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USS Hanna (DE-449)
Encyclopedia
USS Hanna (DE-449) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort
acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II
. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy
, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket
. She proudly returned home with five battle stars to her credit after she was reactivated for Korean War duty.
Hanna (DE-449) was named in honor of William T. Hanna
who was killed in action
9 October 1942 while attached to the 1st Marine Division Reinforced on Guadalcanal
. He was awarded the Navy Cross
posthumously.
She was launched 4 July 1944 by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newark, New Jersey
; sponsored by Mrs. William P. Hanna, mother; and commissioned 27 January 1945, Lt. Comdr. Means Johnston, Jr., in command.
out of Bermuda
and Guantánamo Bay, Hanna returned to New York
24 March 1945. Departing New York 9 April she escorted to Cristobal
, Panama Canal Zone
, then sailed via San Diego, California
, arriving Pearl Harbor
4 May. After more intensive training and various escort missions in Hawaii
an waters Hanna sailed 9 June for Eniwetok where she took up duty with Marshall
-Gilberts Surface Patrol and Escort Group. This duty continued until 28 September after the Japanese
surrender.
. Embarking 700 passengers they reached Tokyo
12 October. The U.S. Navy prize crew
was withdrawn; the United States
ensign hauled down; and Tachibana Maru turned over to the Japanese.
Departing Tokyo 24 October 1945 Hanna returned to Eniwetok and then sailed to Guam
, where she took up duty as air-sea rescue and weather reporting ship. She continued this important task until her return to the States, where she decommissioned at San Diego, California
, 31 May 1946 and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
.
Once more an active unit of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Hanna served with Escort Squadron 9 until 16 April 1951 when she sailed for the Western Pacific. Here she served as patrol ship in the Formosa Straits. In June 1951 Hanna joined Task Force
95 for blockading and escort duties off the west coast of Korea
. In August, while on shore bombardment mission in Wonsan
Harbor Hanna was instrumental in silencing enemy shore batteries after a duel lasting more than 2 hours.
During the ensuing months Hanna served gallantly, operating with the Blockading and Escort Forces of Task Force 95. She was part of the antisubmarine and antiaircraft screen for our aircraft carriers launching repeated strikes against the Communists. In early November 1951 Hanna was detached for the United States, reaching San Diego 26 November for overhaul.
Three months later Hanna returned to the western Pacific and resumed her shore bombardment missions in addition to escorting damaged vessels and investigation of fishing craft. She returned to San Diego 9 June 1953. After operations off the California
coast Hanna departed 19 November for an island-hopping cruise of the Central Pacific, returning to San Diego 6 June 1954.
. In addition she participated in a rescue mission involving the Chinese Nationalist
merchantman SS Ping Tung that had run aground on Yokoate Shima, an island of the Ryukyu chain.
, 26 November 1957 and she was designated a Naval Reserve Training Ship. She commenced the first of her reserve training cruises 6 February 1958 to Manzanillo, Mexico, and from that date until 27 August 1959 made 18 such cruises in addition to numerous weekend cruises.
11 December 1959 and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
acquired by the U.S. Navy during 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...
. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket
Radar picket
A radar picket is a radar-equipped ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a force to protect it from surprise attack. Often several detached radar units encircle a force to provide increased cover in all directions.-World War II:Radar picket ships...
. She proudly returned home with five battle stars to her credit after she was reactivated for Korean War duty.
Hanna (DE-449) was named in honor of William T. Hanna
William T. Hanna
William T. Hanna was born October 23, 1920 in New York City, New York.-Marine Corps career:Private Hanna enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps January 14, 1942 at New York. He was killed in action October 9, 1942 while attached to the 1st Marine Division Reinforced on Guadalcanal...
who was killed in action
Killed in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
9 October 1942 while attached to the 1st Marine Division Reinforced on Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
. He 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...
posthumously.
She was launched 4 July 1944 by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co., Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
; sponsored by Mrs. William P. Hanna, mother; and commissioned 27 January 1945, Lt. Comdr. Means Johnston, Jr., in command.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
After shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
out of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and Guantánamo Bay, Hanna returned to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
24 March 1945. Departing New York 9 April she escorted to Cristobal
Cristóbal, Colón
Cristóbal is a port in the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. It is located on the western edge of Manzanillo Island and is part of the Panamanian city and province of Colón...
, Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, then sailed via San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, arriving 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...
4 May. After more intensive training and various escort missions in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an waters Hanna sailed 9 June for Eniwetok where she took up duty with Marshall
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...
-Gilberts Surface Patrol and Escort Group. This duty continued until 28 September after the Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
surrender.
End-of-war activity
Then she and the U.S. prize Tachibana Maru formed the task unit to evacuate Japanese soldiers and sailors from Wake IslandWake 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...
. Embarking 700 passengers they reached 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...
12 October. The U.S. Navy prize crew
Prize crew
Prize crew is a term used to indicate a number of crew members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship.In the early days of sailing and up into the American Civil War, capturing enemy ships was quite common...
was withdrawn; the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
ensign hauled down; and Tachibana Maru turned over to the Japanese.
Departing Tokyo 24 October 1945 Hanna returned to Eniwetok and then sailed to 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...
, where she took up duty as air-sea rescue and weather reporting ship. She continued this important task until her return to the States, where she decommissioned at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, 31 May 1946 and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Recommissioned during Korean War
Hanna recommissioned at San Diego 27 December 1950, Lt. Comdr. C. W. Ward in command to augment Navy strength in the Korean WarKorean 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...
.
Once more an active unit of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Hanna served with Escort Squadron 9 until 16 April 1951 when she sailed for the Western Pacific. Here she served as patrol ship in the Formosa Straits. In June 1951 Hanna joined Task Force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
95 for blockading and escort duties off the west coast of 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...
. In August, while on shore bombardment mission in Wonsan
Wonsan
Wŏnsan is a port city and naval base in southeastern North Korea. It is the capital of Kangwŏn Province. The population of the city is estimated to have been 331,000 in 2000. Notable people from Wŏnsan include Kim Ki Nam, diplomat and Secretary of the Workers' Party.- History :The original name of...
Harbor Hanna was instrumental in silencing enemy shore batteries after a duel lasting more than 2 hours.
During the ensuing months Hanna served gallantly, operating with the Blockading and Escort Forces of Task Force 95. She was part of the antisubmarine and antiaircraft screen for our aircraft carriers launching repeated strikes against the Communists. In early November 1951 Hanna was detached for the United States, reaching San Diego 26 November for overhaul.
Three months later Hanna returned to the western Pacific and resumed her shore bombardment missions in addition to escorting damaged vessels and investigation of fishing craft. She returned to San Diego 9 June 1953. After operations off the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast Hanna departed 19 November for an island-hopping cruise of the Central Pacific, returning to San Diego 6 June 1954.
Continued Pacific Ocean deployments
Between 9 November 1954 and 28 July 1957 Hanna made three more deployments to the western Pacific. On her last deployment Hanna took up patrolling the Central Carolines, Northern Marianas, the Bonins, and the Volcano IslandsVolcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
. In addition she participated in a rescue mission involving the Chinese Nationalist
Chinese nationalist
Chinese nationalist can refer to:* Chinese nationalism* Kuomintang - Chinese Nationalist Party in Taiwan....
merchantman SS Ping Tung that had run aground on Yokoate Shima, an island of the Ryukyu chain.
Training ship duties
Hanna's home port was changed to Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, 26 November 1957 and she was designated a Naval Reserve Training Ship. She commenced the first of her reserve training cruises 6 February 1958 to Manzanillo, Mexico, and from that date until 27 August 1959 made 18 such cruises in addition to numerous weekend cruises.
Final decommissioning
Hanna decommissioned at Mare IslandMare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
11 December 1959 and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
See also
- List of United States Navy ships
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
- DestroyerDestroyerIn 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...
- Destroyer escortDestroyer escortA destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...