USS Meredith (DD-165),
Boston Navy Yard,
4 February 1919
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USS Meredith (DD-165) was a Wickes class destroyer that had a short active career just after the First World War then spent fourteen years out of commission before being scrapped.
The Meredith was named after Jonathan Meredith, a Marine who was killed during the attack on Tripoli in 1805.
The Meredith was laid down by the Fore River Shipbuilding Co at Quincy, Mass, on 26 June 1918, launched on 22 September 1918 and commissioned on 29 January 1919.
The Meredith joined the Destroyer Force, Atlantic Fleet. Her first duty was to escort the George Washington as it carried President Wilson back from Paris in 1919. She was then chosen as one of the destroyers that would support the first successful transatlantic flight, carried out by the Navy Curtiss flying boat NC-4. On 14 May 1919 she collided with the oiler Maumee while taking in fuel before the flight, causing damage that eventually stopped both of Maumee's engines for some time, but the engines were repaired in time to avoid any problems and the flight went ahead. The Meredith was one of the destroyers posted along the route to help the aircraft navigate.
After this flight the Meredith joined Destroyer Flotilla 2, operating along the east coast and into the Gulf of Mexico. On 24 November 1919 she hosted Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels as he reviewed the Minesweeping Detachment in the North River, New York.
From November 1919 she was based at Newport, where she was used as a training ship. She briefly rejoined her unit in 1922, taking part in that year's naval exercises. She was decommissioned on 28 June 1922, and remained out of commission until she was sold for scrap on 29 September 1936 under the terms of the London Naval Treaty.
Displacement (standard) |
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Displacement (loaded) |
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Top Speed |
35kts design |
Engine |
2 shaft Parsons turbines |
Range |
2,500nm at 20kts (design) |
Armour - belt |
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- deck |
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Length |
314ft 4.5in |
Width |
30ft 11.5in |
Armaments |
Four 4in/ 50 guns |
Crew complement |
100 |
Laid down |
26 June 1918 |
Launched |
22 September 1918 |
Decommissioned |
28 June 1922 |
Sold for scrap |
29 September 1936 |
U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, Norman Friedmann .
The standard history of the development of American destroyers, from the earliest torpedo boat destroyers to the post-war fleet, and covering the massive classes of destroyers built for both World Wars. Gives the reader a good understanding of the debates that surrounded each class of destroyer and led to their individual features.
