There have been three U.S. Navy destroyers to honor Lt. Silas Duncan, hero of the 1814 Battle of Lake Champlain. They span some eight decades of the twentieth century, and 4 wars fought from the Atlantic, to the Caribbean and the South Pacific oceans. All served the American Nation Valiantly and with distinction.

The Ships Sponsor

Mrs. Dorothy Clark Thayer, First Cousin three times removed of Silas M. Duncan sponsored all three destroyers named for Master Commandant Duncan.

The first USS DUNCAN (DD-46)

The first DUNCAN (DD-46) built in 1913 of the Cassin class, sailed the Caribbean and the Atlantic on patrols and convoy escort. Decommissioned in 1921, she was scrapped in 1935 in accord with terms of the London Treaty.

USS Duncan DD-46: dp. 1,014; l. 306'3"; b. 31'1"; dr. 9'3"; s. 29 k.; cpl. 97; a. 4 4", 8 18" tt.; cl. (Cassin)

The first Duncan (DD-46) was launched 5 April 1913 by Fore River Shipbuilding Co., Quincy, Mass,; sponsored by Miss D. Clark; and commissioned 30 August 1913, Lieutenant Commander C. E. Courtney in command.

Duncan sailed along the east coast and in the Caribbean for training, target practice, and exercises until 24 October 1914 when she was placed out of commission at Boston. Recommissioned 22 January 1916, she sailed out of Hampton Roads and Newport for neutrality patrol and exercises in the Caribbean, protecting battleships in fleet maneuvers, and guarding the entrance to the York River. Between 8 and 30 September 1917, she escorted a convoy to an eastern rendezvous, where an escort out of England met the ships.

Sailing for New York on 30 October Duncan escorted a convoy to Brest, France, arriving at Queenstown, Northern Ireland, 15 November to escort convoys and hunt submarines in the Irish Sea. On 17 July 1918 Duncan rescued from a small boat the survivors of the Norwegian bark Minefield and on 9 October, when one of her sisters, Shaw (DD-68) collided with SS Aquitania Duncan took off 84 of her crew, 12 of them wounded, and stood by while Shaw's remaining men took their ship into Portland, England, under her own power.

Remaining in European waters after the war, Duncan joined in escorting George Washington, bearing President W. Wilson, into Brest 13 December 1918. She cleared Queenstown 26 December for the Azores, Bermuda, and Norfolk, arriving 12 January 1919. After 5 months of east coast and Caribbean operations, she was placed in ordinary at Norfolk 31 May l919; in reduced commission 1 January 1920, in reserve 1 August 1920; assigned to operate with 50 percent of her complement 1 January 1921; and decommissioned 9 August 1921. She was scrapped 8 March 1935 in accordance with the terms of the London treaty limiting naval armaments.

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The second USS DUNCAN (DD-485)

The second DUNCAN (DD-485), built in 1942 of the Benson class, sailed the South Pacific, operating from Espiritu Santo to the Solomons. On 11 October 1942, while she was in screen of Task Force 64, protecting a convoy carrying reinforcements to Guadalcanal, contact was made with a large enemy surface force. In the resulting Battle of Cape Esperance, she was mortally wounded and her commanding officer ordered her abandoned, though her gallant crew tried to save her by beaching her on Savo Island, all efforts failed and she sank about six miles north of Savo Island on 12 October 1942. Read more about this naval engagement on the Battle of Cape Esperance page.

The Late Machinist Mate 2nd Class
Robert Randolph Eggleston's Sea Locker.

Click here or on the image above to view the Images in this section which were
provided, in loving memory, by Eggleston's grandson, Les Beyer, of Tullahoma, TN.

USS Duncan (DD 485) Reunion Association (Point of Contact)
Mr. George Palmer.
200 Greens Lake Circle, Rossville, GA 30741
Phone: 706-866-2694

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The third USS DUNCAN (DD-874)

The third and last destroyer named for Silas Duncan, USS DUNCAN (DD-874), and subject of this website, had her keel laid down on 22 May 1944. She was launched on 27 October 1944. She was commissioned on 25 February 1945 and then reclassified as (DDR-874) on 18 March 1949. She saw action in the last few months of World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Duncan was ordered decommissioned on January 15, 1971 and slipped beneath the waves in waters off San Diego as a result of naval target gunfire on July 31, 1980.

DUNCAN (DD 874)

DESTROYER

			UIC:	52174
Class:	DD 742		Fleet: Pacific
Status:	Disposed of as target		Homeport: San Diego, California
Date status changed:	07/01/1980				Stricken Date:	09/01/1973

Disposition: SUNK AS A TARGET Date: 07/31/1980 Location: 031° 00' 00.7" North, 120° 00' 00.3" West Depth: 2160 fathoms Tonnage: 2200

No changes to this information were reported since 02/17/1999

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Created: Sunday, July 27, 1997 Last update: Thursday, April 13, 2000 ©Copyright 2001USS Duncan DDR 874 Crew & Reunion AssociationThe information you receive on-line from this site is protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The copyright laws prohibit any copying, redistributing, retransmitting, or repurposing of any copyright-protected material.