USS Russell (DD-414)
Encyclopedia
USS Russell (DD-414) was a World War II
-era in the service of the United States Navy
, named after Rear Admiral
John Henry Russell
.
Russell was laid down on 20 December 1937 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia
; launched on 8 December 1938; sponsored by Mrs. Charles H. Marshall, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Russell; and commissioned on 3 November 1939, Lieutenant Commander
J. C. Pollock in command.
on neutrality patrol
until the bombing of Pearl Harbor
.
and proceeded to San Diego, California
, where on 6 January 1942, she sailed west, screening reinforcements to Samoa
. By the time of her arrival, 20 January, the Japan
ese had moved into British Malaya
, Borneo
, the Celebes and Gilbert Islands
s, and the Bismarck Archipelago
. Within the week, Rabaul
fell and the Japanese continued on to New Ireland
and the Solomons while further west they extended their occupation of the Netherlands East Indies.
On 25 January, Russell sailed north with Task Force 17 (TF 17), screened as her planes raided Makin
, Mili, and Jaluit on 1 February, then set a course for Pearl Harbor. In midmonth, the force sailed again. Diverted from its original destination, Wake Island
, it covered forces establishing an airbase on Canton Island, important on the Hawaii
-Samoa-Fiji
route to Australia
and less than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Makin. Raids on Rabaul and Gasmata
were next ordered to cover a movement of troops to New Caledonia
, but on 8 March the Japanese landed at Salamaua
and Lae
in New Guinea
and Port Moresby
was threatened. The force, again joined by the force, steamed into the Gulf of Papua
, where on 10 March, planes were sent over the Owen Stanley Range
to bomb the newly-established Japanese bases on the Huon Gulf
.
Through April, Russell continued to screen the Yorktown force, operating primarily in the ANZAC area. Detached on 3 May to screen during fueling operations with TF 11, she rejoined TF 17 early on 5 May and resumed screening duties for the force's heavier units. On 7 May in the Coral Sea
, she engaged enemy planes closing the formation to threaten Yorktown and Lexington and to support Japanese forces in an assault on Port Moresby. Lexington hit and heavily damaged, but still in action, continued to recover and launch planes. Three hours later, however, she reported a serious explosion. A second followed. Her fires were no longer under control. She soon commenced abandoning ship. Russell joined her screen, circled the crippled ship as rescue ships evacuated personnel, and with the completion of that work, departed the scene of the Battle of the Coral Sea
.
Retiring to Tonga
, Russell debarked 170 survivors from Lexington and sailed for Pearl Harbor. Arriving on 27 May, she headed out again on 30 May, this time toward Midway Island. On 4 June, TFs 16 and 17 again met the enemy in an air duel, through which Russell steamed in the screen of Yorktown. In the afternoon, enemy torpedo planes broke through the screen and scored successfully on the carrier. The patched-up survivor of the Battle of the Coral Sea was abandoned. Russell took on 492 of her crew and aviation personnel. The next day she transferred 27 to to assist in salvage operations on the carrier, but Japanese torpedoes (from ) negated the effort and Yorktown and were lost. On 10 June, Russell covered the transferral of replacements from to and , and on 13 June, she returned to Pearl Harbor.
Engaged in training exercises for the next 2 months, Russell again sortied with TF 17 on 17 August, took station screening Hornet, and headed southwest. On the 29th, TF 17 joined TF 61, becoming Task Group 61.2 (TG 61.2). On the 31st, Saratoga took a torpedo and Russell conducted an unsuccessful submarine hunt, the first of many in the long and costly campaign for Guadalcanal
. On 6 September, one of Hornets planes dropped an explosive off Russells starboard quarter to detonate a torpedo. Another submarine search commenced. At 1452, she established contact and dropped six 600-pound depth charges. At 1513, she sighted an oil slick 1 mile by one-half mile, but contact was lost at 700 yards and never regained.
Through the remainder of the year, and into the new, Russell continued to operate in support of the Guadalcanal campaign. On 25–26 October, she participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
, during which she again joined in rescue operations for a sinking carrier, this time Hornet, from which she transferred the commander of TF 17, Rear Admiral George D. Murray
and his staff to , seriously wounded personnel to , and other survivors to Nouméa
where Russells superstructure, damaged during rescue work, was repaired.
, then to Rennell. In February, she screened Enterprise, then in March, resumed convoy escort work, making one run to Australia and back by mid-April.
On 1 May, the destroyer set a course for the west coast. At the end of July, after overhaul at Mare Island
, she steamed north to join forces staging for the "invasion" of Kiska Island. Aleutian patrol duty followed, and with the arrival of autumn, she turned south to escort landing craft to Hawaii. In October, she continued on to Wellington
, New Zealand
; and, in early November, she escorted transports to the New Hebrides
where she joined TF 53, then preparing to push into the Gilberts. Underway on 13 November with the Task Force, she arrived with the troop transports off Betio
, Tarawa AtollTarawa, on 20 November, then screened heavier units as they shelled the shore. Remaining in the area until 25 November, she provided gunfire support and screened the transports as they filled with Marine
casualties. On 27 November, she joined TG 50.3 and, with TG 50.1, sailed for the Marshall Islands
. On 4 December, carrier planes raided Kwajalein
and Wotje, and on 9 December, the force returned to Pearl Harbor, whence Russell continued on to the west coast.
coast. Training in the Hawaiian Islands followed. On the 22nd, the force headed west. On 30 January, Russell joined other destroyers and heavier units in shelling Wotje. On 31 January, she rejoined the main force off Kwajalein and, after initial screening duties, added her guns to the naval gunfire support line. On 2 February, she screened Carrier Division 22 (CarDiv 22) and on the 3rd, entered Kwajalein lagoon. Standing out 5 days later, she arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 15 February and was directed on to Puget Sound
for repairs.
Repairs completed in March, Russell returned to Hawaii in early April, then escorted Willard Holbrook to New Guinea where she rejoined DesRon 2. Arriving at Finschhafen
on 4 May, she reported to the commander of TF 76 at Sudest on 6 May and commenced 5 months of intensive and navigationally difficult escort work along the New Guinea coast. Assigned initially to escort LST
s resupplying Hollandia
and Aitape
, she joined TF 77 on 16 May and covered LCI
s and AT
s to the Wakde
-Sarmi
area. From 17–20 May, she stood off Wakde, marking the approach channel on the first day of the campaigns there and providing fire support and screening services on the others. On 20 May, she returned to Humboldt Bay
and 5 days later sailed with LSTs for Biak
to commence Operation "Horlick." On 27 May, she shelled Padaido Islands, patrolled between Pai
and Padaidori Islands, blasted targets on Biak, and then got underway to return to Humboldt Bay. Into June, she continued to escort convoys to and provide cover for operations at Biak and Wakde. In mid-June, she participated in a bombardment of the Toem area, then resumed escort runs along the coast. In early July, Noemfoor
, with its two Japanese airfields, became the target. At midmonth Russell gained a brief respite at Manus Island
, then at the end of the month commenced Operation "Globetrotter", the capture of Sansapor. Through August, she continued operations in support of the campaign and, in mid-September, moved forward to the Molucca Islands to cover the occupation of Morotai
, the last stepping stone on the southern route to the Philippines
and on the eastern route to Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies.
On 13 October, Russell sailed with TF 78 for the Philippines and on 20 October, as the troops of the Northern Attack Force landed south of Tacloban, patrolled off Alabat Point. On 21 October, she took up fire support duties to the north of the unloading area. Until 24 October, she remained in San Pedro Bay
, resumed patrol in Leyte Gulf
on 25 October, and on 26 October, got underway for New Guinea, where, in November-December, she escorted reinforcements to Leyte.
On 28 December, Russell departed Aitape for the invasion of Luzon
, and steamed into the Mindoro Strait
on 5 January 1945. Two days later, she joined three other destroyers in forming an interceptor force 5 miles on the starboard of the San Fabian
Attack Force to destroy any enemy ships attempting a sortie from Manila Bay
against the convoy. At 2230, was detected and fired on. Hinoki exploded and sank within 20 minutes.
and Russell assumed screening duties off the transport area. For 9 days, she patrolled, illuminated, bombarded, and fought off kamikaze
s. From 18–23 January, she escorted damaged ships back to Leyte and, on 27 January, sailed north again. On 31 January, she arrived off Nasugbu
Bay, covered YMSs (Motor Minesweepers) as they cleared approach channels, then fired on enemy emplacements on Nasugbu Point. Relieved in late afternoon, she returned to Lingayen Gulf, thence, on 2 February, to Leyte, New Guinea, and the Solomons.
Russell arrived at Guadalcanal on 15 February, rejoined the 5th Fleet and prepared for Operation "Iceberg", the Okinawa offensive
. On 1 April, she arrived off the assault beaches and commenced screening the Northern Transport area. From 3–5 April, she patrolled north of Ie Shima, then returned to the transport area to escort a convoy to Ulithi
. Returning to the Hagushi beaches with reinforcements on 21 February, she shifted to Kerama Retto
, whence she patrolled in carrier operating area "Rapier", south of Okinawa, into May. Detached from carrier screening duty on 27 May, she proceeded to the Hagushi anchorage and got underway the following day for the United States and a yard overhaul.
Still undergoing overhaul at Seattle, Washington
when the war ended, Russell was prepared for inactivation during September, and on 15 November, she was decommissioned. Thirteen days later she was struck from the Navy List and, in September 1947, she was sold for scrap to the National Metal and Steel Corporation, Terminal Island
, Los Angeles, California
.
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...
-era in the service 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 after Rear Admiral
Rear admiral (United States)
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. The uniformed services of the United States are unique in having two grades of rear admirals.- Rear admiral :...
John Henry Russell
John Henry Russell
Rear Admiral John Henry Russell was an officer of the United States Navy during the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
.
Russell was laid down on 20 December 1937 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Newport News, Virginia
Newport News, Virginia
Newport News is an independent city located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia. It is at the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula, on the north shore of the James River extending southeast from Skiffe's Creek along many miles of waterfront to the river's mouth at Newport News...
; launched on 8 December 1938; sponsored by Mrs. Charles H. Marshall, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Russell; and commissioned on 3 November 1939, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
J. C. Pollock in command.
Service history
Commissioned two months after the outbreak of World War II in Europe, Russell cruised in the western Atlantic and in the CaribbeanCaribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
on neutrality patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
until the bombing of 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...
.
1942
Russell was ordered to the Pacific, and she transited the Panama CanalPanama 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...
and proceeded to 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...
, where on 6 January 1942, she sailed west, screening reinforcements to Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. By the time of her arrival, 20 January, the 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 had moved into British Malaya
British Malaya
British Malaya loosely described a set of states on the Malay Peninsula and the Island of Singapore that were brought under British control between the 18th and the 20th centuries...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, the Celebes and Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
s, and the Bismarck Archipelago
Bismarck Archipelago
The Bismarck Archipelago is a group of islands off the northeastern coast of New Guinea in the western Pacific Ocean and is part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea.-History:...
. Within the week, Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
fell and the Japanese continued on to 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...
and the Solomons while further west they extended their occupation of the Netherlands East Indies.
On 25 January, Russell sailed north with Task Force 17 (TF 17), screened as her planes raided Makin
Makin (islands)
Makin is the name of a chain of islands located in the Pacific Ocean island nation of Kiribati, specifically in the Gilbert Islands.-Geography:...
, Mili, and Jaluit on 1 February, then set a course for Pearl Harbor. In midmonth, the force sailed again. Diverted from its original destination, 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...
, it covered forces establishing an airbase on Canton Island, important on the 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...
-Samoa-Fiji
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
route to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and less than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Makin. Raids on Rabaul and Gasmata
Gasmata
Gasmata is a village on the southern coast of New Britain, Papua New Guinea located at 6° 16' 60S 150° 19' 60E. It is serviced by Gasmata Airport.The Imperial Japanese occupied the village between 8–9 February 1942 during World War II...
were next ordered to cover a movement of troops to New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, but on 8 March the Japanese landed at Salamaua
Salamaua
Salamaua was a small town situated on the north-eastern coastline of Papua New Guinea part of Morobe province. The settlement was built on a minor isthmus between the coast with mountains on the inland side and a headland...
and Lae
Lae
Lae, the capital of Morobe Province, is the second-largest city in Papua New Guinea. It is located at the start of the Highlands Highway which is the main land transport corridor from the Highlands region to the coast...
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...
and Port Moresby
Port Moresby
Port Moresby , or Pot Mosbi in Tok Pisin, is the capital and largest city of Papua New Guinea . It is located on the shores of the Gulf of Papua, on the southeastern coast of the island of New Guinea, which made it a prime objective for conquest by the Imperial Japanese forces during 1942–43...
was threatened. The force, again joined by the force, steamed into the Gulf of Papua
Gulf of Papua
The Gulf of Papua is a 400 kilometer wide region on the south shore of New Guinea. Some of New Guinea's largest rivers, such as the Fly River, Turama River, Kikori River and Purari River, flow into the gulf, making it a large delta. While the western coast is characterized by swampy tidal...
, where on 10 March, planes were sent over the Owen Stanley Range
Owen Stanley Range
Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. It was seen in 1849 by Captain Owen Stanley while surveying the south coast of Papua and named after him. Strictly, the eastern extremity of the range is Mount Victoria , which was climbed by Sir William...
to bomb the newly-established Japanese bases on the Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf
Huon Gulf is a large gulf in eastern Papua New Guinea, at . It is bordered by Huon Peninsula in the north. Both are named after French explorer Jean-Michel Huon de Kermadec. Huon Gulf is a part of the Solomon Sea. Lae, capital of the Morobe Province is located on the northern coast of the...
.
Through April, Russell continued to screen the Yorktown force, operating primarily in the ANZAC area. Detached on 3 May to screen during fueling operations with TF 11, she rejoined TF 17 early on 5 May and resumed screening duties for the force's heavier units. On 7 May in the Coral Sea
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea is a marginal sea off the northeast coast of Australia. It is bounded in the west by the east coast of Queensland, thereby including the Great Barrier Reef, in the east by Vanuatu and by New Caledonia, and in the north approximately by the southern extremity of the Solomon Islands...
, she engaged enemy planes closing the formation to threaten Yorktown and Lexington and to support Japanese forces in an assault on Port Moresby. Lexington hit and heavily damaged, but still in action, continued to recover and launch planes. Three hours later, however, she reported a serious explosion. A second followed. Her fires were no longer under control. She soon commenced abandoning ship. Russell joined her screen, circled the crippled ship as rescue ships evacuated personnel, and with the completion of that work, departed the scene of the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
.
Retiring to Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
, Russell debarked 170 survivors from Lexington and sailed for Pearl Harbor. Arriving on 27 May, she headed out again on 30 May, this time toward Midway Island. On 4 June, TFs 16 and 17 again met the enemy in an air duel, through which Russell steamed in the screen of Yorktown. In the afternoon, enemy torpedo planes broke through the screen and scored successfully on the carrier. The patched-up survivor of the Battle of the Coral Sea was abandoned. Russell took on 492 of her crew and aviation personnel. The next day she transferred 27 to to assist in salvage operations on the carrier, but Japanese torpedoes (from ) negated the effort and Yorktown and were lost. On 10 June, Russell covered the transferral of replacements from to and , and on 13 June, she returned to Pearl Harbor.
Engaged in training exercises for the next 2 months, Russell again sortied with TF 17 on 17 August, took station screening Hornet, and headed southwest. On the 29th, TF 17 joined TF 61, becoming Task Group 61.2 (TG 61.2). On the 31st, Saratoga took a torpedo and Russell conducted an unsuccessful submarine hunt, the first of many in the long and costly campaign for 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...
. On 6 September, one of Hornets planes dropped an explosive off Russells starboard quarter to detonate a torpedo. Another submarine search commenced. At 1452, she established contact and dropped six 600-pound depth charges. At 1513, she sighted an oil slick 1 mile by one-half mile, but contact was lost at 700 yards and never regained.
Through the remainder of the year, and into the new, Russell continued to operate in support of the Guadalcanal campaign. On 25–26 October, she participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands
The Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, 26 October 1942, sometimes referred to as the Battle of Santa Cruz or in Japanese sources as the , was the fourth carrier battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II and the fourth major naval engagement fought between the United States Navy and the Imperial...
, during which she again joined in rescue operations for a sinking carrier, this time Hornet, from which she transferred the commander of TF 17, Rear Admiral George D. Murray
George D. Murray
George Dominic Murray was a vice admiral of the United States Navy and early naval aviator.-Biography:Murray was born in Boston, Massachusetts, attended the U.S. Naval Academy, graduating in 1910 and became a naval aviator in 1915...
and his staff to , seriously wounded personnel to , and other survivors to Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
where Russells superstructure, damaged during rescue work, was repaired.
1943
In December 1942-January 1943, she screened convoys to Guadalcanal and TulagiTulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
, then to Rennell. In February, she screened Enterprise, then in March, resumed convoy escort work, making one run to Australia and back by mid-April.
On 1 May, the destroyer set a course for the west coast. At the end of July, after overhaul at Mare Island
Mare 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...
, she steamed north to join forces staging for the "invasion" of Kiska Island. Aleutian patrol duty followed, and with the arrival of autumn, she turned south to escort landing craft to Hawaii. In October, she continued on to Wellington
Wellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; and, in early November, she escorted transports to the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
where she joined TF 53, then preparing to push into the Gilberts. Underway on 13 November with the Task Force, she arrived with the troop transports off Betio
Betio
Betio is an island and a town at the extreme southwest of South Tarawa in Kiribati. The main port of Tarawa Atoll is located there.-Overview:...
, Tarawa AtollTarawa, on 20 November, then screened heavier units as they shelled the shore. Remaining in the area until 25 November, she provided gunfire support and screened the transports as they filled with Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
casualties. On 27 November, she joined TG 50.3 and, with TG 50.1, sailed for 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...
. On 4 December, carrier planes raided 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...
and Wotje, and on 9 December, the force returned to Pearl Harbor, whence Russell continued on to the west coast.
1944
On 13 January 1944, Russell, screening TG 53.5, departed the CaliforniaCalifornia
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. Training in the Hawaiian Islands followed. On the 22nd, the force headed west. On 30 January, Russell joined other destroyers and heavier units in shelling Wotje. On 31 January, she rejoined the main force off Kwajalein and, after initial screening duties, added her guns to the naval gunfire support line. On 2 February, she screened Carrier Division 22 (CarDiv 22) and on the 3rd, entered Kwajalein lagoon. Standing out 5 days later, she arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 15 February and was directed on to Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
for repairs.
Repairs completed in March, Russell returned to Hawaii in early April, then escorted Willard Holbrook to New Guinea where she rejoined DesRon 2. Arriving at Finschhafen
Finschhafen
Finschhafen is a district on the northeast coast of the Morobe province of Papua New Guinea. It is named after the port of the same name.The port was discovered in 1884 by the German researcher Otto Finsch. In 1885 the German colony of German New Guinea created a town on the site and named it...
on 4 May, she reported to the commander of TF 76 at Sudest on 6 May and commenced 5 months of intensive and navigationally difficult escort work along the New Guinea coast. Assigned initially to escort LST
Tank landing ship
Landing Ship, Tank was the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore....
s resupplying 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....
and 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...
, she joined TF 77 on 16 May and covered LCI
Landing Craft Infantry
The Landing craft, Infantry or LCI were several classes of sea-going amphibious assault ships of the Second World War utilized to land large numbers of infantry directly onto beaches. They were developed in response to a British request for a vessel capable of carrying and landing substantially...
s and AT
AT
The word at is an English word, which may act as a preposition AT may also refer to:- Places :* Austria's ISO, 2-letter country code** .at, the Internet country code top-level domain for Austria...
s to the Wakde
Wakde
Wakde is an island of Indonesia, part of the province of West Papua, between the districts of Pantai Timur and Tor Atas.Occupied by Japanese forces in April 1942, Wakde served as an airbase...
-Sarmi
Sarmi
Count Ferdinando Sarmi was the head of the Sarmi fashion design house in New York City.-Early years:Ferdinando Sarmi was born into a wealthy Italian family. He expressed interest in fashion as a youth but was discouraged from pursuing a design career by his father...
area. From 17–20 May, she stood off Wakde, marking the approach channel on the first day of the campaigns there and providing fire support and screening services on the others. On 20 May, she returned to 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...
and 5 days later sailed with LSTs for Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
to commence Operation "Horlick." On 27 May, she shelled Padaido Islands, patrolled between Pai
Pai
-People:* Pai , includes Konkani region of India name origin, plus people with the name* Pai , includes Chinese name origin, plus people with the name...
and Padaidori Islands, blasted targets on Biak, and then got underway to return to Humboldt Bay. Into June, she continued to escort convoys to and provide cover for operations at Biak and Wakde. In mid-June, she participated in a bombardment of the Toem area, then resumed escort runs along the coast. In early July, Noemfoor
Noemfoor
Numfor is one of the Biak Islands in Papua province, Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and was major airbase for both sides.-Geography:The island is situated just north of the large Cenderawasih Bay...
, with its two Japanese airfields, became the target. At midmonth Russell gained a brief respite at Manus Island
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...
, then at the end of the month commenced Operation "Globetrotter", the capture of Sansapor. Through August, she continued operations in support of the campaign and, in mid-September, moved forward to the Molucca Islands to cover the occupation 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:...
, the last stepping stone on the southern route to 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...
and on the eastern route to Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies.
On 13 October, Russell sailed with TF 78 for the Philippines and on 20 October, as the troops of the Northern Attack Force landed south of Tacloban, patrolled off Alabat Point. On 21 October, she took up fire support duties to the north of the unloading area. Until 24 October, she remained in San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, resumed patrol in 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...
on 25 October, and on 26 October, got underway for New Guinea, where, in November-December, she escorted reinforcements to Leyte.
On 28 December, Russell departed Aitape for the invasion of 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 steamed into the Mindoro Strait
Mindoro Strait
Mindoro Strait is a strait in the Philippines, separating Mindoro Island from Busuanga Island of Palawan. Located within its waters is the Apo Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Philippines....
on 5 January 1945. Two days later, she joined three other destroyers in forming an interceptor force 5 miles on the starboard of the San Fabian
San Fabián
San Fabián is one of 21 communes in the Ñuble Province of central Chile's Biobío Region. The capital is the town of San Fabián de Alico. The commune spans an area of .-Administration:...
Attack Force to destroy any enemy ships attempting a sortie from 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...
against the convoy. At 2230, was detected and fired on. Hinoki exploded and sank within 20 minutes.
1945
On 9 January, the force, having survived harassing attacks by planes, boats, and ships, arrived in Lingayen GulfLingayen 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...
and Russell assumed screening duties off the transport area. For 9 days, she patrolled, illuminated, bombarded, and fought off 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....
s. From 18–23 January, she escorted damaged ships back to Leyte and, on 27 January, sailed north again. On 31 January, she arrived off Nasugbu
Nasugbu, Batangas
Nasugbu is a 1st class municipality in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the latest census, it has a population of 113,926 people in 19,615 households....
Bay, covered YMSs (Motor Minesweepers) as they cleared approach channels, then fired on enemy emplacements on Nasugbu Point. Relieved in late afternoon, she returned to Lingayen Gulf, thence, on 2 February, to Leyte, New Guinea, and the Solomons.
Russell arrived at Guadalcanal on 15 February, rejoined the 5th Fleet and prepared for Operation "Iceberg", the Okinawa offensive
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...
. On 1 April, she arrived off the assault beaches and commenced screening the Northern Transport area. From 3–5 April, she patrolled north of Ie Shima, then returned to the transport area to escort a convoy to 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...
. Returning to the Hagushi beaches with reinforcements on 21 February, she shifted to 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....
, whence she patrolled in carrier operating area "Rapier", south of Okinawa, into May. Detached from carrier screening duty on 27 May, she proceeded to the Hagushi anchorage and got underway the following day for the United States and a yard overhaul.
Still undergoing overhaul at Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
when the war ended, Russell was prepared for inactivation during September, and on 15 November, she was decommissioned. Thirteen days later she was struck from the Navy List and, in September 1947, she was sold for scrap to the National Metal and Steel Corporation, 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...
, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.