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USS Cassin (DD-372)
Encyclopedia
was a Mahan-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was the second Navy ship named for Stephen Cassin
.
Cassin was launched 28 October 1935 by Philadelphia Navy Yard (sponsored by Mrs. H. C. Lombard), and commissioned 21 August 1936, Lieutenant Commander
A. G. Noble
in command.
and Brazil
. In April 1938 she joined the fleet at Pearl Harbor
for the annual fleet exercises in the Hawaiian Islands
and the Panama Canal Zone
. During 1939, she operated on the West Coast
with torpedo and gunnery schools, and on 1 April 1940 was assigned to the Hawaiian Detachment. Cassin sailed on maneuvers and patrol in the Pacific
, cruising from February to April 1941 to Samoa
, Australia
, and Fiji
. Fall of 1941 found her calling at West Coast ports.
Cassin was in drydock with and at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941
. During the attack, an incendiary bomb exploded Downes fuel tanks, causing uncontrollable fires on board both Downes and Cassin. Cassin slipped from her keel blocks and rested against Downes. Both ships were considered lost, and Cassin was decommissioned as of 7 December 1941. However, salvage saved Cassin, and she was towed to Mare Island Navy Yard for rebuilding.
until August. By shooting out caves and bombarding Aguijan Island, she aided in the consolidation of Tinian
from 15 – 25 August, and then assumed escort duties out of Saipan
. She took part in the bombardment of Marcus Island on 9 October. With the same force which had struck at Marcus, Cassin sailed on to join TG 38.1 on 16 October. Cassin steamed northeast of Luzon
during the Leyte landings, and when the landings had been successfully launched, was dispatched with her group to refuel and replenish at Ulithi
. However, when TF 38 made contact with the Japanese Center Force rounding the southern cape of Mindoro
, bound for its part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf, Cassins group was recalled to join the approaching action. In the afternoon of 25 October, her group at last reached position to launch aircraft which attacked the Japanese ships in one of the longest-range carrier strikes of the war.
Cassins next assignment was to the preparations for the assault on Iwo Jima
. On the night of 11–12 November 1944, and again on 24 January 1945, she bombarded the island, and otherwise engaged in patrol, escort, and radar picket duties around Saipan. On 23 February, she sailed from Saipan to escort an ammunition ship
to newly invaded Iwo Jima, returning to Guam
28 February with a hospital ship
. She returned to Iwo Jima in mid-March for radar picket and air-sea rescue duty. With periods at Guam and Saipan for replenishment and repairs, she continued on this duty through most of the remainder of the war.
Cassin endured a typhoon on 6 June 1945, losing one of her men (and a motor whaleboat
) overboard. On 20 July, she bombarded Kita, Iwo Jima, and on 7 August, she boarded and searched a Japanese hospital ship to ensure compliance with international law. Since there were no violations, she allowed the ship to proceed on its way. With the war over, Cassin continued air-sea rescue off Iwo Jima, guarding the air evacuation of released prisoners of war from Japan.
, 1 November 1945, and was decommissioned there 17 December 1945. Cassin was sold 25 November 1947.
Mahan class destroyer
The Mahan-class destroyers served in the United States Navy before and during World War II. The lead ship of the class was named for Alfred T. Mahan, a US Naval officer and influential theorist on sea power....
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 the second Navy ship named for Stephen Cassin
Stephen Cassin
Stephen Cassin was an officer in the United States Navy.Born in Philadelphia, the son of naval officer John Cassin, Cassin entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1800, and served in Philadelphia in the West Indies during the latter part of the Quasi-War with France...
.
Cassin was launched 28 October 1935 by Philadelphia Navy Yard (sponsored by Mrs. H. C. Lombard), and commissioned 21 August 1936, 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...
A. G. Noble
Albert G. Noble
Admiral Albert Gallatin Noble was a United States Navy admiral who was promoted to four star rank as a "tombstone admiral".-Biography:...
in command.
Service history
Cassin underwent alterations until March 1937, then cruised to the CaribbeanCaribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. In April 1938 she joined the fleet at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
for the annual fleet exercises in the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
and the 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...
. During 1939, she operated on the West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
with torpedo and gunnery schools, and on 1 April 1940 was assigned to the Hawaiian Detachment. Cassin sailed on maneuvers and patrol in the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, cruising from February to April 1941 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...
, 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 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...
. Fall of 1941 found her calling at West Coast ports.
Cassin was in drydock with and at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on 7 December 1941
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
. During the attack, an incendiary bomb exploded Downes fuel tanks, causing uncontrollable fires on board both Downes and Cassin. Cassin slipped from her keel blocks and rested against Downes. Both ships were considered lost, and Cassin was decommissioned as of 7 December 1941. However, salvage saved Cassin, and she was towed to Mare Island Navy Yard for rebuilding.
World War II
Recommissioned 5 February 1944, Cassin reported at Pearl Harbor 22 April, and was assigned escort duty from MajuroMajuro
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...
until August. By shooting out caves and bombarding Aguijan Island, she aided in the consolidation of 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....
from 15 – 25 August, and then assumed escort duties out 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...
. She took part in the bombardment of Marcus Island on 9 October. With the same force which had struck at Marcus, Cassin sailed on to join TG 38.1 on 16 October. Cassin steamed northeast 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...
during the Leyte landings, and when the landings had been successfully launched, was dispatched with her group to refuel and replenish at 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...
. However, when TF 38 made contact with the Japanese Center Force rounding the southern cape of Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
, bound for its part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf, Cassins group was recalled to join the approaching action. In the afternoon of 25 October, her group at last reached position to launch aircraft which attacked the Japanese ships in one of the longest-range carrier strikes of the war.
Cassins next assignment was to the preparations for the assault on 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...
. On the night of 11–12 November 1944, and again on 24 January 1945, she bombarded the island, and otherwise engaged in patrol, escort, and radar picket duties around Saipan. On 23 February, she sailed from Saipan to escort an ammunition ship
Ammunition ship
An ammunition ship is a warship specially configured to carry ammunition, usually for Navy ships and aircraft. Their cargo handling systems, designed with extreme safety in mind, include ammunition hoists with airlocks between decks, and mechanisms for flooding entire compartments with sea water in...
to newly invaded Iwo Jima, returning 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...
28 February with a hospital ship
Hospital ship
A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating medical treatment facility or hospital; most are operated by the military forces of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or near war zones....
. She returned to Iwo Jima in mid-March for radar picket and air-sea rescue duty. With periods at Guam and Saipan for replenishment and repairs, she continued on this duty through most of the remainder of the war.
Cassin endured a typhoon on 6 June 1945, losing one of her men (and a motor whaleboat
Whaleboat
A whaleboat is a type of open boat that is relatively narrow and pointed at both ends, enabling it to move either forwards or backwards equally well. It was originally developed for whaling, and later became popular for work along beaches, since it does not need to be turned around for beaching or...
) overboard. On 20 July, she bombarded Kita, Iwo Jima, and on 7 August, she boarded and searched a Japanese hospital ship to ensure compliance with international law. Since there were no violations, she allowed the ship to proceed on its way. With the war over, Cassin continued air-sea rescue off Iwo Jima, guarding the air evacuation of released prisoners of war from Japan.
Fate
She returned to Norfolk, VirginiaNorfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, 1 November 1945, and was decommissioned there 17 December 1945. Cassin was sold 25 November 1947.
External links
- http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/372.htm