View source for USS Perkins (DD-377)

{{Short description|Mahan-class destroyer}}
{{other ships|USS Perkins}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=Dd-377-uss-perkins-nh74321.jpg
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1942}}
|Ship name=
|Ship namesake= [[George Hamilton Perkins]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Puget Sound Navy Yard]]
|Ship laid down=15 November 1934
|Ship launched=31 December 1935
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=18 September 1936
|Ship decommissioned=
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Accidentally rammed and sunk by Australian troopship [[MV Duntroon|''Duntroon'']], 29 November 1943
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class=[[Mahan class destroyer|''Mahan''-class]] [[destroyer]] 
|Ship displacement=1,500&nbsp;tons
|Ship length={{convert|341|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|35|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|9|ft|10|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed={{convert|37|kn|km/h|abbr=on}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement=158 officers and crew
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*'''As Built:'''
*1 × Gun Director above bridge,
*5 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5"(127mm)/38cal DP]] (5x1),
*12 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] T Tubes (3x4),
*4 × [[M2 Browning|.50cal (12.7mm)]] MG AA (4x1),
*2 × [[Depth Charge]] stern racks,
*'''c1942:'''
*1 × Gun Director above bridge,
*4 × 5" (127mm)/38cal DP (4x1),
*12 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] T Tubes (3x4),
*6 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|Oerlikon 20 mm AA]] (6x1),
*2 × Depth Charge roll-off stern racks,
*4 × K-gun depth charge projectors
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

The second '''USS ''Perkins'' (DD–377)''' was a [[Mahan class destroyer|''Mahan''-class]] [[destroyer]] in the [[United States Navy]] before and during [[World War II]] and named in honour of [[Commodore (United States)|Commodore]] '''George Hamilton Perkins''' an officer in the [[United States Navy]] during the [[American Civil War]].

''Perkins'' was laid down on 15 November 1934 at the [[Puget Sound Navy Yard]], [[Bremerton, Washington]]. She was launched 31 December 1935, sponsored by Mrs Larz Anderson, commissioned 18 September 1936.

==Operational history==
Assigned first to Destroyers, [[Scouting Force]] then to Destroyers, [[Battle Force]], ''Perkins'' home port was [[San Diego, California]] and she operated in the eastern Pacific prior to World War II. At [[Mare Island Naval Shipyard]] for overhaul, 7 December 1941, she reported for convoy escort duty on the 15th and on the 17th was en route to [[Pearl Harbor]]. By 15 January 1942 she was back at Mare Island for the installation of new [[radar]] equipment returning on the 25th to [[Hawaii]].

On 2 February she departed Pearl Harbor with {{USS|Chicago|CA-29|2}}, for the southwest [[Pacific]]. On the 14th she joined [[Australia]]n, [[New Zealand]] and other U.S. ships in the [[ANZAC Squadron]] then charged with protecting the eastern approaches to Australia and New Zealand. Through the spring, she continued operations with that squadron, steaming at times with fast carrier forces around the [[Coral Sea]] to strike at any enemy encroachments, escorting refuelling units to rendezvous areas and screening larger ships of her own and combined forces as they shelled enemy positions from [[New Guinea]] to the [[Solomon Islands]].

[[File:Uss Perkins DD-377.jpg|thumb|left|''Perkins'' steaming through heavy seas, 27 August 1937]]
On 1–2 May, the squadron joined with Task Force (TF) 11 and 17 and screened the carriers as their aircraft struck at [[Tulagi]] to open the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]]. Detached on the 7th, the squadron steamed to the [[Louisiade Archipelago]] to intercept a [[Japan]]ese [[Amphibious warfare|amphibious attack]] on [[Port Moresby]] via the [[Jomard Passage]]. That afternoon the ships were attacked by land-based aircraft and in driving them off, diverted the Japanese force accomplishing the mission without engaging the enemy and setting the stage for the final action of the Battle of the Coral Sea.

The ANZAC squadron continued to patrol to the southeast of [[Papua (Australian territory)|Papua]]. On the 10th the squadron headed for Australia and for almost two months ''Perkins'' escorted convoys and patrolled harbour entrances along the coasts of the [[Coral Sea|Coral]] and [[Tasman Sea]]s. ''Perkins'' was in Sydney Harbour during the [[Attack on Sydney Harbour|Japanese midget submarine attack]] of 31 May 1942.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jenkins |first=David |title=Battle Surface! Japan's Submarine War Against Australia 1942–44 |year=1992 |publisher=Random House Australia |location=Milsons Point |isbn=0-09-182638-1 |pages=193–194 }}</ref>

On 11 July she sailed for [[Auckland]], then to [[Noumea]]. Convoy escort duty between [[Suva]] and [[New Caledonia]] followed and in mid-August, she returned to New Zealand for propeller repairs. On the 20th, she sailed for Pearl Harbor where repairs were completed and additional radar equipment and 20&nbsp;mm guns installed.

In mid-November ''Perkins'' headed west, arriving at [[Espiritu Santo]] on the 27th. Three days later she departed [[Segond Channel]] in [[Rear Admiral]] [[Carleton Wright]]'s cruiser-destroyer force to intercept and destroy Japanese forces attempting to resupply units on [[Guadalcanal]]. At 2315, five radar contacts were made and a few minutes later the [[Battle of Tassafaronga]] commenced. ''Perkins'' launched eight torpedoes, with no hits. Undamaged in the encounter she turned toward [[Tulagi]] to assist the burning [[USS Pensacola (CA-24)|''Pensacola'']], while [[USS Maury (DD-401)|''Maury'']] went to assist [[USS New Orleans (CA-32)|''New Orleans'']]. Continuing operations from Tulagi, she shelled the Guadalcanal coast and served on escort assignments until January 1943. A brief availability at [[Noumea]] followed and by the 13th she was back at Tulagi for further escort and support missions.

At the end of April ''Perkins'' joined TF&nbsp;10 for tactical training and in May she returned to Australia to join the forces gathering to sail up the [[New Guinea]] coast to gain control of the [[Huon Peninsula]].  On 21 August ''Perkins'', [[flagship]] of DesRon 5, led [[USS Smith (DD-378)|''Smith'']], [[USS Conyngham (DD-371)|''Conyngham'']], and [[USS Mahan (DD-364)|''Mahan'']] out of Milne Bay to make a sweep of [[Huon Gulf]] and shell [[Finschhafen]].

On 4 September ''Perkins'' shelled the coast between the Bulu and Buso rivers, covering Allied landings at Red Beach before heading toward [[Lae]]. On the 8th, she fired on the isolated garrison and on the 15th, the last enemy soldiers pulled out and Allied forces entered Lae.

==Fate==
Finschhafen fell on 2 October and the increase in Allied shipping traffic in Huon Gulf, together with the presence of Japanese submarines, brought ''Perkins'' back to escort duty. Reinforcements were escorted to [[Langemak Bay]] and to Scarlet Beach east of Satelberg. On 28 November 1943, she departed [[Milne Bay]] for Buna, steaming independently. Shortly before 0200, the Australian troopship [[MV Duntroon|''Duntroon'']] collided with her port side, amidships. Splitting in two, ''Perkins'' sank approximately 2&nbsp;miles off Ipoteto Island. Nine personnel were killed, and a tenth seriously injured.<ref name=Duntroon>{{cite journal |url=http://www.dunsoc.com/Newsletter-web/1-1999-web.pdf |title=Motor Vessel Duntroon |author=Howarth, Ross |journal=The Duntroon Society |date=May 1999 |issue=1/1999 |pages=1–2 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131108042749/http://www.dunsoc.com/Newsletter-web/1-1999-web.pdf |archive-date=2013-11-08 }}</ref> A court of inquiry, held in San Francisco the following month, held the captain of ''Perkins'' accountable for the incident, along with his executive officer and [[officer-of-the-deck]].<ref name=Duntroon/>

==Honors==
''Perkins'' earned 4 [[battle star]]s during World War II.

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/perkins-ii.html}}

== External links ==
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p5/perkins-ii.htm history.navy.mil: USS ''Perkins''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506045502/http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/p5/perkins-ii.htm |date=2013-05-06 }}
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/377.htm USS PERKINS (DD-377)]
*[http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/destroyers/pages/alpha_pages/p/perkins_dd377/uss_perkins_dd377_roll_of_honor.htm Roll of Honor]

{{Mahan_class_destroyer}}
{{November 1943 shipwrecks}}
{{coord missing|Pacific Ocean}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Perkins}}
[[Category:Mahan-class destroyers|Perkins (DD-377)]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States|Perkins (DD-377)]]
[[Category:Ships sunk in collisions]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bremerton, Washington]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Solomon Sea]]
[[Category:1935 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1943]]