USS Buchanan және TCG Gelibolu тарихы

Gleaves class destroyer

USS Buchanan (DD 484), a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Franklin Buchanan, who was an officer in the U. S. Navy who became an admiral in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. Buchanan (DD 484) was launched on 22 November 1941 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey; sponsored by Miss Hildreth Meiere, great granddaughter of Admiral Buchanan. The ship commissioned on 21 March 1942.

Upon completion of overhaul and refresher training Buchanan returned to the Pacific and served with the transport screen during the assault and capture of the southern Palaus (6 September – 14 October 1944). She next participated in the strikes against Luzon between 14 and 16 December. On 18 December she was damaged by a typhoon in the Philippine Sea. Upon completion of repairs, she engaged in attacks on Luzon, Formosa, and the China coast (6–16 January 1945) in support of the Luzon operation. During the remainder of World War II she participated in the Iwo Jima invasion (15 February – 5 March), Okinawa operation and supporting 3rd and 5th Fleet raids (16 March – 30 June); as well as the 3rd Fleet operations against Japan (10 July – 15 August 1945).

On 29 August she entered Tokyo Bay escorting the battleship South Dakota. On 1 September she carried Fleet Admirals Nimitz and Halsey from their respective flagships to Yokohama where they met with General MacArthur and then returned them to the fleet. The following day she carried General MacArthur to the battleship Missouri where he accepted the Japanese surrender and then returned him to Yokohama. She remained on occupation duty in the Far East until 8 October and then departed for San Francisco where she arrived 20 October. Buchanan steamed to Charleston, South Carolina for pre inactivation overhaul and went out of commission in reserve there 21 May 1946. Buchanan received the Presidential Unit Citation and 16 battle stars for her World War II service, placing her among the most decorated US ships of World War II.

Buchanan was recommissioned 11 December 1948 at Charleston and underwent shakedown and refresher training with a nucleus Turkish crew aboard. On 29 March 1949, she got underway for Gölcük, Turkey, where she was turned over to the Turkish Navy on 28 April 1949. The destroyer served in the Turkish Navy as TCG Gelibolu (D 346) until retired in 1976.