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USS HULBERT (DD-342/ AVP-19 / AVD-6)


Flag Hoist/Radio Call Sign - NUKD

CLASS - CLEMSON As Built.
Displacement 1,215 Tons, Dimensions, 314' 5" (oa) x 31' 8" x 9' 10" (Max)
Armament 4 x 4"/50, 1 x 3"/23AA, 12 x 21" tt..
Machinery, 26,000 SHP; Parsons Design Turbines, 2 screws
Speed, 35 Knots, Crew 114
Operational and Building Data
Built by Norfolk Navy Yard, Norfolk, VA
Laid down 18 November 1918
Launched 28 June 1919
Commissioned 27 October 1920
Decommissioned 17 October 1934
Reclassified Seaplane Tender AVP-19 15 November 1939
Recommissioned 02 August 1940
Reclassified Seaplane Tender, Destroyer AVD-6 02 August 1940
Reverted to DD-342 01 December 1943
Decommissioned 02 November 1945
Stricken 28 November 1945
Fate Sold for scrap to Ship Shape, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, 31 October 1946

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Size Image Description Contributed
By
Namesake
Hulbert
[1]

Hulbert
[2]
[1] 55k




[2] 16k

Henry Lewis Hulbert was born 12 January 1867 in Kingston-upon-Hull, England, the first son of a wine merchant. After an education at the prestigious Felsted School, he joined the Colonial Service at age 18, serving as Assistant Engineer of the Public Works Department of the State of Perak in Malaya. At 21 he married the sister of a senior British colonial official and had a daughter. Unfortunately in 1897 he was caught having an affair with his wife's sister. Hulbert instantly became a pariah. Dismissed from the colonial service, he lost everything in the ensuing divorce, and was ordered to leave Malaya. First journeying to the Yukon goldfields, he found little luck there and worked his way south to San Francisco. Here Hulbert, at age 31, enlisted in the Marine Corps as a Private at Mare Island, CA, 28 March 1898.

As part of the Marine contingent aboard cruiser Philadelphia, he was awarded the Medal of Honor for refusing to desert disabled comrades in the face of heavy fire during an action on Samoa, 01 April 1899. Part of a joint British-American anti-insurgent operation, Hulbert's force was ambushed by a heavily armed party of Samoans and quickly became embroiled in a firefight. Leading the Americans were Navy Lieutenants Philip V. Lansdale, assisted by Ensign John Monaghan and Marine 1st Lieutenant Constantine Perkins. The column began to withdraw to the beach, and Perkins ordered Hulbert and Sergeants Michael McNally and Bruno Fosterer to defend an opening in a fence through which the column had to funnel to reach relative safety. Last to reach the fence were Lansdale and Monaghan, who were cut down within yards of Hulbert. Hulbert rushed to aid them, but seeing they were dead and wounded himself, he fought his way back to the fence and covered the two sergeants as they crossed. Out of ammunition, Hulbert used his rifle as a club before seeing his chance and escaping.

Promoted to Corporal the next day, Hulbert advanced through the enlisted ranks so that on the eve of America's entry into the world war, he held the rank of Sergeant Major. He was discharged to accept an appointment (at age fifty) as Marine Gunner, the first Marine to hold that rank, 28 March 1917. Initially assigned to Marine Corps Headquarters in Washington, Hulbert traveled overseas with the HQ Company, 5th Marine Regiment, arriving on French soil 03 July 1917. Initially assigned to safer clerk duties, Hulbert insisted on and received front line duty as a platoon leader of the 66th Company. During the Battle of Chateau Thierry, 06 June 1918, despite serious wounds, he directed his platoon in a successful attack and received the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism. Appointed Second Lieutenant for his extraordinary service, and immediately promoted to First Lieutenant, Hulbert was killed by enemy machine gun fire on Blanc Mont Ridge 04 October 1918. Captain John W. Thomason saw him fall and noted the peaceful look on his face. Whatever sins he had committed in the face of society, Henry Hulbert had redeemed himself. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross and the French Croix de Guerre with palm, and is now interred in his adopted country at Arlington National Cemetery.

This profile is based mainly on Hulbert's Marine Corps' records and genealogy, as well as the article "Private Henry L. Hulbert - the Gentleman Marine" by Stephen Harding, Military History, November 2010. Please note the DANFS bio for Hulbert has several inaccuracies.

[1] Photo from USMC History Division. [2] Hulbert in France, 1917. Library of Congress photo via Wikipedia.
Dave Wright
USS Hulbert (DD-342)
Hulbert 161kUndated, location unknown. Photo from the collection of the Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum.Darryl Baker
Hulbert 35kUndated, location unknown. Courtesy of www.timepassagesnostalgia.com.Tom Kerman
Hulbert
0534222
73kHulbert (DD-342), date and location unknown.Dave Wright
Hulbert 73kLaunching day ceremonies for Noa (Destroyer No. 343) and Hulbert (Destroyer No. 342) at Norfolk Navy Yard, 28 June 1919.
USN photo
Joe Radigan
Hulbert 73kLaunching of Hulbert (Destroyer No. 342) at Norfolk Navy Yard, 28 June 1919. Noa (Destroyer No. 343) is soon to follow down the ways.
Navy Yard Norfolk photo
Marcus Robbins, NNSY historian and archivist
Hulbert 110kRPPC showing damage after collision with Hopkins (DD-249) at Guantanamo Bay, June 1921.Tommy Trampp
Hulbert 129kAnother RPPC, showing collision damage, as seen from Hulbert's bridge, Guantanamo Bay, June 1921.Brian Baird
Hulbert 85kCrew photo by Bayot of Manila, mid-1920s.Jim Horton
Hulbert 93kUnderway during the later 1920s or early 1930s.Jon Burdett/Robert Hurst
Hulbert 283kUSS Langley (CV-1), USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Hulbert (DD-342) conduct annual fleet operations, as seen from the USS Saratoga (CV-3), circa 1932-34.
US Navy and Marine Corps Museum/Naval Aviation Museum, Photo No.1996.488.001.009
Mike Green
Hulbert 122kUSS Hulbert aground at Massacre Bay, Alaska, July 1943. Hulbert dragged anchor in heavy winds and ran aground at Alexei Point 30 June 1943, where she remained until being pulled off by fleet tug Ute (AT-76) on 21 July.
USN Photo now in the 80-G collection at NARA II, College Park
Tracy White
Hulbert 218kBeachside view of USS Hulbert aground at Massacre Bay, Alaska, July 1943.
USN Photo
Brian Baird
Hulbert 128kDecember 1944, location unknown. Hulbert acted as plane guard for Takanis Bay (CVE-89) during training operations off San Diego for much of that month, so it is likely the photo was taken during operations from that CVE.Ed Zajkowski
Hulbert 83kUndated (1944-1945) photo of the USS Hulbert (DD-342) somewhere in the Pacific transferring a pilot to USS Matanikau (CVE-101).
National Archives photo 80-G-376637
Mike Green
Hulbert
0534223
78kUSS Hulbert (DD-342) seen from escort carrier USS Takanis Bay (CVE-89), circa 1945. Hulbert served as a plane guard destroyer for Takanis Bay during flight training off the coast of California. She wears Camouflage Measure 31, Design 21D.
US Navy photo from the USS Takanis Bay (CVE-89) World War II cruise book
Robert Hurst
Hulbert 35kOn 07 December 1941, Seaman 2nd class Marion Ray Kesler, a cook's helper, was standing on the deck of Hulbert at the Submarine Base at Pearl Harbor, talking with the cook, Wally Martenson, when they heard and saw the Japanese planes "coming in out of the sun". As the ship's alarm didn't work, Kesler ran below to tell the crew, who just laughed at him. That is, until the deck antiaircraft batteries above them opened up. Kesler spent the rest of that morning's attack loading .50-caliber cartridges into a belt that was then fed into the machine gun. In the photo, Kesler (third from left, with the hat clearly marked Hulbert) and other survivors listen as Taps is played during the Pearl Harbor Day ceremony in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol on Wednesday, 07 December 2011.
Photo by Laura Seitz, Deseret News
Brian Baird

USS HULBERT DD-342 / AVP-19 / AVD-6 History
View this vessel's DANFS History entry at the Naval History & Heritage Command website

Commanding Officers
Hulbert (DD-342)
01ENS James Clyde Taylor USNRF27 October 1920 - 28 October 1920
02LT Stuart Augustine Maher (USNA 1915)28 October 1920 - 03 December 1921
03LCDR Lyell St. Louis Pamperin (USNA 1911)03 December 1921 - 29 January 1922
04LCDR Frank Alford Braisted (USNA 1909)29 January 1922 - 1924
05LCDR George Newton Reeves, Jr. (USNA 1909)1924 - 20 June 1925
06LCDR Bolivar Vaughan Meade (USNA 1910)20 June 1925 - 22 December 1928
07LCDR Stuart Augustine Maher (USNA 1915)22 December 1928 - 19 August 1929
08LCDR Ellis Hugh Geiselman (USNA 1918)22 May 1930 - 01 June 1933
09LCDR William Hamilton Porter, Jr. (USNA 1914)01 June 1933 - 10 September 1934
10LCDR August Jackson Detzer, Jr. (USNA 1921-B)10 September 1934 - 17 October 1934
 Decommissioned17 October 1934 - 02 August 1940
Hulbert (AVD-6)
11LCDR James Valentine Carney (USNA 1921-B)02 August 1940 - 10 March 1941
12LCDR James Mills Lane (USNA 1926)10 March 1941 - 27 November 1942
13LT Robert Burns Crowell (USNA 1934)27 November 1942 - 07 January 1944
14LT Herbert Stanley Calvin D-V(G) USNR07 January 1944 - 12 January 1944
15LCDR Joseph David Linehan USN12 January 1944 - 30 March 1945
16LT Thomas Peter Bellinger (DE) USNR30 March 1945 - 30 August 1945
17LT Robert M. Hamlin (DE) USNR30 August 1945 - 02 November 1945

Courtesy Wolfgang Hechler and Ron Reeves

Additional Resources and Web Sites of Interest
NHHC Pearl Harbor Action Report
NavSource AVD Seaplane Tender (Destroyer) Index
NavSource AVP Small Seaplane Tender Index
Tin Can Sailors Website
Destroyer History Foundation
Back To The Main Photo Index To The Destroyer Index Page


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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 12 July 2024