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USS Tolman (DM-28)
Encyclopedia
USS Tolman (DD-740/DM-28/MMD-28) was a Robert H. Smith-class
destroyer minelayer in the United States Navy
. She was named for Commander Charles E. Tolman
.
Tolman was laid down as DD-740 on 10 April 1944 at Bath, Maine
, by the Bath Iron Works
; reclassified a destroyer minelayer and redesignated DM-28 on 19 July; launched on 13 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Helen Tolman; and commissioned on 27 October 1944, Commander Clifford Arthur Johnson in command.
during November and December and returned, via Norfolk, Virginia
, to Boston, Massachusetts. On 13 January 1945, Tolman departed Boston to escort to the west coast. She called at San Diego, California
on the 27th and then escorted to Hawaii
. She participated in exercises at Pearl Harbor
until 23 February before heading for Eniwetok and Ulithi
. On 19 March, Tolman sortied from Ulithi with Task Group 52.4 to provide fire support and antisubmarine screening for the minesweepers clearing channels prior to the amphibious assault on the Ryukyu Islands
. On 22 March, she began clearing the approaches to the beaches of Okinawa.
ese motor torpedo boats. They closed to 4,000 yards when Tolman opened fire with her 5-inch and 40-millimeter batteries. The DM increased her speed to 34 knots and maneuvered radically to avoid torpedo
es. Two of the enemy boats exploded and sank as the remainder laid a smoke screen. The minelayer briefly lost contact, but used radar-controlled fire against the remaining boats and fired star shells to ferret them out. The last boat was seen to slow, apparently in trouble, just before it was blown up. The ship evidently made a clean sweep of the torpedo boats as a search revealed nothing, and no boats had been seen leaving the area.
Later that morning, Tolman was approximately 500 yards from when Skylark struck and detonated a mine against her hull. As Tolman moved in to pass a tow line to the stricken ship, Skylark hit a second mine and began settling rapidly. Tolman backed full to clear the mined area, but her boats, together with PC-1228 and PC-1179, rescued 105 survivors.
On 29 March, during several air attacks, Tolman reported downing one plane of three in the first raid; one of two in the second attack; and, with the aid of and , two of three in the third. Later, she shot down a kamikaze
that was approaching her in a suicide dive. The minelayer then proceeded to Kerama Retto
to transfer Skylark's survivors to other ships.
On the morning of 30 March, Tolman contacted three Japanese torpedo boats at a range of 3,000 yards. She went ahead at flank speed ana made a hard turn to port. One torpedo passed astern and another was reported off her starboard bow. A third exploded astern, causing considerable vibration. On 3 April, she screened Transport Division 17 to a waiting area approximately 150 miles southeast of Okinawa and remained there for 10 days before returning to the Hagushi beaches.
Tolman grounded off Nagunna Reef on the morning of 19 April and remained aground. Two tugs then pulled her free on the 25th, and towed her to Kerama Retto for repairs. She entered drydock on 15 May and was not ready for sea until late in June. On 28 June, the ship got underway for the United States. After arriving at San Pedro
on 21 July, she began permanent repairs that were completed on 8 November.
on the day after Christmas. She operated out of Sasebo
until February 1946 and then shifted her base of operations to Pusan, Korea
, for three months. The ship began the return voyage to California
on 4 May and arrived at San Francisco, California
on 27 May 1946. Proceeding down the coast to San Diego in January 1947, she was decommissioned on the 29 January 1947. Tolman was reclassified a fast minelayer, MMD-28, in January 1969. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1970.
After being struck from the Navy List, Tolman was utilized as a target ship up and down the California coast for many years. SinceTolman was decommissioned in 1947, and not used again, by the 1980s, Tolman was a treasure trove of wartime parts. At that time, the caretakers of the removed several tons of hard to find parts, to help restore the Kidd to her wartime appearance. After 25 years of being used for target practice and spare parts, Tolman was sunk as a target on January 25, 1997.
Tolman received one battle star for World War II
service.
As of 2009, no other ship has been named Tolman.
Robert H. Smith class destroyer
The Robert H. Smith class of destroyer minelayers was built by the United States during World War II.These vessels were all originally laid down as Allen M. Sumner class destroyers and converted during construction throughout 1944. In that time the United States produced 12 Robert H. Smith class...
destroyer minelayer 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...
. She was named for Commander Charles E. Tolman
Charles E. Tolman
Charles E. Tolman was an officer in the United States Navy.Born in Concord, Massachusetts, Tolman entered the United States Naval Academy in the summer of 1921 and graduated on 4 June 1925. After serving in battleship , he was transferred to in 1926...
.
Tolman was laid down as DD-740 on 10 April 1944 at 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...
, 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...
; reclassified a destroyer minelayer and redesignated DM-28 on 19 July; launched on 13 August 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Helen Tolman; and commissioned on 27 October 1944, Commander Clifford Arthur Johnson in command.
Transfer to Pacific
The minelayer held her shakedown training 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...
during November and December and returned, via 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....
, to Boston, Massachusetts. On 13 January 1945, Tolman departed Boston to escort to the west coast. She called at 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...
on the 27th and then escorted to 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...
. She participated in exercises 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...
until 23 February before heading for Eniwetok and 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...
. On 19 March, Tolman sortied from Ulithi with Task Group 52.4 to provide fire support and antisubmarine screening for the minesweepers clearing channels prior to the amphibious assault on the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
. On 22 March, she began clearing the approaches to the beaches of Okinawa.
Okinawa campaign
Shortly after midnight on 28 March, she encountered eight 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 motor torpedo boats. They closed to 4,000 yards when Tolman opened fire with her 5-inch and 40-millimeter batteries. The DM increased her speed to 34 knots and maneuvered radically to avoid torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
es. Two of the enemy boats exploded and sank as the remainder laid a smoke screen. The minelayer briefly lost contact, but used radar-controlled fire against the remaining boats and fired star shells to ferret them out. The last boat was seen to slow, apparently in trouble, just before it was blown up. The ship evidently made a clean sweep of the torpedo boats as a search revealed nothing, and no boats had been seen leaving the area.
Later that morning, Tolman was approximately 500 yards from when Skylark struck and detonated a mine against her hull. As Tolman moved in to pass a tow line to the stricken ship, Skylark hit a second mine and began settling rapidly. Tolman backed full to clear the mined area, but her boats, together with PC-1228 and PC-1179, rescued 105 survivors.
On 29 March, during several air attacks, Tolman reported downing one plane of three in the first raid; one of two in the second attack; and, with the aid of and , two of three in the third. Later, she shot down a 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....
that was approaching her in a suicide dive. The minelayer then proceeded 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....
to transfer Skylark's survivors to other ships.
On the morning of 30 March, Tolman contacted three Japanese torpedo boats at a range of 3,000 yards. She went ahead at flank speed ana made a hard turn to port. One torpedo passed astern and another was reported off her starboard bow. A third exploded astern, causing considerable vibration. On 3 April, she screened Transport Division 17 to a waiting area approximately 150 miles southeast of Okinawa and remained there for 10 days before returning to the Hagushi beaches.
Tolman grounded off Nagunna Reef on the morning of 19 April and remained aground. Two tugs then pulled her free on the 25th, and towed her to Kerama Retto for repairs. She entered drydock on 15 May and was not ready for sea until late in June. On 28 June, the ship got underway for the United States. After arriving at San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...
on 21 July, she began permanent repairs that were completed on 8 November.
Post World War II and fate
The minelayer stood out for the Far East early in December and arrived at SaseboSasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
on the day after Christmas. She operated out of Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
until February 1946 and then shifted her base of operations to Pusan, Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, for three months. The ship began the return voyage to California
California
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...
on 4 May and arrived at San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 27 May 1946. Proceeding down the coast to San Diego in January 1947, she was decommissioned on the 29 January 1947. Tolman was reclassified a fast minelayer, MMD-28, in January 1969. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 December 1970.
After being struck from the Navy List, Tolman was utilized as a target ship up and down the California coast for many years. SinceTolman was decommissioned in 1947, and not used again, by the 1980s, Tolman was a treasure trove of wartime parts. At that time, the caretakers of the removed several tons of hard to find parts, to help restore the Kidd to her wartime appearance. After 25 years of being used for target practice and spare parts, Tolman was sunk as a target on January 25, 1997.
Tolman received one battle star 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.
As of 2009, no other ship has been named Tolman.
External links
- Photo gallery at navsource.org