USS Walsh (APD-111)
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
| |
| Name: | USS Walsh |
| Namesake: | Lieutenant, junior grade, Patrick J. Walsh (1908-1942), a U.S. Navy officer and Silver Star recipient |
| Builder: | Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts |
| Laid down: | 27 February 1945 |
| Launched: | 27 April 1945 |
| Sponsored by: | Mrs. John J. Walsh |
| Commissioned: | 11 July 1945 |
| Decommissioned: | 26 April 1946 |
| Reclassified: | From destroyer escort (DE-601) to high-speed transport (APD-111) while under construction |
| Struck: | 1 May 1966 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping July 1968 |
| Notes: | Laid down as Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Walsh (DE-601) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Crosley-class high speed transport |
| Displacement: | 2,130 long tons (2,164 t) full |
| Length: | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam: | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Draft: | 12 ft 7 in (3.84 m) |
| Speed: | 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) |
| Troops: | 162 |
| Complement: | 204 |
| Armament: |
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USS Walsh (APD-111), ex-DE-601, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946.
Construction and commissioning
Walsh was laid down as the Rudderow-class destroyer escort USS Walsh (DE-601) on 27 February 1945 by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., at Hingham, Massachusetts. She was reclassified as a Crosley-class high-speed transport and redesignated APD-111 during construction, and was launched on 27 April 1945, sponsored by Mrs. John J. Walsh. Walsh was commissioned on 11 July 1945 with Lieutenant Commander Phillip J. Tiffany, USNR, in command.
Service history
After shakedown out of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from 1 August 1945 to 29 August 1945, during which World War II ended on 15 August 1945, Walsh visited Norfolk, Virginia, and then took part in smoke screen experiments in the Chesapeake Bay as part of Task Group 23.19. On 4 October 1945, she moved north for training exercises in company with PT boats out of Melville, Rhode Island. She later participated in Navy Day festivities at Portland, Maine, in late October 1945 before departing Portland on 30 October 1945 bound for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to begin the process of inactivation.
At Philadelphia, Walsh secured her sonar gear at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard and received hull repairs. She departed Philadelphia on 13 November 1945 bound for Hampton Roads, Virginia, and arrived at Norfolk on 14 November 1945. She then unloaded all ammunition and turned in registered publications before proceeding on to Jacksonville, Florida.
Decommissioning and disposal
Decommissioned on 26 April 1946 at Green Cove Springs, Florida, Walsh berthed initially with the Florida Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet there. Later, she was moved to the Texas Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, where she remained until stricken from the Navy List on 1 May 1966. She was sold for scrapping in July 1968.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive DE-601 / APD-111 Walsh
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