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USS Twiggs (DD-591)
Encyclopedia
USS Twiggs (DD-591), a Fletcher-class
destroyer
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Marine
Major
Levi Twiggs
(1793–1847).
Twiggs was laid down on 20 January 1943 at the Charleston Navy Yard; launched
on 7 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Roland S. Morris; and commissioned
on 4 November 1943, Commander John B. Fellows, Jr., in command.
in December 1943, Twiggs operated out of Norfolk
as a training ship until 12 May 1944, when she departed Hampton Roads
in company with Franklin
(CV-13), Cushing
(DD-797), and Richard P. Leary
(DD-664) and proceeded, via the Panama Canal
and San Diego, to Hawaii
.
After arriving in Pearl Harbor
on 6 June 1944, Twiggs took part in exercises and drills in Hawaiian waters and escorted convoys operating between Oahu
and Eniwetok. Throughout most of July, Twiggs worked out of Eniwetok alternating exercises with escort and radar picket duties. On 19 August, she returned to Pearl Harbor to begin rehearsals for the long-awaited return to the Philippines
.
On 15 September, in preparation for the assault on Leyte
, Twiggs departed Pearl Harbor as a member of Destroyer Squadron 49 (DesRon 49), screening Task Group 79.2 (TG 79.2), Transport Attack Group "Baker", which steamed via Eniwetok for Manus
in the Admiralty Islands
. After final preparations for the impending invasion, she departed Seeadler Harbor
on 14 October. Arriving off Leyte on 20 October, Twiggs helped to provide antiaircraft protection for the transports during the landings. In the following days of heavy enemy air activity, she continued to support the invasion and, on one occasion, rescued a downed flier from Petrof Bay
(CVE-80). Twiggs departed Leyte on 25 October, steamed via Mios Woendi
Island to Manus, and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on 1 November.
Twiggs next rendezvoused with Haraden
(DD-585) and Halligan
(DD-584) for escort duty among the Palau Islands. Stationed east of Mindanao
, she protected convoys on the approaches to Leyte.
On 10 December, Twiggs left Kossol Roads
, between Peleliu
and Angaur
, with a task force bound for the occupation of Mindoro Island. Luzon
was the key to the liberation of the Philippines, and Mindoro was the first step in the assault on Luzon. From 13 December through the 17th, Twiggs provided antiaircraft cover for the force as it steamed through Surigao Strait
and the Mindoro Sea.
Late in 1944, Japan
began organized and concerted use of kamikaze
s. On 13 December, a Japanese suicide plane crashed into Haraden (DD-585). Twiggs aided the severely damaged destroyer, fighting fires and treating casualties. She was then detached from the convoy
to guide Haraden, which had lost communications and radar in the engagement, until the battered vessel made visual contact with a tow convoy off Silino Island. Twiggs then returned to the Mindanao Sea and resumed her duties with the task unit. Army Air Force
flights out of Leyte augmented escort protection of the convoy. Twiggs retired to the Palaus on 20 December.
Twiggs sortied from Kossol Roads on 1 January 1945 protecting a large task force intended for the invasion of Luzon. In the Sulu
and South China Sea
s, several ships of the convoy were hit by Japanese plane attacks; and, on 4 January 1945, Twiggs rescued 211 survivors of Ommaney Bay
(CVE-79), destroyed by fire and explosion following an attack by a suicide plane. Raids by both torpedo and kamikaze planes continued as Twiggs operated northwest of Cape Bolinao in support of the Lingayen assault
. After taking on food and ammunition at Mindoro, Twiggs briefly ran antisubmarine patrol off the entrance of Manganin Bay. Underway on the 21st, she arrived in Ulithi
on 25 January for minor repairs and maintenance in preparation for the conquest of the Volcano Islands
.
Twiggs joined Task Force 54 which sortied from Ulithi on 10 February for rehearsals at Loesip Island. On 16 February, the force arrived off Iwo Jima
where Twiggs quickly began fire support for pre-assault underwater demolition operations off the eastern beaches. She also conducted screening and harassing activities, firing on Japanese shore units and providing illumination. On the 17th, a suicide plane attack on Twiggs resulted in a close call when the plane, in an obvious attempt to crash into the destroyer, crossed her fantail before hitting the water off her port beam and sinking without exploding. The destroyer continued activities to support American ground forces during the grueling battle for Iwo Jima
. On 10 March, she retired toward the Carolines, arriving at Ulithi two days later for rest and replenishment.
On 25 March 1945, Twiggs arrived off Okinawa to take part in the preinvasion bombardment. In addition to antisubmarine
and antiaircraft patrols, she supported ground forces with night harassing fire. Suicide planes were very active at this time, as the Japanese desperately defended the island. On 28 April, a day of heavy air activity, a kamikaze splashed close aboard Twiggs while she was on radar picket duty with Task Group 51. Bomb blast and fragmentation from the splashed airplane and bomb blew in the hull plating between the main and first platform deck causing structural damage. The underwater body was dished in, and the starboard propeller
was bent. Nestor
(ARB-6) repaired the damage; and, on 17 May, Twiggs returned to duty with the gunfire and covering forces off Okinawa.
In June, the battle for Okinawa
was drawing to its close. Twiggs continued radar picket duties in the western fire support area and supported strikes on Iheya Shima and Iheya-Aguni with pre-landing bombardment and gunfire support. On 16 June, Twiggs was on radar picket duty off Senaga Shima in the western fire support area. At 20:30, a single, low-flying plane dropped a torpedo which hit Twiggs on her port side, exploding her number 2 magazine. The plane then circled and completed its kamikaze mission in a suicide crash. The explosion enveloped the destroyer in flame; and, within an hour, she sank. Despite the hazard of exploding ammunition from the blazing Twiggs, 188 survivors were rescued from the oily waters. Among the 152 dead and missing was her commanding officer, Comdr. George Phillip.
Twiggs was struck from the Navy list
on 11 July 1945; and, in 1957, her hulk was donated to the government of the Ryukyu Islands.
Twiggs received four battle stars for World War II
service.
See USS Twiggs
for other ships of the same name.
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 Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Levi Twiggs
Levi Twiggs
Levi Twiggs was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the War of 1812, the Seminole Wars and the Mexican-American War.-Biography:...
(1793–1847).
Twiggs was laid down on 20 January 1943 at 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...
on 7 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Roland S. Morris; 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...
on 4 November 1943, Commander John B. Fellows, Jr., in command.
History
Following a shakedown cruise to 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...
in December 1943, Twiggs operated out of 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...
as a training ship until 12 May 1944, when she departed 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...
in company with Franklin
USS Franklin (CV-13)
The USS Franklin , nicknamed "Big Ben," was one of 24 s built during World War II for the United States Navy, and the fifth US Navy ship to bear the name. Commissioned in January 1944, she served in several campaigns in the Pacific Theater of Operations, earning four battle stars...
(CV-13), Cushing
USS Cushing (DD-797)
USS Cushing was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, the fourth Navy ship named for Commander William B. Cushing , who distinguished himself during the American Civil War....
(DD-797), and Richard P. Leary
USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664)
USS Richard P. Leary was a of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Richard P. Leary .Richard P. Leary was laid down 4 July 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.; launched 6 October 1943, sponsored by Mrs. George K. Crozer III; and commissioned 23 February 1944, Commander Frederic S...
(DD-664) and proceeded, via 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...
and San Diego, 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...
.
After arriving in 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...
on 6 June 1944, Twiggs took part in exercises and drills in Hawaiian waters and escorted convoys operating between Oahu
Oahu
Oahu or Oahu , known as "The Gathering Place", is the third largest of the Hawaiian Islands and most populous of the islands in the U.S. state of Hawaii. The state capital Honolulu is located on the southeast coast...
and Eniwetok. Throughout most of July, Twiggs worked out of Eniwetok alternating exercises with escort and radar picket duties. On 19 August, she returned to Pearl Harbor to begin rehearsals for the long-awaited return to the 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...
.
On 15 September, in preparation for the assault on Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
, Twiggs departed Pearl Harbor as a member of Destroyer Squadron 49 (DesRon 49), screening Task Group 79.2 (TG 79.2), Transport Attack Group "Baker", which steamed via Eniwetok for 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...
in the 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...
. After final preparations for the impending invasion, she departed Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
on 14 October. Arriving off Leyte on 20 October, Twiggs helped to provide antiaircraft protection for the transports during the landings. In the following days of heavy enemy air activity, she continued to support the invasion and, on one occasion, rescued a downed flier from Petrof Bay
USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80)
USS Petrof Bay was an Casablanca class escort carrier of the United States Navy.She was laid down under a Maritime Commission contract by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company, Vancouver, Washington, 15 October 1943; launched 5 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. J. G. Atkins; acquired 18 February 1944 and...
(CVE-80). Twiggs departed Leyte on 25 October, steamed via 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...
Island to Manus, and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on 1 November.
Twiggs next rendezvoused with Haraden
USS Haraden (DD-585)
USS Haraden , a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Jonathan Haraden , a privateer of the American Revolutionary War....
(DD-585) and Halligan
USS Halligan (DD-584)
USS Halligan was a of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral John Halligan, Jr. .Halligan was laid down 9 November 1942 by Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts; launched 19 March 1943, sponsored by Mrs. John Halligan, widow of Admiral Halligan, and commissioned 19 August 1943,...
(DD-584) for escort duty among the Palau Islands. Stationed east of Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, she protected convoys on the approaches to Leyte.
On 10 December, Twiggs left Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads, Palau is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob. During World War II, it was used by the United States Navy as the location of a floating resupply and repair base....
, between Peleliu
Peleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
and Angaur
Angaur
Angaur or Ngeaur is an island in the island nation of Palau. The island, which forms its own state, has an area of 8 km² . Its population is 188 . State capital is the village of Ngeremasch on the western side...
, with a task force bound for the occupation of Mindoro Island. 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...
was the key to the liberation of the Philippines, and Mindoro was the first step in the assault on Luzon. From 13 December through the 17th, Twiggs provided antiaircraft cover for the force as it steamed through Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. This strait connects the Bohol Sea with Leyte Gulf and is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao...
and the Mindoro Sea.
Late in 1944, 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...
began organized and concerted use of 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....
s. On 13 December, a Japanese suicide plane crashed into Haraden (DD-585). Twiggs aided the severely damaged destroyer, fighting fires and treating casualties. She was then detached from the convoy
Convoy
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...
to guide Haraden, which had lost communications and radar in the engagement, until the battered vessel made visual contact with a tow convoy off Silino Island. Twiggs then returned to the Mindanao Sea and resumed her duties with the task unit. Army Air Force
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
flights out of Leyte augmented escort protection of the convoy. Twiggs retired to the Palaus on 20 December.
Twiggs sortied from Kossol Roads on 1 January 1945 protecting a large task force intended for the invasion of Luzon. In the Sulu
Sulu Sea
The Sulu Sea is a body of water in the southwestern area of the Philippines, separated from the South China Sea in the northwest by Palawan and from the Celebes Sea in the southeast by the Sulu Archipelago. Borneo is found to the southwest and Visayas to the northeast.Sulu Sea contains a number of...
and South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
s, several ships of the convoy were hit by Japanese plane attacks; and, on 4 January 1945, Twiggs rescued 211 survivors of 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), destroyed by fire and explosion following an attack by a suicide plane. Raids by both torpedo and kamikaze planes continued as Twiggs operated northwest of Cape Bolinao in support of the Lingayen assault
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...
. After taking on food and ammunition at Mindoro, Twiggs briefly ran antisubmarine patrol off the entrance of Manganin Bay. Underway on the 21st, she arrived in 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 25 January for minor repairs and maintenance in preparation for the conquest of the Volcano Islands
Volcano Islands
The Volcano Islands is a group of three Japanese islands south of the Bonin Islands that belong to the municipality of Ogasawara...
.
Twiggs joined Task Force 54 which sortied from Ulithi on 10 February for rehearsals at Loesip Island. On 16 February, the force arrived off 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...
where Twiggs quickly began fire support for pre-assault underwater demolition operations off the eastern beaches. She also conducted screening and harassing activities, firing on Japanese shore units and providing illumination. On the 17th, a suicide plane attack on Twiggs resulted in a close call when the plane, in an obvious attempt to crash into the destroyer, crossed her fantail before hitting the water off her port beam and sinking without exploding. The destroyer continued activities to support American ground forces during the grueling battle for 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...
. On 10 March, she retired toward the Carolines, arriving at Ulithi two days later for rest and replenishment.
On 25 March 1945, Twiggs arrived off Okinawa to take part in the preinvasion bombardment. In addition to antisubmarine
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...
and antiaircraft patrols, she supported ground forces with night harassing fire. Suicide planes were very active at this time, as the Japanese desperately defended the island. On 28 April, a day of heavy air activity, a kamikaze splashed close aboard Twiggs while she was on radar picket duty with Task Group 51. Bomb blast and fragmentation from the splashed airplane and bomb blew in the hull plating between the main and first platform deck causing structural damage. The underwater body was dished in, and the starboard propeller
Propeller
A propeller is a type of fan that transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. A pressure difference is produced between the forward and rear surfaces of the airfoil-shaped blade, and a fluid is accelerated behind the blade. Propeller dynamics can be modeled by both Bernoulli's...
was bent. Nestor
USS Nestor (ARB-6)
USS Nestor was one of twelve Aristaeus-class battle damage repair ships built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Nestor , she was the only U.S...
(ARB-6) repaired the damage; and, on 17 May, Twiggs returned to duty with the gunfire and covering forces off Okinawa.
In June, the battle for 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...
was drawing to its close. Twiggs continued radar picket duties in the western fire support area and supported strikes on Iheya Shima and Iheya-Aguni with pre-landing bombardment and gunfire support. On 16 June, Twiggs was on radar picket duty off Senaga Shima in the western fire support area. At 20:30, a single, low-flying plane dropped a torpedo which hit Twiggs on her port side, exploding her number 2 magazine. The plane then circled and completed its kamikaze mission in a suicide crash. The explosion enveloped the destroyer in flame; and, within an hour, she sank. Despite the hazard of exploding ammunition from the blazing Twiggs, 188 survivors were rescued from the oily waters. Among the 152 dead and missing was her commanding officer, Comdr. George Phillip.
Twiggs was struck from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 11 July 1945; and, in 1957, her hulk was donated to the government of the Ryukyu Islands.
Twiggs received four 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.
See USS Twiggs
USS Twiggs
Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Twiggs, named in honor of Marine Major Levi Twiggs .* USS Twiggs was a Wickes-class destroyer, launched in 1918. She was transferred to the United Kingdom in 1940 as HMS Leamington...
for other ships of the same name.