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USS Henley (DD-391)

USS Henley (DD-391)
History
United States
Namesake: Robert Henley
Builder: Mare Island Navy Yard
Laid down: 28 October 1935
Launched: 12 January 1937
Commissioned: 14 August 1937
Fate: Sunk by torpedo 3 October 1943
General characteristics
Class and type: Bagley-class destroyer
Displacement: 2,245 tons (full), 1,500 tons (light)
Length: 341 ft 8 in (104.14 m)
Beam: 35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draft:
  • 12 ft 10 in (3.91 m) full,
  • 10 ft 4 in (3.15 m) light
Propulsion:
  • 49,000 shp;
  • 2 propellers (screws)
Speed: 38.5 knots
Range:
  • 6,500 nautical miles (12,000 kilometres)
  •   @ 12 kt (22.2 km/h)
Complement: 158 (248 wartime)
Armament:

USS Henley (DD-391), a Bagley-class destroyer, was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Robert Henley, an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi-War with France, the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War.

The second Henley (DD-391) was launched 12 January 1937 by the Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California; sponsored by Miss Beryl Henley Joslin, a collateral descendant of Captain Robert Henley; and commissioned 14 August 1937, Lieutenant Commander H. Y. McCown in command.

After shakedown in the Pacific and Hawaiian waters, Henley joined the Pacific Battle Force, Destroyer Division 11, at San Diego 12 September 1938. She departed San Diego 14 April 1941 to join the Fleet at Pearl Harbor. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941, Henley was moored in East Loch with battle stations manned, a green sailor having sounded General Quarters instead of Quarters for Muster. This fortunate mistake gave Henley under the command of Lieutenant Francis Edward Fleck, Jr., the opportunity to fire the first destroyer shots as the initial wave of enemy planes swooped in. A bomb exploded 150 yards off her port bow as she slipped her chain from the buoy, and, as she cleared, she received a signal that a submarine was in the harbor. Henley maneuvered through the smoke, fire, and confusion and sped out of the channel. Her gunners shot down one dive bomber with her .50 cal. guns and shared credit for another. Conned by Fleck—both her commanding officer and executive officer were ashore when the attack began—Henley dropped depth charges on a sonar contact, possibly a midget submarine, outside the harbor, and continued to blaze away at the enemy with her guns. In the following weeks Henley operated with the task forces to reinforce Wake Island and conducted patrol for the protection of Midway and convoy lanes.


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