NavSource Main Page FAQ Contact us Search NavSource

Waving US Flag

 NavSource Naval History
Photographic History of the United States Navy		 DESTROYER
ARCHIVE

USS BUCK (DD-420)

CLASS - SIMS As Built.
Displacement 2313 Tons (Full), Dimensions, 348' 4"(oa) x 36' x 12' 10" (Max)
Armament 5 x 5"/38AA, 4 x 0.5" MG 8 x 21" tt.(2x4).
Machinery, 52,000 SHP; Westinghouse Geared Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 35 Knots, Range 6500 NM@ 12 Knots, Crew 192.
Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Philadelphia Navy Yard April 6 1938.
Launched May 22 1939 and commissioned May 15 1940.
Fate Sunk by U-616 off Salerno Italy October 9 1943.
150 of her crew were lost with the ship and remain on duty.
Click On Image
For Full Size Image		 Size Image Description Contributed
By
Buck 46kJames Buck was born at Baltimore, Md., in 1808 and enlisted in the Navy in 1852. He was awarded a Medal of Honor for his heroic service during the Civil War on board the steamer Brooklyn where, though severely wounded, he stood at the wheel for eight hours and steered the vessel during the engagement with Forts Jackson and St. Philip on the Mississippi River. He died in Baltimore 1 November 1865. Digital ID: det 4a14031, Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.Bill Gonyo
Buck 145kLaunch of Buck (DD-420) at Philadelphia Navy Yard, 22 May 1939. International News photo 877920.-
Buck 10kUndated, location unknown.-
Buck 37kUnderway circa 1940-1941, either entering or leaving port with the crew at quarters, location unknown.Joe Radigan/Robert Hurst
Buck 140kUSS Buck (DD-420) off the Philadelphia Navy Yard, 22 July 1940. Source: United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-23206.Mike Green
Buck 86kUSS Buck (DD-420) leaving Hvalfjord, Iceland in November, 1941 on Neutrality Patrol. Source: Imperial War Museum Admiralty Official Collection by Parnall, C.H. (Lt), Photo No. © IWM (A 6455).Mike Green
Buck 123koff the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts, 19 April 1942. The ship is camouflaged in MS12 (mod) scheme. Source: United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-29233.Mike Green
Buck 26kHalifax, Nova Scotia on May 17 1942. Nova Scotia Archives and Records Management, Halifax, NS.Tracy White
Buck 124kUSS Buck (DD-420) off the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts, 24 November 1942 in MS22 camouflage scheme. Source: United States National Archives, Photo No. 19-N-36643.Mike Green
Buck 132kUSS Biscayne (AVP-11) Serving as the flagship of the "Joss" (Licata) invasion force during the invasion of Sicily, July 1943 Photographed from USS Buck (DD-420). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.Fred Weiss
Buck 144kSeptember 11, 1943, location unknown. Photo from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.Darryl Baker
Buck 236kClipping from the 1942-43 Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin.Ed Zajkowski
USS BUCK DD-420 History
View This Vessels DANFS History entry at the Naval History & Heritage Command website

Commanding Officers
Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves


LCDR Horace Clovis Robison    May 15 1940 - May 1 1942

LCDR Lewis Robinson Miller    May 1 1942 - Dec 20 1942

LCDR Bosquet Neil Lev    Dec 20 1942 - Feb 10 1943

LT George Solon Lambert    Feb 10 1943 - Feb 28 1943

LCDR Millard Jefferson Klein    Feb 28 1943 - Oct 9 1943
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
Tin Can Sailors Website
Destroyer History Foundation
Official U.S.Navy Destroyer Website

Back To The Main Photo Index To The Destroyer Index Page


Comments and Suggestions about this page, E-mail DestroyerInfo
Problems and site related matters, E-mail Webmaster

This page was created by Fred Willishaw (ex ARG-4, AS-11 & DD-692) and is maintained by David L. Wright
All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
Last Updated 16 February 2018