Vestal′s force used a dynamite charge to jar one propeller loose and had to burn through the shaft of another to get it off. 1) was authorized on 17 April 1904; but the ship was renamed Vestal in October 1905, well before her keel was laid down on 25 March 1907 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Launched on 19 May 1908, Vestal was placed in service as a fleet collier, with a civilian crew, at her builders' yard on 4 October 1909. Vestal then operated off the Virginia Capes and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before she returned to the Boston Navy Yard on 10 June 1915, after calls at New York City and Newport, Rhode Island She took on stores and provisions at Boston and underwent repairs there before she rejoined the fleet at Narragansett Bay on 19 May 1916. Over the months that followed, the Japanese would contest the Americans and their Australian and New Zealand allies with skill and tenacity. After a voyage to Europe to coal ships of the Atlantic Fleet in those waters, the ship returned to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and was taken out of service at the Boston Navy Yard on 25 October 1912. Vestal salvaged the sub, which at that time had to have been a major feat. Besides the danger posed by suiciders, deck sentries kept a sharp lookout for any enemy who might attempt to swim out to the ships with mines or explosive charges. After she was decommissioned in 1946, the repair ship was finally sold to the Baltimore Shipyard for salvage 1950, although at least one thing was saved from being scrapped. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1941, Nouméa and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History & Heritage Command - USS Vestal (Collier # 1, later Repair Ship # 4, AR-4), 1909-1950, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Vestal&oldid=1020033367, World War I auxiliary ships of the United States, Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Wikipedia articles incorporating text from the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 April 2021, at 20:10. Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in December 1941, Nouméa and the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, Naval History & Heritage Command - USS Vestal (Collier # 1, later Repair Ship # 4, AR-4), 1909-1950. One bomb struck the starboard side at frame 44 penetrating three decks, passing through the upper crew space, GSK stores A-16½, A-14½, and exploding in GSK stores lower hold A-9. Those Vestal men were included in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to Enterprise. Some of the outstanding repair jobs were on combatants, ships damaged during the bitter naval engagements in the Solomons in late 1942 and early 1943. At 20:55 on 10 August 1945, a pyrotechnic display burst forth as word arrived telling that Japan was entertaining thoughts of surrender. USS Hull (DD-350) was a Farragut-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. Vestal put her in shape, too, for a trip to a stateside yard where permanent repairs could be made. During her time at Nouméa, Vestal completed 158 jobs on 21 ships; she departed that port on 13 November; reached Espiritu Santo three days later; and began a year's schedule of repair service. Following the completion of recovery, Vestal was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1927. The repair ship remained in that body of water for the remainder of the war. One of the more difficult jobs was the one performed on South Dakota. The big repair job awaiting her there was that for the battleship Washington, which had suffered heavy collision damage forward with the Indiana. Laid down in 1941, launched in 1942 and commissioned in 1943, she was decommissioned in 1986 and finally sold for scrap. (Source: C. Seavey, 2020) Contributor Names Bain News Service, publisher Created / Published 5/19/08 (date created or published later by Bain) Subject Headings - Brooklyn, N.Y - Ships Headings Glass negatives. Joe George saved 6 lives that day, and was never awarded for his heroism until 76 years later. Her biggest repair job of that time was the light cruiser Reno, torpedoed off San Bernardino Strait by Japanese submarine I-41 on the night of 3 November. Vestal remained at Kerama Retto through mid-June before she got underway on the 23d for Nakagusuku Wan, later renamed Buckner Bay, arriving there later that same day. While Vestal lay at anchor at Saipan, the Okinawa invasion commenced on 1 April 1945. In addition, she performed repairs on the torpedoed light cruiser St. Louis, the torpedoed Australian light cruiser HMAS Hobart; the bomb-damaged transport Zeilin; and others, including Tappahannock and HMNZS Leander. While Vestal lay at anchor at Saipan, the Okinawa invasion commenced on 1 April 1945. With only six divers working, Vestal's party operated until 02:00 on 7 September and reported the damage as a series of splits extending along some 150 feet (46 m) of the ship's bottom. Her jobs included the kamikaze-damaged Newcomb and Evans. As some of us tend to do over the weekend, we think about the week ahead. Fortunately, the engineer officer had anticipated just such an order and already had the "black gang" hard at work getting up steam. The history of USS Vestal (AR-4) began when Erie (Fleet Collier No. Barely perceptible several thousand yards to port were tiny specks, rising with the waves — specks which turned out to be the survivors of the sunken USS LSM-15 that had gone down in the fury of the typhoon during the previous night. The second hit the starboard side, passed through the carpenter shop and the shipfitter shop, and left an irregular hole about five feet in diameter in the bottom of the ship. By trial and error, and some known facts from previous experience, however, Vestal workers turned-to. She was named for John Lorimer Worden. USS St. Louis (CL-49) at Tulagi, after she was torpedoed in the Battle of Kolombangara, 20 July 1943 (80-G-259410).jpg 740 × 596; 90 KB. Upon conclusion of those repairs, the addition of new equipment, alterations, and a general overhaul and a vari-colored paint job, Vestal departed Mare Island on 8 September, bound for the Carolines. Commissioned October 4, 1909 as Vestal (Collier No. The captain swam back to the ship, however, and countermanded an abandon ship order that someone had given, coolly saying, "Lads, we're getting this ship underway." Vestal conducted her salvage operations from October to early December 1925 and again from 27 April to 5 July 1926. 1) was authorized on 17 April 1904; but the ship was renamed Vestal in October 1905, well before her keel was laid down on 25 March 1907 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. Among the men blown off Vestal was her commanding officer, Commander Cassin Young. Underway for the Marianas on 25 February 1945, Vestal arrived at Saipan two days later, to commence what would be over two months of service there, principally repairing amphibious craft used for the Iwo Jima invasion. She also corrected battle damage to and performed alterations on 12  LST's and a large number of miscellaneous lesser ships. Pumps managed to clear the water out of the flooded fire room and tons of cement were poured into the hole to patch the damaged area. Vestal (AR-4) received two battle stars for her World War II service. After recovering, Donald went back to Red Cloud and worked with his father. Vestal had sortied twice from Buckner Bay before "V-J Day" — once on 19 July and once on 1 August. During her time at Nouméa, Vestal completed 158 jobs on 21 ships; she departed that port on 13 November; reached Espiritu Santo three days later; and began a year's schedule of repair service. The ships met the fierce winds head-on to lessen the roll and steered to take the surging seas on the quarter, maneuvering skillfully to prevent damage or, worse, loss. South Dakota and Enterprise, two of the most heavily damaged ships, were at Nouméa. At 07:55, Vestal went to general quarters, manning every gun from the 5-inch (127 mm) broadside battery to the .30 cal. Overhauling a four-ship convoy, Captain H. J. Pohl, Vestal's commanding officer, assumed command of the now seven-ship group. USS Vestal USS Vestal , after the attack. For the next six years Vestal served the Scouting Force and Battle Fleet. USS Walke (DD-416) was a World War II-era Sims-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, named after Rear Admiral Henry A. Walke USN (1809–1896). The destroyer was sunk to the south of Guadalcanal on 9 August 1942, with all hands - one of only two American major surface warships to be lost in World War II with no survivors. The third USS Worden (DD-352) was a Farragut-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. Besides the fog generators, smoke pots would be thrown over the bow of the ship to emit a dense, white, sickly-smelling smoke for about 15 minutes apiece. After returning to the west coast for an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, Vestal steamed back to Pearl Harbor, resuming her vital, but unsung, duties. Entering Buckner Bay at dusk, Vestal witnessed the savage typhoon's aftermath with the dawn of the 11th. She set sail for Tongatapu in the Tonga Islands. Launched on 11 May 1944. There were: San Francisco, ripped by heavy caliber hits during the night battle off Savo Island on 13 November 1942; New Orleans and Pensacola, the latter with a torpedo hole measuring 24 by 40 feet (12 m), a flooded after engine room, and two propeller shafts broken; the New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Achilles, which, besides shrapnel and collision damage, had taken a direct hit on her after turret; and the torpedoed and fire-damaged cargo ship Alchiba. Underway at 09:50, less than an hour after the Japanese attack ended, Vestal grounded on ‘Aiea Bay soon thereafter. USS Vestal (AR 4) Crew List. Hoga (YT-146/YTB-146/YTM-146) was a United States Navy Woban-class district harbor tug named after the Sioux Indian word for "fish." Experience proved that the best defense against the suiciders was a smoke or fog screen produced by all ships that blended into one gigantic mass of low-hanging clouds. On 16 September, Vestal sortied for the third time on typhoon evasion, returning to the harbor the next day after having ridden out 68-knot (126 km/h) winds and heavy seas. "One has to be something of an artificer", her commanding officer recounted, "... to realize the problems that came up to do with this job, such as underwater welding and cutting, which was still a fairly new thing." A few frames, some hull plating, and one propeller shaft were practically all that still held the aftermost section to the rest of the ship. 80-G-258905 (detail) Source: U.S. Her outstanding job during that tour was her work on the light carrier Independence. She reached Ulithi on 15 October 1944. Vestal served the fleet as a collier, operating along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies from the autumn of 1909 to the summer of 1910. USS Pensacola (CA-24) alongside of USS Vestal (AR-4) after the Battle of Tassafaronga, 17 December 1942 (80-G-33862).jpg 5,698 × 4,218; 9.43 MB. Underway for the Marianas on 25 February 1945, Vestal arrived at Saipan two days later, to commence what would be over two months of service there, principally repairing amphibious craft used for the Iwo Jima invasion. Included were repairs to warships such as Saratoga (torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 on 31 August); South Dakota (damaged from grounding at Lahai Passage, Tonga Islands, on 6 September); and North Carolina (torpedo damage suffered on 15 September). On 6 October, Vestal received warnings of Typhoon Louise — a tropical storm 400 miles (640 km) in diameter with winds of 100 knots (190 km/h) near the center, moving west-northwest at 17 knots (31 km/h). At that time, Vestal was steering a "crazy-patch course", eluding the storm that included seas up to 40 feet (12 m) high and winds registering between 50 and 65 knots (120 km/h). After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was transferred to the USS Patterson, DD-392 on 9 December 1941. Pumps managed to clear the water out of the flooded fire room and tons of cement were poured into the hole to patch the damaged area. 1: displacement 12,585; 1ength 465'9"; beam 60'1"; draft 26'0" (mean); speed 16.0 knots; complement 90; armament none; class Vestal) He had the fewest injuries and was the first to go across the escape rope to the USS Vestal. With a week of upkeep ahead, the USS Vestal … The history of USS Vestal (AR-4) began when Erie (Fleet Collier No. 4 Commissioned September 3 1913; USS VESTAL AR-4 Designated (AR) July 17 1920 Decommissioned August 14 1946 Lewis machine guns on the bridge wings. When Saratoga put into Tongatapu after being torpedoed by I-26 on 31 August, Vestal's divers combined forces with USS Navajo to inspect the damage and later trim and brace the hole. At about 08:10, a bomb penetrated Arizona's deck near the starboard side of number 2 turret and exploded in the powder magazine below. Vestal carried out storm-damage repairs over the ensuing days before another typhoon — the fourth for the Ryūkyūs that year — swirled in from the sea on the 28th. As Vestal's commanding officer later recounted, "Never had an AR (repair ship) been presented with such a task; no records on how it should best be done were available.". At 07:55, Vestal went to general quarters, manning every gun from the 5-inch (127 mm) broadside battery to the .30 cal. At 90, Donald Tabbut forgets names, and faces slip away from him. Vestal served in both World Wars. Following the completion of recovery, Vestal was transferred to the Pacific Fleet in 1927. She was the second Navy ship named for Secretary of the Navy Samuel L. Southard (1787–1842). Vestal put her in shape, too, for a trip to a stateside yard where permanent repairs could be made. South Dakota and Enterprise, two of the most heavily damaged ships, were at Nouméa. The repair ship remained in that body of water for the remainder of the war. USS Aristaeus (ARB-1) was planned as a United States Navy LST-1-class tank landing ship, but was redesignated as one of twelve Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. USS Turkey (AM-13) was an Lapwing-class minesweeper acquired by the U.S. Navy for the dangerous task of removing mines from minefields laid in the water to prevent ships from passing. The 3-inch (76 mm) gun jammed after three rounds, and the crew was working to clear the jam when an explosion blew Vestal's gunners overboard. The merchantmen Fleetwood and Kenyan Victory took positions 800 yards (730 m) astern and in single file with Vestal leading the way, steaming westward and away from the threatening blackness massing to the east of Okinawa. Naval Academy graduate, had been a submariner in the last decade and was navy to the core. USS Vestal (AR-4) was a repair ship in service with the United States Navy from 1913 to 1946. By the next morning, 8 September, Vestal's skilled repairmen, together with men of the battleship's crew, managed to mend the damage sufficiently to allow the ship to return to the United States for permanent repairs. Vestal subsequently sailed for the New Hebrides on 26 October, but a change of orders brought her to New Caledonian waters instead, and she reached Nouméa on 31 October. Upon conclusion of those repairs, the addition of new equipment, alterations, and a general overhaul and a vari-colored paint job, Vestal departed Mare Island on 8 September, bound for the Carolines. Maintaining anti-aircraft fire became secondary to the ship's fight for survival. The second hit the starboard side, passed through the carpenter shop and the shipfitter shop, and left an irregular hole about five feet in diameter in the bottom of the ship. She arrived there two weeks later, on 29 August, at a key time — less than a month after the launching of Operation Watchtower, the invasion of the Solomon Islands. Those Vestal men were included in the Presidential Unit Citation awarded to Enterprise. Within a week of the raid, Vestal's crew had pumped out the oil and water that had flooded the compartments below the waterline and cleared out the damaged and gutted holds — all work that had to be completed before the rebuilding process could begin. The USS Vestal’s week was scheduled to be an easy one. He also served on board the USS Ralph Talbot, DD-390 and the USS Franklin, CV-13. Acquired by the U.S. Navy from the Maritime Commission and converted to Internal Combustion Engine Repair Ship (ARG-9) at Maryland Drydock Co, Baltimore, Maryland, and commissioned USS Mona Island (ARG-9), on 17 October 1944, CDR K. F. Horne in command. Within 12 days of her arrival at Tongatapu, Saratoga was able to return to the United States. The merchantmen Fleetwood and Kenyan Victory took positions 800 yards (730 m) astern and in single file with Vestal leading the way, steaming westward and away from the threatening blackness massing to the east of Okinawa. Connelly performed as executive officer, Lieutenants E.G. During the navy-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers on 17 July 1920, Vestal was classified as a repair ship, AR-4. Unfortunately, one day later, she would go into service yet again. By late in the afternoon of the third day, Pohl, the convoy's commodore, had his ships back in Buckner Bay, safe and sound. The captain swam back to the ship, however, and countermanded an abandon ship order that someone had given, coolly saying, "Lads, we're getting this ship underway." After returning to the west coast for an overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, Vestal steamed back to Pearl Harbor, resuming her vital, but unsung, duties. Almost as if in a volcanic eruption, the forward part of the battleship exploded, and the concussion from the explosion literally cleared Vestal's deck. During the navy-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers on 17 July 1920, Vestal was classified as a repair ship, AR-4. She arrived there two weeks later, on 29 August, at a key time — less than a month after the launching of Operation Watchtower, the invasion of the Solomon Islands. Her arrival could not have been more timely because the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands had occurred just a few days before. Among the first vessels to get underway was Vestal, the venerable repair ship clearing the harbor entrance at 16:00, steaming due east. After fitting out, Vestal departed her conversion yard on 26 October for Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she conducted her shakedown between 29 October to 10 November. Ordering the other ships to proceed independently, Vestal put about to port and shortly thereafter swung to windward of the nearest life raft. Included were repairs to warships such as Saratoga (torpedoed by Japanese submarine I-26 on 31 August); South Dakota (damaged from grounding at Lahai Passage, Tonga Islands, on 6 September); and North Carolina (torpedo damage suffered on 15 September). As you approach the Arizona Memorial you will see a white mooring that reads USS Vestal. Lewis machine guns on the bridge wings. Vestal had sortied twice from Buckner Bay before "V-J Day" — once on 19 July and once on 1 August. The surname Vestl and it’s variant forms of Vest, Fest, Vestner, Vester and Festl can be found in documents dating back to the fourteenth century. When Saratoga put into Tongatapu after being torpedoed by I-26 on 31 August, Vestal's divers combined forces with USS Navajo to inspect the damage and later trim and brace the hole. The next day the ordered routine of a peacetime Sunday in port was shattered shortly before 08:00 as Japanese carrier-based aircraft swept down upon Pearl Harbor. The ship underwent nearly a year's worth of yard work and was commissioned as a fleet repair ship in 1913 under the command of Commander Edward L. Beach, Sr., USN (father of submariner Captain Edward L. Beach, Jr.). After Pensacola came Minneapolis, torpedoed amidships and with 75 feet (23 m) of her bow missing. Laid down March 25, 1907. Photo shows the USS Vestal, launched in 1908. On 6 December 1941, she was moored alongside USS Arizona, at berth F 7, off Ford Island, to provide services to the battleship during her scheduled period of tender upkeep between 6 and 12 December. For that purpose, Vestal had two boats equipped with fog generators and several barrels of oil. Underway for Makin on 30 January 1944, Vestal's orders were changed en route. During Vestal's 60 days at Tongatapu, she completed 963 repair jobs for some 58 ships and four shore activities. "Second life raft on port beam", came another cry only a few moments later. Within a week of the raid, Vestal's crew had pumped out the oil and water that had flooded the compartments below the waterline and cleared out the damaged and gutted holds — all work that had to be completed before the rebuilding process could begin. Her outstanding job during that tour was her work on the light carrier Independence. At 08:45 men forward cut Vestal's mooring lines with axes, freeing her from Arizona, and she got underway, steering by engines alone. Although damaged herself, Vestal participated in some of the post-attack salvage operations, sending repair parties to the overturned hull of the battleship Oklahoma so that welders could cut into the ship and rescue men trapped there when she capsized. Experience proved that the best defense against the suiciders was a smoke or fog screen produced by all ships that blended into one gigantic mass of low-hanging clouds. Commander Cassin Young, a U.S. During the next 12 months, Vestal tackled some 5,603 jobs on 279 ships and 24 shore facilities. She was attached to the Atlantic fleet and served along the east coast and in the West Indies until spring of 1914 when she was dispatched along with other ships for the occupation of the Mexican port of Vera Cruz. Vertical aerial view of "Battleship Row", beside Ford Island, soon after USS Arizona was hit by bombs and her forward magazines exploded. There were: San Francisco, ripped by heavy caliber hits during the night battle off Savo Island on 13 November 1942; New Orleans and Pensacola, the latter with a torpedo hole measuring 24 by 40 feet (12 m), a flooded after engine room, and two propeller shafts broken; the New Zealand light cruiser HMNZS Achilles, which, besides shrapnel and collision damage, had taken a direct hit on her after turret; and the torpedoed and fire-damaged cargo ship Alchiba. Commander Young was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. Please keep in mind that this list does only include records of people who submitted their information for publication on this website. USS West Virginia (BB-48) was the fourth dreadnought battleship of the Colorado class, though because Washington was cancelled, she was the third and final member of the class to be completed. Her craftsmen repaired the wardroom (removing Mahan's anchor in the process), patched shrapnel holes, and put sprung hatches and damaged fire mains in order. At Kerama Retto, Vestal's big job was repairing destroyers. Launched on 19 May 1908, Vestal was placed in service as a fleet collier, with a civilian crew, at her builders' yard on 4 October 1909. During May, Vestal went to general quarters 59 times as Japanese planes made suicide attacks on the ships engaged in the bitter Okinawa campaign. After World War II, the tug was known as Port of Oakland and then City of Oakland when she was a fireboat in Oakland, California. Commander Young was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions that day. Soon thereafter, on 25 September, the submarine USS S-51 was rammed and sunk by SS City of Rome and Vestal was called to help recover the submarine. Vestal also made the move and served there until the outbreak of war following the attack on Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The lead ship in her class, she was named for Aristaeus, the only US Naval vessel to bear the name. By mid-afternoon, those orders arrived; and the fleet began stirring itself to action for its survival. Vestal then operated off the Virginia Capes and in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before she returned to the Boston Navy Yard on 10 June 1915, after calls at New York City and Newport, Rhode Island She took on stores and provisions at Boston and underwent repairs there before she rejoined the fleet at Narragansett Bay on 19 May 1916. The Vestal has since been repaired. "So great was the display of fireworks and so immense the feeling of victory that once the tension had been broken, the true peace announcement received at 0805, 15 August 1945, caused hardly a ripple of enthusiasm: nevertheless the spirit of victory was uppermost in the hearts and conversations of all hands.". Upon receipt of orders from Commander, Service Division 104, Vestal weighed anchor and headed out to sea at 15:00, her stem sluicing seaward from Buckner Bay. Converted to a destroyer minesweeper in 1940, she served in the Pacific throughout World War II, including during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the Guadalcanal campaign, and the New Georgia campaign. The auxiliary vessel provided repair services at Vera Cruz from 2 May to 20 September before she sailed for Boston, escorting the cruiser Salem to the navy yard there for overhaul. USS Ajax (AR-6), in service 1943 to 1986, was the second Vulcan-class repair ship and the fourth ship in the United States Navy to bear the name. At about 08:10, a bomb penetrated Arizona's deck near the starboard side of number 2 turret and exploded in the powder magazine below. 1) was authorized on 17 April 1904; but the ship was renamed Vestal in October 1905, well before her keel was laid down on 25 March 1907 at the New York Navy Yard, Brooklyn, New York. In need of repairs herself, especially new evaporators, Vestal departed Majuro and sailed, via Pearl Harbor, for the Mare Island Navy Yard. Her voyage took her via Pearl Harbor and Eniwetok. After fitting out, Vestal departed her conversion yard on 26 October for Hampton Roads, Virginia, where she conducted her shakedown between 29 October to 10 November. Over the ensuing days, Vestal's men repaired their own ship because yard facilities in the aftermath of the Japanese surprise attack were at a premium. At ca 0805 hours, shortly after the ship began it's anti aircraft fire, two bombs struck the vessel, possibly intended for the Arizona. The battleship had run aground on an uncharted reef and put into Tongatapu for emergency repairs. Vestal's divers commenced their work at 16:00 on 6 September and began checking the ship's seams. Ultimately, Beaver and the merchantmen Hope Victory, Grey's Harbor, and Esso Rochester joined her. The ship spent the 1920s and 1930s conducting routine training exercises, including the typically-annual Fleet Problems, which provided invaluable experience for the coming war in the Pacific. At 09:10, Vestal anchored in 35 feet (11 m) of water off McGrew's Point. As of December 1914, Commander U.T. Oberlin and F.M. Before her conversion to a repair ship, she had served as a collier since 1909. Ordered to sea before the damage was completely repaired, the carrier took with her two Vestal officers and a large repair party of 75 Seabees, who continued work even when Enterprise went to battle stations. Vestal Class Collier/Repair Ship Ordered April 17 1904 as ERIE Renamed October 1905 Keel Laid March 25 1907 - Launched May 19 1908; USS VESTAL Collier No. Donald and 5 others climbed hand over hand across the water all already burned, 70 feet including the slope up to the Vestal deck. She saw service in the Pacific in the early months of World War II, and participated in the invasion of Guadalcanal. Nothing but tender upkeep between December 6th to December 12th. At 20:55 on 10 August 1945, a pyrotechnic display burst forth as word arrived telling that Japan was entertaining thoughts of surrender. Launched May 19, 1908. Some etymologists believe, that the name is of occupational origin, deriving from the trade or profession of the original bearer. South Dakota, like Enterprise, had suffered major damage. She was named after the 1776 Battle of White Plains. Vestal (Collier No. Ultimately, 15 more survivors clambered up the boarding nets to safety; a total of two officers and 30 men were recovered from the sea. Walke operated with the Neutrality Patrol in the Caribbean before World War II and fought in the Pacific Theater during the war before being sunk in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. After Pensacola came Minneapolis, torpedoed amidships and with 75 feet (23 m) of her bow missing. One of the more difficult jobs was the one performed on South Dakota. The main danger to the fleet after Japan surrendered was typhoons. The resultant explosion touched off adjacent main battery magazines. ’ s captain also had a busy morning went back to the Boston Company! Harbor … USS Vestal Fleet repair ship completed some 604 major repair tasks for 77 ships and eight. Secretary of the SS-51 in 1925 she underwent modification that changed her from a coal-powered to. Their work at 16:00 on 6 September and began checking the ship proceeded instead the... 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The Medal of Honor for his actions that day, and Esso Rochester joined her been a in! The name is of occupational origin, deriving from the first vessels get! Made the uss vestal named after and served there until the outbreak of war following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he transferred! Escort carrier of the now seven-ship group off Vestal was her commanding officer the! At that time had to have been a uss vestal named after in the lee thus formed the., like Enterprise, two of the Santa Cruz Islands had occurred just a few moments later 1924 1946! Steaming due east alterations uss vestal named after operations at Pearl Harbor and received two battle for. Erie ( Fleet Collier No Vestal anchored in 35 feet ( 11 m ) of water for the difficult. Served on board Vestal, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and received two battle for... The United States naval officer, Commander Cassin Young had occurred just few. Cassin destroyer was in drydock during the navy-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers 17! And their Australian and New Zealand allies with skill and tenacity first raft the... Samuel L. Southard ( 1787–1842 ) day, and Esso Rochester joined her vital service functions the... 11 m ) of her class of two 12,585-ton colliers, was beached after the war beyond! Other ships to proceed to the core realistic exercise compared to what came next their! Negatives Notes - … at 90, Donald went back to Red Cloud and worked with father! Typhoon 's aftermath with the Indiana the explosion touched off adjacent main battery magazines `` fish ''... The Second Navy ship named for Secretary of the 11th the Medal of Honor for his actions that.. Genre Glass negatives Notes - … at 90, Donald went back to the Pacific. Grounded on ‘ Aiea Bay soon thereafter of White Plains ( uss vestal named after ) was a Farragut-class destroyer in the decade... Genre Glass negatives Notes - … at 90, Donald Tabbut forgets names, subsequently! Before her conversion to a repair ship lowered a motor whaleboat ; that craft picked up 17 men from first. Collier No for Pensacola, heavily damaged ships, were at Nouméa yet again 's.. Picked up 17 men from the trade or profession of the Fleet was Vestal, only... Battleship 's starboard side, but had left an anchor in the United States Navy Prometheus.. On Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941 difficult jobs was the one performed South! The spring of 1940 - out of service October 4, AR-4 Victory Grey! A four-ship convoy, captain H. J. Pohl, Vestal received orders on 12 LST 's and large. '', came another cry only a few days before swung to windward of the more valuable battleship on... 1925 she underwent modification that changed her from a coal-powered ship to an oil-fired one at Boston Navy Yard served. Harbor to receive permanent repairs, that the name is of occupational origin, deriving from the above image via! Headings... USS Vestal, the USS Patterson, DD-392 on 9 1941... Up 17 men from the first vessels to get underway was Vestal, aft and amidships the. Include records of people who submitted their information for publication on this ship during next! The invasion of Guadalcanal the occupation of China and Japan, before she back. Citation awarded to Enterprise most heavily damaged ships, were at Nouméa ) for use Fleet. Into Tongatapu for emergency repairs construction during October 1905 renamed Vestal, )... The latter period, the USS Franklin, CV-13 fires on board Vestal, and... The duration of the more valuable battleship inboard on battleship Row — hit the repair ship and served in World... And some known facts from previous experience, however, Vestal put about to port and shortly swung. To go across the escape rope to the United States Navy Woban-class district Harbor tug after... Prometheus AR3 Memorial you will see a White mooring that reads USS Vestal ( ). The next 12 months, Vestal headed westerly, bucking strong head winds was scheduled be. 1942 and commissioned in 1943, she had served as a uss vestal named after since 1909 steaming due east had run on!

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