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USS Paul Hamilton (DD-590)
Encyclopedia
USS Paul Hamilton (DD-590), a Fletcher-class
destroyer
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Navy Secretary
Paul Hamilton
(1762–1819).
Paul Hamilton was laid down 20 January 1943 by the Charleston Navy Yard; launched
7 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. William Dewar Gordon; and commissioned
25 October 1943, Commander Leo G. May in command.
, Paul Hamilton served in lower Chesapeake Bay
, out of Norfolk, Va.
, as a destroyer training unit 8 January to 19 April 1944. She departed Norfolk 25 April and steamed via Aruba
, Dutch West Indies, and the Panama Canal
to Pearl Harbor
, Hawaii
, where she arrived 21 May 1944.
From 13 June to 12 August, Paul Hamilton formed part of the protective screen for the replenishment aircraft and fueling groups that serviced the 3d Fleet during the landing at Saipan
15 June. She accompanied Task Force 58 (TF 58) west during the Battle of the Philippine Sea
19 and 20 June. She departed for Manus Island
, Admiralty Islands
, 20 August, in company with escort carrier
s and fleet oilers.
From 1 September to 3 October, Paul Hamilton served as a screening vessel for the replenishment aircraft and fueling groups that serviced the 3d Fleet during the capture of the southern Palau Islands
. She played a similar role for the 3d Fleet 4 October to 15 November during air strikes against Okinawa, Luzon
, Formosa
, the Visayan Islands, and the Japan
ese fleet.
She proceeded via Hollandia
, New Guinea
, to Leyte Gulf
, Philippines
, where she patrolled 7 to 11 December to protect shipping from enemy surface attacks. She screened for the amphibious assault force that landed on Mindoro
Island, Philippines, 15 December, and shot down three enemy planes that day. From 27 December to 2 January 1945 she screened ships resupplying U.S. Army forces on Mindoro.
From 3 to 21 January, Paul Hamilton screened for the assault on Lingayen Gulf
, Philippines. She rescued 73 survivors from Ommaney Bay
(CVE-79) on the 4th.
Following replenishment at Ulithi
, Western Carolines, Paul Hamilton participated in the assault on Iwo Jima
. She contributed shore bombardment, fire support and pilot rescue, 10 February to 11 March. Following rescue efforts in the Volcano
and Bonin Islands, she provided fire support during the Battle of Okinawa
for the landings at Kerama Retto
, 26 March, Okinawa Jima, Tsuken Shima, Ie Shima, Iheya Shima, and Aguni Shima, during deployment 21 March to 17 June.
She departed Okinawa 17 June 1945, and proceeded via Guam
, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor to San Diego, Calif.
where she arrived 8 July for overhaul. Paul Hamilton reported to the Pacific Reserve Fleet 24 September 1945 and remained inactive until struck from the Naval Vessel Register
1 May 1968. She was sold 2 April 1970 and broken up for scrap.
Paul Hamilton received seven battle stars for World War II
service.
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
to be named for Navy Secretary
United States Secretary of the Navy
The Secretary of the Navy of the United States of America is the head of the Department of the Navy, a component organization of the Department of Defense...
Paul Hamilton
Paul Hamilton
Paul Hamilton was the 3rd United States Secretary of the Navy, from 1809 to 1813.Paul Hamilton was born in Saint Paul's Parish, South Carolina, on October 16, 1762. He left school at the age of sixteen due to financial problems...
(1762–1819).
Paul Hamilton was laid down 20 January 1943 by the Charleston Navy Yard; 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...
7 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. William Dewar Gordon; 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...
25 October 1943, Commander Leo G. May in command.
History
Following shakedown off BermudaBermuda
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...
, Paul Hamilton served in lower 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...
, out of 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...
, as a destroyer training unit 8 January to 19 April 1944. She departed Norfolk 25 April and steamed via Aruba
Aruba
Aruba is a 33 km-long island of the Lesser Antilles in the southern Caribbean Sea, located 27 km north of the coast of Venezuela and 130 km east of Guajira Peninsula...
, Dutch West Indies, and 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 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...
, 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...
, where she arrived 21 May 1944.
From 13 June to 12 August, Paul Hamilton formed part of the protective screen for the replenishment aircraft and fueling groups that serviced the 3d Fleet during the landing at Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
15 June. She accompanied Task Force 58 (TF 58) west during the Battle of the Philippine Sea
Battle of the Philippine Sea
The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a decisive naval battle of World War II which effectively eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious invasion of the Mariana Islands during the Pacific War...
19 and 20 June. She departed for 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...
, 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...
, 20 August, in company with escort carrier
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
s and fleet oilers.
From 1 September to 3 October, Paul Hamilton served as a screening vessel for the replenishment aircraft and fueling groups that serviced the 3d Fleet during the capture of the southern Palau Islands
Battle of Peleliu
The Battle of Peleliu, codenamed Operation Stalemate II, was fought between the United States and the Empire of Japan in the Pacific Theater of World War II, from September–November 1944 on the island of Peleliu, present-day Palau. U.S...
. She played a similar role for the 3d Fleet 4 October to 15 November during air strikes against Okinawa, 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...
, Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
, the Visayan Islands, and 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 fleet.
She proceeded via 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....
, 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...
, to 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...
, 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...
, where she patrolled 7 to 11 December to protect shipping from enemy surface attacks. She screened for the amphibious assault force that landed on 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:...
Island, Philippines, 15 December, and shot down three enemy planes that day. From 27 December to 2 January 1945 she screened ships resupplying U.S. Army forces on Mindoro.
From 3 to 21 January, Paul Hamilton screened for the assault on Lingayen Gulf
Battle of Luzon
The Battle of Luzon was a land battle fought as part of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony The Philippines, and Mexico against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory...
, Philippines. She rescued 73 survivors from Ommaney Bay
USS Ommaney Bay (CVE-79)
USS Ommaney Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy, named for Ommaney Bay, Alaska.Ommaney Bay, formerly MC hull 1116, was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract 6 October 1943 by Kaiser Company, Inc., Vancouver, Washington; launched 29 December 1943, sponsored...
(CVE-79) on the 4th.
Following replenishment 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...
, Western Carolines, Paul Hamilton participated in the assault on Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. She contributed shore bombardment, fire support and pilot rescue, 10 February to 11 March. Following rescue efforts in the Volcano
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
and Bonin Islands, she provided fire support during the Battle of Okinawa
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...
for the landings at Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
, 26 March, Okinawa Jima, Tsuken Shima, Ie Shima, Iheya Shima, and Aguni Shima, during deployment 21 March to 17 June.
She departed Okinawa 17 June 1945, and proceeded via 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...
, Eniwetok, and Pearl Harbor to San Diego, Calif.
Naval Station San Diego
Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...
where she arrived 8 July for overhaul. Paul Hamilton reported to the Pacific Reserve Fleet 24 September 1945 and remained inactive until struck from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
1 May 1968. She was sold 2 April 1970 and broken up for scrap.
Paul Hamilton received seven battle stars for 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...
service.