen J. Drelishak's dive to a then-record depth of 274 feet in Long island Sound.In July 1915, the destroyer returned to fully active service, first to participate in the Independence Day celebration at
Perth Amboy, New Jersey , and then to visitWashington, D.C. , for theGrand Army of the Republic celebration in late September. By5 October , she found herself off Newport, with the Fleet conducting maneuvers. On1 November 1915 , "Walke" entered theCharleston Navy Yard for a major overhaul. Those repairs were completed at the end of February 1916; and, in March, the ship moved south toKey West to prepare for gunnery practice.However, in May, revolutionary disorders broke out in the
Dominican Republic ; and "Walke" was dispatched to support the troops and marines landed there to restore order. Between6 May —the day the warship departed Key West and headed forHispaniola —and19 June , she cruised along the coast of Hispaniola, leaving the area periodically for fuel or provisions atPonce, Puerto Rico , or atGuantánamo Bay , Cuba. After a brief visit toHaiti , the republic occupying the western end of Hispaniola, "Walke" returned to Key West on19 June . On21 July , she arrived at theNorfolk Navy Yard to begin an eight-month overhaul.The warship completed her overhaul in March 1917 and got underway1 on the 25th, bound for New York. She arrived at
Staten Island the following day. By coincidence, "Walke" entered the New York Navy Yard on6 April 1917 , the day the United States declared war onGermany . Two weeks and four days later, she emerged from the yard ready to go into action. After patrols off New York, the destroyer voyaged toCharleston, South Carolina , where she arrived on3 May . Following a 16-day visit to Charleston, she headed north and arrived back in New York on the 20th. Three days later, she put to sea bound for European waters. Because of her limited fuel capacity, the destroyer made the first three days of the voyage under tow by the collier, USS|Jupiter|AC-3|2. Steaming under her own power after26 May , she arrived inGironde ,France , on5 June . Following brief service there and at Brest, "Walke" moved to Queenstown on the southeastern coast ofIreland . From that port, she patrolled the western approaches toEngland and France, hunting forU-boat s and escorting convoys into British and French ports until mid-November.On
17 November , the warship headed back to the United States. Again after making the first leg of the transatlantic voyage under tow because of her limited range, "Walke" arrived in New York on30 November . From there, she headed south to Charleston, where she entered the yard in mid-December 1917. She completed repairs in March 1918 and returned to New York on the 16th. For the remainder of World War I, "Walke" patrolled the coastal waters of the United States from New York north to Cape Cod and escorted incoming and departing convoys into and out of New York harbor.Following the end of the war, "Walke" settled down to a routine of east coast operations and Atlantic Fleet exercises. Early in December 1918, she visited
Baltimore, Maryland , and returned to New York on the 20th. In mid-January 1919, she moved south via Charleston to join in winter maneuvers held in the Cuba-Haiti area. Returning north by way of Key West andMiami, Florida , the destroyer reentered New York on14 April . Between mid-April and mid-July, the warship cruised almost the entire Atlantic coast of the United States—from New York to Key West—conducting torpedo practice and various other exercises.On
18 July , "Walke" arrived inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania to begin preparations for inactivation. Decommissioned on12 December 1919 , "Walke" remained at thePhiladelphia Navy Yard until the mid-1930s. She received the alphanumeric hull designation DD-34 on17 July 1920 but lost her name 13 years later on1 July 1933 when it was reassigned to DD-416. Known simply as DD-34, she was struck from the Navy List on20 March 1935 and was scrapped at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on23 April 1935 under the terms of the London Treaty on the Limitation of Naval Armaments.ee also
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List of United States Navy destroyers
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