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USS SHEA (DD-750 / DM-30 / MMD-30)


Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign - NJWR

CLASS - ALLEN M. SUMNER As Built.
Displacement 3218 Tons (Full), Dimensions, 376' 6"(oa) x 40' 10" x 14' 2" (Max)
Armament 6 x 5"/38AA (3x2), 12 x 40mm AA, 11 x 20mm AA, 10 x 21" tt.(2x5).
Machinery, 60,000 SHP; General Electric Geared Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 36.5 Knots, Range 3300 NM@ 20 Knots, Crew 336.
Operational and Building Data
Laid down by Bethlehem Steel, Staten Island NY December 28 1943.
Launched May 20 1944 and commissioned September 30 1944.
Completed as Minelayer DM-30, reclassified MMD-30 January 1 1969.
Decommissioned April 9 1958.
Stricken September 1 1973.
Fate Sold August 16 1974 to General Metals, Tacoma, WA and broken up for scrap.
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By
Shea 29kJohn Joseph Shea, born in Cambridge, Mass., on 13 January 1898, enlisted in the Naval Reserve Force on 11 June 1918. At the time of his release from active duty in 1919, he was appointed the rank of Ensign. He was honorably discharged in 1921 and reappointed in 1923. With the abolition of the Naval Reserve Force in 1925, he was transferred to the Fleet Reserve. In 1941, he was transferred to the Regular Navy in the rank of Lieutenant Commander. Lt. Comdr. Shea was serving in WASP (CV-7) on 15 September 1942, when she was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese. He left the relative safety of his own station to direct the fight against the raging inferno on Wasp's flight deck. Amid frequent explosions and flying debris, he worked to save the carrier. He was leading out another hose to continue the struggle against the fires in a ready ammunition room when a shattering explosion occurred. In all probability, Lt. Comdr. Shea died in that explosion; but, lacking concrete proof of death, he was declared Missing in Action until a year and a day later when he was declared legally dead. She was awarded the Navy Cross and Purple Heart medals and was promoted to Commander, all posthumously.Ed Zajkowski
Shea 69kUndated, location unknown. The ship is painted in camouflage Measure 32, Design 25d.-
Shea 23kUndated, location unknown.Christopher Karwowski
Shea 113kNew Year's Day, 1945 at Pier 54, San Francisco. Left to right, Sigsbee (DD-502), Ringgold (DD-500), and Shea (DM-30), all are concluding overhauls. Nara 19N80477.John Chiquoine
Click here to see our Special Feature - Interior Views of Sumner Class Destroyers as Built
USS SHEA DD-750 / DM-30 / MMD-30 History
View This Vessels DANFS History Entry
(Located On The hazegray Web Site, This Is The Main Archive For The DANFS Online Project.)
Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
NavSource Minesweeper Pages, USS Shea (DM-30)
Tin Can Sailors Website
Destroyer History Foundation
Destroyers Online Website
Official U.S.Navy Destroyer Website

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