U.S.S. Grady DE-445
Operational Timeline:
- Laid down January 3rd, 1944 – Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newark, New Jersey
- Launch April 2nd, 1944
- Commissioned September 11th, 1944 – Pacific Theater
- Decommissioned July 2nd, 1946 – San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet
- “In Service, In Reserve” April 27, 1947 – 3 Years Naval Reserve Training vessel – 13th Naval District, Belling-ham, Washington
- “In Commission, In Reserve” August 1st, 1950
- Recommission November 21st, 1950 – 12th Naval District, San Francisco, California
- Final Decommission December 18th, 1957 – Stockton, California
- Stricken June 30th,1968
- Sold for scrap June 1969
Specifications
- Type: Destroyer Escort (DE)
- Class: John C. Butler (WGT)
- Displacement: 1350 tons/1811 tons fully loaded
- Length: 306′
- Beam: 36’8
- Draft: 11’2”
- Speed: 24 Knots
- Range: 6,000 miles @ 12 knots
- 2 Boilers
- Geared-turbine drive: 12,000 horsepower
- 2 Screws
Personnel
- Officers: 14
- Crew: 201
- First Captain: Lt Cmdr Francis R. King – age 27
Facts about the Grady for one year of service -September 11, 1945
- Seven officers and 110 enlisted men have been aboard continuously since commissioning.
- The ship has traveled 68,903 miles – roughly equal to 2.5 times around the world at the equator.
- The engines have turned over 63,067,981 revolutions.
- 28,822 rounds of ammunition have been fired, both in combat and practice.
- Sixteen convoys were escorted over 25,760 miles of ocean without losing a ship.
- 239 days were spent underway, while 126 were spent at anchor.
- No member of the crew has suffered injury from enemy action.
- The Grady has earned: American Area Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Ribbon with two stars, and Philippine Liberation Ribbon.
- Without receiving a scratch, the Grady logged 58 days of combat duty at Okinawa – the Navy’s longest and costliest operation of the war.