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USS Dortch (DD-670)
Encyclopedia
USS Dortch (DD-670) was a Fletcher-class
destroyer
of the United States Navy
, the only Navy ship named for Isaac Foote Dortch
, who was awarded the Navy Cross
.
Dortch (DD-670) was laid down on 2 March 1943 and launched 20 June 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
, Kearny, New Jersey
; sponsored by Miss M.C. Dortch, daughter of Captain Dortch; and commissioned 7 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander
R.C. Young in command.
, British West Indies
, where she served as plane guard and screen for USS Langley (CVL-27)
during the carrier's shakedown cruise. Dortch sailed from Norfolk
on 3 December in the screen of newly commissioned USS Intrepid (CV-11)
and arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 28 December.
Dortch served in the screen of the Fast Carrier Task Force
TF 58 during the capture and occupation
of the Marshall Islands
from 29 January 1944. She took part in the initial raids on Truk of 16 February and 17 and on the Marianas on 23 February, then sailed with the task group providing air cover for landings on Emirau Island
in March. Later that month she rejoined TF 58 for raids on Palau
, Yap
, Ulithi
and Woleai
from 30 March to 1 April; support of the Hollandia
operation in New Guinea
on 21 April and 22; and a repeat raid on Truk from 29 April to 1 May.
After screening escort carriers to Pearl Harbor
, Dortch returned to TF 58 for the capture and occupation of Saipan
, screening the carriers as they fought and won the decisive Battle of the Philippine Sea
. During the invasion of Guam
Dortch patrolled west of the island as life guard and fighter director ship, as well as screening the carriers that provided air support for the troops ashore.
Dortch saw action in the 5th Fleet raids on the Bonins on 4 and 5 August 1944, then returned to cover the landings on Peleliu
, Palau Islands, on 15 September. She remained with the fast carriers while they pounded airfields and installations in the Nansei Shoto, Formosa
, Luzon
, and on the Chinese
coast to neutralize Japan
ese bases in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines
. She continued to protect the carriers as they launched strikes against the Japanese fleet in the Battle for Leyte Gulf 24–25 October.
On 10 February 1945 Dortch sortied in a scouting line ahead of TF 58 for the strike on the Tokyo Bay area of 16 February and 17. On the following day Dortch, with USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668)
, attacked and seriously damaged an enemy picket vessel; Dortch received 14 casualties in the action. On the 19th she was off Iwo Jima
for the assault landings, and continued to patrol off the island in the day and screen transports at night. She rejoined the carriers for raids on Tokyo
on 25 February and strikes and Photo reconnaissance missions over Okinawa 1 March. Returning to duty at Iwo Jima, Dortch sailed 29 March for an overhaul on the west coast, arriving in San Francisco 21 April. Dortch got underway on 9 July 1945, and bombarded Wake Island
on 8 August while making her passage to Guam. On 27 August she entered Tokyo Bay, and served in the occupation of Japan and its possessions until sailing for the States 5 December 1945. She was placed out of commission in reserve at Charleston, S.C. on 19 July 1946.
Recommissioned 4 May 1951 Dortch was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet
, and from Newport, Rhode Island
, operated on the east coast and in the Caribbean
. In August 1952 she sailed to take part in NATO Operation Mainbrace
off Norway and Denmark, returning to Newport 9 October. On 27 April 1953 she sailed for the Pacific, and operated with TF 77 off Korea
until October. She continued west to complete a round-the-world cruise, returning to Newport in December. In 1954-55 and 1957 she served with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, patrolling off the Gaza Strip
, where conditions remained tense after the Suez Crisis
, during the latter cruise. Dortch continued her east coast and Caribbean operations until again placed out of commission in reserve on 13 December 1957.
Dortch received eight battle stars for World War II
service and one for Korean war
service.
as Espora (D 21) on 16 August 1961, and finally struck from the Navy
list on 1 September 1975. The Espora was stricken from the Argentine Navy list and broken up for scrap in 1977.
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
, the only Navy ship named for Isaac Foote Dortch
Isaac Foote Dortch
Isaac Foote Dortch was a captain in the United States Navy who was awarded the Navy Cross for actions during World War I.-Biography:Born in Gadsden, Alabama, graduated from the Naval Academy in 1905...
, who was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
.
Dortch (DD-670) was laid down on 2 March 1943 and launched 20 June 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard, active from 1917 to 1949. During World War II, it built ships as part of the U.S. Government's Emergency Shipbuilding Program. Operated by a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation, the shipyard was located at...
, Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
; sponsored by Miss M.C. Dortch, daughter of Captain Dortch; and commissioned 7 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
R.C. Young in command.
History
During October and November 1943 Dortch sailed to TrinidadTrinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
, British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
, where she served as plane guard and screen for USS Langley (CVL-27)
USS Langley (CVL-27)
USS Langley was an 11,000-ton that served the United States Navy from 1943 to 1947, and French Navy as the La Fayette from 1951 to 1963. Named for Samuel Pierpont Langley, American scientist and aviation pioneer, Langley received nine battle stars for World War II service...
during the carrier's shakedown cruise. Dortch sailed from Norfolk
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
on 3 December in the screen of newly commissioned USS Intrepid (CV-11)
USS Intrepid (CV-11)
USS Intrepid , also known as The Fighting "I", is one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy. She is the fourth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in August 1943, Intrepid participated in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, most notably the Battle...
and arrived at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 28 December.
Dortch served in the screen of the Fast Carrier Task Force
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
TF 58 during the capture and occupation
Military occupation
Military occupation occurs when the control and authority over a territory passes to a hostile army. The territory then becomes occupied territory.-Military occupation and the laws of war:...
of the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
from 29 January 1944. She took part in the initial raids on Truk of 16 February and 17 and on the Marianas on 23 February, then sailed with the task group providing air cover for landings on Emirau Island
Landing on Emirau
The Landing on Emirau was the last of the series of operations that made up Operation Cartwheel, General Douglas MacArthur's strategy for the encirclement of the major Japanese base at Rabaul. A force of nearly 4,000 United States Marines landed on the island of Emirau on 20 March 1944. The island...
in March. Later that month she rejoined TF 58 for raids on Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
, Yap
Yap
Yap, also known as Wa'ab by locals, is an island in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean. It is a state of the Federated States of Micronesia. Yap's indigenous cultures and traditions are still strong compared to other neighboring islands. The island of Yap actually consists of four...
, Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
and Woleai
Woleai
Woleai is a coral atoll of twenty-two islands in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia and is located approximately west-northwest of Ifalik and northeast of Eauripik...
from 30 March to 1 April; support of the Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
operation in New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
on 21 April and 22; and a repeat raid on Truk from 29 April to 1 May.
After screening escort carriers to Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, Dortch returned to TF 58 for the capture and occupation of Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
, screening the carriers as they fought and won the decisive Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
. During the invasion of Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
Dortch patrolled west of the island as life guard and fighter director ship, as well as screening the carriers that provided air support for the troops ashore.
Dortch saw action in the 5th Fleet raids on the Bonins on 4 and 5 August 1944, then returned to cover the landings on Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
, Palau Islands, on 15 September. She remained with the fast carriers while they pounded airfields and installations in the Nansei Shoto, Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, and on the Chinese
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coast to neutralize Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese bases in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. She continued to protect the carriers as they launched strikes against the Japanese fleet in the Battle for Leyte Gulf 24–25 October.
On 10 February 1945 Dortch sortied in a scouting line ahead of TF 58 for the strike on the Tokyo Bay area of 16 February and 17. On the following day Dortch, with USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668)
USS Clarence K. Bronson (DD-668)
USS Clarence K. Bronson was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for naval aviator Lieutenant Clarence K. Bronson ....
, attacked and seriously damaged an enemy picket vessel; Dortch received 14 casualties in the action. On the 19th she was off Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
for the assault landings, and continued to patrol off the island in the day and screen transports at night. She rejoined the carriers for raids on Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
on 25 February and strikes and Photo reconnaissance missions over Okinawa 1 March. Returning to duty at Iwo Jima, Dortch sailed 29 March for an overhaul on the west coast, arriving in San Francisco 21 April. Dortch got underway on 9 July 1945, and bombarded Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
on 8 August while making her passage to Guam. On 27 August she entered Tokyo Bay, and served in the occupation of Japan and its possessions until sailing for the States 5 December 1945. She was placed out of commission in reserve at Charleston, S.C. on 19 July 1946.
Recommissioned 4 May 1951 Dortch was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, and from Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, operated on the east coast and in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. In August 1952 she sailed to take part in NATO Operation Mainbrace
Operation Mainbrace
Exercise Mainbrace was the first large-scale naval exercise undertaken by the newly established Allied Command Atlantic , one of the two principal military commands of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization . It was part of a series of NATO exerciseS jointly commanded by Supreme Allied Commander...
off Norway and Denmark, returning to Newport 9 October. On 27 April 1953 she sailed for the Pacific, and operated with TF 77 off Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
until October. She continued west to complete a round-the-world cruise, returning to Newport in December. In 1954-55 and 1957 she served with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean, patrolling off the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
, where conditions remained tense after the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
, during the latter cruise. Dortch continued her east coast and Caribbean operations until again placed out of commission in reserve on 13 December 1957.
Dortch received eight battle stars for World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
service and one for Korean war
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
service.
Argentina
Dortch was placed out of commission in reserve on 13 December 1957, transferred to ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
as Espora (D 21) on 16 August 1961, and finally struck from the Navy
Navy
A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...
list on 1 September 1975. The Espora was stricken from the Argentine Navy list and broken up for scrap in 1977.