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USS Hopewell (DD-681)
Encyclopedia
USS Hopewell (DD-681) was a Fletcher-class
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...
in 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...
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...
. She was named in honour of the first Hopewell (DD-181)
USS Hopewell (DD-181)
The first USS Hopewell was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I. She was later transferred to the Royal Navy as HMS Bath , a "Town"-class destroyer.-As USS Hopewell:...
which was named for Pollard Hopewell
Pollard Hopewell
Pollard Hopewell was a midshipman in the United States Navy during the War of 1812. He was killed in the battle of the US frigate Chesapeake with the British frigate Shannon....
of St. Mary's county Maryland.
Hopewell was launched by Bethlehem Steel Company, San Pedro, California, 2 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. R. A. Spruance, wife of Admiral Raymond A. Spruance
Raymond A. Spruance
Raymond Ames Spruance was a United States Navy admiral in World War II.Spruance commanded US naval forces during two of the most significant naval battles in the Pacific theater, the Battle of Midway and the Battle of the Philippine Sea...
; and commissioned at Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
30 September 1943, Commander Corbin. C. Shute in command.
World War II
Hopewell conducted shakedown training in the San DiegoSan 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...
area before sailing for 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...
13 January 1944. She got underway 23 January for the invasion of the Marshalls
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...
, as American amphibious task forces picked up momentum in their drive toward 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...
. Steaming as a forward picket ship, Hopewell arrived off Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
31 January and delivered destructive gunfire support during the initial assault. That night she bombarded Roi
Roi-Namur
Roi-Namur is an island in the northern part of the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands.Occupied by Japanese forces prior to World War II, it was the target of the U.S. 4th Marine Division in the Battle of Kwajalein, in February 1944....
and Namur Islands and 1 February moved to screening and patrol duties off the other islands of the group. With the success of the landings assured, Hopewell sailed 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...
, arriving 24 February.
The destroyer arrived Purvis Bay
Purvis Bay
Purvis Bay is located in the Florida Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands. The bay was used by the US Navy during World War Two....
, Florida Islands
Florida Islands
The Nggela Islands, also known as the Florida Islands, are a small island group in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands, a state in the southwest Pacific Ocean....
, 14 March to take part in the developing offensive on the northern coast of 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...
. She carried out screening and patrol assignments, and contributed shore bombardment during the Aitape
Aitape
Aitape is a small town of about 8,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the highway between these two capitals...
landings, part of the bold 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. After Aitape, an unopposed operation carried out 22 April, Hopewell remained with 7th Fleet patrolling and screening. With three other destroyers she carried out a bombardment of Japanese positions on New Ireland
New Ireland (island)
New Ireland is a large island in Papua New Guinea, approximately 7,404 km² in area. It is the largest island of the New Ireland Province, lying northeast of the island of New Britain. Both islands are part of the Bismarck Archipelago, named after Otto von Bismarck, and they are separated by...
29 May, and in June joined escort carrier Hoggatt Bay on antisubmarine patrol.
Hopewell's next important operation was the invasion of Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
, vitally necessary as an air base for 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...
campaign to come. She arrived 16 September, the day after the initial landing, to assume screening duties, and shot down an attacking Japanese plane that day. On 18 September, she supported an auxiliary landing on Morotai, and sailed 25 September with a convoy for Humboldt Bay
Teluk Yos Sudarso
Yos Sudarso Bay also known earlier as Humboldt Bay is a small bay in Indonesia. It is on the north coast of New Guinea, about 50 kilometers west of the border between Indonesia's province of Papua and the country of Papua New Guinea...
.
The invasion of the Philippines began with the Leyte landings 20 October, and 4 days later Hopewell arrived with a reinforcement group. A damaged propeller kept her from taking part in the four-part Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
, in which the Japanese Fleet suffered fatal defeat 24-25 October. Next day she departed in the van of a convoy and shaped course for Humboldt Bay, where repairs could be effected. At the eastern entrance to the Gulf the convoy was attacked, and in the battle that followed Hopewell made concealing smoke and shot down two aircraft.
The veteran ship sailed again 8 November for Leyte, and after two trips from Humboldt Bay and return with convoys, she joined the Mindoro invasion forces. After fighting off heavy air attacks en route, Hopewell arrived off the assault area 15 December and provided fire support as troops stormed ashore. As air attacks continued, the ship helped fight fires on LST-472 and assisted in shooting down other planes before sailing again for Leyte at noon.
With Mindoro in allied hands, and air bases for the 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...
invasion under construction, Hopewell prepared for that operation, to be carried out initially at Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
. She sailed 4 January and fought off Japanese kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
attacks on the passage to Lingayen, for the landings 9 January joined the screen of an escort carrier group providing air cover. Hopewell joined in the amphibious assault on Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
14 February, and while clearing obstructions from Mariveles Harbor with gunfire engaged a large battery on "the rock". The destroyer laid smoke and moved in to help damaged YMS-48, and soon received four hits, putting her battery control station out of commission. Although suffering 17 casualties, Hopewell remained in Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
until 18 February, when she sailed to Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
for repairs.
The ship next continued to San Francisco, arriving 17 March, and after further repairs sailed for Pearl Harbor 28 May 1945. Training operations in Hawaiian waters occupied her until 20 July, when she sailed for Eniwetok and 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...
. The day of the Japanese surrender, Hopewell sailed from Guam with a refueling group supporting famed Task Force 38 which had done so much to bring victory. She operated in Japanese waters in support of the occupation until 21 October 1945, when she sailed for the United States via Pearl Harbor. Arriving Puget Sound Navy Yard 8 November, she later moved to San Diego, where she decommissioned 15 January 1947 and was placed in the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
Korean War
With the increased demands of 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...
, Hopewell recommissioned 28 March 1951 at San Diego. Immediately following shakedown training she steamed westward to 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...
18 June, taking up screening duties with Task Force 77 as carrier based aircraft blasted Communist positions. The destroyer also bombarded 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...
and served on the Formosa Patrol August-September 1951, returning to Mare Island Yard 5 February 1952.
Hopewell sailed for her second tour in Korea 11 August 1952 after shakedown and training exercises. During this period of stalemate in the land war, the Navy continued to operate against supply lines and strong points, and Hopewell screened the carriers and heavy ships of Task Force 77. Bombardment of Wonsan followed another period of Formosa Patrol, and in December the ship steamed to 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...
to help train Nationalist Chinese sailors. She returned briefly to Korea to screen battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Missouri
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
during bombardment operations late in January 1953, and sailed for the United States 3 March 1953.
After operating off the California coast for several months on antisubmarine training, Hopewell sailed again for the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
27 October 1953. She again took part in training exercises and patrol off Formosa, returning to San Diego 23 May 1954. As she began her fourth cruise, a new crisis between Communist China and Formosa developed, and in February Hopewell assisted in the evacuation of the Tachen Islands. Following this Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
operation, the destroyer took part in fleet exercises in the western Pacific, returning to San Diego 22 May 1955.
The veteran ship spent the remainder of 1955 on exercises off the coast. On 11 November during an amphibious training operation, a single engine attack bomber crashed into Hopewell amidships, killing five and starting gasoline fires. Alert firefighters brought the flames under control and the ship returned to San Diego for lengthy repairs.
Returning to active operations again 24 March 1956, when she sailed for the Far East, Hopewell resumed her regular pattern of cruises to Japan, Formosa, and Okinawa interspersed with training and readiness exercises off the West Coast of the United States. She operated with Korean and Nationalist Chinese ships on maneuvers in 1958 and 1959 and continued to act as an integral part of America fleet in the Pacific. On 12 November 1959 Hopewell returned to San Diego for extensive refitting and training.
Vietnam
Hopewell was repeatedly deployed from the West Coast to VietnamVietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
from 1960 into 1967 in defense of the republic. In February 1963 she rescued a crewman from a downed A-3B of Ticonderoga (CVA-14) in the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
. During a 3-month cruise, which ended in August, Hopewell fired 2,276 rounds, destroyed 112 structures, and silenced a Viet Cong mortar attack upon ground forces. For the remainder of 1966, she acted as school ship in gunnery and ASW off the West Coast.
Fate
She was decommissioned 2 January 1970 and sunk as target on February 1972.The wreck of the Hopewell was located and dove on 12 February 2011 by the UB88 Project (Kendall Raine, John Walker & Scott Brooks-support diver) UB88 USS-Hopewell Dive
Hopewell received nine 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 four for Korean service.