USS ''Marcus'' (DD-321) was a built for the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
after World War I.
Namesake
Arnold Marcus was born on 26 June 1892 in
Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was appointed a
midshipman on 22 May 1909. He assumed command of the
submarine on 13 March 1917. On 27 July 1917,
Lieutenant (junior grade)
Lieutenant junior grade is a junior commissioned officer rank used in a number of navies.
United States
Lieutenant (junior grade), commonly abbreviated as LTJG or, historically, Lt. (j.g.) (as well as variants of both abbreviations), ...
Marcus died from injuries suffered during an explosion on ''Shark'', while the submarine was on patrol in
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...
,
Philippine Islands
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. He was the last man to leave the ship, remaining on board to ensure the safe evacuation of his crew and to attempt the grounding of his ship to prevent sinking.
Description
The ''Clemson'' class was a repeat of the preceding although more fuel capacity was added.
[Gardiner & Gray, p. 125] The ships displaced at
standard Standard may refer to:
Symbols
* Colours, standards and guidons, kinds of military signs
* Standard (emblem), a type of a large symbol or emblem used for identification
Norms, conventions or requirements
* Standard (metrology), an object th ...
load and at
deep load
The displacement or displacement tonnage of a ship is its weight. As the term indicates, it is measured indirectly, using Archimedes' principle, by first calculating the volume of water displaced by the ship, then converting that value into wei ...
. They had an
overall length
The overall length (OAL) of an ammunition cartridge is a measurement from the base of the brass shell casing to the tip of the bullet, seated into the brass casing. Cartridge overall length, or "COL", is important to safe functioning of reloads i ...
of , a
beam
Beam may refer to:
Streams of particles or energy
*Light beam, or beam of light, a directional projection of light energy
**Laser beam
*Particle beam, a stream of charged or neutral particles
**Charged particle beam, a spatially localized grou ...
of and a
draught of . They had a crew of 6 officers and 108 enlisted men.
Performance differed radically between the ships of the class, often due to poor workmanship. The ''Clemson'' class was powered by two
steam turbines, each driving one
propeller shaft
A drive shaft, driveshaft, driving shaft, tailshaft (Australian English), propeller shaft (prop shaft), or Cardan shaft (after Girolamo Cardano) is a component for transmitting mechanical power and torque and rotation, usually used to connect ...
, using steam provided by four
water-tube boiler
A high pressure watertube boiler (also spelled water-tube and water tube) is a type of boiler in which water circulates in tubes heated externally by the fire. Fuel is burned inside the furnace, creating hot gas which boils water in the steam-gen ...
s. The turbines were designed to produce a total of intended to reach a speed of . The ships carried a maximum of of
fuel oil which was intended gave them a range of at .
The ships were armed with four
4-inch (102 mm) guns in single mounts and were fitted with two
1-pounder guns for anti-aircraft defense. In many ships a shortage of 1-pounders caused them to be replaced by
3-inch (76 mm) guns. Their primary weapon, though, was their torpedo
battery
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
of a dozen
21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tube
A torpedo tube is a cylindrical device for launching torpedoes.
There are two main types of torpedo tube: underwater tubes fitted to submarines and some surface ships, and deck-mounted units (also referred to as torpedo launchers) installed aboa ...
s in four triple mounts. They also carried a pair of
depth charge rails. A "Y-gun" depth charge thrower was added to many ships.
[Friedman, pp. 44–45]
Construction and career
''Marcus'', named for Arnold Marcus, was laid down 20 May 1919 by the
Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
Bethlehem Steel Corporation Shipbuilding Division was created in 1905 when the Bethlehem Steel Corporation of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, acquired the San Francisco shipyard Union Iron Works. In 1917 it was incorporated as Bethlehem Shipbuilding C ...
,
San Francisco, California
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
; launched 22 August 1919; sponsored by Mrs. Arnold Marcus, widow of
Lieutenant (jg.) Marcus; and commissioned 23 February 1921.
''Marcus'', after completion of her shakedown cruise, was assigned to destroyer squadron duty with the
Pacific Fleet. As a unit of Squadron 13, and later Squadron 12, she operated off the West Coast, her cruises ranging from
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...
to
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
. In early 1924, February–March, she joined other ships of the battle force in fleet maneuvers based on a simulated attack on the
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...
. From April through July 1925, she participated in fleet tactical problems in the
Hawaiian Islands area. She then returned to her regular operations schedule until 1927. During March and April of that year she again sailed south to take part in
Caribbean fleet maneuvers, following which she returned to the West Coast. Between 1927 and 1929, she made several voyages to
Honolulu
Honolulu (; ) is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, which is in the Pacific Ocean. It is an unincorporated county seat of the consolidated City and County of Honolulu, situated along the southeast coast of the island ...
; one, a Naval Reserve training cruise, two others as carrier screen.
In September 1929, ''Marcus'' was ordered to
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United Stat ...
where she decommissioned 31 May 1930. Disposed of in accordance with the terms of the
London Naval Treaty, she was struck from the
Navy list
A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval autho ...
28 January 1935 and sunk by gunfire 25 June 1935.
As of 2005, no other ships in the United States Navy have been named ''Marcus''.
Notes
References
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External links
Photo galleryat navsource.org
at Naval Historical Center
{{DEFAULTSORT:Marcus (DD-321)
Clemson-class destroyers
Ships built in San Francisco
1919 ships
Maritime incidents in 1935
Ships sunk as targets
Shipwrecks of the California coast