USS Taylor ( DD - 94 ) USS " Taylor " ( DD - 94 ) was a " Wickes " - class destroyer built in 1918 for the United States Navy , which saw service in World War I and the years following . She was named for Rear Admiral Henry Taylor . One of 111 ships of her class , " Taylor " was commissioned near the end of World War I and patrolled in the Atlantic Ocean during and immediately following the war , though she saw no service supporting the war . After eight years out of commission , she returned to service in 1930 patrolling along the East Coast of the United States and in Latin America . Decommissioned in 1938 , she then became a training hulk . During World War II her forward section was removed and grafted onto after the latter ship was damaged in a submarine attack . " Taylor " continued to serve as a training hulk until she was sold for scrap in 1945 . Design and construction . " Taylor " was one of 111 " Wickes " - class destroyer s built by the United States Navy between 1917 and 1919 . She , along with seven of her sisters , were constructed at Mare Island Navy Yard in San Francisco , California , using detailed designs drawn up by Bath Iron Works . She had a standard displacement of an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . On trials , " Taylor " reached a speed of . She was armed with four 4 " / 50 caliber gun s , one 3 " / 23 caliber gun , and twelve 21 - inch torpedo tube s . She had a regular crew complement of 122 officers and enlisted men . She was coal - powered , and driven by two Curtis steam turbine s powered by four Yarrow boilers with an indicated horsepower of . Specifics on " Taylor " ' s performance are not known , but she was one of the group of " Wickes " - class destroyers known unofficially as the ' Liberty Type ' to differentiate them from the destroyers constructed from detail designs drawn up by Bethlehem Steel , which used Parsons or Westinghouse turbines . The ' Liberty ' type destroyers deteriorated badly in service , and in 1929 all 60 of this group were retired by the Navy . Actual performance of these ships was far below intended specifications especially in fuel economy , with most only able to make at instead of the design standard of at . The class also suffered from poor maneuverability and were overweight . She was the first U . S . Navy ship to be named USS " Taylor " , commemorating Navy admiral Henry Clay Taylor . A second would be commissioned in 1942 , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer named for William Rogers Taylor . That ship saw extensive service in World War II , the Korean War , and the Vietnam War . History . " Taylor " was laid down as Destroyer No . 94 on 15 October 1917 by the Mare Island Navy Yard , and launched on 14 February 1918 . She was commissioned on 1 June 1918 , sponsored by Ms . Mary Gorgas , and under the command of Commander Charles T . Hutchins , Jr . Upon commissioning , " Taylor " joined Destroyer Division 12 of the Atlantic Fleet . She cruised with that fleet during World War I but saw no action . Following the war on 1 April 1919 , she was assigned to Destroyer Division 8 . In 1920 , " Taylor " was placed in reduced commission though still operating on the Atlantic coast . That summer , on 17 July , the Navy adopted the alpha - numeric hull designation system , and " Taylor " became DD - 94 . In October , she was placed back in full commission and , until the summer of 1922 , operated with Destroyer Division 8 , Flotilla 8 , Squadron 3 . On 21 June 1922 , the ship was placed out of commission at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania . " Taylor " remained inactive there until 1 May 1930 , when she was placed back in commission under the command of Commander George B . Keester . She was assigned to Destroyer Division 33 , Squadron 7 , which was part of the Scouting Fleet . During this time , she operated from Charleston , South Carolina , until November when she was placed in reduced commission once again . At the same time , " Taylor " was detached from the Scouting Fleet and transferred to Destroyer Division 47 , Squadron 16 of the Training Squadron . She was assigned to the 6th and 7th Naval Districts to train reservists and to carry Reserve Officer Training Corps midshipmen on summer cruises . By 1 April 1931 , Scouting Fleet became Scouting Force , and the destroyer was reassigned as an element of Division 28 of the Training Squadron . She operated with that unit until early in 1934 when she joined Squadron 19 of the rotating reserve with which she remained until late 1931 . On 1 September , she relieved the destroyer on duty with the Special Service Squadron . She patrolled the West Indies and the Gulf of Mexico with that force for one year due to instability in Latin America . By 1 October 1935 , " Taylor " was back with the Training Squadron as a unit of the newly established Division 30 . She trained reservists until early in 1937 when she returned to the Special Service Squadron in relief of the destroyer . She returned to patrols in the Caribbean area . Returning to the United States in 1938 , " Taylor " was moor at Philadelphia to prepare for inactivation . The destroyer was placed out of commission on 23 September 1938 . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 6 December 1938 , and she was offered for sale in July 1939 . However , on 11 July 1940 , she was redesignated Damage Control Hulk No . 40 and tasked to train damage control parties . On 25 May 1942 , sister ship was struck by a torpedo fired from German submarine " U - 156 " while patrolling off Martinique . The torpedo struck between frames 18 and 24 at about below " Blakeley " ' s water line , and the force of the impact blew off of her bow and forecastle . Sailing under her own power to Philadelphia Naval Yard , " Blakeley " had the forward 60 feet of " Taylor " s hull grafted onto her throughout the summer of 1942 . This was completed in September 1942 , and " Blakeley " , with " Taylor " s forward hull , served through the remainder of the war . The remaining of " Taylor " spent the remainder of World War II in her duties as a training hulk . She was sold for scrap in 1945 , and delivered on 8 August .