Pringle

CountryUnited States
Ship ClassFletcher-class Destroyer
BuilderCharleston Naval Shipyard, South Carolina, United States
Laid Down31 Jul 1941
Launched2 May 1942
Commissioned15 Sep 1942
Sunk16 Apr 1945
Displacement2,050 tons standard; 2,924 tons full
Length376 feet
Beam40 feet
Draft14 feet
MachineryGeneral Electric geared turbines with two screws
Power Output60,000 shaft horsepower
Speed38 knots
Range6,500nm at 15 knots
Crew273
Armament5x5

Contributor:

ww2dbaseAfter shakedown cruise and an one-month Atlantic patrol, Pringle headed for the Pacific. She arrived at Guadalcanal on 30 May 1943. Her typical duties during the Solomon Islands campaign involve being part of advance scouting forces as well as acting as escorts for troop transports, but she was involved in several combat actions very quickly. Her first combat action was on the night of 17 to 18 Jul, where along two other destroyers she attacked three Japanese destroyers off Vanga Point, Kolombangara. On the night of 3 to 4 Sep, with destroyer Dyson, she engaged several Japanese barges also off Kolombangara, sinking three. Her next major campaign was the Marianas invasion, where she screened for larger vessels against Japanese submarines; her guns provided some naval gunfire support for landing forces at Saipan and Tinian as well. After some time at Mare Island Naval Shipyard back in the United States, she returned to the front at the Philippines and took part in naval bombardments on 27 and 28 Nov 1944. While escorting supply vessels to Mindoro between 27 and 30 Dec 1944, the convoy was attacked by Japanese aircraft, sinking several ships; Pringle was damaged by kamikaze on 30 Dec, losing 11 men and putting her under repair until Feb 1945. After returning to service, she screened for troop transports and provided fire support for the Iwo Jima and Okinawa invasions. On 15 Apr 1945, she was once again damaged by kamikaze. The Japanese aircraft's 1,000-lb or two 500-lb bombs exploded belowdecks, sinking her six minutes later. A large portion, 258, of the crew survived.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Sep 2006

Destroyer Pringle Interactive Map

Photographs

Line drawing of the Fletcher-class destroyer.

Pringle Operational Timeline

15 Sep 1942 Pringle was commissioned into service.
30 Jun 1943 Cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia in column with destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle bombarded Japanese shore installations in the Buin-Shortlands area of southern Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
6 Jul 1943 Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle arrived in the southern Solomon Islands and began operating out of Tulagi.
7 Jul 1943 The day after the Battle of Kula Gulf, a second cruiser force consisting of cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle departed Tulagi on a night patrol up the New Georgia Sound (the "Slot").
10 Jul 1943 Cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle departed Tulagi on a night patrol up the New Georgia Sound (the "Slot").
12 Jul 1943 In the early morning darkness, cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle conducted a bombardment of Japanese installations in the Munda area on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands.
15 Jul 1943 Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle made a nighttime, flank-speed sortie from Tulagi to Doveli Cove on Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands.
18 Jul 1943 Destroyers USS Lang, USS Stack, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle made a nighttime patrol up the New Georgia Sound in the Solomon Islands (the "Slot") to the area of Kolombangara. The "Black Cat" patrol plane covering the destroyers reported three Japanese patrol boats in the Vella Gulf off the west coast of Kolombangara. The destroyers engaged the patrol boats with intense gunfire with unobserved results.
26 Aug 1943 Shortly after midnight, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Chevalier, USS O’Bannon, USS Taylor, and USS Pringle made a nighttime patrol through Vella Gulf, Solomon Islands but encountered no shipping.
28 Sep 1943 Destroyers USS Nicholas, USS O’Bannon, and USS Pringle departed Nouméa, New Caledonia escorting a convoy bound for Guadalcanal/Tulagi area, Solomon Islands.
28 Feb 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, USS Renshaw, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Eaton, and USS Sigourney departed Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands bound for Cape St. George on New Ireland on a bombardment sortie.
29 Feb 1944 After refueling at the Treasury Islands, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, USS Renshaw, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Eaton, and USS Sigourney shelled the Japanese radar station on Point St. George on New Ireland and then set a course for Borpop Airfield area.
1 Mar 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, and USS Renshaw shelled the Japanese airfield at Borpop on New Ireland and then set a course for Nabuto Harbor. At Nabuto Bay, the ships shelled harbor installations and shore batteries before retiring at high speed toward Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
2 Mar 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, and USS Renshaw arrived at Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
10 Mar 1944 Destroyers USS Saufley, USS Philip, and USS Renshaw departed Tulagi, Solomon Island bound for Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville.
1 Apr 1944 Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands bound for Emirau Island in the Bismarck Islands.
16 Apr 1944 Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed the Emirau Island area in the Bismarck Islands bound for Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
18 Apr 1944 Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip arrived at Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
4 May 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands bound for Funafuti. Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu).
5 May 1944 On 6 May 1944, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip reset their logs to 5 May 1944 local date and arrived at Funafuti. Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu).
6 May 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed Funafuti, Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu) bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i and they crossed the 180th meridian later that day.
7 May 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip crossed the equator northbound.
10 May 1944 While transiting from Funafuti, Ellice Islands to Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip were diverted to an area about 85 miles north of their track to investigate a sighting of a possible Japanese submarine.
11 May 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip spent the day searching for the Japanese submarine believed to be in this area. Several sound contacts were made but no targets could be developed. Due to fuel shortages, Waller, Saufley, Pringle, and Philip resumed course for Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i while Renshaw remained until relieved by USS McCalla 7 hours later.
12 May 1944 Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip, and later USS Renshaw separately, arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i.
17 May 1944 Battleship USS Washington and destroyers USS Saufley and USS Pringle returned to Pearl Harbor after five days of exercises south of Oahu.
27 Nov 1944 US Navy Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, USS Colorado, and USS New Mexico, cruisers USS Denver, USS St. Louis, USS Columbia, USS Minneapolis, and USS Montpelier, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Waller, USS Eaton, USS Cony, USS Mustin, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Lang, USS Sigourney, USS Saufley, USS Aulick, USS Renshaw, USS Taylor, USS Edwards, and USS Mugford, tanker USS Caribou, and other patrol craft were patrolling in Leyte Gulf, Philippines when the group came under a concentrated Japanese special air attack from 20 to 30 aircraft. All but two of the Japanese planes dived on the formation in the sustained attack. Submarine chaser SC-744 was sunk and battleship Colorado and cruisers St. Louis and Montpelier were damaged.
28 Nov 1944 Beginning late the night before, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, and USS Pringle transited the Surigao Strait and bombarded shore targets in Ormoc Bay, Leyte. Upon retiring shortly after midnight, the destroyers detected a Japanese submarine on the surface. All destroyers opened fire with their 5-inch/38 caliber guns and the submarine sank by the stern (some sources suggest this was submarine I-46 but others content Yu-2 is more likely). The destroyers then returned through the Surigao Strait into Leyte Gulf.
29 Nov 1944 US Navy Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, and USS New Mexico, cruisers USS Denver, USS Columbia, USS Minneapolis, USS Montpelier, and USS Portland, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Waller, USS Cony, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Lang, USS Saufley, USS Aulick, USS Renshaw, USS Edwards, USS Mugford, and USS Connor, and other patrol craft were patrolling in Leyte Gulf, Philippines when the group came under a Japanese air attack where special attack aircraft damaged Maryland, Saufley, and Aulick.




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More on Pringle
Event(s) Participated:
» Solomon Islands Campaign
» Mariana Islands Campaign and the Great Turkey Shoot
» Battle of Iwo Jima
» Okinawa Campaign

Destroyer Pringle Photo Gallery
Line drawing of the Fletcher-class destroyer.


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