.gif)
USS John D. Henley (DD-553)
Encyclopedia
USS John D. Henley (DD-553), a Fletcher-class
destroyer
, was a ship of the United States Navy
named for Captain
John D. Henley
(1781–1835).
John D. Henley was laid down on 21 July 1941 by Gulf Shipbuilding Co., Chickasaw, Ala.
; launched
on 15 November 1942, sponsored by Miss Shelah Keith Kane, great-great-great-granddaughter of Captain Henley; and commissioned
on 2 February 1944, Commander
C. H. Smith in command.
on 28 March 1944. Sailing for the Pacific via the Panama Canal
, she arrived Pearl Harbor
on 23 April 1944. After operational training, John D. Henley escorted fleet oilers to Majuro
and returned on 17 May. She departed on 27 May for Majuro once more and there became flagship
of a refueling task group. Departing on 6 June 1944, the ships moved to the Marianas
to refuel the fleet during the capture and occupation of Saipan
and Tinian
. During this long at-sea period the ships came under air attack 17–18 June. They returned to Eniwetok 14 August.
As the Navy's mobile amphibious forces prepared to move into the Palaus, Henley joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8) and departed Manus 1 September as flagship of the refueling group during strikes on Peleliu
and its eventual capture
. The oilers and their escorts continued to operate out of Ulithi
well into November, supporting the vast aircraft carrier
task force
s striking the Philippines
. This unit, headed by Captain J. T. Acuff, had much to do with the great success of the wide-ranging carrier forces.
In December, the destroyer moved to Guam
for independent operation as an escort and patrol ship in the Marshall
and Mariana Islands
. She then steamed to Ulithi, where she arrived 31 January 1945 to undergo operational training in covering Underwater Demolition Team
s. She sailed 14 February for the next major landing on the island road to Japan, Iwo Jima
. Arriving 2 days later, she took part in the pre-invasion bombardment and, after the assault on Iwo Jima
19 February, performed yeoman fire support, screening, and radar picket
duties during the bitter fighting ashore. She returned to Ulithi on 5 March to prepare for the Okinawa invasion
.
Henley got underway on 21 March for the last and largest of the Pacific amphibious operations, Okinawa. Her assignment consisted of screening the light carriers as their planes provided vital air support to ground troops. Undergoing periodic air attacks, she continued to screen her carrier group, with occasional logistics stops at Kerama Retto
until 24 June. She arrived Leyte Gulf
27 June 1945.
The veteran ship returned to waters north of Okinawa on 1 July to cover minesweeping
operations. Henley returned to Buckner Bay on 7 August and was there at war's end on 15 August. She took air-sea rescue station off Japan on 24 August, then departed on 2 September, the day of Japan's formal surrender, for the long voyage to California
, arriving in San Francisco
on 24 September. She was overhauled, and decommissioned at San Diego
on 30 April 1946, then entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, and was berthed at Bremerton, Wash
.
On 1 May 1968, the ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
, and in May 1970 she was sold and broken up for scrap.
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...
, was a ship 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...
named for Captain
Captain (naval)
Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The NATO rank code is OF-5, equivalent to an army full colonel....
John D. Henley
John D. Henley
Captain John Dandridge Henley was an officer of the United States Navy who served in the First Barbary War and the War of 1812....
(1781–1835).
John D. Henley was laid down on 21 July 1941 by Gulf Shipbuilding Co., Chickasaw, Ala.
Chickasaw, Alabama
Chickasaw is a city in Mobile County, Alabama, United States. As of July 2007, the population was 5,979. It is included in the Mobile metropolitan statistical area.-Geography:Chickasaw is located at . According to the U.S...
; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 15 November 1942, sponsored by Miss Shelah Keith Kane, great-great-great-granddaughter of Captain Henley; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 2 February 1944, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
C. H. Smith in command.
Service history
Following exhaustive shakedown training out of Bermuda, the new destroyer arrived NorfolkNaval Station Norfolk
Naval Station Norfolk, in Norfolk, Virginia, is a base of the United States Navy, supporting naval forces in the United States Fleet Forces Command, those operating in the Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, and Indian Ocean...
on 28 March 1944. Sailing for the Pacific via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
, she arrived 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 23 April 1944. After operational training, John D. Henley escorted fleet oilers to Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
and returned on 17 May. She departed on 27 May for Majuro once more and there became flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of a refueling task group. Departing on 6 June 1944, the ships moved to the Marianas
Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Mariana Islands and Palau in the Pacific Ocean between June and November, 1944 during the Pacific War...
to refuel the fleet during 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...
and Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
. During this long at-sea period the ships came under air attack 17–18 June. They returned to Eniwetok 14 August.
As the Navy's mobile amphibious forces prepared to move into the Palaus, Henley joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8) and departed Manus 1 September as flagship of the refueling group during strikes 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....
and its eventual capture
Battle of Peleliu
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S...
. The oilers and their escorts continued to operate out of 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...
well into November, supporting the vast aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
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...
s striking 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...
. This unit, headed by Captain J. T. Acuff, had much to do with the great success of the wide-ranging carrier forces.
In December, the destroyer moved 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...
for independent operation as an escort and patrol ship in the 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...
and Mariana Islands
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
. She then steamed to Ulithi, where she arrived 31 January 1945 to undergo operational training in covering Underwater Demolition Team
Underwater Demolition Team
The Underwater Demolition Teams were an elite special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. They also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
s. She sailed 14 February for the next major landing on the island road to Japan, 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...
. Arriving 2 days later, she took part in the pre-invasion bombardment and, after the assault on Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
19 February, performed yeoman fire support, screening, and 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...
duties during the bitter fighting ashore. She returned to Ulithi on 5 March to prepare for the Okinawa invasion
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
.
Henley got underway on 21 March for the last and largest of the Pacific amphibious operations, Okinawa. Her assignment consisted of screening the light carriers as their planes provided vital air support to ground troops. Undergoing periodic air attacks, she continued to screen her carrier group, with occasional logistics stops at Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
until 24 June. She arrived Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
27 June 1945.
The veteran ship returned to waters north of Okinawa on 1 July to cover minesweeping
Naval mine
A naval mine is a self-contained explosive device placed in water to destroy surface ships or submarines. Unlike depth charges, mines are deposited and left to wait until they are triggered by the approach of, or contact with, an enemy vessel...
operations. Henley returned to Buckner Bay on 7 August and was there at war's end on 15 August. She took air-sea rescue station off Japan on 24 August, then departed on 2 September, the day of Japan's formal surrender, for the long voyage to 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...
, arriving in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 24 September. She was overhauled, and decommissioned at San Diego
Naval Station San Diego
Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...
on 30 April 1946, then entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet, and was berthed at Bremerton, Wash
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
.
On 1 May 1968, the ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
, and in May 1970 she was sold and broken up for scrap.