Destroyers: Bagley Class

[Brian James]

Christening day for Bagley Class Destroyers USS Patterson (DD-392) and USS Jarvis (DD-393) pictured at the fitting out wharf at Puget Sound Navy Yard, May 6th 1937.

[Brian James]

The ill fated Bagley Class Destroyer USS Jarvis seen off Mare Island Navy Yard on May 8th 1942.She saw service in the Pacific in the early months of World War II, and participated in the invasion of Guadalcanal.She was sunk to the south of Guadalcanal on August 9th 1942, with all hands - one of only two American major surface warships to be lost in World War II with no survivors....RIP..Lest We Forget.

[Brian James]

Pearl Harbor veteran,Lead Ship,Destroyer USS Bagley pictured sporting her Measure 31 Design 1d camouflage livery,off Mare Island Navy Yard on April 28th 1944.

[Brian James]

Bagley Class Destroyer USS Mugford pictured sporting her Measure 32 Design 1d camouflage livery,off Mare Island Navy Yard on April 28th 1944.

[Brian James]

Bagley Class Destroyer USS Henley pictured at Mare Island Navy yard in February 1942...She was launched on January 12th 1937 at Mare Island Navy Yard. After shakedown in the Pacific and Hawaiian waters, Henley joined the Pacific Battle Force, Destroyer Division 11, at San Diego on September 12th 1938. She departed San Diego on April 14th 1941 to join the Fleet at Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941, Henley was moored in East Loch with battle stations manned, a green sailor having sounded General Quarters instead of Quarters for Muster. This fortunate mistake gave Henley under the command of Lieutenant Francis Edward Fleck, Jr., the opportunity to fire the first Destroyer shots as the initial wave of enemy planes swooped in. A bomb exploded 150 yards off her port bow as she slipped her chain from the buoy, and, as she cleared, she received a signal that a Submarine was in the harbor. Henley maneuvered through the smoke, fire, and confusion and sped out of the channel. Her gunners shot down one dive bomber with her .50 cal. guns and shared credit for another. Conned by Fleck—both her commanding officer and executive officer were ashore when the attack began—Henley dropped depth charges on a sonar contact, possibly a Midget Submarine, outside the harbor, and continued to blaze away at the enemy with her guns. In the following weeks Henley operated with the task forces to reinforce Wake Island and conducted patrol for the protection of Midway and convoy lanes.
Post refit at Mare Island Henley carried out convoy and antisubmarine duty, primarily in Australian waters. On May 11th 1942 she rescued the survivors of the USS Neosho (AO-23) and USS Sims (DD-409), sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea. She departed for Wellington July 22nd 1942 to escort transports to Guadalcanal. As American forces stormed ashore in the Solomons on August 7th, Henley patrolled on an ASW station, coming under fire from enemy planes but suffering no casualties and assisting in shooting down two in the process. As the fierce struggle for Guadalcanal raged, the Destroyer remained in the area to screen ships bringing up supplies and reinforcements until August 29th, Henley then set course south, and remained in Australian and New Guinea waters until September 1943 on plane guard, convoy duty, and antisubmarine patrol..When Australian troops established a beachhead at Finschafen, New Guinea on September 21st 1943, Henley formed a part of their protective screen. Attacked by 10 Japanese torpedo bombers, she claimed to have shot down 3 and assisted in downing 3 others in a fierce half-hour engagement. However, the valiant ship's wartime career, begun in the chaos at Pearl Harbor, was drawing to a close. On October 3rd 1943 Henley was steaming with Reid and Smith on an offensive sweep off Finschafen when her skipper sighted two torpedoes fired by Submarine Ro-108 heading for her. Split-second maneuvering permitted Henley to evade those two torpedoes; but a third was immediately sighted, closing too fast and too near to be avoided. Henley was struck on the port side, with the torpedo exploding in the number 1 fire-room, destroying her boilers, breaking her keel, and displacing her bow about 30 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the ship. At 18:29, with all her crew having abandoned ship, Henley went down, stern first. Her companion DD's searched for the Sub, then returned to rescue Henley's survivors, who had lashed their life-rafts together and were using flashlights as signals. Eighteen officers and 225 men were rescued, with 1 officer and 14 men missing.

[Brian James]

Launch day pictured at Norfolk Navy Yard on May 27th 1937 for Bagley Class Destroyers USS Blue (DD-387) and USS Helm (DD-388).....USS Blue was sunk at the Battle of Guadalcanal on August 22nd 1942...USS Helm was scrapped on October 12th 1947.