uss hull

The Hull (DD-350) – The Farragut-Class Destroyer in World War 2

The USS Hull (DD-350), a Farragut-class destroyer, served with distinction in the Pacific Theater of World War II, earning ten battle stars for its participation in numerous campaigns. Named for Commodore Isaac Hull, a War of 1812 hero who commanded the USS Constitution, this ship was in service with the U.S. Navy from 1935 until her tragic sinking in December 1944 due to Typhoon Cobra. Participating in some of the conflict’s most crucial battles, including the initial raids on Japanese-held islands and the Battle of the Philippine Sea, the Hull demonstrated resilience, adaptability, and sacrifice. Its service reflects the changing role of destroyers in the Navy’s evolving strategy during the war. This article examines the Hull’s design, the features that set it apart, and its key actions in major conflicts, including the Guadalcanal campaign, the Aleutian Islands campaign, the Gilbert Islands campaign, the Marshall Islands campaign, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea. The loss of this ship in a natural disaster, with all hands, serves as a testament to the inherent perils naval crews faced during World War II, beyond combat.

Design and Construction

The Hull was a Farragut-class destroyer, a series of ships built in the early 1930s to reinvigorate the U.S. destroyer force after more than a decade of minimal production due to post-World War I naval treaties. The keel of the Hull was laid down on 7 March 1933 at the New York Navy Yard in Brooklyn, New York, and it was launched on 31 January 1934. The sponsor for the ship was Miss Patricia Louise Platt. The Hull was commissioned on 11 January 1935, with Lieutenant Commander Robert B. Carney in command. This class marked the resumption of destroyer production in the U.S., incorporating many of the lessons from World War I, while meeting the need of the United States Navy for fast and versatile ships capable of multiple roles. The Hull was 341 feet 3 inches (104.04 m) long overall, with a beam of 34 feet 3 inches (10.46 m), and a draft of 10 feet 4 inches (3.18 m). It displaced 1,365 long tons (1,389 t) standard and 2,064 long tons (2,095 t) full load. It was powered by four Yarrow boilers, two Curtis turbines, that could generate 42,800 shaft horsepower (31,886 kW) through two screws, which could propel the ship to a maximum speed of 36.5 knots (67.5 km/h; 41.9 mph), with a range of 5,980 nautical miles (11,080 km; 6,880 mi) at a constant 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph). The crew consisted of approximately 160 officers and enlisted men. Hulls crew members were trained to use complex systems.

Armament and Early Service

The armament of the USS Hull was designed to reflect its role in multiple areas including anti-surface, anti-aircraft, and antisubmarine warfare. The Hull was fitted with five 5-inch/38 caliber guns in single mounts that were dual-purpose (that is, they could be used to fire on either surface targets or aircraft), four 0.5-inch machine guns for anti-aircraft defense, and two 40 mm and four 20 mm guns for anti-aircraft defense added or replaced some of the 0.5 inch machine guns as the ship’s role in the Pacific grew and the Hull was forced to deal with Japanese air attacks. In addition, the ship was also designed to be very offensive with eight 21-inch torpedo tubes in two quadruple mounts. These weapons systems point to the Navy’s doctrinal preference for using destroyers to engage enemy capital ships with torpedoes in the years before World War II. In addition, the Hull had depth charges and two depth charge racks for antisubmarine warfare, another important role for destroyers in the submarine-rich environment of the Pacific. After its commissioning, the ship conducted a shakedown cruise to the Azores, Portugal, and the British Isles, to test its systems and crew, and then she arrived at San Diego via the Panama Canal on 19 October 1935. From that time on, the Hull was part of the Pacific Fleet, and it carried out tactical exercises and training maneuvers. In the summer of 1936, the destroyer made a cruise to Alaska. In April 1937, the Hull took part in fleet exercises in Hawaiian waters. On 12 October 1939, the ship began operating out of Pearl Harbor as a plane guard for the fleet’s carriers, and on 7 December, she screened carriers for patrols off the West Coast as the fleet mobilized for war.

Unique Characteristics of Hull

The USS Hull distinguished itself through its advanced design tailored to the pre-war expectations of destroyer roles and operations within the U.S. Navy. As the first U.S. destroyer class constructed after World War I, the Farragut-class featured modern propulsion systems and weaponry that set it apart from its predecessors. The Hull’s maximum speed of over 36 knots allowed it to effectively screen faster carrier task forces and engage in hit-and-run attacks, a capability that was particularly useful in the vast operational areas of the Pacific Theater. The dual-purpose 5-inch guns equipped on the Hull provided significant versatility, enabling it to engage with surface targets, aircraft, and shore positions, although it initially lacked a comprehensive anti-aircraft battery. The ship’s eight torpedo tubes gave it substantial offensive punch against larger enemy vessels in surface engagements. The ship’s size and maneuverability made it well-suited for a wide range of operations, from the tropical waters of the Solomon Islands to the frigid Aleutian Islands. However, the Farragut-class destroyers, including the Hull, had a reputation for being top-heavy, a tendency that increased as the ships were modified with additional anti-aircraft guns, radar, and other equipment during the war. This design flaw contributed to the Hull’s sinking in 1944, as it became vulnerable in heavy seas. The Hull’s loss, along with that of her sister ships Monaghan and Spence in the same storm, killed 765 sailors in all and brought into stark relief the limits of her design.

Leadership and Crew

The leadership and crew of the USS Hull were integral to the ship’s wartime effectiveness. The first commanding officer of the Hull was Lieutenant Commander Robert B. Carney, who later became an admiral, which is indicative of the quality of officers assigned to the ship throughout its career. The crew, drawn from the ranks of the U.S. Navy, received rigorous pre-war training and participated in peacetime exercises that honed their skills in gunnery, torpedo attacks, and antisubmarine warfare, preparing them for the realities of combat. During the war, the Hull’s crew had to adapt to new challenges and equipment, such as radar and enhanced anti-aircraft weaponry, which were added to address the evolving threat of Japanese air power. The versatility and resilience of the crew were tested as the ship took on multiple roles, from screening the fast carriers of the task force to bombarding shore positions and defending against enemy air attacks. The skill and experience of the crew were crucial in enabling the Hull to perform a variety of roles, including as a screen for larger vessels, a bombardment platform, and an anti-aircraft defense unit, depending on the task at hand. The loss of eleven officers and 191 enlisted men of her crew in Typhoon Cobra brought home to those that survived the perils of being at sea in a naval ship. It is a tragedy but as far as we know a known danger and thus unavoidable, the crew could not have known just how bad the typhoon was. Accounts by survivors of the disaster were heart-breaking and a testament to the courage of the men that lost their lives and of the survivors.

Pearl Harbor and Early Pacific Operations

On 7 December 1941, the Hull was at Pearl Harbor undergoing repairs, together with the tender USS Dobbin (AD-3) that was also repairing her, when the Japanese struck. The two ships were at the eastern end of Pearl Harbor and were not the targets of Japanese planes that concentrated on battleships and carriers. The Hull’s crew manned its anti-aircraft batteries and it downed several Japanese aircraft. The following day, the Hull got underway, escorted by the destroyer USS Converse (DD-393) for Pearl Harbor, to join up with USS Enterprise (CV-6). The destroyer escorted the carrier back to Pearl Harbor. In early 1942, it operated with Task Force 11, screening USS Lexington (CV-2) during strikes on Japanese bases in the Solomon Islands. From March to June 1942, the Hull made several convoy runs between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor. On 26 July, the Hull sailed from Pearl Harbor for Suva, Fiji Islands, in the Solomons, where it prepared for the U.S. Navy’s first offensive, the amphibious assault on Guadalcanal. The ship departed on 26 July and arrived off the Solomons on 7 August 1942, the day of the invasion of Guadalcanal. The Hull screened the cruisers during the shore bombardments and then stood as antisubmarine screen for the transports. On 8 August, she was called upon to help repel Japanese bombing attacks and she shot down several enemy aircraft. In the evening, she had the unpleasant duty of sinking the transport USS George F. Elliott, which had been set on fire by an air attack, because she was burning out of control. On the 9th, the Hull sank a small Japanese schooner off Guadalcanal before departing for Espiritu Santo. The Hull made three more voyages to Guadalcanal in the next weeks, in which she supported troops under constant enemy air attack on 3 and 14 September, and then returned to Pearl Harbor on 20 October for the remainder of the year, where she was based with the battleship USS Colorado (BB-45) in the New Hebrides on patrols and convoy escort duty.

Guadalcanal Campaign

In early 1943, the Hull had repairs at San Francisco, arriving there on 7 February. The ship reached Adak, Alaska in the Aleutian Islands on 16 April 1943, for training maneuvers with the battleships and cruisers as part of preparations for operations to retake Attu and Kiska. It performed patrol duties during the invasion of Attu in May and bombarded Kiska Island on 3, 14, 15, and 18 July and 17 August. The Hull supported the landings on Kiska on the 15th and found that the Japanese had evacuated the island under cover of fog during the previous night. The Aleutian campaign was never as newsworthy as the war in the Pacific, but it was another example of the hull operating in all weathers, often very cold, and conditions of poor visibility.

Gilbert Islands Campaign

On 26 September 1943, the Hull returned to Pearl Harbor and departed for a raid on Wake Island on 29 September. It operated with the escort carriers during a diversionary strike, intended to deceive the Japanese as to the U.S. Navy’s true objective, which was the invasion of the Gilbert Islands. On 20 November 1943, the Hull took part in a bombardment of Makin Atoll as part of the operation to land the American troops on the beaches. The ship’s 5-inch guns fired against the Japanese defenders, supporting the ground troops’ advance. The destroyer then escorted a convoy back to Pearl Harbor, where it arrived on 7 December 1943, and then she participated in amphibious exercises in California.

Marshall Islands Campaign

On 13 January 1944, the Hull left San Diego with Task Force 53 for the Marshall Islands campaign, a critical stage in the U.S. island-hopping strategy to get closer to Japan. It bombarded Mille Atoll on 18 March and Wotje on the 22d, both to destroy or neutralize Japanese airfields and fortifications. The hull’s gunfire supported the effort to clear the Japanese out of their positions on both islands to facilitate the amphibious landings on Kwajalein and Eniwetok. The destroyer’s antisubmarine and anti-aircraft capability shielded the task force from Japanese submarine and surface ships and from air attack so the carriers and transports could do their jobs. The ship’s role in the Gilbert Islands also demonstrated the Hull’s growing proficiency at shore bombardment, which became more and more important as the U.S. closed with the Japanese homeland.

Battle of the Philippine Sea

The Battle of the Philippine Sea was the most important engagement for the USS Hull, which saw action on 19–20 June 1944. After raids on Truk in April 1944, she arrived at Majuro on 4 May and left that base for the Marianas campaign, on 11 June. After Admiral Willis Lee’s battleships bombarded Saipan on 13 June, the Hull screened them as they supported the initial landings there. The destroyer then joined Task Group 58.2 on the 15th to rendezvous with Admiral Marc Mitscher’s carrier task force, while the Japanese massed to hit the carriers, “Operation A-Go,” that brought nine carriers and 422 Japanese aircraft into the battle on 19 June. The 5-inch guns of the Hull’s anti-aircraft battery were busy as she, other fleet units, and the Japanese traded blows in what became known as the “Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” In addition to helping to repel Japanese air raids, the Hull did screening duty for the carriers, many of whose air groups destroyed 600 Japanese aircraft. In support, the U.S. submarines sank the Japanese carriers Taiho, Shokaku, and Hiyo. The destroyer’s next task was to provide support in the Marianas, and the Hull operated off Guam in July 1944, supporting operations in that area, before it was in Seattle for an overhaul from 27 August 1944 to 30 March 1945. The battle showed just how critical the Hull’s protection of the carriers was, as their air groups blunted the Japanese offensive and virtually destroyed Japanese naval aviation.

Typhoon Cobra and Loss

After the overhaul, the USS Hull was back at Pearl Harbor on 23 October 1944 and she departed to join the fast carrier striking force in the Philippine Sea in November 1944. On 17 and 18 December 1944, the hull found itself in the path of Typhoon Cobra, a tropical cyclone to the east of the Philippines that had sustained winds in excess of 100 knots, in a part of the world where that level of wind is extraordinary. The top-heavy Farragut-class destroyer already had had a rough time of it as the Japanese offensive continued at sea, but the hull heeled over to an 80-degree angle by 11:00 on the morning of 18 December. The ship rolled to port and water began to pour in, flooding the hull and swamping the pumps. The hull eventually rolled over on her side and then sank, with the loss of eleven officers and 191 enlisted men. Seven officers and 55 enlisted men were rescued by the destroyer escort USS Tabberer, and other ships in the next several days. The loss of the Hull, the Monaghan, and the Spence in the same storm, killed 765 sailors all together and brought home to those that survived the perils of being at sea in a naval ship. It is a tragedy but as far as we know a known danger and thus unavoidable, the crew could not have known just how bad the typhoon was. Accounts by survivors of the disaster were heart-breaking and a testament to the courage of the men that lost their lives and of the survivors.

Legacy and Significance

The Hull’s ten battle stars are representative of the ship’s hard work, involvement, and success in each of the campaigns she participated in during World War II. The design, as we have seen, was optimized for speed, but with both anti-surface (torpedo attack capability) and anti-aircraft capability the hull excelled at screening, bombardment, and antisubmarine warfare. Her limitations included top-heavy stability that increased as the ship was modified and loaded up during the war. The crew’s skill and versatility, under the leadership of officers like Robert B. Carney, were also important elements in the ship’s success as she operated in as many different places in the Pacific as the Aleutians, Alaska, the tropical Solomons, and the Marianas. As well, the Hull’s loss in Typhoon Cobra remains a powerful illustration of the limits of her design. The Hull and her crew’s story offers some things to the discussion of the importance of perspective on the seeming invincibility of the U.S. fleet. First, it draws our attention to the loss of 765 sailors, many of them trained in the most complex technology of the time, in a known danger of being at sea at a time of total war. There are individual acts of heroism in that story as there are in every loss at sea. The loss of 765 sailors is an important number, comparable to the troop losses at Pearl Harbor or even a significant U.S. land battle.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the USS Hull (DD-350), a Farragut-class destroyer, played a significant role in World War II, as evidenced by its ten battle stars. The Hull’s design and capabilities allowed it to perform a variety of tasks effectively, from escorting carriers to bombarding enemy positions. It participated in several major campaigns, including the Guadalcanal campaign, the Aleutian Islands campaign, the Gilbert Islands campaign, the Marshall Islands campaign, and the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and was present during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The Hull was lost in December 1944 due to Typhoon Cobra, a natural disaster that resulted in the loss of all hands. Despite its loss, the Hull’s service during the war and the bravery of its crew remain a testament to its importance in the U.S. Navy’s efforts during World War II.