| Dusk falls over the Navy Yard docks. The ship in the center, just beyond the crane, is USS Gherardi (DD-637). USS Luce (DD-522) is at left, with only her bow visible. USS Butler (DD-636) is at right, with only her stern visible. USS Doyle (DD-494) is in the right background. A British light cruiser painted in yellow primer, is in the left background. HMS Ajax’s upper superstructure was removed after she was hit by a Nazi German bomb from a Junkers Ju-87 at Bône, Algeria on January 1, 1943. She was towed to Gibraltar on January 7 and then taken to New York. Her refit, which included British Type 282 Fire Control Radar, and an American Fire Control Radar, and 40 millimeter Bofors anti-aircraft quadruple mounts, lasted until October. USS Gherardi arrived in late August left the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 5, 1943. USS Luce arrived August 16 and left September 3, 1943. USS Butler arrived August 23 and moored next to USS Doyle Pier C Berth 4 by August 31; the ship left September 5. USS Doyle arrived June 27, 1943, and left September 5, 1943. The only date where all 4 destroyers are alongside Pier 4 Berth 3 in the logs is August 22, 1943. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1937.jpg |
| Image Size | 1.33 MB |
| Image Dimensions | 5720 x 3771 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | August 22, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | New York |
| State or Province | New York |
| Country | United States |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | 80-G-K-3859 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
Author of the World War II Multimedia Database