USS Buchanan (DD-131)

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USS Buchanan (DD 131), subsequently HMS Campbeltown (I-42), a destroyer, was the first of three ships to be named for Franklin Buchanan who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on 13 September 1800. He became a U.S. Navy Midshipman in 1815, was promoted to Lieutenant in 1825, to Commander in 1841 and to Captain in 1855. Over the four and a half decades of his U.S. Navy service, Buchanan had extensive and worldwide sea duty. He commanded the sloops of war Vincennes and Germantown during the 1840s and the steam frigate Susquehanna in the Perry expedition to Japan during the 1850s. In 1845-47, he served as the first Superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy, followed by notable Mexican War service. In 1859-61, Captain Buchanan was the Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard. During the Civil War he joined the Confederate forces. In August 1862, Buchanan was promoted to the rank of Admiral and sent to command Confederate Navy forces on Mobile Bay, Alabama.

Table of contents

1 Service with the United States Navy 2 Details 3 History 4 Ship's Bell 5 Service with the Royal Navy - HMS Campbeltown (I-42) 6 Exploits at Saint-Nazaire, France

Service with the United States Navy

The first Buchanan (DD-131) was launched 2 January 1919 by Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. Charles P. Wetherbee The ship was commissioned 20 January 1919 with Lieutenant H.H.J. Bensen in command. Buchanan reported to Commander, Destroyer Force, at Guantanamo, Cuba, and was temporarily attached to Destroyer Squadron 2 until ordered to the Pacific Fleet in July 1919 for duty with Destroyer Flotilla 4. From 7 June 1922 until 10 April 1930 Buchanan was out of commission at San Diego. She then joined Destroyer Division 10, Destroyer Squadrons, Battle Force, and operated on the west coast in routine division, force, and fleet activities and problems. In the summer of 1934, after making a cruise to Alaska with ROTC units aboard, she was placed in reduced commission attached to Rotating Reserve Destroyer Squadron 20 at San Diego.

Again placed in full commission in December 1934, she resumed operations with Division 5, Destroyers, Battle Force. Buchanan was again out of commission at San Diego from 9 April 1937 until 30 September 1939 at which time she was refitted for action with Division 65, Destroyer Squadron 32, Atlantic Squadron, and from December 1939 until 22 February 1940 operated with the Neutrality Patrol and Antilles Detachment. She was then assigned to patrol in the Gulf of Mexico, operating out of Galveston, Texas and later off Key West and around the Florida Straits. She arrived at Boston Navy Yard 2 September and then proceeded to Halifax, where on 9 September 1940 she was decommissioned and transferred in the to the United Kingdom under the lend-lease program.

Details

The ship's Bell from the first HMS Campbeltown was presented to the town of Campbelltown in Pennsylvania, United States at the end of the World War II as a token of gratitude to the USA for the lend-lease programme. In 1988 the townspeople of Campbelltown voted to lend the bell to the current HMS Campbeltown for the duration of her service in the Royal Navy, after which it will then be returned to America. HMS Campbeltown maintains strong links with the people of Campbelton, Argyll and Campbelltown, PA.

Exploits at Saint-Nazaire, France

This most daring raid, led by the first RN warship named HMS Campbeltown, was so successful and contained such heroism, that it resulted in the award of 5 Victoria Crosses and 80 other decorations for Gallantry. It is deservedly known also as The Greatest Raid of All. The surviving veterans of the “St Nazaire Society” are known as “Charioteers”.

In 1942 the Normandie Dock in St Nazaire was the only Atlantic seaboard facility capable of taking in the mighty German Battleship Tirpitz for essential repairs. The mission devised was codenamed Operation Chariot and its aim was to destroy the dock in the very heavily defended French port. Planned in the amazingly short time of 7 weeks and constricted by highly limiting tidal movements. The only day a force could approach the dock through the shallow waters was 28th March 1942, because of the Spring high tide. The plan was to send in a ship to ram the dock gate and then explode. This vessel’s mission would be supported by many small ships carrying British Commandos who would destroy the dock’s winding and pumping facilities then wreck the dockyard infrastructure.

Daring and against all the odds, the plan was accepted by the Admiralty and HMS Campbeltown was nominated as the ship to carry out the task of destroying the dock. The ship was completely stripped out internally to reduce her draught for the transit through the shallows approaching the target dock. The work was completed in amazing record time of 10 days, with the signal detailing the work package drafted in just one hour. The ship’s bows were packed with 4.5 tons of high explosive, which were hidden in false bulkheads, encased in steel and set in concrete. These explosives were set to detonate on delayed fuzes once the Commandos had completed the operation and been withdrawn to safety.

On 26 March 1942, HMS Campbeltown and her Operation Chariot flotilla of 16 small Motor Launches, 1 Motor Torpedo Boat and a Motor Gun Boat sailed from Falmouth for St Nazaire. The passage went smoothly and at 0134 on 28th March 1942, Campbeltown rammed into the dock gate only 4 minutes later than planned. The Commandos disembarked under heavy fire and set about their demolitions. Campbeltown blew up on her delayed fuzes at 1135 on 28 March 1942, destroying the 160 ton caisson and rendering the dock out of action until 1948.

The time delayed explosion killed 360 Germans who were onboard Campbeltown as they were convinced that the raid had failed. Even later, 2 torpedoes that had been fired at, and became lodged in the inner dock, also exploded. This caused great confusion amongst the jittery German defenders who engaged in a fierce firefight amongst themselves and in the result suffered even greater casualties as result of friendly fire. The raid was so successful that the Tirpitz never ventured into the Atlantic again.

Of the 611 personnel who took part in Operation Chariot, 169 gave their lives, 215 were captured and became POWs while 227 returned to base. Of those who were killed 64 were Commandos and 105 were naval personnel. Of the 227 who returned 222 did so by sea in the Motor Launches and their accompanying Destroyers. The remaining 5 Charioteers avoided capture and travelled overland on foot and by bicycle through France and Spain to Gibraltar.

The commander of the HMS Campbeltown, Lt. Cdr. Stephen Beattie, who was taken prisoner of war, was awarded the Victoria Cross for this raid.