Misplaced Pages

#936063

64-537: USS Burden R. Hastings (DE-19) was an Evarts -class destroyer escort of the United States Navy during World War II . Immediately after being built, she was crewed and sent to the Pacific Ocean to escort convoys and to protect them from air and submarine attack. During her wartime service, she was credited with having sunk one Japanese submarine and otherwise protecting numerous ships from danger. She

128-414: A homing torpedo may not be effective. Depth charges are especially useful for "flushing the prey" in the event of a diesel submarine hiding on the bottom. The effective use of depth charges required the combined resources and skills of many individuals during an attack. Sonar, helm, depth charge crews and the movement of other ships had to be carefully coordinated. Aircraft depth charge tactics depended on

192-431: A depth charge undergoes a rapid chemical reaction at an approximate rate of 26,000 ft/s (8,000 m/s). The gaseous products of that reaction momentarily occupy the volume previously occupied by the solid explosive, but at very high pressure. This pressure is the source of the damage and is proportional to the explosive density and the square of the detonation velocity. A depth charge gas bubble expands to equalize with

256-406: A killing radius (resulting in a hull breach) of only 10–13 ft (3–4 m) against a conventional 1000-ton submarine, while the disablement radius (where the submarine is not sunk but is put out of commission) would be approximately 26–33 ft (8–10 m). A larger payload increases the radius only slightly because the effect of an underwater explosion decreases as the cube of the distance to

320-533: A more effective average depth of 246 ft (75 m). Vice Admiral Charles A. Lockwood , commander of the U.S. submarine fleet in the Pacific, later estimated that May's ill-advised comments cost the US Navy as many as ten submarines and 800 seamen killed in action . For the reasons expressed above, the depth charge was generally replaced as an anti-submarine weapon. Initially, this was by ahead-throwing weapons such as

384-463: A period of many hours, such as U-427 , which survived 678 depth charges in April 1945. The first delivery mechanism was to simply roll the "ashcans" off racks at the stern of the moving attacking vessel. Originally depth charges were simply placed at the top of a ramp and allowed to roll. Improved racks, which could hold several depth charges and release them remotely with a trigger, were developed towards

448-492: A pre-selected depth detonated the charge. Initial depth settings were 40 or 80 ft (12 or 24 m). Because production could not keep up with demand, anti-submarine vessels initially carried only two depth charges, to be released from a chute at the stern of the ship. The first success was the sinking of U-68 off County Kerry , Ireland, on 22 March 1916, by the Q-ship Farnborough. Germany became aware of

512-437: A quick voyage between California and Pearl Harbor and return. In August she returned to Pearl Harbor and then proceeded to Baker Island where she carried out patrol and escort duties. On 12 November she arrived off Tarawa , Gilbert Islands , and carried out pre-invasion bombardments of Japanese positions until the 20th, when landings were made. She remained in support of the occupation until 23 November and then departed for

576-428: A slow-moving submarine, 1,700 yards (1,600 m) distant. Following one fruitless hedgehog attack, Burden R. Hastings repeated the procedure after regaining contact. A heavy underwater explosion and a phosphorescent flash beneath the waves testified to the success of her second "hedgehog" run. The destroyer escort then passed over the submarine, and four depth charges splashed into her wake, drifting downward toward

640-419: A small spare parts box indicated that her victim had been Ro-44 . Postwar examination of Japanese records corroborated the sinking of Ro-44 . At 1900 on 16 June, Burden R. Hastings resumed her voyage to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 22 June. After an availability that extended to 4 July, she spent the next three days screening Ommaney Bay as the escort carrier conducted carrier qualifications in

704-564: A tour of duty under Commander, Submarine Training, Pacific (ComSubTrainPac). On 23 August, Burden R. Hastings sailed for San Francisco, escorting SS Philippa . Arriving on the last day of August, the destroyer escort unloaded ammunition and moored at the Hunters Point Naval Drydocks for a yard overhaul. On 26 October, the destroyer escort took on ammunition, and spent the next few days engaged in post-overhaul trials. On 6 November, Burden R. Hastings sailed for Hawaii as part of

SECTION 10

#1732854833937

768-440: A wider dispersal pattern when used in conjunction with rack-deployed charges. The first of these was developed from a British Army trench mortar . 1277 were issued, 174 installed in auxiliaries during 1917 and 1918. The bombs they launched were too light to be truly effective; only one U-boat is known to have been sunk by them. Thornycroft created an improved version able to throw a charge 40 yd (37 m). The first

832-554: Is detonated at a shallow depth and the gas bubble vents into the atmosphere very soon after the detonation are quite ineffective, even though they are more dramatic and therefore preferred in movies. A sign of an effective detonation depth is that the surface just slightly rises and only after a while vents into a water burst. Very large depth charges, including nuclear weapons, may be detonated at sufficient depth to create multiple damaging shock waves. Such depth charges can also cause damage at longer distances, if reflected shock waves from

896-481: The 90SG . China has also produced such weapons. During the Cold War when it was necessary to inform submarines of the other side that they had been detected but without actually launching an attack, low-power "signalling depth charges" (also called "practice depth charges") were sometimes used, powerful enough to be detected when no other means of communication was possible, but not destructive. The high explosive in

960-499: The Battle of the Atlantic wore on, British and Commonwealth forces became particularly adept at depth charge tactics, and formed some of the first destroyer hunter-killer groups to actively seek out and destroy German U-boats. Surface ships usually used ASDIC ( sonar ) to detect submerged submarines. However, to deliver its depth charges a ship had to pass over the contact to drop them over

1024-468: The Cold War , during which they were supplemented, and later largely replaced, by anti-submarine homing torpedoes . A depth charge fitted with a nuclear warhead is also known as a " nuclear depth bomb ". These were designed to be dropped from a patrol plane or deployed by an anti-submarine missile from a surface ship, or another submarine, located a safe distance away. By the late 1990s all nuclear anti-submarine weapons had been withdrawn from service by

1088-642: The House Military Affairs Committee caused The May Incident . The congressman, who had just returned from the Pacific theater where he had received confidential intelligence and operational briefings from the US Navy, revealed at a press conference that there were deficiencies in Japanese depth-charge tactics. After various press associations reported the depth issue, the Japanese Imperial Navy began setting their depth charges to explode at

1152-595: The SUBROC , which was armed with a nuclear depth charge. The USSR , United States and United Kingdom developed nuclear depth bombs . As of 2018 , the Royal Navy retains a depth charge labelled as Mk11 Mod 3, which can be deployed from its AgustaWestland Wildcat and Merlin HM.2 helicopters . Russia has also developed homing (but unpropelled) depth charges including the S3V Zagon and

1216-497: The United States and the units brought together in the shipyards, where they were welded together on the slipways . The original design specified eight engines for 24 knots but other priority programs forced the use of only four with a consequent shortening of the hull. In all, 105 Evarts -class ships were ordered with 8 later being cancelled. The United States Navy commissioned 65 while 32 Evarts -class ships were delivered to

1280-511: The United States , the United Kingdom , France , Russia and China . They have been replaced by conventional weapons whose accuracy and range had improved greatly as ASW technology improved. The first attempt to fire charges against submerged targets was with aircraft bombs attached to lanyards which triggered them. A similar idea was a 16 lb (7.3 kg) guncotton charge in a lanyarded can. Two of these lashed together became known as

1344-542: The public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . [REDACTED] Media related to Evarts class destroyer escorts at Wikimedia Commons Depth charge Depth charges were developed during World War I , and were one of the first viable methods of attacking a submarine underwater. They were widely used in World War I and World War II , and remained part of the anti-submarine arsenals of many navies during

SECTION 20

#1732854833937

1408-573: The public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships . The entry can be found here . Evarts-class destroyer escort The Evarts -class destroyer escorts were destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1942–44. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships. They were also known as the GMT or "short hull" DE class, with GMT standing for General Motors Tandem Diesel drive. The lead ship

1472-400: The "depth charge Type A". Problems with the lanyards tangling and failing to function led to the development of a chemical pellet trigger as the "Type B". These were effective at a distance of around 20 ft (6 m). A 1913 Royal Navy Torpedo School report described a device intended for countermining , a "dropping mine". At Admiral John Jellicoe 's request, the standard Mark II mine

1536-576: The British-developed Hedgehog and later Squid mortars. These weapons threw a pattern of warheads ahead of the attacking vessel to bracket a submerged contact. The Hedgehog was contact fuzed, while the Squid fired a pattern of three large, 440 lb (200 kg) depth charges with clockwork detonators. Later developments included the Mark 24 "Fido" acoustic homing torpedo (and later such weapons), and

1600-582: The Commandant, 11th Naval District, for disposition on 29 September 1945, Burden R Hastings was decommissioned on 25 October 1945 at Terminal Island , California; and her name was struck from the Navy List on 13 November 1945. She was sold to the National Metal and Steel Corp., of Terminal Island, and was delivered to her purchaser on 1 February 1947. [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

1664-547: The Hawaiian operating area. On 9 July, Burden R. Hastings and four other destroyer escorts left Pearl Harbor to escort a large convoy of troopships to Eniwetok. Reaching that atoll on 17 July, she cleared the Marshalls the same day, on her way back to Hawaii in company with North Carolina , Bataan , Windham Bay , and Hugh L. Scott . The formation arrived at Pearl Harbor on 23 July. The next day, Burden R. Hastings commenced

1728-504: The Japanese submarine I-36 launched a kaiten (manned torpedo) attack against the anchorage. At 0654 that morning, one of the torpedoes struck and damaged the ammunition ship Mazama at anchor in Ulithi lagoon. Since the deed was thought to be the work of a midget submarine , all ASW-equipped ships – Burden R. Hastings included – conducted a thorough, but futile, search until late in the afternoon. Two weeks later, wreckage of what resembled

1792-463: The Marshalls until receiving orders to return to the United States for decommissioning. In company with Wileman and two other destroyer escorts, she sailed for Kwajalein on 11 September, rendezvoused there with the rest of the division, and left the Marshalls on 14 September bound for Pearl Harbor. Reaching Hawaii five days later, the destroyer escort pushed on to San Pedro, California. Reporting to

1856-535: The RN, and 16,451 fired, scoring 38 kills in all, and aiding in 140 more. The United States requested full working drawings of the device in March 1917. Having received them, Commander Fullinwider of the U.S. Bureau of Naval Ordnance and U.S. Navy engineer Minkler made some modifications and then patented it in the U.S. It has been argued that this was done to avoid paying the original inventor. The Royal Navy Type D depth charge

1920-683: The Royal Navy. They were classed as frigates and named after captains of the Napoleonic Wars and formed part of the Captain class along with 46 ships of the Buckley class . [REDACTED]   This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register , which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain . [REDACTED]   This article incorporates text from

1984-492: The Type D at below 100 ft (30 m) and at 10 kn (19 km/h; 12 mph) or more, so the relatively ineffective Type D* was withdrawn. Monthly use of depth charges increased from 100 to 300 per month during 1917 to an average of 1745 per month during the last six months of World War I . The Type D could be detonated as deep as 300 ft (90 m) by that date. By the war's end, 74,441 depth charges had been issued by

USS Burden R. Hastings - Misplaced Pages Continue

2048-510: The Type D, became available in January 1916. It was a barrel-like casing containing a high explosive (usually TNT , but amatol was also used when TNT became scarce). There were initially two sizes—Type D, with a 300 lb (140 kg) charge for fast ships, and Type D* with a 120 lb (54 kg) charge for ships too slow to leave the danger area before the more powerful charge detonated. A hydrostatic pistol actuated by water pressure at

2112-464: The Y-gun as the primary depth charge projector. The K-guns fired one depth charge at a time and could be mounted on the periphery of a ship's deck, thus freeing valuable centerline space. Four to eight K-guns were typically mounted per ship. The K-guns were often used together with stern racks to create patterns of six to ten charges. In all cases, the attacking ship needed to be moving fast enough to get out of

2176-799: The addition of a streamlined nose fairing and stabilising fins on the tail; it entered service in 1941 as the Mark VII Airborne DC. Other designs followed in 1942. Experiencing the same problems as the RAF with ineffective anti-submarine bombs, Captain Birger Ek of Finnish Air Force squadron LeLv 6 contacted a navy friend to use Finnish Navy depth charges from aircraft, which led to his unit's Tupolev SB bombers being modified in early 1942 to carry depth charges. Later depth charges for dedicated aerial use were developed. These are still useful today and remain in use, particularly for shallow-water situations where

2240-477: The afterbody of a torpedo washed up on one of the islands ringing the lagoon. Leaving the Marshalls on 24 January 1945 with SS  Afoundria , Burden R. Hastings touched at Roi, Kwajalein, and Majuro where the Army transport picked up troops bound for Hawaii. After arriving at Pearl Harbor on 2 February, the destroyer escort commenced four months of work with carriers and submarines, planeguarding and participating in

2304-399: The aircraft using its speed to rapidly appear from over the horizon and surprising the submarine on the surface (where it spent most of its time) during the day or night (at night using radar to detect the target and a Leigh light to illuminate it immediately before attacking), then quickly attacking once it had been located, as the submarine would normally crash dive to escape attack. As

2368-399: The danger zone before the charges exploded. Depth charges could also be dropped from an aircraft against submarines. At the start of World War II, Britain's primary aerial anti-submarine weapon was the 100 lb (45 kg) anti-submarine bomb, but it was too light to be effective. To replace it, the Royal Navy's 450 lb (200 kg) Mark VII depth charge was modified for aerial use by

2432-695: The depth charge following unsuccessful attacks on U-67 on 15 April 1916, and U-69 on 20 April 1916. The only other submarines sunk by depth charge during 1916 were UC-19 and UB-29 . Numbers of depth charges carried per ship increased to four in June 1917, to six in August, and 30–50 by 1918. The weight of charges and racks caused ship instability unless heavy guns and torpedo tubes were removed to compensate. Improved pistols allowed greater depth settings in 50 ft (15 m) increments, from 50 to 200 ft (15 to 61 m). Even slower ships could safely use

2496-457: The end of the First World War . These racks remained in use throughout World War II because they were simple and easy to reload. Some Royal Navy trawlers used for anti-submarine work during 1917 and 1918 had a thrower on the forecastle for a single depth charge, but there do not seem to be any records of it being used in action. Specialized depth charge throwers were developed to generate

2560-459: The escort for a 16-ship convoy and arrived at Pearl Harbor ten days later. After an availability, the warship set course for the Marshalls on 26 November and arrived at Eniwetok on 4 December. For the remainder of December 1944 and for most of January 1945, Burden R. Hastings escorted convoys between Eniwetok and Ulithi, in the Western Carolines. During her stay at Ulithi on 12 January 1945,

2624-536: The latest United States Navy submarines could dive so deep. Unless caught in shallow water, an American submarine could dive below the Japanese depth charge attack. The Japanese had used attack patterns based on the older United States S-class submarines (1918–1925) that had a test depth of 200 ft (61 m); while the WWII Balao-class submarines (1943) could reach 400 ft (120 m). This changed in June 1943 when U.S. Congressman Andrew J. May of

USS Burden R. Hastings - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-535: The maximum detonation depth to 900 ft (270 m). The Mark VII's 290 lb (130 kg) amatol charge was estimated to be capable of splitting a 7 ⁄ 8  in (22 mm) submarine pressure hull at a distance of 20 ft (6 m), and forcing the submarine to surface at twice that. The change of explosive to Torpex (or Minol) at the end of 1942 was estimated to increase those distances to 26 and 52 ft (8 and 16 m). The British Mark X depth charge weighed 3,000 lb (1,400 kg) and

2752-542: The newly established Advanced Naval Base at Funafuti , Ellice Islands . During the remainder of 1943 Burden R. Hastings escorted two convoys to Tarawa and one to Nouméa , New Caledonia , and then returned to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 8 January 1944. Burden R. Hastings departed Pearl Harbor on 28 January 1944 and proceeded to the Marshall Islands where she supported the occupation of Kwajalein (5–6 February). Returning to Pearl Harbor on 13 February, she remained in

2816-428: The ocean floor or surface converge to amplify radial shock waves. Submarines or surface ships may be damaged if operating in the convergence zones of their own depth charge detonations. The damage that an underwater explosion inflicts on a submarine comes from a primary and a secondary shock wave. The primary shock wave is the initial shock wave of the depth charge, and will cause damage to personnel and equipment inside

2880-424: The pressure of the surrounding water. This gas expansion propagates a shock wave. The density difference of the expanding gas bubble from the surrounding water causes the bubble to rise toward the surface. Unless the explosion is shallow enough to vent the gas bubble to the atmosphere during its initial expansion, the momentum of water moving away from the gas bubble will create a gaseous void of lower pressure than

2944-508: The secondary shock wave can be reinforced if another depth charge detonates on the other side of the hull in close time proximity to the first detonation, which is why depth charges are normally launched in pairs with different pre-set detonation depths. The killing radius of a depth charge depends on the depth of detonation, the payload of the depth charge and the size and strength of the submarine hull. A depth charge of approximately 220 lb (100 kg) of TNT (400 MJ ) would normally have

3008-531: The ship embarked upon a series of convoy-escort runs between Eniwetok and Ulithi, a routine which she maintained through July and into the first part of August. While returning from Ulithi to Eniwetok on 14 August, she learned of Japan's acceptance of the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agreement to surrender to the Allies . Reaching Eniwetok on 17 August 1945, Burden R. Hastings remained inactive in

3072-588: The stern; sonar contact would be lost just before attack, rendering the hunter blind at the crucial moment. This gave a skilful submarine commander an opportunity to take evasive action. In 1942 the forward-throwing "hedgehog" mortar, which fired a spread salvo of bombs with contact fuzes at a "stand-off" distance while still in sonar contact, was introduced, and proved to be effective. In the Pacific Theater during World War II , Japanese depth charge attacks were initially unsuccessful because they were unaware that

3136-400: The submarine if detonated close enough. The secondary shock wave is a result of the cyclical expansion and contraction of the gas bubble and will bend the submarine back and forth and cause catastrophic hull breach, in a way that can be likened to bending a plastic ruler rapidly back and forth until it snaps. Up to sixteen cycles of secondary shock waves have been recorded in tests. The effect of

3200-400: The surrounding water. Surrounding water pressure then collapses the gas bubble with inward momentum causing excess pressure within the gas bubble. Re-expansion of the gas bubble then propagates another potentially damaging shock wave. Cyclical expansion and contraction can continue for several seconds until the gas bubble vents to the atmosphere. Consequently, explosions where the depth charge

3264-408: The target, a U-boat's pressure hull would not rupture unless the charge detonated within about 15 ft (5 m). Getting the weapon within this range was a matter of luck and quite unlikely as the target took evasive action. Most U-boats sunk by depth charges were destroyed by damage accumulated from an extended barrage rather than by a single charge, and many survived hundreds of depth charges over

SECTION 50

#1732854833937

3328-446: The target. Five seconds after the four charges exploded, a violent explosion rumbled up from the depths. The concussion knocked out Burden R. Hastings' gyro compass and caused other minor damage throughout the ship. Further searching failed to disclose any other contact. At sunrise, lookouts spotted debris and a "moderate" oil slick. Burden R. Hastings launched her motor whaleboat and its crew picked up wreckage. Characters on top of

3392-470: The training of the "fleet boats" as they worked up in Hawaiian waters. During the course of her planeguarding, she picked up the crews of several planes that had crashed. On 22 June, Burden R. Hastings departed Pearl Harbor with the rest of CortDiv 10, the first time that the ships had operated together as a unit, escorting a convoy of transports to the Marshall Islands. Upon reaching Eniwetok on 30 June,

3456-419: The two ships were 5,000 yards apart, Burden R. Hastings challenged thrice with an Aldis lamp but received no reply. She then fired four star shells in an effort to illuminate; but, after the second burst, radar plot reported that the "pip" had disappeared from the screen. Burden R. Hastings then began to hunt a submarine. Opening her sonar search at 0344, she latched onto the contact at 0354, picking up

3520-705: The vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands until the 29th. Once again she returned to the Marshalls and then participated in the Palau - Yap - Ulithi - Woleai raids (30 March – 1 April). During the remainder of World War II Burden R. Hastings operated as a convoy escort, plane guard, and unit of various hunter-killer groups in the area of the Marshall, Gilbert, and western Caroline Islands . Detached from duty at Majuro on 13 June, Burden R. Hastings headed via Eniwetok for Pearl Harbor, proceeding independently. At 0250 on 16 June,

3584-586: The warship's SL radar picked up a surface contact 10 miles away that showed no IFF ( Identification Friend or Foe ) signal. The small "pip" on the radar screen indicated either a surfaced submarine or a small craft, so the captain decided to close range to 5,000 yards (4,600 m) and challenge the stranger visually. Burden R. Hastings proceeded ahead through the moderate sea while her quarry moved at 18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph). The destroyer escort rang up 19.5 knots (36.1 km/h; 22.4 mph) to close range and went to General Quarters . At 0337, when

3648-604: Was USS  Evarts , launched on 7 December 1942, exactly a year after the attack on Pearl Harbor . The first ship to be completed was commissioned on 20 January 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard ; it was delivered to the Royal Navy under the Lend-Lease provisions and became HMS  Bayntun . Evarts -class ships were driven by diesel-electric power with four diesel engines mounted in tandem with electric drives. The ships were prefabricated in sections at various factories in

3712-521: Was 200 lb (91 kg) of Torpex with a sinking speed of 14.4 ft/s (4.4 m/s) and depth settings of up to 600 ft (180 m). Later versions increased depth to 1,000 ft (300 m) and sinking speed to 22.7 ft/s (6.9 m/s) with increased weight and improved streamlining. Although the explosions of the standard United States 600 lb (270 kg) Mark 4 and Mark 7 depth charge used in World War II were nerve-wracking to

3776-441: Was awarded four battle stars for her services in battle areas. Originally built for the United Kingdom under Lend-Lease , she was launched as HMS Duckworth (BDE-19) on 20 November 1942 by Mare Island Navy Yard . Taken over by the United States and reclassified DE-19 on 25 January 1943, the ship was renamed Burden R. Hastings on 19 February 1943; and commissioned on 1 May 1943. During July 1943 Burden R. Hastings made

3840-508: Was designated the "Mark VII" in 1939. Initial sinking speed was 7 ft/s (2.1 m/s) with a terminal velocity of 9.9 ft/s (3.0 m/s) at a depth of 250 ft (76 m) if rolled off the stern, or upon water contact from a depth charge thrower. Cast iron weights of 150 lb (68 kg) were attached to the Mark VII at the end of 1940 to increase sinking velocity to 16.8 ft/s (5.1 m/s). New hydrostatic pistols increased

3904-439: Was detonated in the vertical column of the Y-gun to propel a depth charge about 45 yd (41 m) over each side of the ship. The main disadvantage of the Y-gun was that it had to be mounted on the centerline of a ship's deck, which could otherwise be occupied by superstructure, masts, or guns. The first were built by New London Ship and Engine Company beginning on 24 November 1917. The K-gun, standardized in 1942, replaced

SECTION 60

#1732854833937

3968-584: Was fitted in July 1917 and became operational in August. In all, 351 torpedo boat destroyers and 100 other craft were equipped. Projectors called "Y-guns" (in reference to their basic shape), developed by the U.S. Navy's Bureau of Ordnance from the Thornycroft thrower, became available in 1918. Mounted on the centerline of the ship with the arms of the Y pointing outboard, two depth charges were cradled on shuttles inserted into each arm. An explosive propellant charge

4032-509: Was fitted with a hydrostatic pistol (developed in 1914 by Thomas Firth and Sons of Sheffield) preset for 45 ft (14 m) firing, to be launched from a stern platform. Weighing 1,150 lb (520 kg), and effective at 100 ft (30 m), the "cruiser mine" was a potential hazard to the dropping ship. The design work was carried out by Herbert Taylor at the RN Torpedo and Mine School, HMS Vernon . The first effective depth charge,

4096-427: Was launched from the 21 in (530 mm) torpedo tubes of older destroyers to achieve a sinking velocity of 21 ft/s (6.4 m/s). The launching ship needed to clear the area at 11 knots to avoid damage, and the charge was seldom used. Only 32 were actually fired, and they were known to be troublesome. The teardrop-shaped United States Mark 9 depth charge entered service in the spring of 1943. The charge

#936063