- USS John D. Henley (DD-553)
USS "John D. Henley" (DD-553), a "Fletcher"-class
destroyer , was a ship of theUnited States Navy named for CaptainJohn D. Henley (1781–1835)."John D. Henley" (DD-553) was laid down
21 July 1941 byGulf Shipbuilding Co. , Chickasaw, Ala.; launched15 November 1942 , sponsored by Miss Shelah Keith Kane, great-great-great-granddaughter of Captain Henley; and commissioned2 February 1944 , Commander C. H. Smith in command.History
Following exhaustive shakedown training out of Bermuda, the new destroyer arrived Norfolk
28 March 1944 . Sailing for the Pacific via thePanama Canal , she arrivedPearl Harbor 23 April 1944 . After operational training, "John D. Henley" escortedfleet oiler s toMajuro and returned17 May . She departed27 May for Majuro once more and there becameflagship of a refuelingtask group . Departing6 June 1944 , the ships moved to the Marianas to refuel the fleet during the capture and occupation ofSaipan andTinian . During this long at-sea period the ships came under air attack 17 and18 June . They returned toEniwetok 14 August .As the Navy's mobile amphibious forces prepared to move into the
Palaus , "John D. Henley" joined Task Group 30.8 (TG 30.8) and departed Manus1 September as flagship of the refueling group during strikes onPeleliu and its eventual capture. The oilers and their escorts continued to operate out ofUlithi well into November, supporting the vastaircraft carrier task force s striking thePhilippines . This unit, headed by CaptainJ. T. Acuff , had much to do with the great success of the wide-ranging carrier forces.In December the destroyer moved to
Guam for independent operation as an escort and patrol ship in the Marshalls and Marianas. She then steamed to Ulithi, where she arrived31 January 1945 to undergo operational training in coveringUnderwater Demolition Team s. She sailed14 February for the next major landing on the island road to Japan,Iwo Jima . Arriving 2 days later, she took part in the pre-invasion bombardment and, after the assault on Iwo Jima19 February , performed yeoman fire support, screening, andradar picket duties during the bitter fighting ashore. She returned to Ulithi5 March to prepare for the Okinawa invasion."John D. Henley" got underway
21 March for the last and largest of the Pacific amphibious operations,Okinawa . Her assignment consisted of screening the light carriers as their planes provided vital air support to ground troops. Undergoing periodic air attacks, she continued to screen her carrier group, with occasional logistics stops atKerama Retto until24 June . She arrivedLeyte Gulf 27 June 1945 .The veteran ship returned to waters north of Okinawa
1 July to cover minesweeping operations. "John D. Henley" returned toBuckner Bay 7 August and was there at war's end15 August . She took air-sea rescue station off Japan24 August ; then departed2 September , the day of Japan's formal surrender, for the long voyage toCalifornia , arriving in San Francisco24 September . She was overhauled, and decommissioned at San Diego30 April 1946 , then entered thePacific Reserve Fleet , and was berthed at Bremerton, Wash.On
1 May 1968 , the ship was stricken from theNaval Vessel Register ; in May 1970 she was sold and broken up for scrap.Honors
"John D. Henley" received six
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
*DANFS|http://history.navy.mil/danfs/j3/john_d_henley.htm
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/553.htm navsource.org: USS "John D. Henley"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd553txt.htm hazegray.org: USS "John D. Henley"]
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