Эсминец USS Black (DD 666): История службы

Fletcher class destroyer

USS Black (DD 666) was a of the United States Navy.

Hugh David Black was born on 29 June 1903 in Oradell, New Jersey. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1922, graduated in 1926, and served on board Richmond, mainly in the Far East, between 1926 and 1928. During the next few years, he was an officer on board the battleship New York, the gunboat Asheville and the destroyers Parrott, Rizal and Montgomery. Lieutenant (junior grade) Black was assigned to the Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, in 1933 then served on board the destroyer Upshur and from 1935 to 1938 commanded the minesweeper Lark. Lieutenant Black had duty with the Navy's Bureau of Navigation, in Washington, D. C., in 1938 and attended Harvard University for two years, beginning mid 1938. He was executive officer of the new destroyer Benson in 1940 into 1941. In March 1941, he took command of the destroyer Jacob Jones. Lieutenant Commander Black was killed when Jacob Jones was sunk by the German submarine U 578 on 28 February 1942.

Black was launched 28 March 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N. J.; sponsored by Frances Marie Black, nee Frykholm, widow of Lieutenant Commander Black; and commissioned 21 May 1943.

Black was recommissioned on 18 July 1951 and reported to the Atlantic Fleet. She participated in type and fleet operations along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean until 10 January 1953 when she departed Norfolk, Va. for the Pacific, via the Panama Canal, on a round the world cruise. She arrived off the coast of Korea on 4 March and two days later commenced harassing fire on the beach. Black continued her Korean operations until 4 June 1953. On 9 June, Black departed for Norfolk, via the Suez Canal, arriving on the east coast 6 August. Until January 1955, she conducted type training, fleet operations, and plane guard duties along the east coast and in the Caribbean. In January 1955 Black transferred to the Pacific Fleet arriving at Long Beach 26 January. Over the next decade and a half, Black regularly crossed the great ocean to take her place as a unit of the 7th Fleet, serving as an aircraft carrier escort, taking part in antisubmarine warfare exercises, patrolling in the Taiwan Strait and visiting ports throughout the Far East. Her tenth, eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth post World War II Western Pacific deployments, beginning in early 1965, included Vietnam War service. Among her duties during this time were early participation in Operation Market Time coastal patrol and interdiction operations, providing naval gunfire support for forces ashore and screening carriers as they took the war to the North Vietnamese enemy. Blacks last overseas cruise ended in July 1969. She was decommissioned in late September of that year and sold for scrapping in February 1971.

Black received six battle stars for her World War II service and two battle stars for service off Korea.