USS Meredith (DD-434) Introduction

As a 1,630-tonner authorized in 1938, known at the time to shipmates as a Livermore-class ship, the specifications for Meredith reflected the characteristics of all Gleaves-class ships built at Boston Navy Yard:

DATA

Name: United States Ship Meredith
Type: Destroyer
Namesake: Marine Sgt. Jonathan Meredith
Navy Classification: DD 434
Class: DD 423, Gleaves, also Livermore
Builder: Boston Navy Yard, Charlestown, Massachusetts
Keel laid: 1 June 1939
Launched: 24 April 1940
Commissioned: 1 March 1941
Lost: 15 October 1942

Length Overall:

Extreme Beam:

Normal Displacement:

Draft:

Designed Complement:

Designed Shaft Horsepower:

Designed Speed:

Screws:

Rudder:

Stacks:

As commissioned, Meredith’s armament was typical for a mid-1941 Livermore-class destroyer armed as follows:.

Click on any image to view it in more detail.

Above: Meredith in 1941 as built, with five 5-inch guns, 0.50 cal secondary armament. Below: Meredith as modified, with four 5-inch guns, 20mm secondary armament.

Primary:

Short-range anti-aircraft:

Torpedo Tubes:

ASW:

Her electronics were typical of the period just before SG (surface search) radar became available:

Radar:

Sonar:

In common with other destroyers of DesDiv 22, her No. 3 5-inch gun was removed to reduce topweight and 20mm single Oerlikon replaced her 0.50 cal. machine guns as follows:

Primary:

Short-range anti-aircraft:

Torpedo Tubes:

ASW:

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