USS ''Sheehan'' (DE-541) was a United States Navy ''John C. Butler''-class destroyer escort launched during World War II but never completed.

Namesake

John Francis Sheehan was born on 20 January 1910 at Fall River, Massachusetts. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on 25 October 1928 at the Navy Recruiting Station at Boston, Massachusetts as a seaman apprentice and transferred the same day to the

Naval Training Center A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...

at Newport, Rhode Island. Sheehan was rated

seaman Seaman may refer to: * Sailor, a member of a marine watercraft's crew * Seaman (rank), a military rank in some navies * Seaman (name) (including a list of people with the name) * ''Seaman'' (video game), a 1999 simulation video game for the Seg ...

2nd class on 27 February 1929, quartermaster 3rd class on 28 July 1930, quartermaster 2nd class on 16 November 1936, quartermaster 1st class on 16 February 1938, and chief quartermaster (acting appointment) on 1 March 1942. Sheehan was assigned to protected cruiser on 21 January 1929 and served aboard her until 24 October 1929. He went on to serve aboard minesweeper from 1929 to 1932, heavy cruiser from 1932 to 1934, gunboat from 1934 to 1937, and light cruiser from 1937 to 1939. He was stationed at

Submarine Base New London Naval Submarine Base New London is the primary United States Navy East Coast submarine base, also known as the "Home of the Submarine Force." It is located in Groton, Connecticut directly across the Thames River from its namesake city of New Lon ...

at New London, Connecticut, from 9 November 1939 to 10 June 1940, then at INM Electric Boat Company at

Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...

, and then to

patrol torpedo boat A PT boat (short for patrol torpedo boat) was a motor torpedo boat used by the United States Navy in World War II. It was small, fast, and inexpensive to build, valued for its maneuverability and speed but hampered at the beginning of the wa ...

USS ''PT-9'' on 24 July 1940 where he served briefly with Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron One. He was assigned to

fast transport High-speed transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used in US Navy amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer. In 1969 ...

later in 1940. Sheehan received the First Nicaraguan Campaign Medal for his service aboard ''Cleveland'' between 19 May 1929 and 2 August 1929, a Good Conduct Medal for his enlistment ending 10 October 1932, and a Good Conduct Pin for his enlistment ending 8 November 1939. His service during World War II was deemed honorable. Sheehan was killed on the night of 5 September 1942, when ''Gregory'' was sunk by gunfire from an Imperial Japanese Navy

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...

and three

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

s during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. A U.S. Navy pilot, mistakenly thinking ''Gregory'' was a Japanese

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

, dropped a string of flares over the surprised ship, silhouetting her against the blackness and allowing the Japanese to detect her. Desperately overmatched by the four Japanese ships and, despite a gallant effort by its crew, ''Gregory'' dead in the water within three minutes. After ''Gregory''s crew had abandoned ship, the Japanese began shelling the helpless survivors in the water, killing 11, including Sheehan.

Construction

''Sheehan'' was laid down at Boston Navy Yard at Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 November 1943 and launched on 17 December 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Catherine Sheehan, mother of Chief Quartermaster John Francis Sheehan, the ship namesake. Construction of ''Sheehan'' was suspended before she could be completed. On 30 August 1945, she was assigned to the

Atlantic Inactive Fleet The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and ...

in an incomplete state. On 7 January 1946, the contract for her construction was cancelled, and the incomplete ship was sold on 2 July 1946 to the John J. Duane Company of Quincy, Massachusetts, for scrapping.

References

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Navsource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive: USS Sheehan (DE-541)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheehan (DE-541) John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts Cancelled ships of the United States Navy Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1943 ships