Photographic History of the United States Navy
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NavSource Naval History Photographic History of the United States Navy |
DESTROYER ARCHIVE |
12 of her crew were lost with the ship and remain on duty.
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Size | Image Description | Contributed By |
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| 131k | Frank Edmund Beatty was born in Jefferson County, Wis., on 26 November 1853 and graduated with the Naval Academy Class of 1875, and then served at sea in the wooden screw-sloop Tuscarora before receiving his ensign's commission in 1876. After service at sea in a succession of ships--Minnesota, Richmond, Despatch, and Tallapoosa--between 1878 and 1889, he completed two tours of duty on shore, first in the Library and War Records Office (among the predecessor offices of the present Naval Historical Center) and then participating in the deliberation of the International Marine Conference. In the spring of 1892, Beatty returned to duty afloat, serving briefly in Ranger before being ordered to the monitor Miantonomah. After torpedo instruction, the young officer--by then a lieutenant--served in the dynamite cruiser Vesuvius; and spent the next few years alternating between duty ashore at the Naval Academy and afloat, in Monongahela. Reporting to the gunboat Adams in the summer of 1897, he became that ship's executive officer in October and served in that capacity until transferred to the monitor Monterey in March 1898. The following spring, Beatty became the executive officer of gunboat Wheeling. Shore duty at the Washington Navy Yard preceded a tour in charge of the Department of Yards and Docks in the Navy Department from 13 February 1901 to 21 January 1902. Two commands followed in succession: first, the nautical school ship Saratoga and then Gloucester, before he became Commander, Naval Base, Culebra, Puerto Rico, in February 1904, with additional duty commanding Gloucester. After a brief tour first as assistant inspector and later as the inspector of the 9th Light House District, headquartered at Chicago, Ill., Beatty spent the next decade alternating between ordnance duty ashore and service afloat, commanding in turn the cruisers Columbia and Charleston and the battleship Wisconsin. His shore duty included a tour as Assistant Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory, Washington Navy Yard; one in the Bureau of Ordnance as a member of the board on sights; and, ultimately, a stint as Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard and Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory. While holding the latter post from 1905 to 1907, Beatty was instrumental in the development of an electric range finder. Upon attaining flag rank in the spring of 1912, Beatty became a fleet division commander. Rear Admiral Beatty commanded a succession of Atlantic Fleet divisions--4th, 1st, and 3d--in 1913 and 1914. The outbreak of war in Europe in the summer of 1914 found him in command of Division 3, with his flag in Virginia. Detached from that duty in December 1914, he took up new duties as Commandant of the Norfolk Navy Yard and of the Norfolk Naval Station on 4 January 1915. Temporary duty in command of forces engaged in a war game in the spring of 1915 interrupted his tour at Norfolk; but, he soon returned to his duties there and carried them out until June 1916. Reporting to the Chief of Naval Operations for "temporary duty in connection with naval districts" in October 1916, Beatty served briefly as the Commandant, 5th Naval District, before being switched to the 6th Naval District, at Charleston, S.C., in February 1917. He served in that post for the rest of World War I and into 1919. Detached from all active duty in September 1919, he retired on 6 October 1919. Rear Admiral Beatty died at Charleston on 16 March 1926. Photo #: NH 59552, World Cruise of the "Great White Fleet", 1907-09, commanding officers of most of the fleet's ships, photographed in 1908. Donation of Captain Donald I. Thomas, USN(Retired), 1971. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. | Bill Gonyo | |
| 82k | Artist's conception of the Beatty as she appeared in World War II by the renowned graphic illustrator John Barrett with the text written by naval author and historian Robert F. Sumrall. Their company Navy Yard Associates offers prints of most destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines and aircraft carriers in various configurations during the ship's lifetime. The prints can be customized with ship's patches, your photograph, your bio, etc. If you decide to purchase artwork from them please indicate that you heard about their work from NavSource. | Navy Yard Associates | |
| 96k | Photo #: NH 103766, USS Tillman (DD-641), left, and USS Beatty (DD-640) right, on the building ways while being prepared for their dual launching ceremonies, at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, December 1941. The ships have not yet received a clean coat of paint. When launched on 20 December 1941, both had been painted in Camouflage Measure 12. Courtesy of Donald M. McPherson, 1975. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. | Tony Cowart | |
| 76k | The USS Tillman (DD-641) and USS Beatty (DD-640), Gleaves-class destroyers, sit on the builders ways all dressed up at Charleston, South Carolina Navy Yard on December 20 1941 in preparation for launching. | Bill Gonyo | |
| 168k | Photo #: NH 41784, USS Tillman (DD-641), at left, and USS Beatty (DD-640) center, on the ways just before their dual launching ceremonies, at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, 20 December 1941. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. | Tony Cowart | |
| 153k | Photo #: NH 41785, USS Tillman (DD-641), left center, and USS Beatty (DD-640) right center, on the building ways while being prepared for their dual launching ceremonies, at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, 20 December 1941. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. | Tony Cowart | |
| 177k | USS Tillman (DD-641) and USS Beatty (DD-640) on the builders ways all dressed up at Charleston, South Carolina Navy Yard on December 20 1941 in preparation for launching. | Ron Reeves | |
| 204k | Charleston Naval Shipyard, Charleston, South Carolina, December 20 1941. Dual launching of USS Tillman (DD 641) and USS Beatty (DD 640). Two ships just before launching. Tillman served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean during World War II and was decommissioned in 1947, scrapped in 1972. Beatty also served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean but was sunk by German aircraft on November 6, 1943. Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels Collection. | Mike Mohl | |
| 151k | Photo #: NH 41786, Former Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels speaking on the late Senator Benjamin R. Tillman of South Carolina, during the dual launching ceremonies for USS Tillman (DD-641) and USS Beatty (DD-640), at the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, 20 December 1941. USS Tillman's bow is in the background. Beatty is off camera to the right, with shadows of men on her decks visible on Tillman's hull side. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. | Tony Cowart | |
| 145k | Mrs. Charles H. Drayton christening USS Beatty DD 640 at the Charleston Naval Shipyard, 20 December 1941. An Official U. S. Navy Photo. | S. Dale Hargrave | |
| 49k | Halifax, Nova Scotia circa 1942. Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, Halifax, NS. | Tracy White | |
| 138k | Photo #: 19-N-26590 (cropped), Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina, destroyers fitting out and refitting alongside the Navy Yard piers in January 1942. These ships are (from left to right): USS Tillman (DD-641), commissioned 9 June 1942; probably USS Beatty (DD-640), commissioned 7 May 1942; probably USS Hobson (DD-464), commissioned 22 January 1942; USS Anderson (DD-411); USS Hammann (DD-412); and USS Mustin (DD-413). Note that the three incomplete ships at left are painted in Measure 12 camouflage, while those refitting (at right) wear Camouflage Measure 12 (Modified). Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. | Tony Cowart | |
| 67k | January 23 1943 at New York Navy Yard. | Marc Piché | |
| 92k | January 23 1943 at New York Navy Yard. | Robert Hurst | |
| 291k | United States Naval Department Bureau of Ships War Torpedo Damage/Loss Report No. 50. USS Beatty (DD-640). Aircraft torpedo damage and loss on November 6, 1943 off Cape Bougaroun Algeria. | Mike Green | |
| 100k-120k | Uniform Ship's name shoulder patch. | Al Grazevich | |
LCDR Frederick Carl Stelter Jr. May 7 1942 - Aug 12 1943 (Later RADM) LCDR William Outerson Aug 12 1943 - Nov 6 1943
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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