Charles J. Badger
Country | United States |
Ship Class | Fletcher-class Destroyer |
Builder | Bethlehem Steel Corporation, Staten Island, New York, United States |
Laid Down | 24 Sep 1942 |
Launched | 3 Apr 1943 |
Commissioned | 23 Jul 1943 |
Decommissioned | 21 May 1946 |
Displacement | 2,050 tons standard; 2,924 tons full |
Length | 376 feet |
Beam | 40 feet |
Draft | 18 feet |
Machinery | General Electric geared turbines with two screws |
Power Output | 60,000 shaft horsepower |
Speed | 35 knots |
Range | 6,500nm at 15 knots |
Crew | 319 |
Armament | 5x5in guns, 4x40mm anti-aircraft, 4x20mm anti-aircraft, 10x21in torpedo tubes, 6 depth charge projec |
ww2dbaseNamed after Rear Admiral Charles J. Badger of the United States Navy, the USS Charles J. Badger was commissioned during WW2. She arrived at San Francisco, California, United States on 30 Nov 1943 for duty, and by next month was serving patrol and escort duties off the Aleutian Islands. She remained in the north Pacific area until Aug 1944, occasionally participating in bombardment missions against the Kurile Islands. In Oct 1944, she joined the fleet sailing for the Philippines, escorting transports during the landings on Leyte; during the landings, she fired her anti-aircraft guns against Japanese aircraft that attempted to interfere with the operations. After rehearsal landings at New Guinea, she acted as part of the anti-aircraft screen for the Lingayen Gulf landing operation on the Philippine island of Luzon. During the Okinawa landings, she guarded the southern flank of the landings. When the battleship Yamato was detected as en route for the American fleet at Okinawa, Charles J. Badger was one of the ships that scrambled to meet her, but American aircraft sank the Japanese battleship before most of the American ships arrived on the scene. On 9 Apr 1945, she was heavily damaged by depth charges dropped by a small Japanese boat. She was eventually brought back to California in Aug 1945 and was decommissioned on 21 May 1946.
ww2dbaseShe was recommissioned in the 1950s and served all across the globe, including making one circumnavigating tour. She was decommissioned again on 20 Dec 1957 and was scrapped for parts in 1974.
ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.
Last Major Revision: May 2006
Photographs
Charles J. Badger Operational Timeline
23 Jul 1943 | Charles J. Badger was commissioned into service. |
21 May 1946 | Charles J. Badger was decommissioned from service. |
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Visitor Submitted Comments
11 Nov 2011 03:30:44 PM
My grandfather was the Lt. Commander of this ship during the operations detailed above. Many stories told of this ship and crew.
10 Oct 2013 06:19:41 PM
My father, Carl Panko, was a cook aboard the Badger.
14 Oct 2013 05:53:03 PM
Do you have any photos taken in or near the galley which might show my dad?
26 Apr 2016 06:03:01 AM
My father John served on this destroyer. Would love to hear from any crew or family of crew. These men were the Last Great Generation. God bless them all.
5 Sep 2016 05:27:38 AM
my dad served on ship
11 Nov 2021 05:24:40 PM
My Dad was on this ship during WW2 including when the ship was damaged by drpth charges
11 Nov 2021 05:27:49 PM
My Dad was on this ship during WW2 including when the ship was damaged by drpth charges
16 Apr 2022 03:37:36 PM
My dad was a machinist on this ship. Told me a story about a torpedo going under the ship
All visitor submitted comments are opinions of those making the submissions and do not reflect views of WW2DB.
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1 Mar 2011 03:15:46 PM
my grate grandpa was on this ship during WWII