USS Tingey (DD-272) - History

History

Tingey was laid down on 8 August 1918 at Quincy, Massachusetts, by the Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation; launched on 24 April 1919; sponsored by Miss Mary Velora Arringdale; and commissioned on 25 July 1919, Commander Alfred W. Brown in command.

After fitting out, the destroyer proceeded to the west coast and joined Division 31, Squadron 2, Flotilla 10, at San Diego, California late in December. For the next two and a half years, the destroyer operated out of San Diego with the Pacific Fleet. During most of that period, however, she had only 50 percent of her normal complement. Consequently, though she did conduct operations and patrols along the western coast of Mexico, she remained in a quasi-reserve status throughout her brief period of commissioned service. She made but one organizational change during her active career and that came in the latter part of 1921 when she was reassigned to Division 29, Squadron 10.

In 1922, the anti-militarist feeling prevalent following World War I combined with the government's policy of financial retrenchment to cause the deactivation of a substantial portion of the Navy's recently expanded destroyer fleet; Tingey, therefore, was placed out of commission on 24 May 1922, berthed at San Diego, and remained there for the remainder of her career. After 14 years of inactivity, Tingey's name was struck from the Navy list on 19 May 1936. She was sold to the Schiavone-Bonomo Corporation, of New York City, on 29 September 1936 and was scrapped in December.