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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS Childs (AVD-1)
ex
 USS Childs (AVP-14) (1938 - 1940)
 USS Childs (DD-241) (1920 - 1938)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Uniform - Lima - November
 NULN
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp) - American Campaign Medal
Bottom Row - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (1) - World War II Victory Medal - Philippines Defense Medal
Clemson Class Destroyer:
  • Laid down, 19 March 1919, at New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, N.J.
  • Launched, 15 September 1920
  • Commissioned USS Childs (DD-241), 22 October 1920, CDR. I. H. Mayfield in command
  • Converted to a Seaplane Tender at Navy Yard Philadelphia, PA., circa 1938-39
  • Reclassified Sea Plane Tender, Small AVP-14, 14 July 1938
  • Reclassified Sea Plane Tender, Destroyer AVD-1, 2 August 1940
  • During World War II USS Childs was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaign:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaign
    Campaign and Dates
    Philippine Islands operation, 8 December 1941 to February 1942
  • Decommissioned, 10 December 1945
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 3 January 1946
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 23 May 1946
  • USS Childs earned one battle star for World War II service
    AVD Specifications:
    Displacement; 1,215 t.(lt) 1,900 t.(fl)
    Length; 314' 5"
    Beam; 31' 8"
    Draft; 9' 9¾"
    Speed; 27.6 kts (trial)
    Complement;
    Officers 34
    Enlisted 145
    Boats;
    four LCP(L) landing craft
    Largest Boom Capacity 15 t.
    Armament
    two single 3"/50 cal dual purpose gun mounts
    five single 20mm AA gun mounts
    one depth charge track
    four depth charge projectors
    Fuel Capacities
    NSFO 2,475 Bbls
    Gasoline 29,815 Gals
    Propulsion;
    two Westinghouse turbines
    two White - Forester boilers, 265psi Sat°
    single Westinghouse Main Reduction Gears
    two turbo-drive 60Kw 120V D.C. Ship's Service Generators
    two propellers, 27,000shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    USS Childs (AVP-14)
    Childs 68k USS Childs (AVP-14) underway, circa late 1930's, location unknown. Marc Piché
    Childs 46k USS Childs (AVP-14) underway, circa late 1930's, location unknown. .
    USS Childs (AVD-1)
    Childs 79k USS Childs (AVD-1) underway, date and location unknown. .
    Childs 76k USS Childs (AVD-1) moored pierside at Fremantle, Western Australia, 16 August 1943. The small cabin cruiser in the foreground is the Royal Australian Navy patrol boat P-18.
    A US Navy photo now in the collections of the National Archives.
    US National Archives photo # 80-G-82153.    		 Robert Hurst
    Childs 61k USS Childs (AVD-1) underway, 14 November 1944, location unknown. Robert Hurst
    USS Childs (DD-241 / AVP-14 / AVD-1)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command
    Commanding Officers
    01CDR. Mayfield, Irving HallOct 22 1920 - ?DD-241
     LCDR. Hall Jr., John Lessie (13)mid 1920s - late 1920'sDD-241
     LCDR. Bunkley, Joel William :RADM1925 - ?DD-241
     CDR. Hall, William AldenOct 1925 - Jan 7 1926DD-241
     LCDR. Dessez, John Harrison Semmes7 January 1926 - February 1928DD-241
     LCDR. Fultz, Harold Farnham1932DD-241
     LCDR. Fick, Harold Foster :RADM1939 - ?AVD-1
     CDR Pratt, John Lockwood1941 - ?AVD-1
    Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To USS Childs (DD-241) Page Back To The Small Seaplane Tender (AVP) Photo Index Back To The Seaplane Tender, Destroyer (AVD) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    All pages copyright NavSource Naval History
    Last Updated 4 March 2011