Allied Warships

USS Semmes (AG 24)

Destroyer of the Clemson class

NavyThe US Navy
TypeDestroyer
ClassClemson 
PennantAG 24 
ModSonar test ship 
Built byNewport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co. (Newport News, Virginia, U.S.A.) 
Ordered 
Laid down10 Jul 1918 
Launched21 Dec 1918 
Commissioned21 Feb 1920 
End service2 Jun 1946 
History

Decommissioned on 17 July 1922
Loaned to the Coast Guard as CG-20 from 25 April 1932 till 20 April 1934
Recommissioned by the USN on 20 April 1934
Reclassified as Auxiliary AG-24 on 1 July 1935
Semmes became a test bed for sonar equipment and testing of anti submarine warfare tactics
Decommissioned on 2 June 1946
Stricken on 3 July 1946
Sold to be broken up for scrap on 25 November 1946

 

Commands listed for USS Semmes (AG 24)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

CommanderFromTo
1David Ryerson Hull, USN15 May 193913 Jan 1941 (1)
2Lt.Cdr. William Lee Pryor, Jr., USN13 Jan 194111 Dec 1942 (1)
3T/Cdr. William Izard Bull, USN11 Dec 1942Jan 1944
4T/Cdr. Ronald Lee Wilson, USNJan 19444 Aug 1944
5Frank Lewis Fullaway, USNR4 Aug 194423 Aug 1945 (1)
6John Henry Geyer, USN23 Aug 19452 Jun 1946

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Notable events involving Semmes include:


6 May 1942
USS Semmes mistook the auxiliary anti-submarine trawler HMS Senateur Duhamel for a U-boat and rammed and sank it off Cape Lookout, North Carolina, in position 34°33'N, 75°36'W. No lives were lost on either side. (2)

13 Aug 1943
USS Crevalle (Cdr. H.G. Munson, USN) conducted exercises in Long Island Sound together with USS Semmes (Lt.Cdr. W.I. Bull, USN).

14 Aug 1943
USS Capelin (Cdr. E.E. Marshall, USN) conducted exercises in Long Island Sound together with USS Semmes (Lt.Cdr. W.I. Bull, USN) and USS Mackerel.

13 Jun 1944
During 13 to 15 June 1944, USS Baya (Cdr. A.H. Holtz, USN), conducted exercises in Long Island Sound with USS Semmes (Cdr. R.L. Wilson, USN), USS SC-679 (Lt.(jg) D.A. Replogle, USNR) and USS Razorback (Cdr. R.S. Benson, USN).

22 Jan 1945
USS Dentuda (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr., USN) conducted exercises in Long Island Sound together with USS Semmes (Lt.Cdr. F.L. Fullaway, USNR).

24 Jan 1945
USS Dentuda (Cdr. J.S. McCain, Jr., USN) conducted exercises in Long Island Sound together with USS Semmes (Lt.Cdr. F.L. Fullaway, USNR).

Media links


Destroyers of World War Two

Whitley, M. J.


U.S. Destroyers

Friedman, Norman


United States Destroyer Operations In World War II.

Roscoe, Theodore


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