This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Gregg Baitinger, BM1
to remember
Edwards, Walter Atlee (MOH), LCDR.
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Contact Info
Home Town Philadelphia, PA
Last Address Washington, D.C.
Date of Passing Jan 15, 1928
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
'USS Edwards underway in the Caribbean Sea during her shakedown period, c. November 1942.
History
United States
Name:
Edwards
Namesake:
Walter A. Edwards
Builder:
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down:
26 February 1942
Launched:
19 July 1942
Commissioned:
18 September 1942
Decommissioned:
11 April 1946
Struck:
1 July 1971
Fate:
Sold 25 May 1973 and broken up for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type:
Gleaves-class destroyer
Displacement:
1,630 long tons (1,660 t)
Length:
348 ft 3 in (106.15 m)
Beam:
36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft:
11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
Installed power:
50,000 shp (37,000 kW)
Propulsion:
2 × geared steam turbines
4 × boilers
2 × shafts
Speed:
37.4 kn (43.0 mph; 69.3 km/h)
Range:
6,500 nmi (7,500 mi; 12,000 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement:
16 officers, 260 enlisted
Armament:
4 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual purpose guns
6 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns
6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) anti-aircraftautocannons
10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes
6 × depth charge projectors
2 × depth charge tracks
USS Edwards (DD-619) was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named "Edwards", and the first named for Lieutenant Commander Walter A. Edwards (1886–1926), who as commander of Bainbridge in 1922 rescued nearly five hundred people from the burning French transport Vinh-Long. For his heroism Edwards was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor, the French Légion d'honneur, and the British Distinguished Service Order.