**USS O’Bannon (DD-177)**
**Definition:**
USS O’Bannon (DD-177) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, commissioned shortly after World War I and named in honor of Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, a notable Marine Corps officer. The ship served primarily during the interwar period before being decommissioned and scrapped in the early 1930s.
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## USS O’Bannon (DD-177)
The USS O’Bannon (DD-177) was a Wickes-class destroyer built for the United States Navy during World War I. Although commissioned too late to see combat in the war, the vessel played a role in the Navy’s peacetime operations during the 1920s. Named after Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon, a Marine Corps hero of the First Barbary War, the ship embodied the rapid naval expansion and technological advancements of the early 20th century. The O’Bannon was part of a large class of destroyers designed to counter the threat of enemy submarines and surface raiders, reflecting the evolving naval strategies of the era.
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### Design and Construction
The USS O’Bannon was one of 111 Wickes-class destroyers authorized by the United States Congress during World War I to bolster the Navy’s destroyer force. The Wickes class was an improvement over the preceding Caldwell class, featuring increased speed and armament to meet the demands of modern naval warfare.
**Specifications:**
– **Displacement:** Approximately 1,200 tons (standard)
– **Length:** 314 feet 4 inches (95.8 meters)
– **Beam:** 31 feet 8 inches (9.65 meters)
– **Draft:** 9 feet 3 inches (2.82 meters)
– **Propulsion:** Four boilers powering two steam turbines, driving two shafts
– **Speed:** Designed for 35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
– **Range:** Approximately 2,500 nautical miles at 20 knots
– **Complement:** Around 100 officers and enlisted men
**Armament:**
– Four 4-inch (102 mm)/50 caliber guns
– Two 1-pounder anti-aircraft guns (later replaced by 3-inch guns on some ships)
– Twelve 21-inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes arranged in four triple mounts
The USS O’Bannon was laid down on 15 May 1918 by the Union Iron Works in San Francisco, California, and launched on 4 October 1918. The ship was commissioned on 30 June 1919, after the end of World War I.
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### Service History
#### Early Service and Peacetime Operations
Following her commissioning, USS O’Bannon was assigned to the Pacific Fleet. During the immediate postwar years, the ship participated in routine training exercises, fleet maneuvers, and goodwill visits along the West Coast of the United States and in the Pacific Ocean. The destroyer’s activities were typical of the interwar period, focusing on maintaining naval readiness and demonstrating American naval presence.
The O’Bannon was involved in various fleet problems—large-scale naval exercises designed to test tactics, equipment, and personnel readiness. These exercises were crucial in developing the Navy’s doctrine and operational capabilities during a time of rapid technological change.
#### Decommissioning and Fate
Due to the postwar naval arms limitations and budgetary constraints, many of the Wickes-class destroyers were decommissioned or placed in reserve during the 1920s and early 1930s. USS O’Bannon was decommissioned on 7 June 1922 at San Diego, California, after only a few years of active service.
The ship remained in reserve for nearly a decade. In accordance with the terms of the London Naval Treaty of 1930, which sought to limit naval armaments among major powers, many older destroyers were scrapped to comply with tonnage restrictions. USS O’Bannon was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 March 1935 and subsequently sold for scrapping.
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### Legacy
USS O’Bannon (DD-177) was the first of three U.S. Navy ships to bear the name honoring Presley O’Bannon, a Marine Corps officer celebrated for his role in the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War. While DD-177 had a relatively brief and uneventful career, the name O’Bannon would later be carried by more famous destroyers, including the Fletcher-class USS O’Bannon (DD-450), which earned distinction during World War II.
The Wickes-class destroyers, including USS O’Bannon, represented a significant step in the evolution of American destroyer design, emphasizing speed and torpedo armament. Although many of these ships had short service lives, they laid the groundwork for future destroyer classes that would play critical roles in World War II.
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### Technical and Historical Context
The rapid construction of the Wickes-class destroyers was part of the U.S. Navy’s response to the German U-boat threat during World War I. These ships were designed to escort convoys, hunt submarines, and perform fleet screening duties. However, the hurried wartime construction led to some issues, including variable build quality and limited fuel efficiency, which affected their operational range.
After the war, the Navy faced the challenge of maintaining a large fleet in peacetime, leading to many ships being decommissioned or placed in reserve. The London Naval Treaty and other disarmament agreements further reduced the number of active warships, influencing the fate of many Wickes-class destroyers like USS O’Bannon.
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## Summary
USS O’Bannon (DD-177) was a Wickes-class destroyer commissioned shortly after World War I, serving primarily in the Pacific Fleet during the interwar period. Despite a brief active career, the ship was part of a significant naval expansion that shaped U.S. destroyer development. Decommissioned in 1922 and scrapped in 1935, the vessel’s legacy continued through subsequent ships bearing the O’Bannon name.
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**META_DESCRIPTION:**
USS O’Bannon (DD-177) was a Wickes-class destroyer commissioned after World War I, serving in the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet during the interwar years before being decommissioned and scrapped in the 1930s. The ship was named in honor of Marine Corps Lieutenant Presley O’Bannon.