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NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive

USS McFarland (AVD-14) (1940 - 1943)
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 USS McFarland (DD-237) (1920 - 1940, 1943 - 1945)
 USS McFarland (Destroyer # 237) (1920)


International Radio Call Sign:
November - Echo - Tango - Bravo
 NETB
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons


Precedence of awards is from top to bottom, left to right
Top Row - Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive, 16 October 1942) - Presidential Unit Citation - American Defense Service Medal
Bottom Row - American Campaign Medal - Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (2) - World War II Victory Medal
 Personnel Awards

Purple Heart (16 October 1942, 5-KIA, 6-MIA, 12-WIA)
Clemson Class Destroyer:
  • Laid down, 31 July 1918, as McFarland (Destroyer # 237) at New York Shipbuilding Corp, Camden, N.J.
  • Launched, 30 March 1920
  • Commissioned USS McFarland (Destroyer # 237), 30 September 1920, at Boston, LCDR. Preston B. Haines, in command
  • Reclassified DD-237 in the Navy's fleet-wide assignment of alphanumeric hull numbers, 17 July 1920
  • Redesignated AVD-14, 2 August 1940
  • Placed in full commission as USS McFarland (AVD-14), 5 October 1940
  • During World War II USS McFarland was assigned to the Asiatic-Pacific Theater and participated in the following campaigns:
    Asiatic-Pacific Campaigns
    Campaign and Dates Campaign and Dates
    Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings, 7 to 9 August 1942 Capture and defense of Guadalcanal, August to February 1943

  • Redesignated Destroyer DD-237, 1 December 1943
  • Decommissioned, 8 November 1945, at Philadelphia, PA.
  • Struck from the Naval Register, 19 December 1945
  • Final Disposition, sold for scrapping, 29 October 1946, to North American Smelting Co., Philadelphia, PA.
  • USS McFarland earned two battle stars for World War II service
    Specifications:
    Displacement; 1,215 t.
    Length; 314' 5"
    Beam; 31' 8"
    Draft; 9' 10" (max)
    Speed; 35 kts.
    Complement; 114
    Armament
    four single 4"/50 gun mounts
    one single 3"/23 AA gun mount replaced with
    two single 40mm AA gun mounts
    five single 20mm AA gun mounts
    Propulsion;
    two Westinghouse turbo-electric engines
    two propellers, 26,500shp
    Click On Image
    For Full Size Image    		 Size Image Description Contributed
    By
    McFarland 952k USS McFarland (AVD-14) at anchor, 15 April 1939 in Narragansett Bay.
    Photo Caption reads;
    "WAR BIRDS GATHER
    TWO NAVY PATROL BOMBERS, PART OF THE FORCES WHICH WILL "DEFEND" THE INDUSTRIAL EAST AGAINST A THEORETICAL ATTACK IN WAR GAMES TO START NEXT WEEK, LAND ON THE WATERS OF NARRAGANSETT BAY OFF THE RHODE ISLAND COAST APRIL 15. THE DESTROYER CHILDS (BACKGROUND) WILL ACT AS AN AIRCRAFT GUARD DURING MANEUVERS."
    ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO
    4-15-39 9:15PES LKM JO
    Note the photo caption has misidentified the ship USS Childs vs. USS McFarland.    		 From the Michael Strout collection of AP photos, courtesy Jonathan Eno
    McFarland 61k USS McFarland (AVD-14) underway, date and location unknown. .
    View the USS McFarland (DD-237 / AVD-14)
    DANFS history entry located at the US Naval History and Heritage Command

    Commanding Officers
    Thanks to Wolfgang Hechler & Ron Reeves

    LCDR Preston B. Haines    Sep 30 1920 - Nov 2 1921
CDR Harry L. Pence   Nov.2 1921 - ? 
LCDR Robert Dudley Kirkpatrick    Jun 1930 - Dec 1930
LCDR Jerome Lee Allen    Jun 1934 - May 1935
As the AVD-14
LCDR H. S. Calvin    unknown
Reclassified DD-237 December 1 1943
LCDR Earle Grace Gardner Jr.    Jan 1943 - Apr 1944
    Crew Contact And Reunion Information
    U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation - Navy Log
    Fleet Reserve Association
    Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
    No Information Available
    Back To The Navsource Photo Archives Main Page Back To USS McFarland (DD-237) Page Back To The Seaplane Tender, Destroyer (AVD) Photo Index
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    This page is created and maintained by Gary P. Priolo
    © 2005 Gary P. Priolo © 1996 - 2009 NavSource Naval History. All Rights Reserved.
    Last Updated 15 May 2009