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{{Short description|Fletcher-class destroyer}}
{{other ships|USS Radford}}
 
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = [[File:USSRadfordDD446.jpg|300px|USS Radford (DD-446)]] underway in 1942.jpg
| Ship captionimage size = 300px
| Ship caption = USS ''Radford'' (DD-446)
}}
{{Infobox ship career
Line 17 ⟶ 19:
| Ship launched = 3 May 1942
| Ship commissioned = 22 July 1942
| Ship decommissioned = 1017 NovemberJanuary 19691946
}}
| Ship fate = sold October 1970 for scrap▼
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header =yes
|Ship recommissioned=17 October 1949
| Ship decommissioned = 10 November 1969
▲ | Ship fate = soldSold October 1970 for scrap
| Ship notes =
| Ship struck = 10 November 1969
Line 32 ⟶ 39:
| Ship beam = {{convert|39|ft|7|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft = {{convert|17|ft|9|in|abbr=on}}
| Ship propulsion =*{{convert|60,000 |shp (45 MW);|abbr=on}}
*geared turbines;
*2 propellers
| Ship speed = {{convert|38|kn|km/h|0lk=in}}
| Ship range =*{{convert|6,500 nautical miles|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15 kt|kn|abbr=on}}
*  (12,000 km at 30 km/h)
| Ship complement = 329 officers and enlisted
| Ship sensors =
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| Ship armament ={{Fletcher class destroyer armament}}
*[[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization|FRAM II]] modifications:
*2 × 5 in/38 cal. guns,
*1 Mark 108 ASW Rocketrocket Launcherlauncher,
*6 × Mark 44 18 in ASW torpedo tubes,
*2 x [[Hedgehog (weapon)|Hedgehog]] projectors,
*2 x Mark 14 21 in torpedo tubes,
*2 × [[M2 Browning|.50 cal (12.7 mm)]] guns [[Browning M2 machine gun|M2]] [[machinegun]]s
| Ship notes =
}}
|}
 
'''USS ''Radford'' (DD-446)''', named for [[Rear Admiral]] [[William Radford]], was a [[Fletcher class destroyer{{sclass|''Fletcher''-class]] [[|destroyer]]}} in the [[United States Navy]]. Entering service in 1942 during [[World War II]], the ship also saw action during the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]]. The ship was removed from service in 1969 and sold for [[Ship breaking|scrap]] in 1970.
 
==Construction and career==
''Radford'' was laid down by the [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]] at [[Kearny, New Jersey]] on 2 October 1941, [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 3 May 1942 by Radford's granddaughter Edith (Mrs. [[François E. Matthes]]) and [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 July 1942.▼
[[File:Launch of USS Fletcher (DD-445) and USS Radford (DD-446) at Federal SB&DD in May 1942.jpg|thumb|left|Launch of {{USS|Fletcher|DD-445|2}} and ''Radford'', 3 May 1942]]
[[File:USSRadfordUSS Radford (DD-446) steaming into Tulagi Harbour with 468- survivors-from- form USS Helena (CL-50), 6 July 1943.jpg|thumb|left|USS ''Radford (DD-446)'' returning to Tulagi with some survivors of the [[cruiser {{USS |Helena (|CL-50)]]|2}} on 6 July 6, 1943.]]▼
▲''Radford'' was [[Keel laying|laid down]] by the [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]] at [[Kearny, New Jersey]] on 2 October 1941, and was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 3 May 1942 by Radford's granddaughter Edith (Mrs. [[François E. Matthes]]). andThe destroyer was [[ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 July 1942.
 
''Radford'' participated in the [[Battle of KolombangaraKula Gulf]] and the [[Battle of Kula GulfKolombangara]] in July 1943. She engaged in an offensive sweep against the [[Tokyo Express]], and received [[Presidential Unit Citation (US)|Presidential Unit Citation]] for the rescue of 468 survivors from the [[cruiser]] {{USS|Helena|CL-50|6}}, which had been sunk at Kula Gulf. She''Radford'' depth attackedcharged and sank the [[{{ship|Japanese submarine |I-19|Japanese}}, submarinewhich had previously sunk destroyer {{USS|O''IBrien|DD-19'']]415|6}} and the aircraft carrier {{USS|Wasp|CV-7|6}},<ref name=USNChron>{{cite book | url = httphttps://www.ibiblioarchive.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chrondetails/TheOfficialChronologyOfTheUSNavyInWorldWarII | title = The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II | chapter = Chapter V: 1943 | chapterurlchapter-url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1943.html | first = Robert | last = Cressman | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2000 | isbn = 978-1-55750-149-3 | oclc = 41977179 | accessdateaccess-date = 25 November 2007 | url-11-25access = registration }}</ref> on 25 November 1943,. ReceivedThe damagedestroyer fromwas damaged by a Japanese [[naval mine|mine]] while supporting the liberation of [[Luzon]] in December, 1944 and received a Presidential Unit Citation from [[Philippines]]the Government,Philippine government. The ship was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] on 17 January 1946 and placed in reserve at [[San Francisco]].▼
==History==
▲[[File:USSRadford-468-survivors-from-Helena.jpg|thumb|left|USS Radford (DD-446) returning to Tulagi with some survivors of the [[USS Helena (CL-50)]] on July 6, 1943.]]
▲''Radford'' participated in the [[Battle of Kolombangara]] and the [[Battle of Kula Gulf]]. She engaged in an offensive sweep against the [[Tokyo Express]], and received [[Presidential Unit Citation (US)|Presidential Unit Citation]] for the rescue of 468 survivors from {{USS|Helena|CL-50}}. She attacked and sank the [[Japanese submarine I-19|Japanese submarine ''I-19'']]<ref name=USNChron>{{cite book | url = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/| title = The official chronology of the U.S. Navy in World War II | chapter = Chapter V: 1943 | chapterurl = http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/USN-Chron/USN-Chron-1943.html | first = Robert | last = Cressman | location = Annapolis, Maryland | publisher = Naval Institute Press | year = 2000 | isbn = 978-1-55750-149-3 | oclc = 41977179 | accessdate = 2007-11-25 }}</ref> on 25 November 1943, Received damage from a Japanese mine supporting the liberation of Luzon in December, 1944 and received a Presidential Unit Citation from [[Philippines]] Government, was decommissioned on 17 January 1946 and placed in reserve at [[San Francisco]].
 
''Radford'' was recommissioned on 17 October 1949, and operated with the [[United States Seventh Fleet]] in support of [[United Nations]] Forces during the [[Korean War]]. Following the armistice in 1953, she alternated operations along the west coast and in Hawaiian waters with annual deployments to the western Pacific with the Seventh Fleet. In 1960, ''Radford'' underwent an extensive [[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization]] (FRAM II) overhaul at the [[Pearl Harbor Navy Yard]].
 
On 3 March 1965, ''Radford'', in company with other units of Destroyer Division 252, departed [[Pearl Harbor]] on short notice to augment destroyer forces for the rapidly expanding naval commitments in the South China Sea. In October and December Renshaw''Radford'' served as an alternate recovery ship in [[Project Gemini]] and participated in [[Operation Sea Dragon (Vietnam War)|Sea Dragon]] and [[Market Time]] operations, patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out [[Navalnaval Gunfiregunfire Supportsupport]] (NGFS) missions during the Vietnam War from 1965 through 1969.
 
[[File:USS Radford (DD-446) off Korea c1951.jpg|thumb|left|''Radford'' off Korea, in 1951.]]▼
Her 11theleventh WestPac tour began on 5 July 1966. During this period, she participated in anti-submarine operations, escorted attack[[aircraft carrierscarrier]]s in the [[Gulf of Tonkin]], had 2two tours of duty on [[Naval Gunfire Support|NGFS]] missions, a turn on the [[Taiwan]] patrol, served as forward picket for the Seventh Fleet units operating in the South China Sea and escorted [[President of the United States|President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]'s support units to Malaysia during his tour of southeast Asia. DesDiv 252 returned to Pearl Harbor on 16 December 1966.
▲[[File:USS Radford (DD-446) off Korea c1951.jpg|thumb|left|''Radford'' off Korea, 1951.]]
 
''Radford'' was decommissioned at San Francisco just months after returning from her 1969 WestPac tour. She was stricken from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 10 November 1969, and sold for scrap in October 1970, but not before she fought one last battle on her own. She broke away from the [[Tugboat|tug]] that was towing her from Valejo[[Vallejo, California]] to the [[Portland, Oregon]] scrap yard, and took them on a {{convert|34-mile|mi|adj=on}}, all day chase toward the [[Oregon]] coast.
 
==Awards==
''Radford'' received 12twelve [[battle star]]s and two Presidential Unit Citations for [[World War II]] service, 5five battle stars for the [[Korean War]], 4four for the [[Vietnam War]], and the [[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]].
 
==USS ''Radford'' National Naval Museum==
[[File:USS Radford (DD-446), post-FRAM I.jpg|thumb|leftright|''Radford'' following her FRAM II modernization with DASH-flight deck aft.]]
The USS ''Radford''USS Radford National Naval Museum''' was a collection of memorabilia about the ship that was located in [[Newcomerstown, Ohio]].<ref>{{cite web|title=USS Radford National Naval Museum,|url=vhttphttp://destroyerhistory.org/destroyers/index.asp?r=7300&pid=7302|publisher=Destroyer History Foundation|accessdateaccess-date=17 March 2016|quote=The Radford Museum closed in May 2011 following Vane Scott’s passing. Its assets have been moved to the USS Orleck Naval Museum at Lake Charles, Louisiana.}}</ref> The museum closed in 2011<ref>{{cite web|title=USS Radford Museum in Newcomerstown will close|url=http://www.timesreporter.com/article/20110514/NEWS/305149933|publisher=TimesReporter|access-date=17 March 2016|date=14 May 2011}}</ref> and its contents were moved to the [[USS Orleck (DD-886)|USS Orlect''Orleck'' Naval Museum]] that is located in [[Lake Charles, Louisiana]]. Exhibits include photos, uniforms, and displays about the ship and her service.
 
==References==
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*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd446txt.htm hazegray.org: USS ''Radford'']
 
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{{Fletcher class destroyer}}
 
{{Use dmy dates|date=OctoberJuly 20102019}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Radford (Dd-446)}}
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[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:United States Navy Virginia-related ships]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey]]
[[Category:Defunct museums in Ohio]]
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