View source for USS Parrott

{{Short description|Clemson-class destroyer}}
{{about|the U.S. Navy destroyer|the U.S. Navy minesweeper|USS Parrot (MSC-197)}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = USS PARROTT (DD-218).jpg
| Ship caption = 
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1944}}
| Ship name = 
| Ship namesake = [[George Parrott|George Fountain Parrott]]
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[William Cramp & Sons]], [[Philadelphia]]
| Ship yard number = 484
| Ship laid down = 23 July 1919
| Ship launched = 25 November 1919
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 11 May 1920
| Ship decommissioned = 14 June 1944
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 18 July 1944
| Ship reinstated = 
| Ship honours = 
| Ship fate = Sold for scrapping, 5 April 1947
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = [[Clemson class destroyer|''Clemson''-class]] [[destroyer]]
| Ship displacement = 1,190 tons
| Ship length = {{convert|314|ft|4|in|m}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|30|ft|8|in|m}}
| Ship draught = 
| Ship draft = {{convert|13|ft|6|in|m}}
| Ship propulsion = *26,500 shp (20 MW);
*geared turbines,
*2 screws
| Ship speed = {{convert|35|kn|km/h}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship complement = 157 officers and enlisted
| Ship sensors = 
| Ship EW = 
| Ship armament = 4 x [[4"/50 caliber gun|{{convert|4|in|mm|abbr=on}}]] guns, 12 x [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] TT.
| Ship armour = 
| Ship armor = 
| Ship aircraft = 
| Ship aircraft facilities = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}

'''USS ''Parrott'' (DD-218)''' was a [[Clemson class destroyer|''Clemson''-class]] [[destroyer]] in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]] and was the second ship named for [[George Parrott|George Fountain Parrott]].

==Construction and commissioning==
''Parrott'' was laid down 23 July 1919 by and launched 25 November from [[William Cramp & Sons|William Cramp & Sons Shipbuilding & Engine Company]]; sponsored by Miss Julia B. Parrott; and commissioned 11 May 1920.

==Service history==
===1920–1940===
Following shakedown, ''Parrott'' was assigned to Destroyer Division 38 of the [[United States Pacific Fleet|Pacific Fleet]] of which she was later designated [[flagship]]. She departed [[Boston, Massachusetts]], 7 August 1920 for [[San Diego, California]], arriving 7 September. She operated in coastal waters, ranging as far south as [[Valparaíso]], [[Chile]], until reassigned to the [[U.S. Atlantic Fleet|Atlantic Fleet]] 3 December 1921 and ordered to Philadelphia.

''Parrott'' escorted {{USS|Mayflower|1896|2}} from [[Hampton Roads]] and [[Annapolis, Maryland]] to [[Washington, D.C.]], 26 May 1922 – 30 May 1922 and then was fitted out for European duty.

On 12 June, ''Parrott'' sailed from [[Newport, Rhode Island]] with her division to report to Commander U.S. Naval Detachment Turkish Waters at [[Constantinople]] to assist American Relief Agencies in aiding political refugees and protecting American lives and interests. From time to time, ''Parrott'' served as communications and station ship in the [[Black Sea]], [[Aegean Sea|Aegean]] and Eastern [[Mediterranean]]. From 13 September to 25 October, she evacuated refugees following the [[Smyrna]] fire, and escorted ships sent by other nations to help persons who had asked for protection.

From 6 July to 24 August 1923, ''Parrott'' made visits to [[Greece]], [[Turkey]], [[Romania]], [[Bulgaria]] and [[Russia]], meeting with civic officials and showing the flag. During the following year (1924) she made similar visits to [[Bizerte]], [[Tunis]], [[Livorno]], [[Genoa]], [[Patmos]], [[Villefranche-sur-Mer]], [[Cagliari]] and [[Sardinia]], returning to [[New York, New York|New York]] in July.

[[File:USS Parrott (DD-218) c1920.jpg|thumb|left|''Parrott'' in the early 1920s.]]

Reassigned to the [[Asiatic Fleet]], ''Parrott'' departed Philadelphia 3 January 1925 for Pearl Harbor via the [[Panama Canal Zone]] and San Diego. She made a training stop at [[Pearl Harbor]] on 27 April and proceeded on 29 May, via [[Midway Atoll|Midway]], to join the Fleet at [[Chefoo]], [[China]] 14 June. Because of unsettled conditions in China ''Parrott'', with other units, sailed to [[Shanghai]] and put ashore a landing force. ''Parrott'' remained in the area until 31 July, and returned 10 September to Shanghai for duty with the [[Yangtze River Patrol]] until 16 October when she departed for the Philippines.

After operations out of [[Manila]] from 19 October to 15 March 1926, she reported to the Commander [[South China Patrol]] at [[Shantou|Swatow]] remaining until 14 June. At this time [[Chinese Civil War|revolution in China]] caused intense naval activity resulting in practically the entire Asiatic Fleet assembling in Chinese waters. ''Parrott'' carried out a rigorous schedule in again aiding and protecting the interest of Americans and other neutrals. She was relieved 25 October 1927 and sailed south via [[Hong Kong]], [[Bangkok]] and [[Saigon]] to Manila, arriving 18 November.

During 1928, ''Parrott'' made many calls to Philippine ports least frequented by American ships. From 1928 into 1934, she remained on Asiatic Patrol operating from Manila. In 1935, she was ordered to [[French Indochina]] to collect hydrographic data in and around Saigon. She resumed [[Neutrality patrol]] in 1936, and by 1940 had served successively as station ship at [[Amoy]] and [[Shantou|Swatow]], China. From 7 July to 4 October, ''Parrott'' patrolled China waters based at [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]] and then made calls to other northern Chinese ports, returning to Manila 11 October.

===World War II===
In [[Cavite Navy Yard]], ''Parrott'' spent the first two months of 1941 having anti-mine and sound detection gear installed, after which, she trained with destroyers and submarines. She assumed duties as off-shore sound patrol picket at the entrance to Manila Bay on 6 October, and late in November joined Task Force 5 at [[Tarakan Island|Tarakan]], [[Borneo]], [[Netherlands East Indies]]. The Task Force was still operating in this area when [[attack on Pearl Harbor|hostilities began]].

When the Philippines fell to the Japanese, the Asiatic Fleet moved south and operated under a unified [[American-British-Dutch-Australian Command]] (ABDA) from a base at [[Surabaya]], [[Java (island)|Java]]. On 9 January 1942 ''Parrott'' was one of five destroyers in an escort composed of the cruisers {{USS|Boise|CL-47}} and {{USS|Marblehead|CL-12}}, with the other destroyers {{USS|Stewart|DD-224}}, {{USS|Bulmer|DD-222}}, {{USS|Pope|DD-225}}, and {{USS|Barker|DD-213}} departing from [[Darwin, Northern Territory|Darwin]] to [[Surabaya]] escorting the transport ''Bloemfontein''.{{sfn|Gill|1957|p=531}} That transport had been part of the [[Pensacola Convoy]] and had left [[Brisbane]] 30 December 1941 with Army reinforcements composed of the 26th Field Artillery Brigade and Headquarters Battery, the 1st Battalion, 131st Field Artillery and supplies from that convoy destined for [[Java]].{{sfn|Masterson|1949|p=8}}

After dark, on 23 January 1942, ''Parrott'', with {{USS|John D. Ford|DD-228|2}}, {{USS|Pope|DD-225|2}} and {{USS|Paul Jones|DD-230|2}}, [[Naval Battle of Balikpapan|entered Balikpapan Bay]] where, lying at anchor, were 16 Japanese transports and three 750-ton [[torpedo boat]]s, guarded by a Japanese Destroyer Squadron. The Allied ships fired several patterns of torpedoes and saw four enemy transports sunk and one torpedo boat damaged as the Japanese destroyers searched in the strait for a Dutch submarine.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.combinedfleet.com//PB-37_t.htm |title=IJN Patrol Boat No. 37:, Japanese patrol boats |publisher=Combinedfleet |access-date=3 July 2020}}</ref>

''Parrott'' returned to Surabaya 25 January, and sailed five days later as part of the escort for two Dutch ships as far as [[Lombok Strait]]. She then swept through the [[South China Sea]] with the combined ABDA force, fighting off three Japanese aerial attacks on 15 February, as the Allies attempted to intercept and prevent a landing on the east coast of Sumatra. She came into Surabaya for fuel 19 February, firing upon enemy planes whilst there, before departing with other destroyers for a night attack on Japanese forces off [[Bali]]. Contact was made with two Japanese destroyers and a transport just past midnight on 19/20 February, and in the ensuing fight, {{Ship|HNLMS|Piet Hein|1929|2}} was sunk and {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Michishio||2}} heavily damaged. ''Parrott'' struck ground in the shoals off Bali but was able to churn herself free and retire with the rest of the force to Surabaya.

''Parrott'' was delegated the task of escorting {{MS|Sea Witch|1940|2}},<ref group=note>While DANFS & Gill use ''Seawitch'' all others use ''Sea Witch'' and Lloyd's register of the period shows the later name and not the first. ''Sea Witch'' was a C2 cargo ship built at Tampa Shipbuilding 1940.</ref> carrying twenty-seven crated P-40s,{{sfn|Craven|Cate|1948|p=397}} into [[Tjilatjap]] 28 February and then proceed to Fremantle as her consorts of the ABDA force made an attempt to forestall the invasion of Java by Japanese forces in the unsuccessful [[Battle of the Java Sea]].

''Parrott'' returned to the States for repairs, left the yard in July and commenced the first of eight convoy escort voyages between [[San Francisco]] and Pearl Harbor. On 21 May 1943, she sailed for New York arriving 12 June and reported for transatlantic convoy duty. She completed one convoy passage before joining ''Paul Jones'' and {{USS|Belknap|AVD-8|2}} in an offensive antisubmarine group with {{USS|Croatan|CVE-25|2}}. She operated with this group until 15 October when she transferred to another antisubmarine group formed around {{USS|Block Island|CVE-106|2}}.

''Parrott'' participated in sinking {{Ship|German submarine|U-220||2}} on 28 October, but the credit went to ''Block Island'' planes. In March 1944, ''Parrott'' reported at Norfolk for convoy assignment.

As escort for Convoy UGS–35, she reached [[Casablanca]] 26 March, then bombarded the coast of [[Spanish Morocco]], south of [[Cape Spartel]], on 27 March before escorting convoy GUS–34 back to Boston, arriving 15 April.

===Fate===
While getting underway from Norfolk on 2 May, ''Parrott'' was rammed by {{SS|John Morton||2}} while backing out of a slip, bending her hull, and was so severely damaged she had to be beached by tugs. Later towed to [[Norfolk Naval Shipyard]], she decommissioned 14 June 1944. She was struck from the [[Naval Vessel Register|Navy List]] 18 July 1944, and her hulk was sold for scrapping 5 April 1947 to the Marine Salvage Company of [[Richmond, Virginia]].

==Awards==
''Parrott'' earned two [[battle star]]s for her service in World War II.

== Footnotes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/p/parrott.html}}
*{{cite book |last1= Craven |first1= Wesley Frank |last2= Cate |first2= James Lea |year= 1948 |title= Plans and early operations, January 1939 to August 1942 |series= The Army Air Forces In World War II |volume = One |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher= Office of Air Force History |isbn=091279903X |lccn=83017288 | url=http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101105-005.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120324095354/http://www.afhso.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-101105-005.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=24 March 2012 }}
*{{cite book |last=Gill |first=G. Hermon |title=Royal Australian Navy 1939-1942 | series =Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 2 – Navy
 | volume =1 |year=1957 |publisher=Australian War Memorial |location=Canberra |url=http://www.awm.gov.au/histories/second_world_war/volume.asp?levelID=67910 }}
*{{cite book |last=Masterson |first=Dr. James R. |title=U. S. Army Transportation In The Southwest Pacific Area 1941-1947  |year=1949 |publisher=Transportation Unit, Historical Division, Special Staff, U. S. Army |location=Washington, D. C. }}

==External links==
*http://www.navsource.net/archives/05/218.htm

{{Clemson class destroyer}}
{{May 1944 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parrott}}
[[Category:Clemson-class destroyers]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built by William Cramp & Sons]]
[[Category:1919 ships]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in May 1944]]