USS Eugene A. Greene

For the cancelled destroyer escort, see USS Eugene A. Greene (DE-549).

History
United States
Name	USS Eugene A. Greene
Namesake	Ensign Eugene A. Greene (1921-1942), a United States Navy officer and Navy Cross recipient
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey
Laid down	17 August 1944
Launched	18 March 1945
Commissioned	8 June 1945
Decommissioned	31 August 1972
Stricken	2 June 1975
Fate	Transferred to Spain, 31 August 1972
Spain
Name	Churruca (D61)
Acquired	31 August 1972
Stricken	15 September 1989
Fate	Sunk as a target, 12 December 1991
General characteristics
Class and type	Template:Sclass-
Displacement	3,460 long tons (3,516 t) full
Length	390 ft 6 in (119.02 m)
Beam	40 ft 10 in (12.45 m)
Draft	14 ft 4 in (4.37 m)
Propulsion	Geared turbines, 2 shafts, 60,000 shp (45 MW)
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	336
Armament	6 × 5"/38 caliber guns 12 × 40 mm AA guns 11 × 20 mm AA guns 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 × depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Eugene A. Greene (DD/DDR-711) was a Template:Sclass- of the United States Navy, named for Ensign Eugene A. Greene (1921–1942), was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his heroism in the Battle of Midway.

Eugene A. Greene was launched on 18 March 1945 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co., Kearny, N.J.; sponsored by Mrs. Anita M. Greene, widow of Ensign Greene; and commissioned on 8 June 1945, Commander W. V. Pratt, III, in command.

Service history

US Navy, 1945–1972

Eugene A. Greene operated along the east coast and in the Caribbean on shakedown training, acting as plane guard during the qualification of pilots in carrier operations, and training men for the crews of new destroyers. From her home port in Norfolk, Virginia, she sailed to Guantanamo Bay for training early in 1947, and on 13 February sailed in a task group bound for Montevideo, Uruguay, to participate in the festivities accompanying the inauguration of Uruguay's President Berres. The group also paid a good will visit to Rio de Janeiro before returning to Norfolk on 31 March.

On 10 November 1947 Eugene A. Greene sailed on the first of nine Mediterranean cruises made over the next thirteen years. Voyages to northern Europe and the Arctic varied the routine of overseas deployment.

Eugene A. Greene was placed out of commission from 1 April 1952 to 1 December 1952, during which period she was being converted to a radar picket destroyer. She was redesignated DDR-711 on 18 July 1952.

Greene reverted to DD-711 on 15 March 1963.

On 18 June 1970 the Greene and the oiler Waccamaw (AO-109) were in a minor collision in the eastern Mediterranean during refueling operations.

Eugene A. Greene was decommissioned on 31 August 1972 at Norfolk, and, along with four other destroyers, was loaned to Spain.

Spanish Navy, 1972–1991

The ship was commissioned in the Spanish Navy as Churruca (D61), named after Lieutenant General Cosme Damián de Churruca y Elorza (1761–1805), who died during the Battle of Trafalgar.

Churruca was decommissioned on 15 September 1989; she was sunk as a target on 12 December 1991.

References

 This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• destroyers.org: USS Eugene A. Greene
• Photo gallery of USS Eugene A. Greene at NavSource Naval History
• hazegray.org: USS Eugene A. Greene
• The sinking of the Churruca (YouTube - part 1)
• The sinking of the Churruca (YouTube - part 2)