Photographic History of the United States Navy
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NavSource Naval History Photographic History of the United States Navy |
DESTROYER ARCHIVE |
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Size | Image Description | Contributed By |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
| No Photo Available | Captain Jeremiah O達rien (1744-1818) was in command of Unity when she captured HMS Margaretta in the first naval battle of the American Revolutionary War. He was born at Kittery, Maine. O'Brien and his five brothers, Gideon, John, William, Dennis and Joseph, were crewmembers of the sloop Unity when she captured Margaretta on 12 June 1775, at the entrance to the harbor at Machias (a town then in Massachusetts, later in Maine). Under the command of Jeremiah O達rien, thirty-one townsmen armed with guns, swords, axes, and pitch forks captured the British armed schooner in an hour-long battle after Margaretta had threatened to bombard the town for interference with the shipment of lumber to British troops in Boston, Massachusetts. This battle is often considered the first time British colors were struck to those of the United States, even though Unity was not formally a member of the Continental Navy. The United States Merchant Marine claims Unity as its member and this incident as their beginning. A privateer, O'Brien continued as the captain of Unity, renamed Machias Liberty, for two years. In later years, he had an appointment as the federal customs collector for the port of Machias. a position he held until his death. | Bill Gonyo | ||
| 121k | Ship's Historical Data Plaque, photographed at the Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts, 3 September 1940. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. | Fred Weiss | |
| 140k | Undated souvenir card by Louis Weigand. | Tommy Trampp | |
| 71k | Undated, location unknown. | Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET. | |
| 154k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) under construction at the Boston Navy Yard, 1 July 1938. View looking forward. Note that she is being built in drydock. Source: United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-21883. | Mike Green |
| 179k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) under construction in drydock at the Boston Navy Yard, 1 July 1938. View looking aft. Source: United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-21884. | Mike Green |
| 322k | Newspaper clippings of construction at Boston Navy Yard. | Marc Ganley | |
| 339k | Newspaper clipping from the Launching Ceremony, October 20 1939. | Marc Ganley | |
| 190k | Newspaper clipping of the Commissioning Ceremony, March 2 1940. | Marc Ganley | |
| 159k | Boston, Massachusetts, March 2 1940, Miss Gideon O達rien Campbell of Bangor, Maine christening the Navy痴 new 1,500-ton destroyer USS O達rien (DD-415) at Charlestown Navy Yard in Boston is the first combined christening and commissioning ceremony here. Her blow against the bow of the loosely moored ship drove it back eight inches. Miss Campbell is a descendent of Captain Jeremiah O達rien, colonist who won fame in the first naval engagement of the Revolution in 1775. Photo created by Acme Newspictures | Bill Gonyo | |
| 64k | First day underway, location unknown. | Vincent Brennan | |
| 105k | Photographed soon after completion, circa 1940. Naval History & Heritage Command photo NH 97787 | Fred Weiss | |
| 44k | Boston, MA sometime around her commissioning. From the collection of Larry's father, Raymond H. Whitford Jr, who was a Chief Machinists Mate aboard the O'Brien from her launching to her sinking. | Larry Whitford | |
| 166k | The New Mexico (BB-40) at Norfolk, 31 December 1941. She is equipped with the then "state of the art" quadruple 1.1"/75 machine guns [later replaced by the Bofors 40mm gun(s)]. She has also just been fitted with 20mm Oerkilons, but still was equipped with 0.5 caliber machine guns which the 20mm ultimately replaced. She also carries two radar units; a surface search set (Mark 3) on top of her forward main battery director atop her tower bridge and an air search SC unit on her pole main mast. The tug YT-213 is pulling alongside an unidentified vessel. Across the pier from her is the new destroyer O'Brien (DD-415). | Roel Bakels | |
| 112k | Four views of the Obrien at Suva, Fiji aproximately one week before sinking. Additional photos and the Official Damage Report may be seen at http://www.researcheratlarge.com/Ships/DD415/DD415ForwardRepair.html thanks to Tracy White. | Marc Ganley | |
| 81k | As above. | Marc Ganley | |
| 345k | As above. National Archives photo #80-G-20942. | Marc Ganley | |
| 338k | As above. National Archives photo #80-G-20943 | Marc Ganley | |
| 66k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) is torpedoed by a Japanese submarine during the Guadalcanal Campaign, 15 September 1942. USS Wasp (CV-7), torpedoed a few minutes earlier, is burning in the left distance. O'Brien was hit in the extreme bow, but "whipping" from the torpedo explosion caused serious damage to her hull amidships, leading to her loss on 19 October 1942, while she was en route back to the United States for repairs. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. | Fred Weiss | |
| 204k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) Torpedo Damage Temporary Hull patch from torpedo strike on 15 September 1942. Source: Structural Repairs in Forward Areas During World War II, Bureau of Ships Navy Department, December, 1949, Plate No. 18. | Mike Green | |
| 239k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) Torpedo Damage Diagram from torpedo strike on 15 September 1942. Source: Structural Repairs in Forward Areas During World War II, Bureau of Ships Navy Department, December, 1949, Plate No. 17. | Mike Green | |
| 262k | A series of 5 photographs of the loss of the O'Brien from the collection of crewman Walter J. Ganley. | Marc Ganley | |
| 252k | As above. | Marc Ganley | |
| 238k | As above. | Marc Ganley | |
| 147k | As above. | Marc Ganley | |
| 196k | As above. | Marc Ganley | |
| 93k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) being hit by a torpedo from the Japanese submarine I-19. Photo from United States Destroyer Operations in World War II, by Theodore Roscoe. | Robert Hurst | |
| 97k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) moored next to the USS Curtiss (AV-4) on September 17, 1942, two days after being torpedoed by the Japanese submarine I-19. The O達rien is completing temporary repairs. The torpedo struck between frames 1-6, as evident here, but the total damage to the total hull and keel of the the ship is from the whipping action of the ship and will prove to be the main cause of her sinking. Source: Preliminary Design Section, Bureau of Ships, Navy Department. War Damage Report No. 28 ( USS O'Brien DD415) Torpedo Damage and Loss, South Pacific 15 Sept.-19 Oct., 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 146k | Bow view of the damage to the USS O'Brien (DD-415). The ship is moored next to the USS Curtiss (AV-4) on September 17, 1942 for temporary repairs before attempting to sail to a Navy Yard for permanent repairs. Source: Preliminary Design Section, Bureau of Ships, Navy Department. War Damage Report No. 28 ( USS O'Brien DD415) Torpedo Damage and Loss, South Pacific 15 Sept.-19 Oct., 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 70k | A series of 5 battle damage images from October 19 1942. Starboard side main deck crack and wrinkle at frame 78. This was caused by the ship's flexing along with vibration resulting from the torpedo explosion shock. Source: Navy Department Library, War Damage Report No. 28 of the USS O'Brien (DD-415), Torpedo Damage and Loss, 15 Sept-19 Oct, 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 90k | As above, starboard side forecastle deck wrinkle at frame 37. This was caused by the ship's flexing along with vibration resulting from the torpedo explosion shock. Source: Navy Department Library, War Damage Report No. 28 of the USS O'Brien (DD-415), Torpedo Damage and Loss, 15 Sept-19 Oct, 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 84k | As above, 0615 on October 19, 1942. The upward set of the bow is noticeable, as the ship starts to sink. Source: Navy Department Library, War Damage Report No. 28 of the USS O'Brien (DD-415), Torpedo Damage and Loss, 15 Sept-19 Oct, 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 91k | As above, 0750 on October 19, 1942. The ship has a heavy starboard list as breaking up is in an advanced stage. Source: Navy Department Library, War Damage Report No. 28 of the USS O'Brien (DD-415), Torpedo Damage and Loss, 15 Sept-19 Oct, 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 101k | As above, 0757 on October 19, 1942, with the bow and stern apparently held together by the main deck, piping and wiring. Approximately one minute later the O'Brien was gone. Source: Navy Department Library, War Damage Report No. 28 of the USS O'Brien (DD-415), Torpedo Damage and Loss, 15 Sept-19 Oct, 1942. | Mike Green | |
| 39k | USS O'Brien (DD-415) sinking off Samoa on her way home after receiving emergency repairs at Espiritu and Noumea. Photo from United States Destroyer Operations in World War II, by Theodore Roscoe. | Robert Hurst | |
| 67k | USS O'Brien sinking from the effects of a Japanese torpedo hit weeks before. Photo from United States Destroyer Operations in World War II, by Theodore Roscoe. | Robert Hurst | |
| 331k | Newspaper clipping from the Erie, Pennsylvania Dispatch-Hearld dated November 1942. | Marc Ganley | |
LCDR Carl Frederick Espe Mar 2 1940 - Dec 13 1941 (Later VADM) LCDR Thomas Burrowes Dec 12 1941 - Oct 19 1942 (Later RADM)
The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.
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