USS ''Sinclair'' (DD-275) was a ''Clemson''-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 ...

in the

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. She was named for Captain

Arthur Sinclair Commodore Arthur Sinclair (28 February 1780 – 7 February 1831) was an early American naval hero, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the First Barbary War and in the War of 1812. His three sons also served in the ...

History

''Sinclair'' was laid down on 15 October 1918 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 Co ...

, Squantum, Massachusetts; launched on 2 June 1919; sponsored by Mrs. George Barnett, great-granddaughter of Capt. Sinclair; and commissioned on 8 October 1919. After shakedown, ''Sinclair'' departed

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, ...

on 17 January 1920 for the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

. Between 7 and 25 February 1920, she patrolled off the coasts of

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

and

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

during political unrest in those countries. From 13 to 18 March, she assisted in efforts to salvage the submarine, H-l, aground off

Santa Margarita Island, California Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring children gifts during the late evening and overnight ...

. She then joined the Pacific Fleet for operations off

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 States ...

. On 9 July 1920, ''Sinclair'' embarked the

Secretary of the Navy The secretary of the Navy (or SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the Department of the Navy, a military department (component organization) within the United States Department of Defense. By law, the se ...

and Commander in Chief, United States Pacific Fleet, at

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, and carried them on a tour of ports in Alaska and

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. The Secretary of the Navy transferred to on 18 July, and the Commander in Chief to upon returning to

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ) is a sound of the Pacific Northwest, an inlet of the Pacific Ocean, and part of the Salish Sea. It is located along the northwestern coast of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected ma ...

on 12 August. ''Sinclair'' then resumed operations off San Diego until decommissioned and placed in reserve there on 25 May 1920. On 27 September 1923, ''Sinclair'' was recommissioned as a replacement for one of the seven destroyers wrecked on Point Honda on 8 September 1923. After shakedown at San Diego, she sailed south with the

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in January 1924, transited 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 conduit ...

on the 17th, and participated in exercises during the fleet concentration in the Caribbean from 25 January to 5 April. After returning to San Diego on 22 April, she underwent overhaul at Puget Sound from 3 May to 13 June and, after a brief visit to San Diego, rejoined the fleet in the Puget Sound area for a summer exercise. She operated at San Diego from 1 October 1924 to 3 April 1925, was overhauled at Puget Sound from 12 April to 19 June, and rejoined the fleet at

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on 27 June. On 1 July 1925, ''Sinclair'' sailed from Hawaii with the Battle Fleet on a goodwill visit to the Southwest Pacific, and visited

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia;

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and

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, New Zealand; and

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before returning to San Diego on 26 September. She departed San Diego on 1 February 1926 for fleet exercises off the Canal Zone, returning on 6 March. From 15 March to 30 April, she received repairs at Bremerton; and, on 21 June, departed San Diego with the Battle Fleet for summer exercises off Puget Sound, which lasted until 1 September. Again departing San Diego with the Battle Fleet on 17 February 1927, ''Sinclair'' transited the Panama Canal on 4 March and participated in exercises in the Caribbean until 13 April. On 24 April, she returned to San Diego and then proceeded to

Bremerton, Washington Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington. The population was 37,729 at the 2010 census and an estimated 41,405 in 2019, making it the largest city on the Kitsap Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerto ...

for repairs which lasted from 4 May to 28 June 1927. She spent the summer training reserves in the Puget Sound area and returned to San Diego on 9 September. ''Sinclair'' underwent overhaul at Puget Sound from 26 March to 9 May 1928 and rejoined the fleet at Pearl Harbor on 16 May for exercises. Returning to San Diego on 23 June, she sailed on 5 July for summer exercises in the north, lasting to 18 August. From 1 September 1928 to 15 January 1929, she operated off San Diego; and, from 27 January to 21 February, she participated in Fleet Problem IX off Panama. She commenced overhaul at Puget Sound on 17 March 1929 but was ordered decommissioned instead. After returning to San Diego on 8 April 1929, she was decommissioned there on 1 June 1929.

Fate

On 22 November 1930, ''Sinclair'' was renamed ''Light Target'' (IX-37). Due to faulty boilers, however, her conversion to a target ship was cancelled, and she was replaced by . She recovered her original name on 24 April 1931 and her destroyer designation on 11 August 1931. ''Sinclair'' 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 ...

on 5 June 1935 and sold on 30 August 1935 to Learner and Rosenthal,

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...

, for scrapping. As of 2005, no other ship have been named ''Sinclair''.

References

External links

*http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/275.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair (Dd-275) Clemson-class destroyers Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts 1919 ships