uss craven

The Mighty Craven: Destroyer’s Performance in World War II

The USS Craven was a Gridley-class destroyer serving with distinction in the U.S. Navy during the Second World War. The ship was named in honor of Commander Tunis Augustus Macdonough Craven, who perished while valiantly commanding the USS Varuna at the Battle of Mobile Bay in 1864. The Craven was laid down on June 3, 1935, at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and was launched on February 25, 1937. It was commissioned on September 2, 1937, with Lieutenant Commander Watson Osgood Bailey as its first commanding officer. The destroyer served for nine years, from 1937 to 1946, and was awarded nine battle stars for its World War II service. The Craven’s wartime career, from its role in the initial offensive raids in the Pacific to its participation in some of the most significant battles such as the Philippine Sea, reflects the adaptability of the U.S. Navy as it reeled from the Japanese onslaught in 1941 and 1942 and grew into a vast, and by war’s end, an invincible force. This article will provide an overview of the Gridley class and the destroyer’s characteristics, provide an outline of the Craven’s service in the major campaigns, and highlight some of the more important missions. The goal is to give a wide view of the USS Craven’s activities and role in the victory in the Pacific.

Design and Construction

The Gridley-class destroyers were a series of destroyers developed in the 1930s as a part of an ongoing effort to modernize the U.S. Navy’s destroyer force in the face of increasing global tensions and naval treaty limitations. The USS Craven, the lead ship of the class, was laid down on June 3, 1935, at the Fore River Shipyard in Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation and was launched on February 25, 1937. Commissioned on September 2, 1937, with Lieutenant Commander Watson Osgood Bailey in command, the Craven and her sister ships were an improvement on the earlier gridley-class with better speed, firepower, and endurance to perform a variety of roles such as fleet screening, convoy escort, and anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defense. The Gridley-class had a full-load displacement of 2,219 tons and were 340 feet 10 inches (104.0 m) long, with a beam of 35 feet 10 inches (10.9 m) and a draft of 12 feet 9 inches (3.9 m). The ships were powered by a pair of Bethlehem geared turbines which provided 50,000 shaft horsepower (37,000 kW) to two screws with a top speed of 38.5 knots (71.3 km/h; 44.4 mph) and a range of 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph), useful for covering the vast expanses of the Pacific. They had a complement of about 158 officers and crew who were well-trained to handle the various weapon systems aboard the ship. Armament upgrades would come later as the need for more anti-aircraft and antisubmarine weaponry became apparent with the growing use of aircraft and submarines in the war.

Armament and Early Service

The Craven was armed for the pre-war naval strategy that still expected to win decisive surface fleet engagements. The ship was equipped with four 5-inch/38 caliber guns capable of engaging both surface targets and aircraft, less than the five guns that would be the standard for future destroyer classes. These could be manned by an ammunition service crew of four. At the time of commissioning, they were initially armed with four 0.5-inch machine guns for anti-aircraft defense, but this was soon upgraded to 20mm and 40mm guns to help fight the growing air threat. A key feature of the Craven and other Gridley-class destroyers was their 16 21-inch torpedo tubes in four quadruple mounts, for a total of 64 torpedoes, considerably more than most contemporary destroyers, which usually carried 48 torpedoes. They were intended to form a rapid-fire torpedo battery to blast an enemy capital ship into smithereens. As the name implied, the destroyer’s main armament was its 16 torpedo tubes. For anti-submarine warfare, they were also equipped with depth charges. As the ship completed shakedown training in the Caribbean and along the U.S. East Coast, including torpedo drills off Newport, Rhode Island, it was ordered to the Pacific Fleet in August 1938 and made San Diego home port. The Craven was part of the Pacific Fleet exercises in the Caribbean in 1939 and by April 1940 was assigned permanently to Pearl Harbor where it was employed as an antisubmarine screen for the fast carriers.

Unique Characteristics of the Craven

The Craven had several unique features and characteristics that set it apart from other destroyers of its time. Its primary distinguishing feature was its 16 torpedo tubes, four quadruple mounts, that made the ship a potent surface action specialist. When all 16 tubes were manned by two ammunition service crews, they could fire an eight-torpedo salvo in a single rapid-fire train of shots from all mounts in about eight seconds, a vital characteristic in an age of fast-firing torpedoes. The ship’s speed in excess of 38 knots (70 km/h; 43 mph) also allowed it to keep up with the fast carrier task forces and outrun submarines and aircraft, a key component in its screening and night action capability. As carrier air power began to dominate the war, anti-aircraft weapons, notably 20mm and 40mm guns, were added to counter a critical design flaw. The Craven’s ASW was enhanced with more capable depth charges and sonar, becoming a multi-role ship. With endurance boosted by at sea refueling, the destroyer could spend more time on long patrols in the vast Pacific, which allowed commanders much greater flexibility in operations.

Commanding Officers and Crew

One of the destroyer’s executive officers was Lieutenant Commander Arleigh A. Burke who served aboard the ship from July 1938 to March 1939. He became a four-star admiral and is regarded as the finest destroyer officer in U.S. Navy history; his early service on the Craven had a major influence on the ship in its first year of service, and his tactical expertise made its way into the ship’s DNA. In addition, the crew members who were selected for the ship underwent intensive training exercises before the war and developed their abilities during pre-war exercises to master the high-pressure work on the ship during the war. For the crew members of the ship, service on the Craven was a source of great pride as the ship was involved in many important actions. Bob Davis, whose father served on the Craven during the war, stated that his father and the other crew members of the ship were “really proud of the Craven, very proud of all the battles the Craven was in, and all the victories it helped the fleet to gain.” As the U.S. Navy shifted from the pre-war emphasis on surface fleet actions to air- and submarine-centric warfare, the Craven showed its versatility and multi-role capability as it transitioned from torpedo attacks to anti-aircraft defense to antisubmarine patrol and carrier screening, keeping pace with the rapidly changing face of naval warfare during World War II.

Early Pacific Raids

The U.S. Navy was at sea with the USS Enterprise when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on 7 December 1941. The Craven returned to Pearl Harbor under its own power but ran aground while refueling from USS Northampton, a cruiser, on 15 December. It was hit by a large wave and suffered minor damage on 19 December and put into dry dock for repairs on 21 December. On 15 February 1942, the destroyer was with Task Force 8, the Enterprise task group, on a raid against Japanese-held islands in the Marshall and Gilbert Islands. On 1 February, the task force attacked Kwajalein, Wotje, and Maloelap in the Marshalls and Makin and Mili in the Gilberts, destroying airfields and shipping. The Craven conducted antisubmarine screening and provided anti-aircraft fire, protecting the Enterprise from enemy counterattacks during and after the raids. The raids against the Marshall and Gilbert Islands were among the first U.S. offensive actions in the Pacific and boosted sagging American morale while disrupting Japanese operations. The Craven screened the Enterprise on a raid on Wake Island on 24 February, damaging enemy facilities there.

Battle of Vella Gulf

The ship had its most important service during the Battle of Vella Gulf on 6–7 August 1943, a key action in the Solomon Islands campaign. The Craven was assigned to Task Group 31.2, escorting a transport group to Guadalcanal and screening transports there before patrolling in the Solomon Sea in the early morning hours of 6 August. The Craven was part of a six-destroyer task unit that got word to intercept a Japanese “Tokyo Express” convoy bringing reinforcements to the Japanese-held island of Kolombangara in the center of the Solomons and come to Battle Station. The ship was in the western column, a two-ship stack with USS Dunlap in front. The Craven’s radar operator detected four Japanese destroyers, Kawakaze, Hagikaze, Arashi, and Shigure, and the Craven made a surprise torpedo attack. The Craven’s torpedoes, along with those of sister ships, sank Kawakaze, Hagikaze, and Arashi with heavy Japanese casualties. The Shigure was able to escape, and in his post-action report, the captain of the ship alleged that a torpedo had run up the Japanese destroyer’s rudder and the ship was free to turn and flee. The Craven then began firing on the Japanese with her 5-inch guns, continuing the pursuit and rout, and is believed to have damaged a cruiser. In this important battle, the Craven showed the effectiveness of radar-directed night torpedo attacks on Japanese convoys and its effectiveness as a torpedo warship, denying the enemy the ability to supply and reinforce its Solomons forces. The ship was overhauled at San Francisco, California, from 3 September to 11 November 1943, and returned to Pearl Harbor.

Invasion of the Marshall Islands

On 19 January 1944, the Craven joined Task Force 58, the Fast Carrier Task Force, and in February conducted screening and anti-aircraft operations for the fast carriers during air strikes on Wotje, Taroa, and Eniwetok in the Marshall Islands in preparation for the invasion of the Marshalls. On landings on Kwajalein, the destroyer’s antisubmarine screens protected the carriers from submarine and aircraft attack. The air strikes from the carriers, protected by the Craven and other escorts, neutralized enemy airfields and fortifications to enable the successful landings. The ship refueled from oilers, including USS Cahaba, as it conducted anti-aircraft screen operations, which allowed the carriers to remain at sea to maintain the pressure and tempo of the campaign. The Craven was part of the task force screening groups that covered the landing on Rota on 26 February, the 5-inch batteries on ships such as the Craven working over the island as U.S. Marines stormed ashore. On 2 March, the Craven was again screening the Enterprise and other carriers during strikes on Rota and Pagan in the Marianas. During these operations, the Craven screened the Enterprise and three other carriers during strikes on Rota, Pagan, and Guam in the Marianas.

Hollandia Campaign

The Craven continued to serve as a screen for Task Force 58 on 11–12 April when it was on station during strikes on Palau, Yap, Ulithi, and Woleai, and later on in the month, it was part of the support of the invasion of Hollandia, now called Jayapura, Indonesia. These were pre-invasion operations to isolate Japanese troops on New Guinea and establish secure Allied bases. As U.S. carriers launched air strikes on enemy positions on the Japanese-held Palau group, the Craven’s anti-aircraft guns and sonar-directed antisubmarine patrols helped protect the carriers from Japanese submarines and aircraft. The Craven was one of the screen of the fast carriers and escorted them as they steamed at high speeds and zig-zagged their way through the Southwest Pacific, but all this took a lot of fuel. The ship took on fuel from the oilers, including USS Lackawanna, to keep the operational tempo high and the carriers at sea, a key component in the rapid capture of the Marshalls. In addition, the Craven was part of a fast carrier task group on 20 April, screening as the carriers conducted raids on Yap and Ulithi in the Carolines. It again screened a fast carrier task group on 25 April as the ships conducted raids on Manila in the Philippines. The ship was operating on a line abreast with two other destroyers and a destroyer escort at the time of the strikes.

Battle of the Philippine Sea

In what became the most famous of the destroyer’s engagements, the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19–20 June 1944, the Craven was part of Task Force 58 providing pre-invasion strikes on Guam, Saipan, and Rota, and later carried out raids on the Bonin Islands in support of the invasion of the Marianas. Japan launched “Operation A-Go” and committed nine carriers and over 400 planes in a counterattack and the Craven, which was probably in Task Group 58.7 or with a carrier group, provided anti-aircraft fire to help protect the carrier groups, including the Enterprise and Hornet, against attack by Japanese aircraft. Over 600 Japanese aircraft were shot down by U.S. fighters and anti-aircraft gunners on ships such as the Craven in what was nicknamed the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” The ship’s upgraded 20mm and 40mm anti-aircraft guns were hard at work manning the anti-aircraft screen. Japanese aircraft were able to sink the carriers Taiho and Shokaku, while the carriers’ air groups found and sank the Japanese carrier Hiyo as well in the battle. The Craven would continue on screening duty for Task Force 58 through September 1944 and was on station for carrier strikes on the Bonins, Guam, Yap, and the Palaus. The ship put into Pearl Harbor on 11 October.

Later Service and Decommissioning

In 1945, the Craven served in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. On 2 January 1945, it left Pearl Harbor, arriving at New York on 26 January. The destroyer then conducted antisubmarine patrols and training off the U.S. East Coast until 29 May. On 2 May, it escorted a convoy to Southampton, England, where it arrived after the surrender of Germany. It was engaged in escort, training, and transport operations in the Mediterranean, including an escort mission for the U.S. Minister to Tangier, from 20 July to 3 October. It then returned to Pearl Harbor in March 1946, and after a short cruise to Seattle, Washington, the destroyer was decommissioned on 19 April 1946 and sold for scrap on 2 October 1947.

Legacy and Significance

The Craven was awarded nine battle stars for its service during World War II. From her involvement in the initial offensive raids in the Pacific to the decisive surface battles such as Vella Gulf and the Philippine Sea, the destroyer was constantly on station, protecting the carriers, sinking enemy ships and craft, and supporting amphibious landings. The Gridley-class design and construction was done with an emphasis on torpedoes and surface battle, and its ships shone in the daylight surface actions and strikes on islands. Adaptable, the ship was effective against submarine and aircraft as the war progressed, and modifications helped keep her relevant to the war effort. The ship’s crew was skilled at all they were asked to do and this was due in large measure to the professional skill of the leaders of the ship, including future admiral Arleigh Burke. The men and women on board the Craven, such as Bob Davis’ father, were proud of their service and the ship’s accomplishments. In service in the Pacific Theater during one of the most famous of U.S. Navy destroyer’s careers, the Craven’s performance in the major campaigns, including the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, the Solomons, the Marshalls, Hollandia, and the Philippine Sea campaigns showed it and the other destroyers at work. These actions pushed the scale of the Pacific Theater further in the Allies’ favor, aided by good ship design and, more importantly, by officers and crew who were well-trained and expert at their job. The service of this ship in the war complicates the easy narrative of unstoppable American naval power triumphing over Japan. The U.S. Navy had a lot of catching up to do in 1941 and 1942, but it did it by smart tactical and operational innovation, as well as sheer force of numbers and training.

Conclusion

The service of the USS Craven, a Gridley-class destroyer, in World War II is an important part of the U.S. Navy’s history. From the war’s early Pacific raids to major engagements such as the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Craven showed the adaptability of the U.S. Navy as it overcame the Japanese onslaught in 1941 and 1942 to grow into a vast, and by the end of the war, an invincible fleet. In the course of the Craven’s service during major campaigns such as the invasion of the Marshall and Gilbert Islands, the Solomon Islands, the Marshalls, Hollandia, and the Philippine Sea, the ship showed its capacity to help push the Pacific Theater in the Allies’ direction. The United States’ victory in the Pacific was due in no small part to ships such as the Craven, skilled officers and crew, and the men and women in the supporting organizations and facilities ashore. In a war that was sometimes oversimplified as a contest of Goliath and David, the Craven reminds us of the vital importance of the unsung worker, getting the job done, even when that job is a sometimes thankless and dangerous destroyer service.