USS ''Drayton'' (DD-23) was a in 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 ...

. She was the first ship named for

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Percival Drayton. ''Drayton'' was launched on 22 August 1910 by Bath Iron Works,

Bath, Maine Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. The population was 8,766 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County, which includes one city and 10 towns. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its ...

, sponsored by Miss E. G. Drayton, niece of Captain Drayton, and commissioned on 29 October 1910.

Service history

Pre-World War I

''Drayton'' arrived at

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

on 21 December 1910, to cruise in

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n waters and on the east coast in exercises and development problems. She sailed from Key West on 9 April 1914 to serve on blockade duty off

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

and take refugees out of the troubled areas, returning to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on 1 June, and to Newport on 1 August.

World War I

''Drayton'' served on neutrality patrol and conducted torpedo and gunnery exercises out of

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is an American seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, ...

and in the

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. Calling at

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from 5–11 April 1917, she took over the

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steamer ''Frieda Leonhardt'' and interned her crew in accordance with a Presidential proclamation issued upon American entry into World War I. ''Drayton'' arrived at

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...

on 12 April, and the next day reported for duty with the

Patrol Force The United States Fleet Forces Command (USFF) is a service component command of the United States Navy that provides naval forces to a wide variety of U.S. forces. The naval resources may be allocated to Combatant Commanders such as United Stat ...

off the east coast serving until 4 May, when she entered Boston Navy Yard to fit out for distant service. ''Drayton'' departed

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, Massachusetts on 21 May, and sailed by way of

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to Queenstown, Ireland, arriving on 1 June. She patrolled along the coast of

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, escorting both inbound and outbound ships. On 20 June, she searched for the submarine which had torpedoed , then rescued 42 survivors who were landed at

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. From 26 June-4 July, she escorted a transport convoy to

St. Nazaire Saint-Nazaire (; ; Gallo: ''Saint-Nazère/Saint-Nazaer'') is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department in western France, in traditional Brittany. The town has a major harbour on the right bank of the Loire estuary, near the Atlantic Ocean. T ...

and took part in a submarine hunt with two

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s. On 15 December, with , she picked up the survivors of , 39 in all. Transferred to

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and United States Naval Forces Operating in European Waters, ''Drayton'' left Queenstown on 15 February 1918. She continued her escort and antisubmarine operations out of this port until 16 December, when she sailed for the United States, arriving at Boston on 2 January 1919 for overhaul. ''Drayton'' cruised along the east coast on various exercises and maneuvers until 18 July, when she reported to Philadelphia Navy Yard in company with seven other destroyers destined for decommissioning. ''Drayton'' was decommissioned on 17 November. On 1 July 1933, her name was dropped and she was known as DD-23 until sold on 28 June 1935.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Drayton (DD-23) Paulding-class destroyers World War I destroyers of the United States Ships built in Bath, Maine 1910 ships