The longest one I can find is the USS Uhlmann DD 687 in active commission from 11/22/43 to 7/14/46 and from 5/23/50 to 7/15/72. She was also in active Naval Reserve use between these periods giving a total service of 28 years 355 days.

I spy, with my little eye, a ship whose name begins with "N".
(MY BAD IF IT WASN'T THE LONGEST AT 27.5 YEARS)

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There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

USS Norman Scott

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"Like so many of our people, we have now had a personal experience of German barbarity which only strengthens the resolution of all of us to fight through to final victory."-King George VI
"Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning."-Colonel David M. Shoup-Saipan

last hint

remember (1 of 157)?

First built & "one" of the last retired. Spanned almost the entire lifespan of the Fletchers.

USS N_ch_l_s (without vowels)

__________________
There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

that takes the fun out of it

USS Nicholas

__________________
"Like so many of our people, we have now had a personal experience of German barbarity which only strengthens the resolution of all of us to fight through to final victory."-King George VI
"Casualties many; Percentage of dead not known; Combat efficiency; we are winning."-Colonel David M. Shoup-Saipan

You might note that the Radford DD 446, O'Bannon DD 450, and Walker DD 466 had similarly long careers and were built within a month or so of the Nicholas. For instance, although the Radford was struck and scrapped a year before the Nicholas, she served more years than the later in active service being reactivated for Korea on 10/17/49 and serving until 11/10/69 versus the Nicholas serving from 2/19/51 to 1/30/70. Both had about 4 years of WW 2 service as well.

It has been quiet on this thread now, so I'll stick my neck out..

What's the original number of this U-Boat?

Clue: Famous as U-XXX.

RAM

Attached Images

U-XXX I.jpg (218.4 KB, 8 views)

Difficult?

More info:
Type VIIC/41.
Commissioned: September 16th, 1943.
Decommissioned: 1965.
War record: 9 patrols, 3 ships sunk.

Clues:
She became famous after being decommissioned.
Sold back to her country of origin for 1 (one) Deutsche Mark (50 cent)!

Picture shows her on her last voyage, behind a tugboat, back to her country of origin.

RAM

Attached Images

U-XXX II.jpg (144.6 KB, 4 views)

Still no light at the horizon?

Last chance!
Last commander:Oblt. Hans-Georg Hess
Last patrol: March 1945
Last sunk ship: March 20th 1945
Name of ship: SS Horace Bushnell
Nationality: USA
Present location: See thumbnail

RAM

Attached Images

U-XXX-III.jpg (62.8 KB, 5 views)

U-995?

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Best Regards,
JW

Right! Congrats!

Unterseeboot 995 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After the invasion of Normandie, Germany lost its U-Boat bases in France.
The U-Boats were then ordered to Norway, where bases had been established as the convoy traffic to Murmansk increased.

At the end of the war there were hundreds of U-Boats (don't remember exactly how many right now) along the Norwegian coast.

After the war the British came and in a familiar colonial style they grabbed what they wanted and demolished the rest.
Norway got the leftovers, which were U-926, U-995 and U-1202 .
Three submarines out of how many hundreds!

They were in service untill mid 1960s, the last years as training vessels.
Only the U-995 was preserved, the two others scrapped.

I remember them from back in the 1960s when my father was stationed at a naval base called Ramsund, not far from Narvik (the first picture is taken at the inlet of the fjord).
They used to resupply and refuel there.

Next!

Regards
RAM

Well, we had to go all the way into the heart of Dixie to find someone that recognized the only surviving VIIC U-boat on this planet.

The next one is not that famous, but has a somewhat interesting history. She was scrapped in 1949.
What was her name?

Clue: Ex US Navy.

RAM

Attached Images

X-USN.jpg (108.2 KB, 5 views)

Japanese PB-102, x USS Stewart DD 224 ?

__________________
There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Shoot, I forgot all about posting a new pic, sorry there, RAM.

__________________
Best Regards,
JW

Nope! Sorry!

We will begin with the end in mind:
From January 1944 she sailed under Soviet ensign named "Worthy".
She and her sister ship assisted The Red Army during the assault in the Northern Theater.
Before that she had distinguished herself under the ensigns of two other nations in the Atlantic convoy escort.

What was her name in the escort service?

RAM

Ei Carumba ! Not enough ! Give two out of three of her numbers when she was scrapped, that'll narrow it down to possible.

USS Thomas DD-182 "Dostoinyi"(Worthy)

from there the history can be Googled

__________________
There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Congratulations!

Renamed HMS St. Albans she began operations with the Royal Navy on mine laying duties on September 18th 1940.
Transferred to the Royal Norwegian Navy in-exile in 1941, now under the name HNoMS St. Albans, she joined the 7th Escort Group operating out of Liverpool. While on convoy duty in the autumn of 1941 she was severely damaged in a heavy gale and the crew were complimented by the C&C Western Approaches for their excellent seamanship.

January 1944 she was transferred to the Soviet Navy under the name "Dostoinyi", which means worthy.
The veteran destroyer was broken up for scrap on returning to Britain in February 1949.

Next!

RAM

Edit: Her sister ship was the HMS Lincoln, ex DD 143 USS Yarnall, named "Druznij" in the Soviet Navy.

another

3 guesses and you'll have it.

Attached Images

yup, uh huh.GIF (153.0 KB, 11 views)

__________________
There's one way to find out if a man is honest-ask him. If he says "Yes", you know he's a crook. Groucho Marx

Clues, man! We are waiting for clues!

Nationality, theater of operation?

The location seems to be the west coast of the US of A?

RAM

The Phantom Destroyer

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For the first time I have seen "History" at close quarters,and I know that its actual process is very different from what is presented to Posterity. - WWI General Max Hoffman.