USS Reuben James (DD-245)

History of the USS Reuben James (DD-245)

USS Reuben James (DD-245) was a four-hopper Clemson-class destroyer built after World War I and was the first American ship to be named after Bosun's Mate Reuben James (c. 17761838) Navy ships were the first to be sunk by the enemy in the European theater of World War II during the battles of the First Brutal War.

Reuben James was laid by the New York Shipbuilding Company on April 2, 1919 in Camden, New Jersey, launched on October 4, 1919, and commissioned on September 24, 1920. On October 31, 1941, before the United States officially entered the war, the destroyer was torpedoed by a German U-boat U-552 near Iceland.

Ruben James was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet and served in the Mediterranean from 1921 to 1922. Reuben James left Newport, Rhode Island for Zelenica, Yugoslavia on November 30, 1920, arriving on December 18. During the spring and summer of 1921, it operated in the Adriatic and Mediterranean from Zelenica and Gruz (Dubrovnik) in Yugoslavia, assisting refugees and participating in post-war investigations. In October 1921, she joined the protected cruiser Olympia at Le Havre to celebrate the return of the Unknown Soldier to America.

In Danzig, from October 29, 1921 to February 3, 1922, it assisted the United States Relief Agency in its efforts to alleviate hunger and misery. After serving in the Mediterranean, it left Gibraltar on 17 July.

The ship, then in New York City, patrolled the coast of Nicaragua in early 1926 to prevent the delivery of weapons to the revolutionaries. In the spring of 1929, it participated in naval exercises that helped develop naval air power. It was decommissioned in Philadelphia on January 20, 1931. Returned to service on March 9, 1932, the ship once again sailed the Atlantic and Caribbean, patrolling Cuban waters during Fulgencio Battista's coup.

Moved to San Diego in 1934. After the carrier assessment exercise, Ruben James returned to the Atlantic Fleet in January 1939.

Specification

Basic

Years of Service

1920

Origins

United States

Status

Lost in action

No longer on duty.

supplement

159

staff

Class Information

classes

Clemson class

Class Size

156

Carrier

United States

Roles

Coastal bombing

Maritime bombardment/attack of surface targets/areas primarily through ship-based ballistic weapons.

Land Assault

Littoral attacks against surface targets primarily through ship-based missiles/missile weapons.

Sea Patrol

Active patrolling of critical waterways and sea areas; also serves as a local deterrent against air and maritime threats.

Airspace Denial/Deterrence

Neutralization or deterrence of flying elements by airborne missile weapon ballistics.

Fleet Support

Provide support (fire or materiel) to major surface fleets in blue water environments.

Dimensions and weights

Length

314. 4 feet

95.83m

Ray

31.7 feet

9.66m

Draft

9. 3 feet

2.83m

Shift

1,235 t

Power and Performance

Installed power:

4 x boilers power 2 x 27,600hp geared steam turbines on 2 x shafts.

Surface Velocity

section 35.0

(40.3 km/h)

Area

4,866nm

(5,600 miles | 9,012 kilometers)

Armor

4 x 4" (100 mm) main gun. 1 x 3" (76 mm) anti-aircraft gun (AA). 12 x 21" (533 mm) torpedo tubes.

Aircraft

No.