The USS Downes (DD-45) was a Cassin-class destroyer commissioned by the United States Navy, named after Captain John Downes. Launched on November 8, 1913, by the New York Shipbuilding Company in Camden, New Jersey, she was officially commissioned on February 11, 1915. The vessel was outfitted for service at the Philadelphia Navy Yard and initially conducted shakedown operations off New York and Chesapeake Bay. Following her initial training, Downes underwent a period of overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard from October 1915 to May 1917, during which she received new machinery. She was prepared for distant service and departed New York on October 18, 1917, heading across the Atlantic to serve in European waters during World War I. Arriving at Devonport, England, she was based at Queenstown, Ireland, from November 1917 to December 1918. Her primary duties included convoy escort missions inbound to British ports, across the English Channel, and outbound to meet ocean escorts. She patrolled against German submarines off the Irish coast, engaging in numerous attacks, although without confirmed success. Notably, Downes was recognized twice by the British Admiralty for her effective convoy protection and rescue operations, including aiding the torpedoed ship Manley and rescuing a British submarine. In December 1918, Downes arrived in Brest, France, where she escorted President Woodrow Wilson aboard the USS George Washington during his visit. After Wilson's departure, she returned to the United States, arriving in Norfolk, Virginia, in January 1919. She participated in winter maneuvers in Cuban waters and made a brief return to New York in March. After overhaul in Norfolk, she was placed in ordinary in May 1919. She was later recommissioned for summer maneuvers in 1921 and served briefly in Charleston and at the Philadelphia Navy Yard before being laid up in June 1922. Transferred to the United States Coast Guard on April 28, 1924, she served initially as a practice ship at the Coast Guard Academy and later participated in the Rum Patrol, enforcing Prohibition laws. The USS Downes was returned to naval custody in 1931 and was ultimately scrapped and sold on August 22, 1934, in accordance with the London Naval Treaty. Her service history highlights her role in World War I convoy protection and later contributions to maritime law enforcement.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.