View source for USS Gyatt

{{Short description|Gearing-class destroyer}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2024}}
{{pp-vandalism|small=yes}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
| Ship image = [[Image:USS Gyatt (DDG-712) underway in the Caribbean Sea on 14 May 1957 (USN 1016157).jpg|300px|USS Gyatt]]
| Ship caption = ''Gyatt'' In 1957, with her novel missile system aft
}}
{{Infobox ship career
| Hide header = 
| Ship country = United States
| Ship flag = {{USN flag|1969}}
| Ship name = USS ''Gyatt''
| Ship namesake = Edward Earl Gyatt
| Ship ordered = 
| Ship builder = [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]], [[Kearny, New Jersey]]
| Ship laid down = 7 September 1944
| Ship launched = 15 April 1945
| Ship acquired = 
| Ship commissioned = 2 July 1945
| Ship decommissioned = 22 October 1969
| Ship in service = 
| Ship out of service = 
| Ship struck = 22 October 1969
| Ship renamed = 
| Ship reclassified = *DDG-712, 1 December 1956
*DDG-1, 23 May 1957
*DD-712, 1 October 1962
| Ship homeport = 
| Ship motto = 
| Ship nickname = *''Semper Primus''
*("Always First")
| Ship honors = 
| Ship fate = Sunk as a target, 11 June 1970
| Ship notes = 
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
| Hide header = 
| Header caption = 
| Ship class = {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}}
| Ship displacement = {{convert|2425|LT|t|0|abbr=on}}
| Ship length = {{convert|390|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship beam = {{convert|41|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship draft = {{convert|14|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
| Ship depth = 
| Ship hold depth = 
| Ship propulsion = 
| Ship speed = {{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}
| Ship range = 
| Ship complement = 336
| Ship armament = *'''As ''DD-712''''' :
*3 × twin [[5"/38 caliber gun|5"/38]] (127 mm) [[dual purpose gun]]s
*3 × quad, 2 × twin [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] AA guns
*10 × twin [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm Oerlikon AA guns]]
*1 × quintuple [[American 21 inch torpedo|21-inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s
*6 × [[depth charge]] projectors
*2 × depth charge tracks
*'''As ''DDG-1''''' :
*2 × twin [[5"/38 caliber gun|5"/38]] (127 mm) [[dual purpose gun]]s
*2 × twin [[3"/50 caliber gun|3"/50]] (76 mm) AA guns
*1 × twin arm [[RIM-2 Terrier|Terrier AA missile]] launcher
*2 × triple {{convert|12.75|in|mm|0|abbr=on}} anti-submarine [[torpedo tube]]s
| Ship armor = 
| Ship notes = 
}}
|}
'''USS ''Gyatt'' (DD-712'''/'''DDG-1'''/'''DDG-712)''' was a {{sclass|Gearing|destroyer}} in service with the [[United States Navy]]. The ship was named for Edward Earl Gyatt, a [[United States Marine Corps]] private and [[Marine Raider]] who was killed during the [[Battle of Guadalcanal]]. Laid down in 1944, the destroyer was commissioned in 1945 and missed combat during the Second World War. In 1955, she was converted into the US Navy's first [[guided missile destroyer]] (DDG), and operated as a testbed for the ''[[RIM-2 Terrier|Terrier]]'' guided [[surface-to-air missile]]. During the 1960s, she continued to test new radars and other systems before she was decommissioned and sunk as a target in 1970.

==Namesake==
Edward Earl Gyatt was born on 4 September 1921 in [[Syracuse, New York]]. He enlisted in the [[United States Marine Corps]] on 28 January 1942. [[Private (rank)|Private]] Gyatt was serving with the [[1st Marine Raider Battalion]] during the [[Battle of Tulagi and Gavutu-Tanambogo|Battle of Tulagi]], part of the initial landings of the [[Guadalcanal campaign]]. He went ashore on [[Tulagi]] on 7 August 1942 and reported the approach of a [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] counterattack that night. He remained at his post and inflicted heavy casualties on the Japanese force before he was killed by a [[hand grenade]]. For his actions, Gyatt was posthumously awarded the [[Silver Star]].<ref name="EdwardGyatt">{{cite web |date=April 27, 2016 |title=Gyatt (DD-712) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gyatt.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118075355/https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gyatt.html |archive-date=January 18, 2024 |access-date=January 26, 2024 |publisher=United States Navy |department=Naval History and Heritage Command}}</ref> The first ship named after the private was [[USS Gyatt (DE-550)|USS ''Gyatt'' (DE-550)]], a [[John C. Butler-class destroyer escort|''John C. Butler''-class]] [[destroyer escort]] that was canceled before construction began.<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Silverstone |first=Paul H. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/title/ocm76141158 |title=The Navy of World War II, 1922-1947 |date=2008 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-415-97898-9 |series=The U.S. Navy warship series |location=New York |pages= |oclc=ocm76141158}}</ref>{{Rp|page=113}}

== Design and construction ==
During World War II, the [[Fletcher-class destroyer|''Fletcher''-class destroyers]] were the main [[Destroyer|destroyers]] used by the US Navy, and the design was continuously modified throughout the war, with one later iteration becoming the [[Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer|''Allen M. Sumner-''class]]. Towards the last stages of the [[Pacific War]], the destroyers were faced with increasingly distant voyages and faster ships in need of escorting. To rectify this, the ''Sumner''-class design was extended by 14 feet to add greater range and cruising speed. The resulting design became the [[Gearing-class destroyer|''Gearing''-class]], including ''Gyatt''.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=129}}

She was laid down by [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company|Federal Shipbuilding]] on 7 September 1944, launched on 15 April 1945, and commissioned on 2 July of the same year by Hilda Morrell, the namesake's mother.<ref name=":0">{{cite web |title=USS Gyatt (DD-712/DDG-1) |url=https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/alphabetical-listing/g/uss-gyatt--dd-712-ddg-1-0.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240126233452/https://www.history.navy.mil/our-collections/photography/us-navy-ships/alphabetical-listing/g/uss-gyatt--dd-712-ddg-1-0.html |archive-date=January 26, 2024 |access-date=January 26, 2024 |publisher=United States Navy |department=Naval History and Heritage Command}}</ref><ref name=":2" />{{Rp|page=85}}
[[File:USS Gyatt (DD-712) at anchor at anchor in 1953.jpg|thumb|''Gyatt'' in her World War II-era configuration, much like her sisterships]]

==Service history==
=== Early history ===
After a shakedown in the [[Caribbean]], the destroyer reported to [[Norfolk, Virginia]], for duties along the [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. In addition to local operations and training exercises, she trained with [[aircraft carrier]]s in the [[Gulf of Mexico]] and Caribbean. Departing Norfolk on 24 January 1947, she sailed south to represent the United States at the inauguration of Uruguayan President [[Luis Batlle Berres|Luis Batlle]] at [[Montevideo]] from 27 February to 6 March. Before returning to Norfolk on 21 March, she made [[Goodwill tour|goodwill visits]] to [[Rio de Janeiro]] and [[Port of Spain]], [[Trinidad]].<ref name=":0" />

''Gyatt'' sailed on 20 November 1947 to deploy with the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]] in the [[Mediterranean]] and returned to Norfolk on 2 March 1948. She participated in six subsequent deployments to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean. Other operations took her north from Norfolk to [[Nova Scotia]] and [[Iceland]] and south into the Caribbean Sea.<ref name=":0" />

=== DDG ===
Since World War II, the primary role of destroyers and screening ships in a [[Aircraft carrier|carrier]] fleet had been to provide [[Anti-aircraft warfare|air defense]]. Following this [[doctrine]], the U.S. Navy began developing new escort ships in the early 1950s, equipping them with advanced [[surface-to-air missile]] systems that promised greater effectiveness than older methods. However, many of these new weapons, such as the [[RIM-2 Terrier|RIM''-2 Terrier'']], were still unproven for use on small destroyers. ''Gyatt'' was chosen to be fitted with a ''Terrier'' battery as a proof-of-concept for the weapon as they were slated for use on the upcoming [[Farragut-class destroyer (1958)|''Farragut''-class destroyers]].<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Friedman |first=Norman |title=U.S. destroyers: an illustrated design history |last2=Baker |first2=A. D. |date=2004 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-1-55750-442-5 |edition= |location=Annapolis, Md}}</ref>{{Rp|page=293-294|pages=297}}

For her new role, she entered entered the [[Boston Navy Yard|Boston Naval Shipyard]] on 26 September 1955 and was decommissioned on 31 October for conversion into the world's first [[guided missile destroyer]]. To make room for the Terrier launcher and a 14 missile magazine, her aft-most 5" gun and 40 mm Bofors were removed along with her quintuple torpedo tubes. She was also equipped with the Navy's first stabilization system. The system consisted of two 45 square foot (4m<sup>2</sup>) retractable fins that extended out from [[Midships|midship]] below the waterline, which helped balance out the ship after missile launches. Other changes included replacing her remaining two Bofors with twin [[3-inch/50-caliber gun|three-inch 50 caliber guns]], equipping two triple torpedo tubes, and the first-ever mounting of the [[AN/SPS-49]] long-range search radar to detect incoming aircraft.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Polmar |first=Norman |date=December 1978 |title=The U.S. Navy: Shipboard Radars |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1978/december/us-navy-shipboard-radars |journal=Proceedings of the [[United States Naval Institute]] |volume=104 |issue=12}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=|pages=297}}[[File:USS Gyatt (DDG-1) launching Terrier missile c1957.jpg|thumb|''Gyatt'' launching a ''Terrier'' missile]]Her hull classification was changed to DDG-712 on 1 December 1956. She was recommissioned two days later.<ref name=":0" />

She spent 3 years undergoing evaluation and development work along the [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] coast. On 23 May 1957, her hull number was changed to DDG-1 in recognition of her novel position. She then sailed to join the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]] on 28 January 1960 and became the first guided missile destroyer to deploy with an overseas fleet. By the time of her arrival back in [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]], her new home port on 31 August, ''Gyatt'' had participated in fleet readiness and training operations throughout the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]].<ref name=":0" />

Upon her return, the destroyer joined the United States' space program. For several days in 1960 and 1961, she was stationed to recover [[Nose cone|nose-cones]] that fell to [[Earth]] from [[Project Mercury]] launches. As the [[Berlin Crisis of 1961|Berlin Crisis]] inflamed [[Cold War]] tensions, she joined the 6th fleet in the Mediterranean to serve as an American counterbalance. After her return to the US, she operated out of [[Charleston, South Carolina]].<ref name=":0" />

Her main contributions were as her use as a missile testbed. The ship's various trainings demonstrated the ''Terrier''<nowiki/>'s application onboard escorts, seeing the system adopted to the Navy's rapidly growing fleet of air-defense destroyer leaders.<ref name=":1" />{{Rp|page=297, 299, 301|pages=}} However, the battery proved to be too large for ''Gyatt'''s small hull, as immense strain was placed on her [[electrical grid]], little room was left for other systems or modifications, and the design itself was overtly complicated. Her trails demonstrated the need for a smaller surface-to-air missile system, informing the development of the more compact ''Tartar'', which was fitted on the [[Charles F. Adams-class destroyer|next generation]] of guided missile destroyers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Oliver |first=J. |last2=Slifer |first2=A. |date=July 1965 |title=Evaluating the DDG |url=https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/1965/july/evaluating-ddg |journal=Proceedings of the [[United States Naval Institute]] |volume=91 |issue=7}}</ref> 
[[File:USS Gyatt (DD-712) underway in Hampton Roads 1966.jpg|thumb|''Gyatt'' in 1966 with an aft mast used to test new radars in place of her missiles]]

=== Radar test ship ===

With her original goal fulfilled, she was retrofitted for service with the [[Operational Test and Evaluation Force]] in 1962. On 29 June, she entered the [[Charleston Naval Shipyard]] to have her ''Terriers'' removed and a mast fitted on top of the old Terrier magazine. The purpose of the new mast was to carry electronics and other experimental equipment so they could be tested at sea. Now designated as a radar test ship, her hull number was reverted to DD-719. On 1 January 1963, the destroyer reported to [[Norfolk, Virginia|Norfolk]] and operated with the [[Navy Electronics Laboratory|Naval Electronics Facility]] and tested new technology, primarily radars and sensors, along the [[East Coast of the United States|US East Coast]] and [[Caribbean]].<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sumrall |first=Robert F. |title=Sumner-Gearing--class destroyers: their design, weapons, and equipment |date=1995 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=978-1-55750-786-0 |location=Annapolis, Md |pages=81}}</ref>

===Sinking===
By the late 1960s, her hull began to crack from the stresses caused by the missile launches. As it was cheaper to prematurely dispose of her than fix the hull, she was was transferred to the [[reserve fleet]] and homeported to [[Washington, D.C.]], in 1968. She was then stricken on 22 October 1969 and sunk as a target off [[Virginia]] on 11 June 1970.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=USS Gyatt (DDG-712 and DDG-1), ex-Gearing-class guided missile destroyer in the cold war |url=https://destroyerhistory.org/coldwar/ussgyatt/#:~:text=Adams-class%20destroyers%20in%201960,found%20on%20its%20web%20site.%5C |access-date=2024-10-27 |website=destroyerhistory.org}}</ref>

== Further Reading ==

* [[Ticonderoga-class cruiser|''Ticonderoga''-class cruiser]], modern American air-defense ships
* [[Arleigh Burke-class destroyer#Flight III|''Arleigh Burke''-class destroyer Flight III]], series of modern American guided missile destroyers built for air defense

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|USS Gyatt (DD-712)}}
{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/g/gyatt.html}}
* [http://www.ussgyatt.org/ ''Gyatt'' Association] - Veterans Association of USS ''Gyatt''
* [https://www.navsource.org/archives/05/712.htm NavSource] - Photo gallery of the ship
{{Gearing class destroyer}}
{{1970 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gyatt (DD-712)}}
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey]]<!-- Location of construction -->
[[Category:1945 ships]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks of the Virginia coast]]
[[Category:Gearing-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1970]]