View source for USS Southerland

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[File:USS Southerland (DD-743) off the Boston Navy Yard on 6 January 1945 (19-N-30278).jpg|300px|USS Southerland (DD-743)]]
|Ship caption=
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag= {{USN flag|1981}}
|Ship name=USS ''Southerland''
|Ship namesake=[[William Henry Hudson Southerland]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Bath Iron Works]], [[Bath, Maine]]
|Ship laid down= 27 May 1944
|Ship launched= 5 October 1944
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned= 22 December 1944
|Ship decommissioned= 26 February 1981
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck= 23 February 1981
|Ship renamed=
|Ship reclassified=*DDR-743, 18 March 1949
*DD-743, 1 April 1964
|Ship homeport=[[San Diego]], [[California]]
|Ship motto=
|Ship nickname=
|Ship honors=*1 [[battle star]] (World War II)
*8 battle stars (Korea)
*10 [[campaign star]]s (Vietnam)
|Ship fate= Sunk as a target, 2 August 1997
|Ship status=
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class= {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement= {{convert|2425|LT|t|0|abbr=on}} 
|Ship length= {{convert|390|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam= {{convert|41|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft= {{convert|18|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship depth=
|Ship hold depth=
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed= {{convert|34.5|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range= 
|Ship complement=367
|Ship armament=*6 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/38 caliber guns]]
*16 × [[Bofors 40 mm gun|40 mm]] AA guns
*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
*6 × [[depth charge]] projectors
*2 × depth charge tracks
|Ship armor=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''Southerland'' (DD-743)''', a {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}}, was the only ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named for [[William Henry Hudson Southerland]], an [[admiral]].

''Southerland''  was [[Keel laying|laid down]] on 27 May 1944 by the [[Bath Iron Works]], [[Bath, Maine]] and [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 5 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Edmund Richardson, daughter of Rear Admiral Southerland. The destroyer was [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 December 1944, [[Commander]] Russell C. Williams in command.

==Service history==

===World War II, 1945===
''Southerland'' completed shakedown in the [[Bermuda]] area in February 1945 and conducted further exercises into April. On 24 April she rendezvoused with TU 23.16.1 off the New Jersey coast and headed for the Pacific. Arriving at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 15 May, she sailed for [[Ulithi]] on 28 May. In June, she moved on to [[Leyte Island|Leyte]]; whence, on 1 July, she sailed with TF&nbsp;38, the [[Fast Carrier Task Force]], for the fleet's final raids on the [[Japan]]ese home islands. From 10 July until the end of the war, she screened the carriers as their planes flew against military and industrial targets on the [[Tokyo Plain]], in other parts of [[Honshū]], on [[Hokkaidō]], and in the [[Seto Inland Sea|Inland Sea]]. Twice detached for night shore bombardment missions with [[TU 34.8.1]], she fired on the [[Hamamatsu]] area, southern Honshū, on the night of 29 and 30 July, and on Kamaishi, northern Honshū, on 9 and 10 August.

Strikes on the Tokyo Plain scheduled for 15 August were cancelled as hostilities ceased, but the ships continued to cruise off the Japanese coast. On 27 August ''Southerland'' anchored in [[Sagami Wan]]; and, on 28 August, she moved up to Tokyo, the very first US ship to enter the harbor. On 30 August she covered the landing of occupation troops at [[Huttu Saki]] and [[United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]]. A week later, she completed a mail run to the [[Ryukyu Islands|Ryūkyūs]]; then joined TG&nbsp;35.1 for further occupation duty. She was the first man of war to enter Tokyo Bay at the time of the signing of the surrender documents

===Western Pacific, 1946&ndash;1949===
In January 1946, ''Southerland'' sailed for the United States. Immobilized for a time at [[San Diego]], she departed the [[California]] coast for the [[Central Pacific Area|Central Pacific]] in November; and, in February 1947, she continued on to the western Pacific. She arrived at [[Shanghai]] on 8 February and, through the spring, operated along the China coast, primarily out of [[Tsingtao]]. In June, she was in Japanese waters; and, on 21 June, she sailed for home. From June 1948 to February 1949, she again operated in Chinese and Japanese waters. ''Southerland'' had been configured as a [[radar picket]] destroyer since World War II and was redesignated '''DDR-743''' on 18 March 1949.

===Korean War, 1950&ndash;1953===
''Southerland'' was operating in [[Hawaii]]an waters at the end of June 1950, when the Korean War broke out. In July, she steamed west to [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]]; thence proceeded to Japan. On 19 July, she assumed bombardment and patrol duties off the [[Korea]]n coast.

In September, she joined TF&nbsp;90 and prepared for the assault landings on the west coast of the embattled peninsula at Inchon. Assigned to Fire Support Group 3, ''Southerland'' arrived at [[Inchon]] on the morning of 15 September and commenced pre-invasion shelling of targets on Wolmi-do island and in the city of Inchon. After the landings, she provided interdiction, illumination, and support fire. On 16 September she was slightly damaged by counterbattery fire; and, on 17 September, she retired from the area.

For the remainder of the year, the destroyer operated with the carriers of TF&nbsp;77 and ranged the Korean coast from [[Pusan]] to [[Wonsan]] and [[Ch'ongjin]]. In January 1951, she steamed south. Into February, she operated with the [[Taiwan Strait]] patrol; then returned to Japan, whence she sailed for home.

A year later, on 10 February 1952, ''Southerland'' was back off Japan. On 14 February, she joined TF&nbsp;95, the United Nations Blockade and Escort Force, off the west coast of Korea. Carrier escort and coastal patrol duty followed, involving night shore bombardment against enemy transport facilities, boat and troop concentrations, and gun emplacements.

In March, the destroyer conducted ASW exercises off Okinawa; and, in April, as the stalemate in the [[Panmunjom]] armistice negotiations continued, she returned to the combat zone. Joining TF&nbsp;77, she screened carriers, served as plane guard, and participated in shore bombardments - including a combined air/sea strike on Ch'ongjin on [[Easter Sunday]].

On 18 April, ''Southerland'' returned to Yokosuka; then steamed to Okinawa for ASW operations. On 11 May, she rejoined TF&nbsp;77 and, for 28 days, supported the carriers as they struck targets at Ch'ongjin, Wonsan, and other areas. In June, her carrier group shifted to targets inland.

Toward the end of the month, as interservice air strikes hit [[Communist]] power sources, ''Southerland'' again headed south for Taiwan Strait patrol duty. On 10 July, she rejoined TF&nbsp;95 off the Korean east coast; and, on the 14th, engaged in a 23-minute duel with seven shore batteries. Taking four direct hits, with eight minor casualties, she made temporary repairs at sea; then continued her patrol. On the 22nd, she put into Sasebo; and, on 10 August, she arrived back in her home port, San Diego.

In mid-April 1953 the ship departed San Diego for her third combat tour off Korea. Until mid-May, and again in June, she patrolled off the Korean coast. On the 27th, she returned to Japan; and, one month later, was assigned to patrol duty along the truce line. On 2 October, she sailed for home.

===Pacific Fleet, 1954&ndash;1962===
After Korea, ''Southerland'' alternated duty with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] in the western Pacific (WestPac) with training assignments, [[United States First Fleet|1st Fleet]] operations, and upkeep and overhaul periods. Her Far East deployments included [[Southeast Asia Treaty Organization|SEATO]] exercises; [[Taiwan Strait]] patrols; 7th Fleet exercises; and, during her 1957 and 1958 WestPac tour, relief work. At the end of December 1958, she joined the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Princeton|CVS-37|2}} and the destroyer {{USS|Henderson|DD-785|2}} in providing emergency relief — food, medicine, and trained medical personnel — for survivors of devastating floods in Ceylon; and she continued that work into January 1958.

In the eastern Pacific, she conducted training exercises, participated in 1st Fleet exercises; and, in 1962, joined Joint Task Force 8 for [[Operation Dominic I and II|Operation "Dominic"]], the upper atmosphere nuclear test series at [[Christmas Island]].

===FRAM I overhaul, 1963&ndash;1964===
In November 1963, ''Southerland'', in WestPac and scheduled to participate in amphibious support exercises, was ordered to Vietnam for brief duty as hostilities there threatened American interests. Soon departing, she returned to California for a 10-month [[Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization|FRAM Mark I]], overhaul and conversion at Mare Island. During that period, her superstructure above the main deck was removed; berthing and messing areas were renovated; and her engineering spaces were reconditioned. Electronically modernized, her ASW capability was enhanced by the addition of [[ASROC]], an antisubmarine rocket system.

===Vietnam, 1964&ndash;1971===
Work was completed in October 1964. ''Southerland'', redesignated '''DD-743''' on 1 April 1964, then tested her new equipment and conducted training exercises until March 1965. She next headed west to return to Vietnam and her third war in the western Pacific.

Departing on 6 March, she joined TF&nbsp;77 in the [[South China Sea]]; and, as in Korea, she screened carriers and acted as [[plane guard]] while strikes were flown against Communist targets. After duty with TF&nbsp;77, she shifted to "[[Operation Market Time]]", for trawler surveillance duty. Briefly detached twice in late June, she provided gunfire support in the [[I Corps (South Vietnam)|I Corps]] area and destroyed several [[Viet Cong]] buildings and communications points.

[[File:USS Southerland (DD-743) underway in August 1967.jpg|thumb|''Southerland'' underway in August 1967.]]

On 11 September, ''Southerland'' arrived back at San Diego. Nine months later, she was underway for another combat tour off Vietnam. On 8 July 1966, she arrived off the embattled coast and, for eleven days, operated with the carrier {{USS|Intrepid|CVS-11|2}} near the [[Mekong Delta]]. Detached on 19 July for fire support duty, she returned to the carrier on 28 July; and, at the end of the month, retired to [[Subic Bay]]. On 7 August, she was again off Vietnam. Until the end of the month, she operated in [[Gulf of Tonkin|Tonkin Gulf]] with the aircraft carrier {{USS|Franklin D. Roosevelt|CVA-42|2}}. ASW exercises followed; and, in mid-September, she sailed for Japan. At the end of October, she returned to Tonkin Gulf for search and rescue duty.

On 23 November, ''Southerland'' completed her Vietnam tour and headed home. In February 1967, she served as ASW School Ship and, in March, as Engineering School Ship. From April to August, she underwent overhaul. In the fall, she conducted refresher training; and, on 28 December, she sailed for WestPac and another tour off Vietnam.

From then until 28 June 1968 and again from 18 March to 3 July 1969, ''Southerland'' operated with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] on assignments similar to those in 1965 and 1966. In 1970, she sailed west in mid-June; operated in Japanese waters through the end of July; then steamed south, for Vietnam, on 6 August. There, she again alternated carrier escort and plane guard duties in Tonkin Gulf with fire support activities off the southern coast of the divided country until mid-November. On 1 December, she returned to San Diego.

During the first half of 1971, ''Southerland'' spent two periods underway, one in January and one in April. Both were in conjunction with Composite Unit Training Exercises conducted in the southern California (SOCAL) operating area. On 29 June, she got underway from San Diego en route to the western Pacific. She remained in the Far East until 5 December, plane guarding for the carrier {{USS|Enterprise|CVAN-65|2}} and visiting such oriental ports as Hong Kong, Singapore, and Subic Bay. After a 17-day passage, ''Southerland'' returned to San Diego on 22 December.

===Training ship, 1972&ndash;1980===
On 2 June 1972, the ship entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard and commenced an overhaul which lasted until 9 November. During the yard work, her main propulsion plant was converted to use navy [[Fuel oil|distillate fuel]].

The destroyer continued her operations out of San Diego along the southern California coast until mid-June 1973. On the 11th, she stood out of San Diego and headed north to [[Seattle]], Washington. There, she embarked naval reservists and shaped a course for the western Pacific, via [[Adak, Alaska]]. For the rest of the summer, she participated in Operation "Charger SurfPac 1-73", during which successive complements of reservists received training in 7th Fleet operations and the opportunity to train with elements of friendly foreign navies. The capability of the Naval Reserve to augment the fleet on short notice was demonstrated by the airlift which brought in new groups of reservists at regular intervals once the deployment had begun. ''Southerland'' reentered San Diego on 30 August 1973, successfully concluding Operation "Charger SurfPac 1-73." From September through December, she cruised along the west coast, out of San Diego, with naval reservists embarked for training. Through September 1974, ''Southerland'' has continued to operate along the west coast out of San Diego, clearing that area only once in late February and early March to visit Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. En route to Hawaii she was accompanied by the British [[frigate]] {{HMS|Jupiter|F60|6}}, and conducted joint exercises including an exchange of crew members by highline transfer and return by helicopter.

During her final six months in late 1980 and leading up to the decommissioning, the ship continued her role as a training ship for reservists serving their annual mandatory two weeks of active service. By the summer of 1980 the permanent full-time crew had been reduced to approximately two-thirds of the normal full complement. Training reservists filled out the remaining crew. In August 1980 ''Southerland'' made her last foreign port-of-call to Acapulco, Mexico. After a brief stop in Mazatlan for fuel, ''Southerland'' continued on to Acapulco and spent three full days at anchor near the mouth of the harbor before returning to port in San Diego. During the fall of 1980 she participated in several naval gunnery and training exercises off of southern San Clemente Island.

===Decommissioning in 1981, fate===
[[File:USS Southerland (DD-743) and Hollister (DD-788) at Puget Sound 1981.JPEG|thumb|Decommissioned destroyers ''Southerland'' and {{USS|Hollister|DD-788|2}} at Puget Sound, 1981.]]
''Southerland'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] at 10:00 am [[Pacific Standard Time|PST]] on Thursday, 26 February 1981. The ship was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register]] on 26 February 1981.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

A planned transfer of ''Southerland'' to the [[Ecuadoran Navy]] fell through due to a fishing rights dispute. Subsequently the ship was disposed of as a missile testing target and sunk at 13:49:30 [[Pacific Standard Time|PST]] on 2 August 1997 in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of [[California]] at {{coord|34|57|N|122|08|W|name="USS ''Southerland'' (DD-743)}}.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}} Witnesses commented as to the remarkable toughness of the 53-plus-year-old ship prior to sinking. This was due to the entire engine room being filled with a buoyant spray-foam material witnessed by this author when the Southerland was tied up at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the fall of 1990.{{citation needed|date=April 2016}}

==Awards==
''Southerland'' earned one [[battle star]] during [[World War II]]; eight during the [[Korean War]]; and 10 during her [[Vietnam War]] tours.

==References==
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/s/southerland.html}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|USS Southerland (DD-743) (ship, 1944)}}
* {{navsource|05/743|USS Southerland}}
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd743txt.htm  hazegray.org: USS ''Southerland'']
* [http://usssoutherland.com/index.htm  Ship's association page: www.usssoutherland.com]

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{{Gearing class destroyer}}
{{1997 shipwrecks}}

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[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine]]
[[Category:United States Navy New York (state)-related ships]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1997]]
[[Category:Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]