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Naval History and Heritage Command

Naval History and Heritage Command

Diary of Commander Joseph K. Taussig, Commander, Little

[Extract]

Saturday

Today

April 27

     Excepting for the starting out on Thursday Friday morning, the remaining over night at Rockland [ME] and the returning to Boston this afternoon, my program was not carried out. After running for two hours at 30 knots yesterday morning a shoe of one of the Kingsbury thrust burned out. This put an end to the attempted 4 hour 30 knot run, so after returning the shoe, which took over an hour, proceeded at 20 knots. On arriving off Rockland made three trial runs over the measured mile, but found the sun so bad-being direct in our eyes-decided to begin the regular standardizing in the morning. Tied up to the R.R. dock in Rockland harbor. . .

If these delays were keeping us from being sent across I would be much perturbed, but as the Department seems in no hurry to get rid of us, I am quite calm about our troubles especially as we are having the opportunity to correct much of the poor work done by the contractors.1

Source Note: D, RNW, Joseph Taussig Papers, Mss. Coll. 97, Naval Historical Collection, Box 6.

Footnote 1: During its fitting out trials, the newly-commisioned destroyer, Little, suffered a series of serious breakdowns. During an inspection the next day it was revealed that the boiler was dirty and leaking, the result of “design and poor worksmanship.” It took a week to clean or replace some 500 to 1000 boiler tubes. Taussig Diary, 28 April 1918, RNW, Joseph Taussig Papers, Mss. Coll. 97, Naval Historical Collection, Box 6.

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