7025 US NAVY DESTROYER SAMPSON 1943

USS Sampson (DD-394) was an American destroyer, the keel of which was laid in April 1936, was launched in April 1938, and entered service with the US Navy the same year. At the time of launching, the ship was 116 m long and 11 m wide, with a displacement of about 2,100 tons. The maximum speed did not exceed 32 knots. The armament, at the beginning of service, consisted of 8 127 mm guns in 4 twin turrets, 12 533 mm torpedo tubes and 2 quadruple 28 mm AA guns. USS Sampson (DD-394) was one of five Somers-class destroyers. Units of this type were created as part of the US Navy expansion program in the second half of the 1930s and it was assumed that they would act as the leaders of the destroyer flotilla. Therefore, they put emphasis on the development of artillery and torpedo armaments. It was also assumed that they would serve primarily in the Atlantic. Ultimately, very heavily armed ships with good performance and sea bravery were created. However, they had some problems with stability and incorrect setting of the center of gravity. In the course of renovations and modernizations, efforts were made to correct these errors, but with varying results. USS Sampson (DD-394) was built at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. In the years 1939-1941 he operated mainly in the Atlantic, taking part in the so-called neutrality patrols. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, it was moved relatively quickly to the west coast of the USA. In the period 1942-1943, he carried out mainly convoy tasks in the South Atlantic, but did not take part in any great naval battle of that period. In 1944, he operated, among others, off the coast of New Guinea, supporting the landing operations of American troops on this island. From the second half of 1944 until the end of World War II, he served in the Atlantic and the Mediterranean basin. The unit was decommissioned at the end of 1945.