USS Buckley (DE-51)

For other ships of the same name, see USS Buckley.

Career
Name:	USS Buckley
Builder:	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Hingham, Massachusetts
Laid down:	29 June 1942
Launched:	9 January 1943
Commissioned:	30 April 1943
Decommissioned:	3 July 1946
Reclassified:	DER-51, 26 April 1949 DE-51, 29 September 1954
Struck:	1 June 1968
Honors and awards:	Navy Unit Commendation & 3 battle stars (World War II)
Fate:	Sold for scrap, July 1969
General characteristics
Class and type:	Buckley-class destroyer escort
Displacement:	1,400 long tons (1,422 t) light 1,673 long tons (1,700 t) standard
Length:	306 ft (93 m)
Beam:	37 ft (11 m)
Draft:	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Propulsion:	Turbo-electric drive, 12,000 shp (8.9 MW) 2 shafts
Speed:	24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Complement:	186
Armament:	• 3 × 3"/50 caliber guns • 1 × quad 1.1"/75 caliber gun • 8 × single 20 mm guns • 1 × triple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tube • 1 × Hedgehog anti-submarine mortar • 8 × K-gun depth charge projectors • 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Buckley (DE/DER-51), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Ordnanceman John D. Buckley (1920–1941), who was killed in action during the Japanese attack on the Hawaiian Islands.

Buckley was launched on 9 January 1943 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts, sponsored by Mrs. James Buckley, mother of Aviation Ordnanceman Buckley; and commissioned on 30 April 1943 with Lieutenant Commander A. W. Slayden in command.

Service history

Between July 1943 and 22 April 1944, Buckley operated along the eastern seaboard as training ship for prospective officers and nucleus crews of other destroyer escorts.

On 22 April 1944, she joined hunter-killer Task Group 21.11 (TG 21.11) for a sweep of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean convoy routes. On the morning of 6 May, aircraft from the escort carrier Block Island (CVE-21) reported an enemy submarine near Buckley. She steamed toward the surfaced submarine, evading her torpedoes and gunfire, and commenced firing., At 0328 Buckley rammed the German submarine U-66 and then backed off. Shortly thereafter, the submarine struck Buckley, opening a hole in the escort vessel's starboard side. The U-66 drew astern of Buckley and sank at 0341 in 17°17′N 32°24′W / 17.283°N 32.4°W / 17.283; -32.4 (German submarine U-66). Buckley picked up 36 German survivors and then retired to New York where she underwent repairs until 14 June 1944.

After completing refresher training at Casco Bay, Maine, in July 1944, Buckley escorted two convoys to North Africa (14 July–7 November 1944). She then operated on anti-submarine and convoy escort duty along the eastern seaboard and in the North Atlantic until June 1945. During this period Buckley and Reuben James (DE-153) sank the German submarine picket ship. In October 1945, she participated in the Navy Day ceremonies at Jacksonville, Florida, and then on 31 October reported to the 16th Fleet at St. Johns River, Florida. Buckley was placed out of commission in reserve on 3 July 1946. On 26 April 1949 her classification was changed to DER-51, and on 29 September 1954, she was reclassified back to DE-51.

Buckley was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1968; she was sold for scrapping July 1969.

Awards

Buckley received the Navy Unit Commendation for sinking U-66 and three battle stars for her World War II service.

References

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

A 1/245 scale plastic model kit of the USS Buckley is available by Revell Models.

External links

• Photo gallery of USS Buckley at NavSource Naval History
• Historical Record of the USS Buckley