USS ''Ingraham'' (DD-444), a , was the second ship of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

to be named for Captain

Duncan Ingraham Duncan Nathaniel Ingraham (6 December 1802 – 16 October 1891) was an officer in the United States Navy who later served in the Confederate States Navy. U.S. Navy service A native of Charleston, South Carolina, Ingraham was appointed Midsh ...

(1802–1891), who was awarded a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is an award bestowed by the United States Congress. It is Congress's highest expression of national appreciation for distinguished achievements and contributions by individuals or institutions. The congressional pract ...

following his actions regarding

Martin Koszta The Koszta Affair (1853) was the name applied to a diplomatic episode between the United States and the Austrian Empire involving the rights in foreign countries of new Americans who were not yet fully naturalized. Background Martin Koszta, a man ...

, a Hungarian who had declared in New York his intention of becoming an American citizen, and who had been seized and confined in the Austrian ship ''Hussar''. ''Ingraham'' was launched on 15 February 1941 by the

Charleston Navy Yard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. H ...

; sponsored by Mrs. George Ingraham Hutchinson, granddaughter of Captain Ingraham; and commissioned on 19 July 1941,USS INGRAHAM (DD-444) destroyer commissioning program
, hosted at Collecters Weekly.

Lieutenant Commander Lieutenant commander (also hyphenated lieutenant-commander and abbreviated Lt Cdr, LtCdr. or LCDR) is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander. The corresponding ran ...

William M. Haynsworth, Jr., in command. After

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

and local operations along the East Coast, ''Ingraham'' commenced duties as a

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

escort in December 1941 as the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii ...

drew America into

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In 1942, she escorted convoys between the U.S.,

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

, and the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, bringing supplies desperately needed by the Allies to stem Hitler's advance and to take the offensive. Under constant threat from

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

U-boat U-boats were naval submarines operated by Germany, particularly in the First and Second World Wars. Although at times they were efficient fleet weapons against enemy naval warships, they were most effectively used in an economic warfare ro ...

s, ''Ingraham'' continued her escort duty to Europe and as far south as the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a condui ...

. ''Ingraham'' was guarding Scotland-bound convoy T-20 out of Halifax. After an erroneous report of enemy submarine, convoy escorts maneuvered to locate the enemy in heavy fog. On the night of 22 August, as she was investigating a collision between the destroyer and a merchant vessel, ''Ingraham'' collided with the oil tanker in heavy fog off the coast of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

and ''Ingraham'' sank almost immediately. Depth charges on her stern exploded. Only 11 men survived the collision. She was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 11 September 1942.

References

External links

Roll of Honor

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ingraham Ingraham (DD-444) Ingraham (DD-444) Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina World War II shipwrecks in the Atlantic Ocean Shipwrecks of the Newfoundland and Labrador coast 1941 ships Ingraham (DD-444) Maritime incidents in August 1942 Ships sunk in collisions