USS Benham, a 1036-ton Aylwin class destroyer, was built at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was commissioned in January 1914 and operated in the western Atlantic until May 1917, the month after the United States entered World War I, when she steamed across the Atlantic to begin anti-submarine patrol and convoy escort service in European waters. Based at Queenstown, Ireland, and after June 1918 at Brest, France, Benham had a number of encounters with German U-boats, but none resulted in confirmed damage to the enemy or in harm to the destroyer. She was, however, seriously damaged in a collision with a British warship.
Returning to the United States early in 1919, Benham operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean area during the first half of that year, and also cruised to the Azores. Inactive from mid-1919 into 1921, she was formally designated DD-49 in July 1920. Benham returned to completely active status in 1921 and 1922, but was decommissioned in July of the latter year. She was laid up at the Philadelphia Navy Yard until March 1935 and was then scrapped.
USS Benham was named in honor of Rear Admiral Andrew E.K. Benham, USN, (1832-1905).
This page features all the views we have concerning USS Benham (Destroyer # 49, later DD-49).
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
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NOTES:
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 30 August 2006
New image added 15 December 2008