USS Jack C. Robinson

USS Jack C. Robinson
History
United States
Name	USS Jack C. Robinson
Namesake	Private First Class Jack C. Robinson (1922-1942), U.S. Marine Corps Silver Star recipient
Builder	Dravo Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
Launched	8 January 1944
Sponsored by	Mrs. Clem F. Robinson
Reclassified	APD-72, 27 June 1944
Commissioned	2 February 1945
Decommissioned	13 December 1946
Stricken	1 December 1966
Honors and awards	1 battle star, World War II
Fate	Transferred to Chile
History
Chile
Name	Orella (APD-27)
General characteristics
Class and type	Charles Lawrence-class high-speed transport
Displacement	1,400 long tons (1,422 t)
Length	306 ft (93 m) overall
Beam	36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
Draft	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m) maximum
Installed power	12,000 shaft horsepower (9 megawatts)
Propulsion	Two boilers; two GE steam turbines (turbo-electric transmission)
Speed	24 knots (44 km/h; 28 mph)
Range	6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Troops	162
Complement	186
Armament	1 × 5 in (130 mm) gun 6 × 40 mm guns 6 × 20 mm guns 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Jack C. Robinson (APD-72), ex-DE-671, was a United States Navy high-speed transport in commission from 1945 to 1946.

Namesake

Jack C. Robinson was born on 22 September 1922 at Blue Ridge, Georgia. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 12 December 1941. After basic training, he was assigned to a unit scheduled to take part in the Guadalcanal campaign, the first American amphibious operation of World War II.

In the bitter fighting on 23 October 1942 in the Matanikau River area on Guadalcanal during the Battle for Henderson Field, Private First Class Robinson risked his life to repair damaged communications lines vital to the survival of his unit. Robinson was mortally wounded in the action and died on 25 October 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.

Construction and commissioning

Jack C. Robinson was laid down as the Buckley-class destroyer escort USS Jack C. Robinson (DE-671) by the Dravo Corporation at Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and launched as such on 8 January 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Clem F. Robinson, mother of the ship's namesake. The ship was reclassified as a Charles Lawrence-class high-speed transport and redesignated APD-72 on 27 June 1944, and was towed to Orange, Texas, for fitting out by the Consolidated Steel Corporation there. After conversion to her new role, the ship was commissioned at Orange on 2 February 1945.

Service history

World War II

After shakedown in the Caribbean, Jack C. Robinson departed Norfolk, Virginia, on 31 March 1945 to join the United States Pacific Fleet for World War II service in the Pacific, arriving at San Diego, California, on 14 April 1945. On 24 April 1945 she arrived at Pearl Harbor, Territory of Hawaii, to begin a month of intensive training. Arriving at Ulithi Atoll on 21 May 1945, she took up duty as an escort vessel for the massive supply convoys between staging bases and the forward areas. In June 1945 she moved to Okinawa for antisubmarine patrol offshore in support of the Okinawa campaign, departing Okinawa on 17 July 1945 to take up similar duty in the Philippine Islands.

Postwar

After the surrender of Japan brought World War II to an end on 15 August 1945, Jack C. Robinson engaged in convoy duties supporting the Allied occupation of Japan and the former Japanese Empire before returning via the Panama Canal to Norfolk early in 1946.

After exercises in the Caribbean, Jack C. Robinson arrived at the New York Naval Shipyard at Brooklyn, New York, on 24 May 1946 for extensive repairs. She then was towed to Green Cove Springs, Florida, for inactivation, arriving there on 30 October 1946.

Decommissioning and disposal

Jack C. Robinson was decommissioned at Green Cove Springs on 13 December 1946 and placed in the Florida Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on the St. Johns River there. She later was moved to the Texas Group of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Orange, Texas.

After 20 years of inactivity in reserve, Jack C. Robinson was stricken from the Navy List on 1 December 1966.

Chilean Navy service

Jack C. Robinson was sold to Chile under the Military Assistance Program. She served in the Chilean Navy as Orella (APD-27) until stricken and scrapped.

Honors and awards

Jack C. Robinson received one battle star for her World War II service off Okinawa.

References

• This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
• NavSource Online: Amphibious Photo Archive USS Jack C. Robinson (APD-72)