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| 32k | George Fountain Parrott was born 23 December 1887 at Falling Creek, North Carolina. Appointed Midshipman 03 July 1906 and inevitably known as "Polly" or "Bird," he graduated from the Naval Academy with the class of 1911. Parrott served succesively in New Hampshire, Montgomery, Beale, Jacob Jones and Henley. His last assignment was to USS Shaw (Destroyer No. 68) as her Executive Officer. On 09 October 1918, Shaw was in the English Channel on convoy duty when,
while escorting the giant British transport Aquitania, Shaw's rudder jammed just as she was completing the right leg of a zigzag, leaving her headed directly towards the transport. A moment later, Aquitania struck Shaw, cutting off 90 feet of the destroyer's bow, mangling her bridge and setting her on fire. Shaw's crew heroically brought her damage under control, and a skeleton crew of 21 men took the wreck 40 miles into port under her own power. Parrott was among the twelve crewmembers lost in the collision; he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.
Photo from 1911 Lucky Bag.
| Robert M. Cieri/
Wayne Parrott/
Dave Wright |
USS Parrott (DD-218)
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| 109k | Undated, location unknown. This was soon after her commissioning; note the unshaded bow number.
Photo from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum. | Darryl Baker |
| 152k | Undated, location unknown. Again, this is early in her career.
Photo from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum. | Darryl Baker |
0521835 |
140k | Undated, making a slight amount of smoke during maneuvers. This photo is also early in her career. | Dave Wright |
| 62k | Undated, probably at Annapolis in the 1920s. Note the crashed plane betwen the Parrott and the pier, does anyone know anything about this incident? | Thomas C. Edrington IV & his daugher Kyra Larn Edrington |
| 96k | USS Black Hawk (AD-9) with the USS Pillsbury (DD-227), USS Pope (DD-225), USS Ford (DD-228), USS Paul Jones (DD-230), USS Peary (DD-226) and USS Parrott (DD-218) alongside at Chefoo, China. | Gerd Matthes |
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139k | Undated view in Manila Bay, USS Bulmer (DD-222), USS Stewart (DD-224), USS Parrott (DD-218) and USS Edsall (DD-219) alongside the USS Melville (AD-2). | Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET. |
| 89k | Undated, the Parrott's Wardroom, Thomas C. Edrington III is the first person in the back row. | Thomas C. Edrington IV & his daugher Kyra Larn Edrington |
| 111k | Practicing making smoke on the Pacific side of the Panama Canal, circa 1920-21. | Jon Burdett |
| 131k | USS Henshaw (DD-278) at anchor with other destroyers, circa 1920-21. USS Parrott (DD-218) is at left.
Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 73612, courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1971. | Fred Weiss |
| 134k | In the Bosphorus outside Istanbul, Turkey, 1922-1923. | Cüneyt Demir/Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET. |
| 193k | Parrott at Livorno, Italy, as seen from the USS McCormick (DD-223) by Frank's father, circa 1922-23. | Frank Bausola |
0521836 |
140k | RPPC of Parrott at Samos, Greece, circa 1922-1924. | Dave Wright |
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64k | Six destroyers nested together during the early 1920s. These ships are (from left to right): USS Edsall (DD-219); USS McCormick (DD-223); USS Bulmer (DD-222); USS Parrott (DD-218); USS Simpson (DD-221); and USS MacLeish (DD-220). The original image is printed on post card ("AZO") stock.
Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 105167, donation of Dr. Mark Kulikowski, 2007. | Michael Mohl |
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116k | Parrott at San Diego, California during the early 1920s.
Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 69434, courtesy of ESKC Joseph L. Aguillard, USNR, 1969. | Robert Hurst |
| 73k | Ships of the 39th Destroyer Division moored together, probably in San Diego Harbor, California, 1921. These ships are (from left to right): USS Edsall (DD-219); USS McCormick (DD-223); USS Bulmer (DD-222); USS Simpson (DD-221); USS MacLeish (DD-220); and USS Parrott (DD-218).
Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 88356, courtesy of L.C. Lupin, 1978. | Tony Cowart |
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51k | Image of Parrott as she appeared while serving in the Asiatic Fleet during the 1930s. | - |
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497k | Portrait of Parrott and her crew at Shanghai, China, 1932. Fred Marut is on the ship's railing, sixth from the right. | Robert Marut in memory of his father
CWO3 Fred L. Marut USN (Ret.) |
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711k | USS Black Hawk (AD-9) at Chefoo, China circa 1934-1939. USS Heron (AM-10) is alonside the pier. The four destroyers are (from left to right): USS Edsall (DD-219); USS Bulmer (DD-222); USS Parrott (DD-218); and USS Stewart (DD-224).
From the collection of LCDR Rayborn M. Hall USN who served aboard the USS Bulmer (DD-222) during this period. | Nancy Hall Anderson |
0521837 |
603k | Color or hand-tinted photo of Parrott at sea. The caption on the back reads: "Saturday, April 14, 1934. The Parrot [218] taking one over the bow en route to Yokohama from Manila; had about four days of this; was underway six days." | Jim Geldert, USNI |
| 60k | Asiatic Fleet Destroyers dressed with flags while nested together off Shanghai, China, circa 1936. These ships are (from left to right): USS Paul Jones (DD-230); USS Pope (DD-225); and USS Parrott (DD-218).
Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 105794, donation of Charles R. Haberlein Jr., 2008. | Mike Mohl |
Two photos showing an officer on Parrott's bridge pointing to a bullet hole, does anyone know anything about this incident? | Thomas C. Edrington IV & his daugher Kyra Larn Edrington |
Two views of Parrott at Mare Island Navy Yard, 07 July 1942. From the John Dickey collection. | Ed Zajkowski |
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142k | Stern detail view, probably at Mare Island, August 1942. | Ed Zajkowski |
Four views of Parrott at Mare Island Navy Yard, August 1942. From the John Dickey collection. | Ed Zajkowski |
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94k | USS Parrott (DD 218) departing Mare Island, 23 August 1942. She was in overhaul at the yard from 30 July to 31 August 1942.
Navy Photo 5129-8-42 | Darryl Baker |
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143k | At Mare Island, 28 August 1942. Notice her portholes have been welded over, but not painted yet.
National Archives photo 19-N-33558, from the collection of Chris Wright. | Ed Zajkowski |
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189k | Photos showing early war modifications to the Parrott as completed at Mare Island Navy Yard, 29 August 1942. These include: (1) removal of both aft banks of torpedo tubes and addition of two depth charge throwers to starboard and a single 20mm gun and splinter shield to port, (2) addition of two depth charge throwers just forward of the original depth charge racks, at the stern, (3) the addition of two 20mm guns and shields just aft of remaining starboard torpedo tube bank, where the boat used to be carried, and (4) the engine room sky-lights between the torpedo tube launchers, the former position of the aft stack, which has been removed, along with one boiler, below decks. The inboard ship is the USS Bulmer (DD-222). | Darryl Baker |
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114k | See #3 in above photo. | - |
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81k | Parrott about to refuel from USS Merrimack (AO-37), 1943. | Robert Hurst |
| 117k | Underway, circa 1944. | Marc Piché/Christopher Karwowski/Paul Rebold |
Loss of Parrott
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On 01 May 1944, Parrott and the other destroyers of Desdiv 58 arrived at Norfolk from Boston. At 1632 hours the next day, she got underway from Pier 36, NOB Norfolk, in accordance with orders of CTF 62. Four minutes later she was rammed
on the starboard side between frames 52 and 77 (her forward boiler room) by the Liberty ship SS John Morton (James R. MacNaughton, master). The impact threw the commanding officer and approximately fifteen other crewmen overboard. The executive officer, Lieutenant Milton J. Kramer, D-V(G) USNR, took command. All power was lost throughout the ship. The commanding officer returned aboard from a tugboat and took command at 1645. Ten minutes later the
stricken destroyer was beached opposite Pier 2 of the NOB. Three men on duty in the forward fire room were killed by the collision; another three were transferred ashore to the Naval Hospital, where they died of their burns. At 1925, the destroyer was stabilized and towed to the Navy Yard, where she entered Drydock No. 6 at 2324.
On 05 May, Parrott was shifted to Drydock No. 2, where the bodies of the three men killed in the accident were recovered. The next day, the ship's force began stripping the ship in preparation for decommissioning. She remained in drydock until 31 May, when the cofferdam over her collision damage was completed and she was shifted to Berth No. 4 of the Navy yard. Here yard workers began removing her main engines and reduction gears. Here also ends Parrott's war diary.
Decommissioned for good on 16 June 1944, Parrott was stricken from the Naval Register a month later. She languished in the Norfolk area as a stripped hulk for nearly three more years before being sold to the Marine Salvage Company of Richmond, Virginia, for scrapping. |
| 117k | "A" "E" Garner was born 10 October 1920 in Estancia, New Mexico. He grew up in Los Angeles, California; the 1940 census shows him working a a grocery store clerk. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve 26 June 1942, and reported to the Parrott as an Apprentice Seaman 27 August 1942. Promoted to Water Tender Second Class, Garner died at USNH Norfolk of burns suffered when Parrott was rammed by SS John Morton at Norfolk, 02 May 1944. | Dave Wright |
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| 117k | John Dietrich Goeller, Jr. was born 07 May 1924 in Lansdowne, Maryland. Growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, Goeller enlisted there 11 May 1943. He reported to Parrott for duty 30 November 1943; severely burned in the collision with SS John Morton, Goeller died at USNH Norfolk the next day. He is buried at Brooklyn Park at Anne Arundel, Maryland. | Dave Wright |
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| 149k | Irvin Alfred Blenden was born in Kansas 20 June 1921. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve at Kansas City, MO, 10 February 1942. Reporting to Parrott 04 December 1942, he was promoted to Water Tender 2nd Class 01 May 1944. The next day, Blenden was serving as "oil king" in the forward engine room of Parrott when she was rammed by SS John Morton. Immediately prior to the collision, Watertender Second Class Blender, hearing the emergency "full back" bell in the forward engine room, rushed to the forward fireroom, to see if oil suction had been lost. Suction had not been lost, but Watertender Second Class Blender acted on his own initiative without orders from any superiors, and as a result of his actions, lost his life. His complete disregard for his personal safety and his courageous action in entering the fireroom just prior to the collision, was an act in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.
Blenden's body was recovered when Parrott entered drydock, and is now interred in Maple City Cemetery in Cowley County, Kansas. Blenden was posthumously awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, the highest non-combat decoration awarded for heroism by the Navy Department. | Dave Wright |
Six men died in service aboard and remain on duty
