Parrott DD- 218

Parrott
(DD-218: dp. 1,190; 1. 314'4"; b. 30'8"; dr. 13'6"; s. 33 k.
cpl. 157; a. 4 4", 4 21" tt.; cl. Clemson)

Parrott (DD-218) was Iaid down 23 July 1919 by William Cramp & Sons SB & Eng. Co., Philadelphia, Pa., Launched 25 November 1919, sponsored by Miss Julia B. Parrott, and commissioned 11 May 1920, Lt. Comdr. W. C. Wiekham in command.

Following shakedown, Parrott was assigned to Destroyer Division 38 of the Pacific Fleet of which she was 1ater designated flagship. She departed Boston 7 August 1920 for San Diego arriving 7 September. She operated in coastal waters, ranging as far south as Valparaiso, Chile, until reassigned to the Atlantio Fleet 3 December 1921 and ordered to Philadelphia.

Parrott escorted Presidential yacht Mavoer from Hampton Roads and Annapolis to Washington, D.C., 26-30 May 1922 and then was fitted out for European duty.

On 12 June, Parrott sailed from Newport, R.I. with her division to report to Commander U.S. Naval Detachment Turkish Waters at Constantinople to assist American Relief Agencies in aiding political refugees and protecting American lives and intetests. From time to time, Parrott served as communications and station ship in the Blaek Sea, Aegian and Eastern Mediterranean. From 13 September to 25 October, she evacuated refugees following the Smyrna fire, and eseorted ships sent by other nations to help persons who had asked for protection.

From 6 July to 24 August 1923, Parrott made visits to Greece, Turkey, Roumania' Bulgaria and Russia, meeting with civic officials and showmg the flag. During the following year (1924) she made similar visits to Bizerte, Tunis, Leghorn Ge no a, Pat mos , Villefranche, Cagliari and Sardinia, returning to New York in July.

Reassignel to the Asiatic Fleet, Parrott departed Philadelphia 3 January 1925 for Pearl Harbor via the Canal 2One and San Diego. She made a training stop at Pearl on 27 April and proceeded on 29 May, via Midway, to join the Fleet at Chefoo, China 14 June. Because of unsettled conditions in China Parrott, with other units, sailed to Shanghai and put ashore a landing force. Parrott remained in the area until 31 July, and returned 10 September to Shanghai for duty with the Yangtze River Patrol until 16 October when she departed for the Philippines.

After operations out of Manila from 19 October to 15 March 1926 she reported to the Commander South China Patrol at Swatow remaining until 14 June. At this time revolution in China caused intense naval activity resulting in practically the entire Asiatic Fleet assembling in Chinese waters. Parrott carried out a rigorous schedule in again aiding and protecting the interest of Americans and other neutrals. She was relieved 25 October 1927 and sailed south via Hong Kong, Bangkok and Saigon to Manila, arriving 18 November.

During 1928, Parrott made many calls to Philippine ports least frequented by American ships. From 1928 into 1934 she remained on Asiatic Patrol operating from Manila. In 1935 she was ordered to French Indo China to eolleet hydrographie data in and around Saigon. She resumed neutrality petrol in 1936 and by 1940 had served sueeessively as station ship at Amoy and Swatow, China. From 7 July to 4 October, Parrott cruised China waters based at Tsingtao and then made calls to other northern Chinese ports, returning to Manila 11 October.

In Cavite Navy Yard, Parrott spent the first two months of 1941 having anti mine and sound detection gear installed, after which, she trained with destroyers and submarines. She assumed duties as off-shore sound patrol picket at the entrance to Manila Bay on 6 October, and late in November joined Task Force 5 at Tarakan, Borneo, N.E.I. The Task Force was still operating in this area when Japanese hostilities began.

When the Philippines fell to the Japanese, the Asiatic Fleet moved south and operated from a base at Surabaya, Java with British and Dutch allies. These, with Australian forces were combined under a unified command called "ABDA."

After dark, on 23 January 1942, Parrott with John D. Ford (DD-228), Pope (DD-225) and Paul Jones (DD-230) entered Balikpapan Bay where, Iying at anchor, were 16 Japanese transports and three 750 ton torpedo boats, guarded by a Japanese Destroyer Squadron. The foursome fired several patterns of torpedoes and had the satisfaction of seeing four enemy transports and one torpedo boat sink as the Japanese destroyers searched aimlessly in the strait for non-existent submarines.

Parrott returned to Surabaya 25 January and sailed five days later as part of the escort for two Dutch ships as far as Lombok Strait. She then swept through the South China Sea with the combined ABDA force, fighting off three Japanese aerial attacks on 15 February, as the Allies attempted to intercept and prevent a landing on the east ecast of Sumatra. She eame into Surabaya for fuel lg February opening fire on enemy planes there before departing with other destroyers for a night attack on Japanese forces off Bali. Contaet was made with two Japanese destroyers and a transport just past midnight on 19-20 Februarv, and in the ensuing fight, which left the Dutch destroyer Piet Hein at the bottom of the sea and the Japanese destroyer Michishio dead in the water Parrott struck ground in the treacherous shoe] water off Bali but was able to churn herself free and retire with the rest of the force to Surabaya.

Parroa was delegated the task of escorting SS Seawitch into Tjilatiap 28 February and then proceed to Fremantle as her brave consorts of the ABDA force made a last gallant stand against Japanese invasion forces in the Battle of the Java Sea.

Parrott returned to the States for repairs, left the yard in July and commenced the first of eight convoy escort voyages between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor. On 21 May 1943 she sailed for New York arriving 12 June nnd reported for transatlantic convoy duty. She completed one convoy passage before joining Paul Jones and Belknap (AVD-8) in a "HunterKiller" group with Croatan (CVE-25). She operated with this group until 15 October when she transferred to another Hunter-Killer Group formed around Block Island (CVE-106).

Parrott participated in sinking U-21!0 on 28 October, but the actual credit goes to Block Island planes. In March 1944 Parrott reported at Norfolk for convoy assignment.

As escort for Convoy UGS-35, she reached Casablanea 26 March, then bombarded the coast of Spanish Morocco south of Cape Spartel, on 27 March before escorting convoy GUS-34 back to Boston, arriving 15 April.

While getting underway for Norfolk on 2 May, Parrott was rammed by SS John Morton, and was so severely damaged she had to be beached by tugs. Later towed to Norfolk Naval Shipyard, she decommissioned 14 June 1944. She was struck from the Navy List 18 July 1944 and her hulk was sold for scrapping 5 April 1947 to the Marine Salvage Co. of Richmond, Va.

Parrott earned two battle stars for service in World War II.