USS Leary (DD-158) - Service History

Service History

Leary departed Boston 28 January 1920 for Guantanamo Bay on shakedown and training, then continued her training in northern waters before transiting the Panama Canal 22 January 1921 to join the Battle Fleet in the Pacific. Upon completion of large-scale maneuvers off the coast of Peru in February, she returned to the Caribbean where in June she observed the effects of seaplane bombardment upon ex-German ships. In the wake of the Washington Naval Disarmament Conference, Leary was placed out of commission in reserve at Philadelphia Navy Yard 29 June 1922.

Reactivating 8 years later, on 1 May 1930 she joined the Atlantic Fleet with Newport, Rhode Island, as her home port. In addition to annual exercises in the Caribbean, every other year she operated off the West Coast in joint maneuvers with the Pacific Fleet. After 1935, training cruises for reserves and midshipmen occupied most of her time.

In April 1937, Leary became the first United States naval vessel to be equipped with search radar, which was installed by the Naval Research Laboratory. The radar set included separate antennae to send and receive in the VHF band (1.5 m).