U S NAVY 4th FLEET AT RECIFE - SHIP INDEX DD

12)DD 228 JOHN D. FORD

Photo. www.navsource.org By Fred Weiss

CLASS - CLEMSON

Laid down by Cramp, Philadelphia on November 11 1919.

Launched September 2 1920 and Commissioned December 30 1920.

Renamed DD-228 John D.Ford on November 17 1921.

Reclassified Auxiliary AG-119 June 30 1945.

Decommissioned November 2 1945.

Stricken November 16 1945.

Fate Sold September 30 1947 to Northern Metals, Philadelphia and broken up for scrap

Basic repeat Wickes Class, with 35% more fuel capacity to improve endurance problems, designed radius was 4900 nautical miles, at 15 knots.

Displacement 1,215 Tons

Dimensions, 314' 5" (oa) x 31' 8" x 9' 10" (Max)

Armament 4 x 4"/50, 1 x 3"/23AA, 12 x 21" tt..

Machinery, 26,000 SHP; Parsons Design Turbines, 2 screws.

Speed, 35 Knots.

Crew 114.

For 6 months DD 228 JOHN D FORD ranged the North and South Atlantic from New York and Charleston, S.C., to Casablanca, French Morocco, and Recife, Brazil, protecting supply convoys from German U-boats. After ASW training late in December, she joined Guadalcanal ( CVE-60) out of Norfolk 5 January 1944 for hunter-killer activities operations in the Atlantic. The versatile destroyer supported the destruction of German submarine U-554, surprised and depth charged while refueling west of the Azores 16 January.

After returning to the East Coast 16 February, John D. Ford cleared Norfolk 14 March for a convoy run to the Mediterranean. While at Gibraltar 29 March, she was damaged in a collision with a British tanker. Following repairs, she returned to Norfolk, arriving 1 May. Departing Norfolk 24 May for convoy duty to the Canal Zone, John D. Ford continued convoy patrols for almost a year from eastern seaboard ports to Recife, Reykjavik, and Casablanca

FOLLOWING PAGES ON THE SAME ARTICLE

11)DD 221 SIMPSON

13)DD 247 GOFF

14)DD 248 BARRY

15)DD 255 OSMOND INGRAM