The USS Hogan (DD-178) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the US Navy during World War II. She was decommissioned in 1922 and then recommissioned in 1940 and converted to a high speed minesweeper and reclassified as DMS-6. She had a lot of active duty in WW 2 in the Pacific Fleet and was involved in the invasion of the Marshalls and other islands on the campaign towards Japan. She also took part in the assault on Iwo Jima. She had some major repairs and was reclassified as AG-105 in 1945 and was assigned as a target ship for bombing tests and was sank off San Diego on 8 November 1945.
After being bombed and being underwater for nearly 75 years, most of the Hogan is in pretty poor shape. The most recognizable section is the stern. The visibility the day we went was good once you got below the pea-soup on the surface. Conditions were ideal with little-to-no current but the water was chilly at about 50F on the bottom. The wreck lies about 130 feet deep.
Here is a picture of the Hogan underway circa 1920:
One interesting aspect I noticed while diving the USS Hogan was “winglets” on the side of the ship. You can seem them here from the stern picture but then also in the close-up picture that includes one of my dive buddies, DJ Mansfield:
I was curious about those so I did a little research and it turns out that they are guards for the propellers. The Wickes-class destroyers were a class of 111 ships built between 1917-1919 and were designed for high speed, economical cruising, heavy seas performance, and a high fuel capacity. They had rather large props that were wider than the beam of the boat. Therefore, to avoid hitting the propeller when docking, propeller guards were built on the stern of the ship.
Here is a picture of 8 Wickes-class destroyers where you can clearly see them:
Below are a few other pictures of the USS Hogan:
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