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USS Goldsborough (DD-188)
Encyclopedia
USS Goldsborough (DD-188/AVP-18/AVD-5/APD-32) was a Clemson-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was the second Navy ship named for Rear Admiral Louis M. Goldsborough
(1805–1877).
Goldsborough was launched
20 November 1918 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
, Newport News, Virginia
; sponsored by Miss Lucetta Pennington Goldsborough, daughter of R.Adm. Goldsborough; commissioned
at Norfolk, Virginia
26 January 1920, Commander Francis M. Robinson in command.
, departing Norfolk
25 February 1920 for training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
, and returning to New York 1 May 1920 for maneuvers and tactics off the New England
Coast. She stood out of Hampton Roads
1 September 1920 on a practice cruise in the Gulf of Mexico
, returning to Norfolk 10 October for operations along the seaboard to New York until 5 January 1921 when she sailed to join the combined Battle Fleet off Cuba; thence she steamed through the Panama Canal
to Callao, Peru, and back to Guantanamo Bay for further battle practice before return to Norfolk 27 April. She entered Philadelphia Navy Yard 28 April for inactivation and decommissioned 14 July 1922. She was redesignated AVP-18 15 November 1939. She was converted in the New York Navy Yard, recommissioned 1 July 1940; and redesignated AVD-5 on 2 August 1940.
Goldsborough departed New York 12 August 1940, to tend amphibious planes on Neutrality Patrol
in waters ranging from Puerto Rico
, Cuba, and the United States Virgin Islands
, to Trinidad, British West Indies. She returned to Norfolk 23 January 1941 for repairs; conducted a cruise to the coast of Mexico
and returned (3 March-3 April), then served the Patrol Wing Support Force, Patrol Squadrons, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, at NS Argentia
, Newfoundland
; Reykjavík
, Iceland
; and Gungnat Bay, Greenland
. She arrived at Norfolk from Greenland
13 October 1941 for repairs, and then proceeded to Seamour Bay, Galapagos Islands
, arriving 23 December 1941. Here she tended amphibious patrol planes of Patrol Squadron 3, sometimes steaming down the coast of the Americas as far as Valparaíso
, Chile
, with time-out for service as a simulated target in Panama Bay.
, the 21st with Commander Patrol Squadron 3 embarked to direct operations of the squadron on special patrols in conjunction with other naval units attempting to locate Axis
submarine
bases. After being contacted by patrol planes, a party from Goldsborough boarded Honduran merchant ship Laguna 25 June, and Honduran merchant ship Racer the following day. Both were turned over to British
authorities at Belize
. On 3 July Goldsborough departed Puerta Castilla for Portland Bight, Jamaica
. Here she tended aircraft on special patrols in the protection of convoys between Cuba and the Panama Canal. She arrived at the Charleston Navy Yard from Jamaica 2 October 1942 for repairs, followed by gunnery practice in the Chesapeake Bay
.
Goldsborough departed Norfolk 30 October 1942 to escort seaplane tender
Pocomoke
(AV-9) to Panama and seaplane tender Albemarle
(AV-5) to aviation patrol bases at San Juan, P.R.; Trinidad, B.W.I.; and Bermuda, Fla. She returned to Norfolk 30 November 1942 to spend the following year as escort for Albemarle while carrying men, aeronautical cargo, and aircraft of Fleet Air Wings of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet to Guantanamo Bay; Trinidad; Bermuda; San Juan; and Recife, Brazil. She returned to Norfolk on the last of these missions 5 September 1943. After patrol with Core
(CVE-13) antisubmarine warfare task group 5 October-15 November 1943, Goldsborough was redesignated DD-188 on 1 December 1943.
On 4 December 1943, Goldsborough sailed with the Core task group. Near midnight of 2 January 1944, she made visual contact with a surfaced U-boat
off the Azores
, fought through heavy seas in an attempt to ram amidships. .She just missed the U-boat's stern as it slid under the sea. After two depth charge attacks, Goldsborough lost contact. She then screened Core to Norfolk 18 January and proceeded to New York Navy Yard for voyage repairs. Thereafter, she escorted Aucilla
(AO-56) to Trinidad, returning to Norfolk as escort of Nitro
(AE-2) then entered the Charleston Navy Yard on 21 February 1944 for conversion to a high speed transport, and redesignation as APD-32, 7 March 1944.
Goldsborough departed Charleston 10 April and reached Pearl Harbor, via the Panama Canal and San Diego, 9 May for amphibious assault training in Hanalei
and Kawaihae Bay. She sailed 29 May to rendezvous with a transport force proceeding via Ulithi
to arrive off the invasion beaches of Saipan
15 June 1944. An aerial bomb exploded 400 yards to starboard as she assisted in repelling a raid of enemy dive bombers. The following day she landed the 2d Company, 1st Battalion, 2d Marines
, just south of Charon Kanoa. During the next 5 weeks she escorted supply and troop convoys between the Marshall Islands
and Saipan, taking time out for direct gunfire support of troops on Saipan the nights of 29 June and 7 July. She departed Saipan 28 July to train Underwater Demolition Team 4 in Hawaiian waters, then joined a Beach Demolition Task Group that sailed from Manus
, Admiralty Islands
, 12 October to destroy enemy facilities and installations in the vicinity of the proposed invasion beaches of eastern Leyte as well as on the entrance islands of Leyte Gulf
. The afternoon of 18 October 1944 she poured a withering fire into concealed enemy positions at Dulag
, covering underwater demolition team
s headed for the shore. Two 75mm. shells straddled the high speed transport; and a third hit her number one stack, killing 2 and wounding 16 men. She screened the battleship
s and cruiser
s, carrying out a relentless bombardment through the night of the 19th and supporting troops that launched the invasion the morning of 20 October 1944. She departed the following day to embark troops at Noemfoor
, Schouten Islands
, landing them on the beaches at Tolasa, Leyte, 18 November 1944. She again arrived off Noemfoor 19 December for transport of troops to Mios Woendi
, Padiados Islands, and thence via Morotai
with six merchant ships escorted into Leyte Gulf 6 January 1945. Her next assignment was patrolling the entrance of Lingayen Gulf
. She dispatched a medical team to damaged Gilligan
(DE-508) 12 January, picked up two survivors, and then put her rudder full left as she opened fire on a suicide plane
which just missed the stern of Seusens before crashing into the sea. Goldsborough continued patrol in the Gulf and off San Fabian until 18 January 1945.
After voyage repairs at Ulithi, Goldsborough landed troops at Iwo Jima
(3–6 March), thence via the Marianas to Tulagi
harbor in the Solomons and back to Ulithi, where she joined transports bound for Okinawa. She arrived off Okinawa 11 April, fought off aerial raids near Hagushi
beaches the following day and rescued a Navy fighter pilot whose plane was damaged in aerial combat. She departed Okinawa 14 April for voyage repairs at Guam, returning 15 May 1945 to patrol off Hagushi beaches until the 31st. Goldsborough was then routed via the Marianas, Marshalls, and Pearl Harbor to San Pedro, California, where she arrived 1 July 1945.
24 October 1945 and she was sold for scrapping 21 November 1946 to Hugo Nuef Corporation, New York, New York.
Goldsborough received five battle stars for service in World War II.
Clemson class destroyer
The Clemson class was a series of 156 destroyers which served with the United States Navy from after World War I through World War II.The Clemson-class ships were commissioned by the United States Navy from 1919 to 1922, built by Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, New York Shipbuilding...
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 Rear Admiral Louis M. Goldsborough
Louis M. Goldsborough
Louis Malesherbes Goldsborough was a rear admiral in the United States Navy during the Civil War. He held several sea commands during the Civil War, including the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron...
(1805–1877).
Goldsborough was 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...
20 November 1918 by the Newport News Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Northrop Grumman Newport News
Newport News Shipbuilding , originally Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , was the largest privately-owned shipyard in the United States prior to being purchased by Northrop Grumman in 2001...
, 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...
; sponsored by Miss Lucetta Pennington Goldsborough, daughter of R.Adm. Goldsborough; 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...
at Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, 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....
26 January 1920, Commander Francis M. Robinson in command.
1920-1940
Goldsborough joined Division 25, Squadron 3, U.S. Atlantic FleetU.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
, departing Norfolk
Naval 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...
25 February 1920 for training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, and returning to New York 1 May 1920 for maneuvers and tactics off the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
Coast. She stood out of Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
1 September 1920 on a practice cruise in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
, returning to Norfolk 10 October for operations along the seaboard to New York until 5 January 1921 when she sailed to join the combined Battle Fleet off Cuba; thence she steamed through 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...
to Callao, Peru, and back to Guantanamo Bay for further battle practice before return to Norfolk 27 April. She entered Philadelphia Navy Yard 28 April for inactivation and decommissioned 14 July 1922. She was redesignated AVP-18 15 November 1939. She was converted in the New York Navy Yard, recommissioned 1 July 1940; and redesignated AVD-5 on 2 August 1940.
Goldsborough departed New York 12 August 1940, to tend amphibious planes 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...
in waters ranging from Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Cuba, and the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, to Trinidad, British West Indies. She returned to Norfolk 23 January 1941 for repairs; conducted a cruise to the coast of Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and returned (3 March-3 April), then served the Patrol Wing Support Force, Patrol Squadrons, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, at NS Argentia
Naval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
, Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
; Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
; and Gungnat Bay, Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
. She arrived at Norfolk from Greenland
Greenland
Greenland is an autonomous country within the Kingdom of Denmark, located between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Though physiographically a part of the continent of North America, Greenland has been politically and culturally associated with Europe for...
13 October 1941 for repairs, and then proceeded to Seamour Bay, Galapagos Islands
Galápagos Islands
The Galápagos Islands are an archipelago of volcanic islands distributed around the equator in the Pacific Ocean, west of continental Ecuador, of which they are a part.The Galápagos Islands and its surrounding waters form an Ecuadorian province, a national park, and a...
, arriving 23 December 1941. Here she tended amphibious patrol planes of Patrol Squadron 3, sometimes steaming down the coast of the Americas as far as Valparaíso
Valparaíso
Valparaíso is a city and commune of Chile, center of its third largest conurbation and one of the country's most important seaports and an increasing cultural center in the Southwest Pacific hemisphere. The city is the capital of the Valparaíso Province and the Valparaíso Region...
, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, with time-out for service as a simulated target in Panama Bay.
World War II
She transited the Panama Canal 17 June 1942 and entered Trujillo Bay, HondurasHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
, the 21st with Commander Patrol Squadron 3 embarked to direct operations of the squadron on special patrols in conjunction with other naval units attempting to locate Axis
Axis Powers
The Axis powers , also known as the Axis alliance, Axis nations, Axis countries, or just the Axis, was an alignment of great powers during the mid-20th century that fought World War II against the Allies. It began in 1936 with treaties of friendship between Germany and Italy and between Germany and...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
bases. After being contacted by patrol planes, a party from Goldsborough boarded Honduran merchant ship Laguna 25 June, and Honduran merchant ship Racer the following day. Both were turned over to British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
authorities at Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
. On 3 July Goldsborough departed Puerta Castilla for Portland Bight, Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. Here she tended aircraft on special patrols in the protection of convoys between Cuba and the Panama Canal. She arrived at the Charleston Navy Yard from Jamaica 2 October 1942 for repairs, followed by gunnery practice in the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
Goldsborough departed Norfolk 30 October 1942 to escort seaplane tender
Seaplane tender
A seaplane tender is a ship that provides facilities for operating seaplanes. These ships were the first aircraft carriers and appeared just before the First World War.-History:...
Pocomoke
USS Pocomoke (AV-9)
USS Pocomoke was a , originally built as the and acquired by the U.S. Navy as the military build-up occurred in the United States just prior to World War II. She operated principally in the Pacific Theatre of the war and serviced military seaplanes...
(AV-9) to Panama and seaplane tender Albemarle
USS Albemarle (AV-5)
USS Albemarle was one of only two Curtiss-class seaplane tenders built for the United States Navy just prior to the United States' entry into World War II. Named for Albemarle Sound and Albemarle, North Carolina, and Albemarle County, Virginia, she was the third U.S...
(AV-5) to aviation patrol bases at San Juan, P.R.; Trinidad, B.W.I.; and Bermuda, Fla. She returned to Norfolk 30 November 1942 to spend the following year as escort for Albemarle while carrying men, aeronautical cargo, and aircraft of Fleet Air Wings of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet to Guantanamo Bay; Trinidad; Bermuda; San Juan; and Recife, Brazil. She returned to Norfolk on the last of these missions 5 September 1943. After patrol with Core
USS Core (CVE-13)
USS Core was originally classified AVG-13, but was reclassified ACV-13, 20 August 1942; CVE-13, 15 July 1943; CVHE-13, 12 June 1955; CVU-13, 1 July 1958; and T-AKV-41, 7 May 1959. She was launched 15 May 1942 by Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding of Tacoma, Washington, under a Maritime Commission...
(CVE-13) antisubmarine warfare task group 5 October-15 November 1943, Goldsborough was redesignated DD-188 on 1 December 1943.
On 4 December 1943, Goldsborough sailed with the Core task group. Near midnight of 2 January 1944, she made visual contact with a surfaced U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
off the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, fought through heavy seas in an attempt to ram amidships. .She just missed the U-boat's stern as it slid under the sea. After two depth charge attacks, Goldsborough lost contact. She then screened Core to Norfolk 18 January and proceeded to New York Navy Yard for voyage repairs. Thereafter, she escorted Aucilla
USS Aucilla (AO-56)
USS Aucilla was a Cimarron-class fleet oiler. She was constructed for the United States Navy during World War II and her assignment was to provide liquids, such as fuel or water, to ships in the forward battle areas...
(AO-56) to Trinidad, returning to Norfolk as escort of Nitro
USS Nitro (AE-2)
USS Nitro was laid down 19 March 1919 by Puget Sound Navy Yard; launched 16 December 1919; sponsored by Mrs. Henry Suzalo; and commissioned 1 April 1921, Comdr. R. W. Vincent in command....
(AE-2) then entered the Charleston Navy Yard on 21 February 1944 for conversion to a high speed transport, and redesignation as APD-32, 7 March 1944.
Goldsborough departed Charleston 10 April and reached Pearl Harbor, via the Panama Canal and San Diego, 9 May for amphibious assault training in Hanalei
Hanalei
Hanalei means "lei making" in Hawaiian. The term may refer to a number of features on northern part of the Hawaiian island of Kauai:* Hanalei, Hawaii — a village * Hanalei River —- an American Heritage River* Hanalei Bay...
and Kawaihae Bay. She sailed 29 May to rendezvous with a transport force proceeding via 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...
to arrive off the invasion beaches 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...
15 June 1944. An aerial bomb exploded 400 yards to starboard as she assisted in repelling a raid of enemy dive bombers. The following day she landed the 2d Company, 1st Battalion, 2d Marines
U.S. 2nd Marine Regiment
The 2nd Marine Regiment is an infantry regiment of the United States Marine Corps. They are based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and fall under the command of the 2nd Marine Division and the II Marine Expeditionary Force.-Current units:...
, just south of Charon Kanoa. During the next 5 weeks she escorted supply and troop convoys between 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...
and Saipan, taking time out for direct gunfire support of troops on Saipan the nights of 29 June and 7 July. She departed Saipan 28 July to train Underwater Demolition Team 4 in Hawaiian waters, then joined a Beach Demolition Task Group that sailed from 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...
, Admiralty Islands
Admiralty Islands
The Admiralty Islands are a group of eighteen islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the south Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-covered islands form part of Manus Province, the smallest and...
, 12 October to destroy enemy facilities and installations in the vicinity of the proposed invasion beaches of eastern Leyte as well as on the entrance islands of 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...
. The afternoon of 18 October 1944 she poured a withering fire into concealed enemy positions at Dulag
Dulag, Leyte
Dulag is a third-class municipality in the province of Leyte in Eastern Visayas in the Philippines. This coastal town covering 11,007 hectares of land is home to 44,143 residents...
, 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 headed for the shore. Two 75mm. shells straddled the high speed transport; and a third hit her number one stack, killing 2 and wounding 16 men. She screened the 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...
s and cruiser
Cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...
s, carrying out a relentless bombardment through the night of the 19th and supporting troops that launched the invasion the morning of 20 October 1944. She departed the following day to embark troops at 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...
, Schouten Islands
Schouten Islands
The Indonesian Schouten Islands are an island group of Papua province, eastern Indonesia in the Cenderawasih Bay 50 km off the north-western coast of the island of New Guinea...
, landing them on the beaches at Tolasa, Leyte, 18 November 1944. She again arrived off Noemfoor 19 December for transport of troops to Mios Woendi
Mios Woendi
Mios Woendi is the name of an island and was a forward base for United States Navy during World War II. The US Navy code word for the base located in Schouten Islands, was Stinker...
, Padiados Islands, and thence via 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:...
with six merchant ships escorted into Leyte Gulf 6 January 1945. Her next assignment was patrolling the entrance of 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 dispatched a medical team to damaged Gilligan
USS Gilligan (DE-508)
USS Gilligan was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort acquired by the U.S. Navy during World War II. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket...
(DE-508) 12 January, picked up two survivors, and then put her rudder full left as she opened fire on a suicide plane
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....
which just missed the stern of Seusens before crashing into the sea. Goldsborough continued patrol in the Gulf and off San Fabian until 18 January 1945.
After voyage repairs at Ulithi, Goldsborough landed troops at 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...
(3–6 March), thence via the Marianas to Tulagi
Tulagi
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...
harbor in the Solomons and back to Ulithi, where she joined transports bound for Okinawa. She arrived off Okinawa 11 April, fought off aerial raids near Hagushi
Hagushi
Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American supplies during the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The bay, at the mouth of the Bishi River , was the dividing line between the First and Sixth US Marine divisions, which landed on the Hagushi beaches to the north, and the Seventh...
beaches the following day and rescued a Navy fighter pilot whose plane was damaged in aerial combat. She departed Okinawa 14 April for voyage repairs at Guam, returning 15 May 1945 to patrol off Hagushi beaches until the 31st. Goldsborough was then routed via the Marianas, Marshalls, and Pearl Harbor to San Pedro, California, where she arrived 1 July 1945.
Decommissioning
Redesignated again as destroyer (DD-188) 10 July, she decommissioned there 11 October 1945. Her name was struck from the Navy ListNaval 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...
24 October 1945 and she was sold for scrapping 21 November 1946 to Hugo Nuef Corporation, New York, New York.
Goldsborough received five battle stars for service in World War II.