USS ''Blandy'' (DD-943) was a ''Forrest Sherman''-class

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 ...

, named for Admiral

William H. P. Blandy William Henry Purnell Blandy (28 June 1890 – 12 January 1954), known to close associates as "Spike", was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Biography Born in New York City 28 June 1890, Blandy graduated first in his cla ...

USN (1890–1954), ''Blandy'' was built by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation's Fore River Shipyard in

Quincy, Massachusetts Quincy ( ) is a coastal U.S. city in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest city in the county and a part of Greater Boston, Metropolitan Boston as one of Boston's immediate southern suburbs. Its population in 2020 was 1 ...

, and was launched 19 December 1956, sponsored by Mrs. John M. (Hope "Toni" Blandy) Lee, daughter of Admiral Blandy; and commissioned 26 November 1957.

History

In 1958, ''Blandy'' bore the American Unknown Soldier of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

's European Theater from

Naples Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...

to a rendezvous off the

Virginia Capes The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America. In 1610, a supply ship learned of the famine at Jamestown when it l ...

with ''Boston'' (CAG-1), which bore the Unknowns of the

Pacific Theater The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

and the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, and ''Canberra'' (CAG-2). After the selection of the Unknown of World War II was made on board ''Canberra'', the selected casket and the Korean Unknown were transferred to ''Blandy'' for transportation to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Arriving at the U.S. Naval Gun Factory on 28 May, both caskets lay in state in the

Capitol Rotunda The United States Capitol rotunda is the tall central rotunda of the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. It has been described as the Capitol's "symbolic and physical heart". Built between 1818 and 1824, the rotunda is located below the ...

until 30 May, after which they were interred in the

Tomb of the Unknowns The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is a historic monument dedicated to deceased U.S. service members whose remains have not been identified. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, United States. The World War I "Unknown" is a re ...

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. In 1961, ''Blandy'' won the Marjorie Sterrett Battleship Fund Award for the Atlantic Fleet. On October 30, 1962, ''Blandy'' tracked Soviet submarine B-130, dropping small charges and following the submarine in an attempt to bring it to the surface. After seventeen hours, the submarine's commander, Captain Nikolai Shumkov, ordered the submarine - at this point running with reduced diesel power and minimal oxygen - to surface.Lisle A. Rose, ''Power at Sea: A Violent Peace, 1946-2006'', University of Missouri Press, 2007. In 1968, Blandy was awarded the Arleigh Burke fleet trophy award for all Atlantic Fleet. On 7 December 1970 BLANDY was transiting the passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, at 2118Z when the nuclear submarine USS JACK SSN 605 took her picture:

Fate

The ship was decommissioned on 5 November 1982 and 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 author ...

on 27 July 1990. She was sold for scrap to the Fore River Shipyard and Iron Works on 11 December 1992. When the shipyard went bankrupt in 1993, she was resold to N. R. Acquisition Incorporated of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

by the Massachusetts Bankruptcy Court and scrapped by Wilmington Resources of Wilmington in

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

in 1996. USS_BLANDY.jpg, On 7 December 1970 BLANDY was transiting the passage between the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, at 2118Z (picture by the nuclear submarine USS JACK SSN 605) Forrest Sherman and Charles F. Adams-class destroyers awaiting scrapping in Baltimore, Maryland (USA), 25 August 1994 (6490446).jpg, ''Blandy'' (foreground) at Baltimore prior to scrapping.

References

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External links

navsource.org: USS ''Blandy''USS ''Blandy'' DD 943 Association website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blandy (DD-943) Forrest Sherman-class destroyers Cold War destroyers of the United States Vietnam War destroyers of the United States Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1956 ships

History

Fate

See also

References

External links