DID YOU KNOW? In Baton Rouge, Louisiana is the USS KIDD...the only remaining destroyer preserved in a World War II configuration. First launched on February 28, 1943, this ship was named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd Sr. who was killed aboard his flagship the USS Arizona during the attack on Pearl Harbor. The crew of the USS KIDD adopted the famous pirate Captain Kidd as their mascot and received permission from the Navy to fly the skull and crossbones pirate flag on board after Admiral Kidd's widow personally petitioned the Navy on their behalf. The USS KIDD was sailed in the Pacific and supported naval offensives throughout America's island campaigns in the Pacific. She was hit by a kamikaze pilot flying a Japanese "Zero." The strike killed 38 crew members and wounded 55, earning the ship a Purple Heart in addition to the 8 battle stars she had already earned.
The USS KIDD was repaired and modified before rejoining the Navy feet in August just as the war ended. Although she was temporarily decommissioned, KIDD was called up again in 1951 to aid in the Korean War where she earned another 4 battle stars before her final decommissioning in 1964. She was brought to Baton Rouge in 1982 as a way to memorialize Louisiana military veterans, and is now designated as a National Historic Landmark.
While the USS KIDD didn't prove to be nearly as interesting as the USS Lexington, it was worth touring in order to contrast the difference in life aboard an aircraft carrier vs. a destroyer.
Destroyers were built for speed and battle, meaning that living conditions were almost an afterthought. They were even more cramped than the USS Lexington and living quarters weren't the safest. For example, there were living quarters right above where all the explosives were stored. Because of these more dangerous spaces, all the ranks of men were spread out throughout the ship instead of staying in the same space as others of the same rank or skill set. For example, all the mechanics didn't sleep in the same room. That way, if the ship suffered a hit in that location, they didn't suddenly lose all their mechanics.
The USS KIDD was the home of the automatic potato peeler. The bottom plate of this steel tub would rotate, rubbing the potatoes against the rough inner walls and thereby removing the skins. The peeler was nicknamed the "Marble Maker" because of the size of the potatoes if left in the peeler for too long.
Also at the KIDD was the Veterans Museum, which held the stories of many courageous men from Louisiana, as well as their personal belongings. It gave us a small taste of what we would be seeing and learning about a few days later at the World War II Museum, which I will be posting on next.
Until next time, God bless!
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