Launching the USS Swanson

When in doubt, do right!

Launching the USS Swanson

On July 10, 1939, the day of Secretary Swanson's funeral, the Navy Department announced that destroyer Number DD443 would be named for the Secretary. The ship was allocated for construction at Charleston Navy Yard and was expected to be completed in late 1941. In fact the ship was launched November 2, 1940 and commissioned May 29, 1941.

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Mrs. Edith Boling Wilson, widow of President Wilson, (left) and Mrs. Swanson

Mrs. Swanson christens the USS Swanson;
assisting is the Commandant of the Charleston Navy Yard.

The main speaker at the launching was the Hon. Patrick H. Drewry, Representative of the Fourth Congressional District of Virginia. Click here for his speech on the life & character of Claude Swanson.

Above photographs are offical U.S. Navy pictures.

The USS Swanson was commissioned on May 29, 1941.

To learn about the history of the USS Swanson, DD443,
and the honors it earned during World War II,
please visit the web site of the ship's company:
http://www.geocities.com/swansondd443/