| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | James A. Greer |
| Builder | William Cramp & Sons, Philadelphia |
| Yard number | 460 |
| Laid down | 24 February 1918 |
| Launched | 1 August 1918 |
| Commissioned | 31 December 1918 |
| Decommissioned | 22 June 1922 |
| Recommissioned | 31 March 1930 |
| Decommissioned | 13 January 1937 |
| Recommissioned | 4 October 1939 |
| Decommissioned | 19 July 1945 |
| Stricken | 13 August 1945 |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 30 November 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Wickes-class destroyer |
| Displacement | 1,165 tons |
| Length | 314 ft 4 in (95.81 m) |
| Beam | 30 ft 11 in (9.42 m) |
| Draft | 9 ft (2.74 m) |
| Speed | 35 knots (65 km/h) |
| Complement | 133 officers and enlisted |
| Armament | 4 × 4"/50 calibre guns (102 mm), 1 × 3 in (76 mm), 12 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes. |
USS Greer (DD–145) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy, the first ship named for Rear Admiral James A. Greer (1833–1904). In what became known as the "Greer incident," she became the first US Navy ship to fire on a German ship, three months before the United States officially entered World War II. The incident led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to issue what became known as his "shoot-on-sight" order. Roosevelt publicly confirmed the "shoot on sight" order on 11 September 1941, effectively declaring naval war against Germany and Italy in the Battle of the Atlantic.[citation needed]
Greer was launched by William Cramp & Sons Ship & Engine Building Co., Philadelphia, 1 August 1918; sponsored by Miss Evelina Porter Gleaves, daughter of Rear Admiral Albert Gleaves; and commissioned 31 December 1918.