- USS English (DD-696)
USS "English" (DD-696), an "Allen M. Sumner"-class
destroyer , named forRobert Henry English , a submariner who commanded the "Helena" (CL-50) and was awarded theNavy Cross and theNavy Distinguished Service Medal . Rear Admiral English was so serving when killed in an airplane accident in California21 January 1943 .History
The "English" was launched
27 February 1944 byFederal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co. ,Kearny, New Jersey ; sponsored by Ensign Eloise W. English, USNR(W), daughter of Rear Admiral English; and commissioned4 May 1944 , CommanderJ. T. Smith in command."English" arrived in the Hawaiian Islands
3 September 1944 for final training, and service as plane guard during the qualification of aviators in carrier operations. On17 December , she sailed from Pearl Harbor for Ulithi, where on28 December she joined the screen for mighty carrier TF 38. She put to sea 2 days later for air strikes to neutralize Japanese bases on Formosa, Luzon, Okinawa, and the Indo-China coast in coordination with the invasion of Lingayen Gulf. "English" returned to Ulithi to replenish between26 January 1945 and8 February , then sailed to Saipan to meet "Indianapolis" (CA-35) and escort her to a rendezvous with newly designated TF 58. She screened the carriers as they launched the series of strikes accompanying theIwo Jima operation, hitting Tokyo both before and after the assault, Iwo Jima itself, and Okinawa.After taking on fuel and stores at Ulithi from
4 March 1945 to14 March , "English" sortied with TF 58 for strikes on Kyushu heralding the Okinawa operation. When "Franklin" (CV-13) was heavily damaged by bombing on19 March off Kyushu, English screened the carrier's retirement from the action area, then rejoined the screen for strikes on Okinawa and nearby islands in the days preceding the assault. On1 April , she closed Okinawa to provide fire support for the invading troops, returning to the carrier screen for continued strikes on shore targets and Japanese shipping. She left the task force to bombard Minami Daito Shima on the night of10 May . Next day English went close alongside "Bunker Hill" (CV-17), damaged by akamikaze , to help in fighting fires, and to take off Vice AdmiralMarc Mitscher and his staff, whom she transferred to another carrier."English" put in to San Pedro Bay, Philippines., from
1 June 1945 to1 July for repairs and exercises, then sailed again with TF 38 for the final pounding series of air strikes on the Japanese homeland. She closed the coast of Honshu on18 July to hunt Japanese shipping in Sagami Wan and to bombard targets on Nojima Saki. In Tokyo Bay from 10 to19 September , "English" voyaged to escort occupation shipping from the Marianas, then after 2 months of occupation duty cleared Sasebo for the long passage to Boston, where she arrived26 April 1946 ."English" operated out of Boston, and later Charleston and New Orleans, for exercises and to train members of the
Naval Reserve , cruising along the east coast and in the Caribbean. From23 April 1949 she was home ported at Norfolk, from which she sailed6 September for her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. She returned to Norfolk26 January 1950 for exercises off the Virginia Capes and in the Caribbean.Alerted for distant deployment upon the outbreak of the Korean war, "English" departed Norfolk
6 September 1950 for the Panama Canal, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, Midway, and Yokosuka, where she arrived5 October . She supported the withdrawal from Hungnam, then proceeded with two corvettes of theRoyal Thai Navy to shell Communist positions at Choderi and Chonjin. On7 January 1951 , one of these, HMTS "Prase", grounded in a heavy snowstorm, and after arduous attempts to salvage her, "English" destroyed the corvette with gunfire.On
20 January 1951 "English" began duty as direct fire-support ship for a division of the Korean army, blasting positions at Kanson, Kosong, and Kangnung to support the Korean advance ashore. She served on blockade at Chongjin and Wonsan, where in 20 consecutive days on the firing line she silenced 20 attacks by Communist shore batteries. After a final period of service screening carriers on both coasts of Korea, she sailed from Yokosuka11 May eastbound for Norfolk.From her return to Norfolk
9 June 1951 , "English" resumed local training operations, and in the winter of 1952 joined in cold-weather exercises off Newfoundland andNova Scotia . On26 August 1952 she departed forNATO operations in which she visited British ports, sailing on to a tour of duty in the Mediterranean from which she returned to Norfolk5 February 1953 . In the fall of 1954 she visitedLisbon, Portugal . On31 October , while at sea for a major fleet exercise, she was in collision with "Wallace L. Lind" (DD-703), but though "English" lost 50 feet of her bow, she suffered no casualties. Skillful seamanship brought her into port under her own power, and she was repaired in time to join in large-scale exercises in the Caribbean early in 1955.From May to August 1955, "English" made a good will cruise to ports of northern Europe, and between
28 July 1956 and4 December served again in the Mediterranean, visitingBahrein in the Persian Gulf. With the eruption of theSuez Crisis , she aided in evacuating American citizens from the troubled area, and patrolled the eastern Mediterranean to serve with the 6th Fleet. Returning to Norfolk in April she spent the remainder of 1959 and all of 1960 in conducting an intensive program of antisubmarine warfare exercises."English" sailed for the Med and the Sixth Fleet in September 1961 returning to Norfolk nine months later. William Mahan was the Captain; J.B. Allen the Executive Officer. First port of call was Suda Bay, Crete, followed, not necessarily in order, by Naples, Livorno, and LaSpezia, Italy; Barcelona, Spain; and Toulon, France.
In October 1962 the English sailed and served duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Primarily acting as "Plane Guard" for the USS Independence and USS Enterprise. Over 30 days at sea without replenishment.
"English" received four
battle stars for World War II service, and four for Korean war service.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/e4/english.htm
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/696.htm navsource.org: USS "English"]
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