USN · DD
Hoel
Photos and infoFletcher-class destroyer. Bethlehem, San Francisco. Launched 19 December 1942, commissioned 29 July 1943. Commander William Dow Thomas commissioned her. Commander Leon S. Kintberger had her off Samar, and Thomas was aboard as commander of the screen. On 25 October 1944 she went in with Johnston against the Japanese battle line, fired all ten torpedoes, and was not credited with a hit. Heavy shells stopped her. She rolled over at 0855. Eighty-six men lived. About 250 did not. The rafts were seen from the air that day. Most of the living were not picked up for two days.
| Class | Fletcher class |
|---|---|
| Type | Destroyer (DD) |
| Hull | DD-533 |
| Builder | Bethlehem, San Francisco |
| Launched | 1942-12-19 |
| Commissioned | 1943-07-29 |
| Fate | Sunk. Rolled over and sank off Samar at 0855 on 25 October 1944. Heavy shells stopped her. The ships that hit her are not pinned down. Neither torpedo spread is credited with a hit. Eighty-six men lived. The Navy histories put the dead at 252 or 253. |
| Armament (class) | Five single 5-inch guns, two funnels, and two sets of torpedo tubes. |
| Command |
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Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.
The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.
USS Hoel (DD-533) at sea, 10 August 1944.jpg. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The pictures on this page are the originals.
No color version yet. Colored pictures and film will be added here.
Command
Battle off Samar
1944-10-25 · sunk; neither torpedo spread credited with a hit
