USS Walker (DD-517)
USS Walker (DD-517), 1969
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Namesake: | John Grimes Walker |
| Builder: | Bath Iron Works |
| Laid down: | 31 August 1942 |
| Launched: | 31 January 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 3 April 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 2 July 1969 |
| Struck: | 2 July 1969 |
| Fate: | Sold to Italy, 2 July 1969 |
| History | |
 Italy
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| Name: | Fante (D-561) |
| Acquired: | 2 July 1969 |
| Struck: | 1977 |
| Fate: | Scrapped, 1977 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Fletcher-class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,050 tons |
| Length: | 376 ft 6 in (114.7 m) |
| Beam: | 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) |
| Draft: | 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m) |
| Propulsion: | 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
| Speed: | 35 knots (65 km/h) |
| Range: | 6500 nmi. (12,000 km) @ 15 kt |
| Complement: | 336 |
| Armament: |
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USS Walker (DD-517), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Admiral John Grimes Walker (1835–1907).
Walker was laid down on 31 August 1942 by the Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; launched on 31 January 1943, sponsored by Miss Sarah C. Walker; and commissioned on 3 April 1943, Commander O. F. Gregor in command.
The first seven months of Walker's service took place in the Atlantic where she was engaged in Caribbean escort duty and training exercises in preparation for Pacific combat duty. The highlights of this period included the capture on 7 August of 43 survivors of the U-615 which had been damaged by Navy air units off Cuba, and the responsibility of escorting the Secretary of State, Cordell Hull, from San Juan, Puerto Rico, to Casablanca to participate in the Moscow Conference of October 1943.
Walker transited the Panama Canal on 1 November 1943 and proceeded to join the forces engaged in the conquest of Tarawa. After a month of operations in that area, the destroyer took part in the Marshall Islands campaign from 29 January through 8 February 1944. She joined forces at Funafuti for the invasion of Kwajalein; and, as part of a heavy cruiser bombardment unit, she participated in numerous neutralization bombardments at Wotje and Taroa. The only Japanese resistance encountered came from shore batteries which failed to hit their mark.
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