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Destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy, DD-850
The Destroyer Joseph P Kennedy is a Gearing Class Destroyer. The ship's specs are:
Length: 390 feet
Beam: 40 feet
Draught: 12 feet
Crew: 350
Displacement: 2,400 tons
Max Speed: 35 knots (40mph)
Fuel Capacity: 740 tons of fuel oil
Original Armament:
6 5 inch 38 cal.in 3 dual gun mounts
12 40mm Bofors AA
11 20mm Oerlikon AA
10 21 inch Torpedoes
Today the armament consists of four 5 inch 38 cal. mounts (if they were over 5" they would be Turrets) and an ASROC anti submarine rocket launcher system
Power Plant: 4 oil fired boilers powering geared steam turbines driving 2 screws with 60,000 Shaft Horsepower
Launching Date: July 26, 1945 at the Bethlehem Steel Company Quincy, MA
You can visit the Destroyer USS Joseph P. Kennedy at the Battleship Cove Naval Museum in Fall River, MA. Commissioned in July of 1945, DD-850 was too late to see combat during the second world war. This destroyer first saw action during the Korean War, bombarding enemy shore positions along the Korean coast line. The Joseph P. Kennedy also participated in the naval blockade of Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. The Destroyer also took part in the recovery of the Gemini 12 space capsule in 1966. One of the Destroyer's more infamous incidents was the ship's collision with the supply ship USS Nitro AE 23. There are some great photos on that site of the Destroyer Joseph P. Kennedy getting it's stern portside crunched. The same site has an amusing story of the destroyer testing an ASROC torpedo (an ASROC torpedo is pictured above) with the submarine USS Scorpion. I only wish they had the photos of the torpedo sticking out of a vent in the submarine's sail as it surfaced. It must have been a hoot!
What I liked most about this Destroyer was the attention to detail shown in the setup of the interior compartments. The staff have done a good job of sourcing period clothes, equipment and other artifacts and making many of the compartments look like they were in use just a few moments ago. The control room is immaculate and it looks like everything that should be there is there. The bridge has seen better days but with enough hands and time it could be as impressive as the better compartments on the USS Joseph P Kennedy . The tour is self guided and the more interesting compartments are protected with plexiglas partitions which for the most part were clean and in good shape, but it does make photography more difficult.
If you are able to make it to the Battleship Cove Naval Museum to see the Destroyer Joseph P Kennedy , be sure to allow yourself a full day to see everything. There is a lot to see on the museum site including the Elco PT Boat PT-617, the Higgins PT Boat PT-796, the US Fleet Submarine Lionfish SS-298, the Soviet Missile Cruiser Hiddensee, and the South Dakota class Battleship USS Massachusetts, BB-59. If you get hungry you can get burgers and the like in the grill/snack bar in the galley of the Battleship. It's a fun place to spend a day.
Other Battleship Cove Naval Museum Exhibits |
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