skcs us navy world war ii, korea, vietnam

A running battle with the communist gun emplacements in the hills resulted in COLLETT receiving light damage from five shells, but all the enemy guns were eventually silenced. On 19 September 1950, COLLETT and her sister ships of DESDIV 91 entered Inchon harbor to provide gunfire support for the troop landings. The Korean War saw COLLETT performing missions very similar to those of WWII. During deployment COLLETT shot down three Japanese aircraft and sank one Japanese submarine with the aid of the USS MERTZ. The ship remained in the war providing gunfire support, radar picket patrol, anti-submarine patrol, and carrier escort and protection, all with the THIRD and FIFTH Fleet. Twin screws can drive the ship at a highly maneuverable 33 knots.Īfter initial shakedown and training periods, COLLETT headed for the Pacific, reaching the war zone in early November 1944.

The 5'/38 twin mounts, fixed and trainable torpedo tubes, hedgehog mounts, and DASH (Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter) are the weapons delivery systems. Radar, sonar, and other detection equipment give the ship a wide variety of capabilities. The ship is 376 feet in length, 40 feet abeam, and displaces 3100 tons fully loaded. The first Commanding Officer of COLLETT was Commander James COLLETT, brother of John COLLETT.ĬOLLETT is a 2200-ton Sumner class destroyer which has been modified by the FRAM (Fleet Rehabilitation and Maintenance) program.

LCDR COLLETT was in command of an Aircraft Torpedo Squadron at the time his plane went down.

COLLETT is named in honor of Lieutenant Commander John Austin COLLETT, a naval aviator whose aircraft was lost in the fierce battle of Santa Cruz in the Pacific in October 1942. The keel was laid on 16 October 1943, and commissioning was on. The USS COLLETT was built by the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Photos Links Reunions and Newsletters Stories

Skcs us navy world war ii, korea, vietnam