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USS HOEL (DD-533)


Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign - NAXY

CLASS - FLETCHER As Built.
Displacement 2924 Tons (Full), Dimensions, 376' 5"(oa) x 39' 7" x 13' 9" (Max)
Armament 5 x 5"/38AA, 6 x 40mm, 10/11 x 20mm AA, 10 x 21" tt.(2x5).
Machinery, 60,000 SHP; General Electric Geared Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 38 Knots, Range 6500 NM@ 15 Knots, Crew 273.
Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco. June 4 1942.
Launched December 19 1942 and commissioned July 29 1943.
Fate Sunk by Japanese Warships off Samar October 25 1944.
268 of her crew were lost with the ship and remain on duty.

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Hoel 90kWilliam R. Hoel was born in Ohio on 7 March 1825. A steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River, he joined the Navy in October 1861 and played a very important role on the Western Rivers during the rest of the Civil War. Wounded in action on board the ironclad gunboat Cincinnati during the battle of Fort Henry on 6 February 1862, he recovered in time to pilot USS Carondelet past the Confederate fortress on Island Number Ten some two months later. In May 1862, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Hoel took command of the Cincinnati while she was under salvage and repair. In October of that year he became Commanding Officer of sister gunboat Pittsburg, taking her through operations in the vicinity of Vicksburg, Mississippi. On 29 April 1863, he courageously used his ship to protect the flagship Benton when that vessel was endangered by enemy fire during the bombardment of Grand Gulf, Mississippi. In March-July 1865, Acting Volunteer Lieutenant Commander Hoel commanded the ram Vindicator. He left the Navy in December 1865.NHC
Hoel 82kArtist's conception of the Hoel as she appeared after original construction by the renowned graphic illustrator John Barrett with the text written by naval author and historian Robert F. Sumrall. Their company Navy Yard Associates offers prints of most destroyers, destroyer escorts, submarines and aircraft carriers in various configurations during the ship's lifetime. The prints can be customized with ship's patches, your photograph, your bio, etc. If you decide to purchase artwork from them please indicate that you heard about their work from NavSource.Navy Yard Associates
Hoel 18kUndated, location unknown.-
Hoel 18kUndated, location unknown.-
Hoel 101kUndated, location unknown.Richard Miller BMCS USNR RET.
Hoel 154kLaunching December 19 1942 at Bethlehem Steel, San Francisco. Leslie Jones Collection, Boston Public Library.Ed Zajkowski
Hoel 71kUSS Hoel (DD-533) off San Francisco, California, 3 August 1943. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.Fred Weiss
Hoel 93kUSS Hoel (DD-533) off San Francisco, California, 3 August 1943. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.Fred Weiss
Hoel 84kUSS Hoel (DD-533) off San Francisco, California, 3 August 1943, soon after commissioning. She was completed with three 20mm guns mounted just forward of her pilothouse structure. Note the blimp overhead. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.Fred Weiss
Hoel 90kUSS Hoel (DD-533) off San Francisco, California, 3 August 1943. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives.Fred Weiss
Hoel 88kUSS Hoel (DD-533) off San Francisco, California, 3 August 1943. Note the ship's name painted on her stern. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Photo #: NH 97896.Robert Hurst
Hoel 295kUSS Hoel (DD-533) underway in San Francisco Bay, California, 7 August 1943. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives, photo 80-G-65436.Original: Fred Weiss
Replacement: Robert Hurst
Hoel 82kUSS Hoel (DD-533) underway in San Francisco Bay, California, 7 August 1943. The city of San Francisco and the Bay Bridge are in the background. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.Fred Weiss
Hoel 700kUSS Hoel (DD-533) underway in San Francisco Bay, California, 7 August 1943. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives, photo 80-G-65441.Original: Fred Weiss
Replacement: Robert Hurst
Hoel 94kStern view of the USS Hoel (DD 533) off San Francisco on 25 Oct 1943.Darryl Baker
Hoel 101kBroadside view of the USS Hoel (DD 533) off San Francisco on 25 Oct 1943.Darryl Baker
Hoel 71kBow on view of the USS Hoel (DD 533) off San Francisco on 25 Oct 1943.Darryl Baker
Hoel 100kUSS Hoel (DD-533), In San Francisco Bay, California, 25 October 1943, after post-completion alterations. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Photo #: 19-N-54651.Robert Hurst
Hoel 118kUSS Hoel (DD-533) photographed from USS Kwajalein (CVE-98), during operations in the south Pacific, 10 August 1944. Hoel's camouflage is Measure 32, Design 1d. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives.Fred Weiss
Hoel 44kCirca October 1944.Joe Radigan

USS HOEL DD-533 History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry
(Located On The hazegray Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)

Commanding Officers
Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves


CDR William Dow Thomas    Jul 29 1943 - Oct 1 1944

CDR Leon Samuel Kintberger    Oct 1 1944 - Oct 25 1944 (Later RADM)


Crew Contact And Reunion Information

Contact Name: Paul W. Matthews
Address: 11 Dignon Rd., Billerica, MA 01821
Phone: (978) 667-7249
E-mail: chiefmatty@aol.com


Note About Contacts.

The contact listed, Was the contact at the time for this ship when located. If another person now is the contact, E-mail me and I will update this entry. These contacts are compiled from various sources over a long period of time and may or may not be correct. Every effort has been made to list the newest contact if more than one contact was found.


Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
NavSource Memorial Page devoted to Admiral Sprague and Task Unit 77.4.3 (Taffy 3)
Tin Can Sailors Website
Destroyer History Foundation
Destroyers Online Website
Official U.S.Navy Destroyer Website

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This page was created by Fred Willishaw (ex ARG-4, AS-11 & DD-692) and is maintained by David L. Wright
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Last Updated 06 August 2017