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USS Macomb (DD-458)
Encyclopedia
USS Macomb (DD-458/DMS-23) was a Gleaves-class
destroyer
of the United States Navy
, named for Commodore William H. Macomb
(1819–1872) and Rear Admiral David B. Macomb
(1811–1927).
Macomb was laid down 3 September 1940 by the Bath Iron Works
Corp., Bath, Maine
; launched
23 September 1941; cosponsored by Mrs. Ryland W. Greene and her sister, Mrs. Edward H. Chew, granddaughters of Commodore William H. Macomb, and commissioned
26 January 1942, Lieutenant Commander W. K. Duvall in command.
s and aircraft carrier
s. These convoy missions took Macomb south to the northern coast of South America
, east to the West Africa
n coast, and north to Newfoundland. Standing out of Boston on 5 July 1942, Macomb escorted a U.S. Army
transport and an English ship to Greenock
, Scotland
, arriving 12 July. She operated between Scotland and Iceland
making one round-trip voyage to New York
for availability, until 25 September 1942, when she anchored at Norfolk, Va.
Departing Norfolk on 11 October, she screened aircraft carrier anti-submarine patrols in the Caribbean
until heading for the north Africa
n coast 7 November. Arriving on the 11th, she acted as carrier screen during the landings at Casablanca
and returned to Boston after the landings were secure.
After overhaul at Boston, Macomb again operated as convoy escort along the east coast and in the Caribbean. Following a cruise which took her close to the coast of north Africa, the destroyer commenced operating out of NS Argentia
, Newfoundland
, on North Atlantic patrol. While on this patrol her convoy and antisubmarine duties took her to Iceland and England. During this early 1943 period, German
submarine
s were extremely active, sinking many Allied ships with their "wolf packs".
In August 1943 Macomb returned from a tour of duty with the British Home Fleet
and operated again off the Atlantic seaboard with only one break until mid-1944. On this one exception she made an uneventful cruise to the Azores
; Freetown
, Sierra Leone
; Dakar
, Senegal
; and Bermuda
before returning to Boston in late December.
On 20 April 1944 the destroyer got underway for the Mediterranean where she operated off the Algeria
n coast on antisubmarine duty. On 18 May, just before midnight, she commenced a 72-hour submarine chase that ended when U-616 was blasted to the surface by Macombs depth charge
s and then sunk by her guns. In mid-August 1944 she took part in the invasion of southern France
, returning to antisubmarine patrol afterward Macomb arrived at Charleston Navy Yard 9 November for conversion to a destroyer minesweeper
.
3 January 1945. Arriving in the western Pacific in mid-March, Mine Squadron 20 Joined Task Group 52.2 (TG 52.2) and steamed toward Okinawa. They were the first task group to enter Okinawan waters and remained until after the completion of the operations. Only one of the 11 ships in the squadron escaped kamikaze
hits, and one, Emmons
(DMS-22), was sunk on 8 April. The squadron suffered some 300 casualties, including over 100 killed.
Macomb, participating in the entire campaign, shot down many enemy planes. On 27 April, in the early predawn hours, an enemy aircraft raid was picked up by her radar
. For an hour Macomb fired almost continuously while maneuvering at top speed; three planes were splashed. Her luck ran out on 3 May during a twilight enemy raid. She downed one Japanese plane but a second came in fast and crashed into her, causing extensive damage. For this campaign, Macomb was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation
for having, "...by her own aggressiveness and the courage and skill of her officers and men, contributed essentially to the success of the Okinawa invasion..."
Macomb proceeded to Saipan
for battle repairs following the 3 May engagement. Soon after the repairs were completed, the war's end was announced. Macomb rendezvoused with the 3d Fleet on 13 August en route to the Japan
ese home islands. On 29 August, Just ahead of the Missouri
(BB-63) and Iowa
(BB-61), she dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay
, where she was witness to the formal surrender.
Leaving Tokyo Bay on 4 September 1945, she commenced sweeping mines
in the Japanese area, off Okinawa, near the entrance to the Yellow Sea
, and in the Chosen Straits.
duty. In June, 1948, Charleston, S.C., become her home port, and until September 1949, Macomb went on patrols and took part in exercises along the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada
and in the Caribbean.
On 8 September 1949, Macomb departed Charleston for the first of three brief tours of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. She returned to Charleston on 13 October. Her second trip to the Mediterranean came in 1951, 20 March to 5 October, the third, 22 April to 24 October 1953. During each cruise Macomb participated in the 6th Fleet exercises and operations, lending support to American diplomatic efforts at settling the unstable political situations then existent in many of the Mediterranean countries.
ese Government, becoming JDS Hatakaze (DD-182) in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The former Macomb was returned to U.S. custody in 1969. She was then sold to the Republic of China
on 6 August 1970, to replace the former Gleaves-class destroyer (which had been damaged after running aground) as ROCS Hsien Yang (DD-16). The former Macomb was decommissioned in 1972, struck in 1974, and was serving as a dockside training ship through 1978.
Gleaves class destroyer
The Gleaves-class destroyers were a class of 66 destroyers of the United States Navy built 1938–1942, and designed by Gibbs & Cox. The first ship of the class was the USS Gleaves . The U.S. Navy customarily names a class of ships after the first ship of the class; hence the Gleaves class...
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...
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 Commodore William H. Macomb
William H. Macomb
Commodore William Henry Alexander Macomb was an officer in the United States Navy who served during the American Civil War.-Biography:...
(1819–1872) and Rear Admiral David B. Macomb
David B. Macomb
Rear Admiral David B. Macomb, USN was an admiral and engineering officer of the United States Navy. He served on blockade duty during the Civil War, and was also a noted inventor.-Early life and naval career:...
(1811–1927).
Macomb was laid down 3 September 1940 by the Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
Corp., Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
; 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...
23 September 1941; cosponsored by Mrs. Ryland W. Greene and her sister, Mrs. Edward H. Chew, granddaughters of Commodore William H. Macomb, 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...
26 January 1942, Lieutenant Commander W. K. Duvall in command.
Atlantic service
Following shakedown, she operated off the east coast escorting convoyConvoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s and 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...
s. These convoy missions took Macomb south to the northern coast of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, east to the West Africa
West Africa
West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...
n coast, and north to Newfoundland. Standing out of Boston on 5 July 1942, Macomb escorted a U.S. Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
transport and an English ship to Greenock
Greenock
Greenock is a town and administrative centre in the Inverclyde council area in United Kingdom, and a former burgh within the historic county of Renfrewshire, located in the west central Lowlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, arriving 12 July. She operated between Scotland and 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...
making one round-trip voyage to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
for availability, until 25 September 1942, when she anchored at Norfolk, Va.
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...
Departing Norfolk on 11 October, she screened aircraft carrier anti-submarine patrols in the Caribbean
Caribbean
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...
until heading for the north Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n coast 7 November. Arriving on the 11th, she acted as carrier screen during the landings at Casablanca
Operation Torch
Operation Torch was the British-American invasion of French North Africa in World War II during the North African Campaign, started on 8 November 1942....
and returned to Boston after the landings were secure.
After overhaul at Boston, Macomb again operated as convoy escort along the east coast and in the Caribbean. Following a cruise which took her close to the coast of north Africa, the destroyer commenced operating out of 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...
, on North Atlantic patrol. While on this patrol her convoy and antisubmarine duties took her to Iceland and England. During this early 1943 period, German
Kriegsmarine
The Kriegsmarine was the name of the German Navy during the Nazi regime . It superseded the Kaiserliche Marine of World War I and the post-war Reichsmarine. The Kriegsmarine was one of three official branches of the Wehrmacht, the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany.The Kriegsmarine grew rapidly...
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...
s were extremely active, sinking many Allied ships with their "wolf packs".
In August 1943 Macomb returned from a tour of duty with the British Home Fleet
British Home Fleet
The Home Fleet was a fleet of the Royal Navy which operated in the United Kingdom's territorial waters from 1902 with intervals until 1967.-Pre–First World War:...
and operated again off the Atlantic seaboard with only one break until mid-1944. On this one exception she made an uneventful cruise to 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...
; Freetown
Freetown
Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone, a country in West Africa. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean located in the Western Area of the country, and had a city proper population of 772,873 at the 2004 census. The city is the economic, financial, and cultural center of...
, Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone , officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea to the north and east, Liberia to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west and southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of and has an estimated population between 5.4 and 6.4...
; Dakar
Dakar
Dakar is the capital city and largest city of Senegal. It is located on the Cap-Vert Peninsula on the Atlantic coast and is the westernmost city on the African mainland...
, Senegal
Senegal
Senegal , officially the Republic of Senegal , is a country in western Africa. It owes its name to the Sénégal River that borders it to the east and north...
; and Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
before returning to Boston in late December.
On 20 April 1944 the destroyer got underway for the Mediterranean where she operated off the Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
n coast on antisubmarine duty. On 18 May, just before midnight, she commenced a 72-hour submarine chase that ended when U-616 was blasted to the surface by Macombs depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s and then sunk by her guns. In mid-August 1944 she took part in the invasion of southern France
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
, returning to antisubmarine patrol afterward Macomb arrived at Charleston Navy Yard 9 November for conversion to a destroyer minesweeper
Destroyer minesweeper
Destroyer minesweeper was a designation given by the United States Navy to a series of destroyers that were converted into high-speed ocean-going minesweepers for service during World War II. The hull number for such a ship began "DMS"...
.
Pacific service
Redesignated DMS-23, 15 November, she joined Mine Squadron 20 (MineRon 20) and, after refresher training, departed for the PacificPacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
3 January 1945. Arriving in the western Pacific in mid-March, Mine Squadron 20 Joined Task Group 52.2 (TG 52.2) and steamed toward Okinawa. They were the first task group to enter Okinawan waters and remained until after the completion of the operations. Only one of the 11 ships in the squadron escaped 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....
hits, and one, Emmons
USS Emmons (DD-457)
USS Emmons was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral George F. Emmons ....
(DMS-22), was sunk on 8 April. The squadron suffered some 300 casualties, including over 100 killed.
Macomb, participating in the entire campaign, shot down many enemy planes. On 27 April, in the early predawn hours, an enemy aircraft raid was picked up by her radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. For an hour Macomb fired almost continuously while maneuvering at top speed; three planes were splashed. Her luck ran out on 3 May during a twilight enemy raid. She downed one Japanese plane but a second came in fast and crashed into her, causing extensive damage. For this campaign, Macomb was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
for having, "...by her own aggressiveness and the courage and skill of her officers and men, contributed essentially to the success of the Okinawa invasion..."
Macomb proceeded to 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...
for battle repairs following the 3 May engagement. Soon after the repairs were completed, the war's end was announced. Macomb rendezvoused with the 3d Fleet on 13 August en route to 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 home islands. On 29 August, Just ahead of the Missouri
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
(BB-63) and Iowa
USS Iowa (BB-61)
USS Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state...
(BB-61), she dropped anchor in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
, where she was witness to the formal surrender.
Leaving Tokyo Bay on 4 September 1945, she commenced sweeping mines
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...
in the Japanese area, off Okinawa, near the entrance to the Yellow Sea
Yellow Sea
The Yellow Sea is the name given to the northern part of the East China Sea, which is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean. It is located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula. Its name comes from the sand particles from Gobi Desert sand storms that turn the surface of the water golden...
, and in the Chosen Straits.
1945 – 1954
Departing Sasebo, Japan, on 5 December 1945, Macomb steamed for Norfolk, Va., and 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...
duty. In June, 1948, Charleston, S.C., become her home port, and until September 1949, Macomb went on patrols and took part in exercises along the eastern coasts of the United States and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and in the Caribbean.
On 8 September 1949, Macomb departed Charleston for the first of three brief tours of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. She returned to Charleston on 13 October. Her second trip to the Mediterranean came in 1951, 20 March to 5 October, the third, 22 April to 24 October 1953. During each cruise Macomb participated in the 6th Fleet exercises and operations, lending support to American diplomatic efforts at settling the unstable political situations then existent in many of the Mediterranean countries.
JDS Hatakaze (DD-182)
In July 1954, Macomb was placed in reserve. On 19 October she decommissioned and transferred to the JapanJapan
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 Government, becoming JDS Hatakaze (DD-182) in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force.
The former Macomb was returned to U.S. custody in 1969. She was then sold to the Republic of China
Republic of China
The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor...
on 6 August 1970, to replace the former Gleaves-class destroyer (which had been damaged after running aground) as ROCS Hsien Yang (DD-16). The former Macomb was decommissioned in 1972, struck in 1974, and was serving as a dockside training ship through 1978.