USS Soley, a 2200-ton Allen M. Sumner class destroyer, was built at Kearny, New Jersey. Commissioned in December 1944, she operated in the Atlantic before transferring to the Pacific fleet in August 1945. For the rest of that year and into early 1946, Soley supported post-war occupation activities in the Central Pacific and Japan. She then returned to the Atlantic for another year before entering the Reserve Fleet in April 1947.
In late January 1949, Soley recommissioned to begin more than two decades of continuous active service, mainly in the Atlantic. She went to the Mediterranean Sea for the first of many Sixth Fleet deployments in August 1950. In May-December 1952, the destroyer temporarily left the Atlantic, via the Panama Canal, to take part in Korean War combat operations, during which she used her guns to bombard enemy targets ashore. Soley returned to the U.S. east coast via the Indian Ocean and Suez Canal, thus completing a cruise around the World.
In January-August 1954 Soley again circumnavigated the Earth westbound for a second tour of Far Eastern duty. Thereafter operating in the Mediterranean and western Atlantic areas, her activities included many military exercises, plus rescuing the crew of the sinking merchant ship St. Eleftiero in January 1958 and participation in the Cuban quarantine in October-December 1962. Soley became a Naval Reserve Training Ship, based at Charleston, South Carolina, in April 1964. Following nearly six years of that duty, she was decommissioned in 1970. The former USS Soley was sunk as a target in September 1970.
USS Soley was named in honor of James Russell Soley, who served as Assistant Secretary of the Navy in 1890-93.
This page features all our views of USS Soley.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
In addition to the images presented above, the National Archives appears to hold other views of USS Soley (DD-707). The following list features some of these images:
The images listed below are NOT in
the Naval Historical Center's collections.
DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our
page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions".
USS Soley (DD-707) underway after being activated from the Reserve Fleet, 25 March 1949. Port broadside surface view, showing the ship underway. She still has small hull numbers on her bow. USS Soley (DD-707) underway in May 1957. Port broadside aerial view. USS Soley (DD-707) underway in May 1957. Port bow aerial view. USS Soley (DD-707) underway in May 1957. Starboard stern aerial view. USS Soley (DD-707) underway in May 1957. Starboard bow aerial view. USS Soley (DD-707) underway in May 1957. Bow-on aerial view. USS Soley (DD-707) underway in May 1957. Stern-on aerial view. USS Soley (DD-707) underway at sea, 3 October 1959. Port bow view, from about mid-mast level, taken by Cobb of USS Tarawa (CVS-40). USS Soley (DD-707) refueling from off the starboard side of USS Valley Forge (LPH-8), 25 July 1961. Port bow view, from about mid-mast level, taken by PH1 A. Flores. Some of USS Valley Forge's structure is visible on the right side of the view.
Reproductions of these images should be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system for pictures not held by the Naval Historical Center. The images listed in this box are NOT in the Naval Historical Center's collections. DO NOT try to obtain them using the procedures described in our page "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions". |
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 24 July 2001