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Displacement: 1,050 tons, length: 305'6", beam: 31'1"; draft: 9'6"; speed: 29 k, crew: 101 in peace time, 132 war time, armament: 4 four-inch 50 cal. guns, eight 21-inch torpedo tubes in 4 twin-deck mountings, Machinery, 17,000 SHP; Direct Drive Parsons (geared crusing) Turbines With Triple Expansion Engines, 4 Normand boilers with a total heating surface of 21,509 sq. ft., 2 screws, Fuel Oil Capacity: 327 tons Class: Cushing

The first McDougal (DD-54) was laid down by Bath Iron Works, Ltd., Bath, Maine, 29 July 1913; launched 2 April 1914; sponsored by Miss Marguerite S. LeBreton; and commissioned at Boston 16 June 1914, Lt. (jg.) J. H. Hoover in temporary command and Lt. Comdr. L. C. Palmer in command 27 July.

During her speed trials she turned in a speed of 30.7 kts., making her the fastest of the six ships in her class. After shakedown, McDougal began duty with the Torpedo Flotilla, Atlantic Fleet. Prior to America's entry into World War I she operated out of New York and Newport R.I., and carried out maneuvers and tactical exercises long the east coast. She cruised to the Caribbean and took part in fleet war games between January and May 1916, and in addition served intermittently with the neutrality patrol. For the first 3 months of 1917 she again joined in exercises in the Caribbean, then returned to New York and Newport to prepare for distant service.

McDougal departed Boston 24 April 1917 and steamed with the pioneer American destroyer group under Comdr. J. K. Taussig to Queenstown, Ireland, arriving there 4 May. When the British Navy commander, Vice Admiral Sir Lewis Bayly asked Cmdr. Taussig when his squadron would be ready for service, Taussig gave his famous reply "We are ready now, Sir." Among the first destroyers to join English Forces for duty after the entry of the United States into World War I she patrolled off the Irish coast and escorted convoys of merchant ships and troop transports through waters menaced by German submarines to British ports and the French coast. She carried out unrelenting patrols against the U-boats and, in addition, performed rescue operations in the war zone. When British ship Manchester Miller was torpedoed and sunk 5 June 1917, McDougal sped to her assistance and rescued 33 survivors. While escorting a convoy in the Irish Sea McDougal collided with the British merchantman Glenmorag on 4 February 1918, slicing off most of the stern of the McDougal. She made her way to Liverpool for repairs and was laid up until mid-July when she again resumed convoy escort duties.

On August 11, 1918 at 3:05 in the afternoon the troopship USS Henry R. Mallory was attacked by an unknown German U-boat. The U-boat fired one torpedo and missed the Mallory. In a report filed by the USS Conner, one of the escorting vessels this is what happened. The Mallory was traveling in a convoy of 8 ships and 10 escorts. The 8 ships were the USS Henry R. Mallory, SS Calamares, USS Maui, USS Siboney, USS Tenadores, the Italian ship Re D'Italia, SS Orizaba and the SS America Italian. The USS Siboney was flagship for this convoy. The escorts were the USS Conner, USS Winslow, USS Dayton, USS Porter, USS Warrington, USS McDougal, USS Fanning, USS Roe, USS Ericsson and the USS Tucker. That day August 11, 1918 the weather was misty the sea was smooth and visibility was 7,000 yards. The convoy was traveling on a base course of 108° and had just changed course 45° to port on account of the destroyers were dropping depth charges off the starboard side of the convoy. At 3:08 in the afternoon a torpedo track in the water was sighted off the port side of the Mallory. The torpedo missed ahead of the Mallory. Two minutes after that a periscope was sighted by one of the other ships in the convoy. The USS Maui fired one shot at the sub from her port side deck gun. The escorting destroyers USS Fanning, Ericsson, and Roe searched the spot where the sub was spotted and the convoy disappeared off into the mist. The Fanning dropped 14 depth charges, Ericsson dropped 8 depth charges and the Roe dropped 5 depth charges on the U-boats position.

As McDougal escorted a convoy off the southwest coast of England, she detected a surfaced submarine in the early hours of 8 September and gave chase at fun speed. The U-boat submerged about 500 yards ahead of the closing destroyer, and McDougal dropped two depth charges which brought an oil slick to the surface. Her skillful maneuvering and prompt attack saved the convoy from attack and resulted in probable damage to the submarine.

During the remaining months of World War I she operated out of Brest, France, as escort for convoys approaching and departing that vital Allied port. Following the Armistice, she served along with the USS Ericsson as part of the escort for USS George Washington when the transport arrived at Brest 13 December with President Woodrow Wilson embarked.

McDougal departed Brest 21 December with Destroyer Division 7 and reached New York 8 January 1919 where she resumed duty along the east coast. In May 1919, McDougal sailed to the Azores to observe and support the historic first aerial crossing of the Atlantic, made by four Navy seaplanes on 8-31 of May. These were the Curtiss (NC) Flying Boat Nicknamed the "Nancy Boat". Franklin D. Roosevelt, Assistant Secretary of the Navy and a leading proponent of the flight, petitioned Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels for approval of the flight. Roosevelt traveled to Rockaway Beach prior to the transatlantic flight, asked for and recieved a ride in the number 3 plane, NC-3 piloted by his boyhood friend Lt. James L. Breese, USNRF Cmdr. Richard E. Byrd, USN, invented aerial navigation instruments that made the flight possible and later used them in his polar explorations. There were 61 station ships on the route to assist in navagition and weather information and to supply fuel and supplies. The McDougal was one of 13 ships stationed in the Azores to Lisbon section. Of the 13 ships 3 of her other ships in her class were on station with her. They were the USS Winslow (DD53), USS Ericsson (DD56), USS O'Brien (DD51). Of the four Navy Curtiss Flying Boats only one, the NC-4 made the historic trip. The other 3 planes were damaged and could not finish.

After completing exercises in the Caribbean, she was placed in commission in reserve at New York 7 August. She was laid up in reduced commission at Philadelphia and Charleston in the years that followed, but she trained in New England waters during the summer of 1921. She decommissioned at Philadelphia 26 May 1922 and berthed with the reserve fleet until loaned to the Coast Guard as CG-6 on June 7 1924. While with the reserve fleet McDougal on 1 July 1923, was one of 6 Destroyers in Destroyer Division Two, Destroyer Squadron One. After her duties with the Coast Guard she was returned to the custody of the Navy 30 June 1933, she remained in noncommissioned status. She lost her name to new construction on July 1, 1933. In accordance with terms of the London Treaty, she was ordered scrapped 29 June 1934. Her name was struck from the Navy list 5 July 1934, and she was sold for scrap to Michael Flynn, Inc., Brooklyn, N.Y., 22 August 1934.

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USS McDougal's Ships Muster

As I find names of men who sailed this ship I will add them here with what I know of each. If you know additional facts about these men or others who were crew of the USS McDougal please e-mail them to: Joe Hartwell

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Lt. Cmdr. Francis Cogswell, US Navy

Lt. Cmdr. Francis Cogswell was the Commanding Officer of the U.S.S. Fanning & U.S.S. McDougal during World War I. He was awarded the Navy Cross and his citation reads: "The Navy Cross is awarded to Lieutenant Commander Francis Cogswell, U.S. Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as commanding officer of the U.S.S. Fanning and the U.S.S. McDougal, engaged in the important, exacting and hazardous duty of patrolling the waters infested with enemy submarines and mines, in escorting and protecting vitally important convoys of troops and supplies through these waters, and in offensive and defensive action, vigorously and unremittingly prosecuted against all forms of enemy naval activity."

Cmdr. Vaughan Kimball Colman, US Navy

Cmdr. Coman was one of the Commanding Officers of the U.S.S. McDougal during World War I and was awarded the Navy Cross. His citation reads: "The Navy Cross is awarded to Commander Vaughan Kimball Colman, U.S. Navy, for distinguished service in the line of his profession as commanding officer of the U.S.S. McDougal, engaged in the important, exacting and hazardous duty of patrolling the waters infested with enemy submarines and mines, in escorting and protecting vitally important convoys of troops and supplies through these waters, and in offensive and defensive action, vigorously and unremittingly prosecuted against all forms of enemy naval activity."

Lawson

Bill Lawson shared with me about his father. Bill grew up thinking that his father served on the McDougal in WW1. Recently, though he looked up the ship's history and cross checked it with Dad's time of service in the Navy. Apparently, he left the ship before it went to war. His service dates were Mar. 27, 1913 to Aug. 2, 1916.

Edmund McGrath

The Grandfather of Sean Hart served on the USS McDougal during WWI. His name was Edmund McGrath he was born in 1899 and lived in Brooklyn, New York. He died in 1979 and is buried in the National Cemetary in Farmingdale, New York.

Charles Minor Blackford, McDougal Crewman and Author od the book Torpedoboat Sailor

An excellent source of additional information on the McDougal and her World War I service is the 1968 book Torpedoboat Sailor by Charles Minor Blackford. Blackford was transferred from his first ship, the old torpedo boat destroyer USS Paulding (DD-22), when she was decommissioned to the newer and larger McDougal in January of 1917.

He had mixed emotions about being sent to the McDougal. While her “snap and dash” thrilled him, she was also known by east coast destroyer sailors as the “Madhouse Mac” because of her captain’s inclination to run her like a battleship and maintain her like a private yacht.

On April 23, 1917, Blackford and the McDougal departed the Brooklyn Navy Yard for Queenstown, Ireland, as part of the first group of American destroyers sent to aid Great Britain during World War I. The planned wartime role of the McDougal and her sisters had long been scouting, patrolling, and torpedo attack. In the cold waters of the North Atlantic, the crew of the McDougal and the other American destroyers had to quickly learn their new role in modern warfare against the Kaiser’s deadly U-boats. Specifically the use of the depth charge and the intricacies of the convoy system

Blackford was almost killed early on the morning of February 4, 1918, when the McDougal, while escorting a convoy in the Irish Sea collided with the British merchantman Glenmorag. Asleep in his bunk in the after berthing compartment, Blackford was rudely awakened when the British ship sliced off the end of his rack along with most of the stern of the McDougal. So close was his brush with death that he had a smear on his shoulder where he had rubbed against the bow of the Glenmorag.

Sometime in September 1918 the author was transferred off the McDougal while she was operating out of Brest, France, to the USS Kennison (DD-138). This is just a small sample of the information about the McDougal and her crew found in the book Torpedoboat Sailor written by her former crewman Charles Minor Blackford.

This information from the Torpedoboat Sailor was shared by Sam Bono who is a Naval History Buff.

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