View source for USS Barton (DD-599)

{{short description|Benson-class destroyer}}
{{other ships|USS Barton}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS Barton (DD-599).jpg
|Ship caption= ''Barton'' in [[Boston Harbor]], Massachusetts on 29 May 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1942}}
|Ship name=USS ''Barton''
|Ship namesake=[[John Kennedy Barton]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship awarded=
|Ship builder=[[Fore River Shipyard]]
|Ship original cost=
|Ship yard number=
|Ship laid down=20 May 1941
|Ship launched=31 January 1942
|Ship sponsor=
|Ship completed=
|Ship commissioned=29 May 1942
|Ship struck=
|Ship honors=
|Ship identification= DD-599
|Ship fate=Sunk by {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Amatsukaze|1939|6}}, [[Battle of Guadalcanal]],<ref>Brown p. 73</ref> 13 November 1942
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Ship class={{sclass|Benson|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=1,620 tons
|Ship length={{convert|347|ft|9|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|36|ft|1|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draft={{convert|17|ft|4|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship power=
|Ship propulsion=
|Ship speed={{convert|36|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship endurance=
|Ship complement=276
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=* 4 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on}}]]/38 guns
* 4 × 1.1-inch/75 AA guns
* 7 × 20mm AA guns
* 5 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 in (533 mm)]] torpedo tubes
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''Barton'' (DD-599)''' was a {{sclass|Benson|destroyer}} in the [[United States Navy]] during [[World War II]]. She was the first ship named for [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[John Kennedy Barton]].

==Construction and commissioning==
''Barton'' was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 31 January 1942 by [[Bethlehem Steel Corporation]] at [[Quincy, Massachusetts|Quincy]], [[Massachusetts]], [[Ship sponsor|sponsored]] by Miss Barbara Dean Barton, granddaughter of [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[John Kennedy Barton]], and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 29 May 1942, [[Lieutenant Commander (United States)|Lieutenant Commander]] [[Douglas Harold Fox]] in command.

==Service history==
''Barton'' departed the east coast 23 August 1942 and steamed to the Pacific, arriving at [[Tongatapu]], [[Tonga Islands]], 14 September 1942. During October she participated in the Buin-Faisi-Tonolai raid (5 October) and the [[Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands|Battle of Santa Cruz]] (26 October) where she claimed shooting down seven Japanese planes. On 29 October she successfully rescued 17 survivors of two downed air transports near Fabre Island.

Arriving off [[Guadalcanal]] on 12 November 1942 having safely escorted a supply [[convoy]] to the island, ''Barton'' was ordered to join up with [[Rear Admiral (upper half)|Rear Admiral]] [[Daniel J. Callaghan]]'s force of five [[cruiser]]s and seven other [[destroyer]]s to repel a force of Japanese warships reported by recon aircraft to be heading down the body of water known as 'The Slot' towards Guadalcanal. Assuming her position in the eleventh spot of the US force just before sundown, ''Barton''{{'}}s crew settled into their battle stations to wait out the Japanese, expected to arrive around midnight.

As darkness overspread the body of water known as [[Ironbottom Sound]], several tropical rain storms and squalls began to cross the area, limiting visibility for both the Americans and the Japanese as they steamed towards each other, however several American ships were equipped with long range [[radar]] systems which began to detect the approaching Japanese ships at approximately 00:30hrs (12:30{{nbsp}}am). Consisting of two [[battleship]]s, one cruiser and eleven destroyers, the Japanese fleet rounded the northwestern coast of [[Savo Island]] and entered Ironbottom Sound at approximately 01:10hrs (1:10{{nbsp}}am) and shaped their course for [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Field]]; the American airbase they were sent to destroy. Steaming through a heavy rain squall, the Japanese ships were totally unaware of the presence of the American force directly ahead of them, and the heavy rain prevented the US fleet from sighting the Japanese ships for over an hour after the first [[radar]] contact.

At approximately 01:30hrs (1:30{{nbsp}}am), both sides finally made visual contact with each other as the first Japanese ships emerged from the squall line only {{convert|3000|yd|m}} away from the entire US formation. Despite the Americans having steamed directly into the middle of the Japanese force, neither side opened fire for almost ten minutes as they passed by each other, with the Japanese ships enveloping the American battle column as they emerged from the darkness in three separate groups. In the second position of the rear, US Destroyer van USS ''Barton'' began to train her deck guns and  [[torpedo tube]]s on several Japanese ships in her immediate area and awaited the order to open fire from the [[flagship]]. At 01:48hrs (1:48{{nbsp}}am) the order to open fire was precluded when {{Ship|Japanese destroyer|Akatsuki|1932|2}} lit its searchlights onto the cruiser {{USS|Atlanta|CL-51|2}}, causing both sides to immediately open fire on each other and starting the [[First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]].

Now fully enveloped by Japanese battle lines, ''Barton'' and {{USS|Monssen|DD-436|2}} steaming astern, broke to the northwest into the main group of Japanese ships while firing at point blank range on nearby Japanese destroyers and making violent maneuvers to avoid collisions with both friendly and enemy ships in the melee.  ''Barton'' had just fired a full spread of [[torpedo]]es at the battleship {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2}} when the [[light cruiser]] {{USS|Helena|CL-50|6}} appeared suddenly out of the darkness and cut directly across the [[Bow (ship)|bow]] of ''Barton''. Making an emergency stop to avoid colliding with ''Helena'', ''Barton'' found herself at a dead stop as her engineering crew tried to get her engines back into gear to get her moving again. However, before she could get underway two '[[Long Lance]]' torpedoes fired by the {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Amatsukaze|1939|2}} slammed into the midsection of  ''Barton''; one in her [[boiler]] room and one in her engine room. The massive explosions broke the ''Barton'' in two, and both sections sank only minutes after the first torpedo struck, carrying with her 164 men: 13 officers and 151 of her crew. Forty-two survivors were rescued by {{USS|Portland|CA-33|6}} and twenty-six by [[Higgins boat]]s from Guadalcanal.

==Awards==
In her short six months of active service to the [[US Navy]] ''Barton'' received four [[battle star]]s for her service in World War II.

==Rediscovery==
The forward section of the wreck of ''Barton'' was discovered in 1992 by [[Robert Ballard]], with only the hull section and [[superstructure]] ahead of the [[wikt:boiler room|boiler room]] found intact. To date the stern section of ''Barton'' has not been located.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* Brown, David. ''Warship Losses of World War Two.'' Arms and Armour, London, Great Britain, 1990.  {{ISBN|0-85368-802-8}}.
* {{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/b/barton-i.html}}

==External links==
* [http://destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/ussbarton/ USS ''Barton'' website] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/599.htm navsource.org: DD-599 USS ''Barton'']
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd599txt.htm hazegray.org: USS ''Barton'']
* [http://www.maritimequest.com/warship_directory/us_navy_pages/destroyers/pages/alpha_pages/b/barton_dd599_roll_of_honor.htm Roll of Honor]

{{Benson class destroyer}}
{{November 1942 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barton (DD-599)}}
[[Category:Benson-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Ships built in Quincy, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in Ironbottom Sound]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in November 1942]]
[[Category:1992 archaeological discoveries]]
[[Category:Naval magazine explosions]]