| On December 7, 1941 the destroyer USS Ward DD139 intercepted and sank a Japanese submarine at the entrance to Pearl Harbor one hour before the Japanese air attack on the island of Oahu. The USS Ward fired the first shot of WWII, as a destroyer and one of more than two hundred flush-deck "four pipers" turned out during the frantic ship-building program of 1917-1920. Her service with the fleet was short; a couple of years just after World War I ended, and two more years after World War II began. Her combat record began on 7 December 1941, when she fired the first shots of World War II, and ended on 7 December 1944 when she sank under enemy air attack. When the ship went to war on 7 December 1941 she was an old-timer, already obsolete, and except for her commanding officer, and a handful of old-time chief petty officers, she was manned by naval reservists, those citizen sailors who went to war only to win it so they could go home again. It was a ship, technically obsolete and one of the least impressive fighting units afloat in 1941, that led the U.S. Navy into World War II. This book contains the complete history of the USS Ward, including the roster of the crew on 7 December 1941, photos of the ship, fleet movements to Hawaii, armament summary, general ship data, descriptive histories of the ship in action, and details of where, when and how the USS was sunk in 120 fathoms of water. If you enjoy reading real stories of World War II Naval history, you will love this book. Pages: 51 File Size: 194.8 MB Format: PDF - Adobe Acrobat Version 7 (Get Free Adobe Acrobat reader, click here.) Important Note: See purchase confirmation email for password necessary to open this file once you download it. Usage: These items are provided for historical and reference use only. PilotManuals.com, RareAviation.com and Steve Rhode, Inc. assume no liability for any loss or damage resulting from or in any way connected to other use of this information. Not for commercial use or further dissemination. Printing: Once downloaded, this manual may be printed.
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