USS Helm (DD-388)

USS "Helm" (DD-388) was a "Bagley"-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral James Meredith Helm. "Helm" received 11 battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific.

Pre-war

"Helm" was launched by Norfolk Navy Yard on May 27, 1937; sponsored by Mrs. J. M. Helm, widow; and commissioned on October 16, 1937, with Lt. Comdr. P. H. Talbot in command.

After shakedown "Helm" operated in the Caribbean until March 1938. Following summer exercises, she was attached to the newly formed Atlantic Squadron on October 1, 1938. Early in 1939, she deployed with Carrier Division 2 in the Caribbean for the annual fleet problem, developing tactics and doctrine so vital in the war which was to come. Transferred to the West Coast in May 1939, "Helm" engaged in fleet exercises and screening maneuvers out of San Diego and the Hawaiian Islands.

Pearl Harbor

At 0755 on the morning of December 7, 1941, "Helm" had just turned into West Loch in Pearl Harbor, en route to deperming buoys [Carroll 1941] , when Japanese carrier planes attacked the naval base. It was the only ship under way at the time of the attack. [Nimitz 1942] The destroyer manned her guns and brought down at least one of the attackers while she was strafed and slightly damaged by two bombs close aboard. After the attack, she joined the task group of carrier USS "Saratoga", just arrived from San Diego and served as screening ship and plane guard. [Carroll 1941]

1942

The destroyer sailed January 20, 1942 on a special mission to rescue Department of the Interior workers from Howland and Baker islands. Using her whaleboat "Helm" brought off six men from the two islands January 31. She was attacked by a Japanese patrol bomber later that day. Her gunners drove off the attacker and the ship returned to Pearl Harbor on February 6.

New Hebrides operations

Following a round trip voyage to San Diego, "Helm" departed Pearl Harbor March 15, 1942, escorting an advance base party to the New Hebrides. She arrived at Efate on March 19 and for the next few weeks escorted ships in that area while U.S. bases were consolidated. She rescued 13 survivors from SS "John Adams" on May 9 and 4 from the oiler "Neosho", sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea on May 17. These men were taken to Brisbane, Australia, where "Helm" joined British Rear Admiral Crutchley's Task Force 44 on May 19.

For the next 2 months "Helm", performed escort duty along the Australian Coast. The fleet was then assembling for the first offensive amphibious operation in the Pacific, the capture of Guadalcanal. "Helm" departed Auckland, New Zealand, on July 22 for the Fiji Islands. Following practice landings Admiral Turner's fleet suddenly struck Guadalcanal and Tulagi, arriving off the beaches on August 7 and catching the Japanese completely by surprise. The destroyer screened the transports as troops disembarked, shooting down several attacking aircraft during the first 2 days.

Battle of Savo Island

With the cruisers "Vincennes", "Quincy", and "Astoria", "Helm" patrolled the waters around Savo Island the night of August 7 and, as night fell on August 8, the four ships and destroyer "Wilson" took up patrol between Savo and Florida Islands. Another group of two cruisers and two destroyers patrolled to the south, and picket destroyers "Blue" and "Ralph Talbot" were stationed to the northwest of Savo Island. A fateful combination of circumstances had allowed Admiral Mikawa's cruisers and destroyers to approach Savo Island undetected. Failures in search and identification had prevented early analysis of the dangerous situation, and the inadequate two-ship screen off Savo Island had not warned of the Japanese ships. The alarm was sounded by destroyer "Patterson" at about 01:43, just seconds before two torpedoes ripped into HMAS "Canberra" in the southern group. Soon both formations of cruisers were battling the fierce Japanese attack. "Helm", on the port bow of "Vincennes", turned back to help the stricken cruisers. She stood by "Astoria", brought survivors to transports off Guadalcanal, and withdrew with the remainder of the force to Noumea on August 13. The Battle of Savo Island was a disaster, but even in defeat the ships had prevented the Japanese from attacking the vulnerable transports at Guadalcanal. Much desperate fighting followed but the Americans had come to stay.

For the next few weeks "Helm" remained in the dangerous waters near Guadalcanal, escorting transports and patrolling. She sailed to Brisbane on September 7 and departed the next day to provide escort protection for transports between Australia and New Guinea.

1943

The veteran destroyer remained on this duty for some months. On May 15, 1942 the "Helm" assisted in the search for survivors from the Australian hospital ship AHS Centaur that had been torpedoed and sunk by Japanese submarine I-177, south east of Cape Moreton, near Brisbane. Later it escorted LST's to Woodlark Island for an unopposed landing in June of 1943 and protecting the important base at Milne Bay. As MacArthur's army prepared to move into New Britain under naval cover, "Helm" bombarded Gasmata on November 29, 1943 and sortied from Milne Bay again on December 14 under Admiral Crutchley for the capture of Cape Gloucester. "Helm" helped in the pre-invasion bombardment, fired close support missions after the initial landings, and performed screening duties as transports unloaded. The operation by Admiral Barbey's VII Amphibious Corps was a smooth and successful one, and, as soon as the position was secured, "Helm" and the rest of Admiral Crutchley's fleet moved to Saidor, where Admiral Barbey performed one of his famous amphibious "hops." The destroyer screened the cruiser force as it prevented attack by surface and air forces from seaward.

1944

"Helm" continued her escort duty in the Guadalcanal and Milne Bay areas until departing on February 19, 1944 for Pearl Harbor. The ship proceeded thence to Mare Island Navy Yard escorting the battleship "Maryland", and arrived on March 4.

"Helm" departed San Francisco on May 5, 1944. After arrival in Pearl Harbor 5 days later she engaged in refresher training in Hawaiian waters. She arrived Majuro on June 4 and Kwajalein on June 7 to join the naval force assembling for the next step in America's amphibious sweep across the Pacific, the invasion of the Marianas. She joined Vice Admiral Mitscher's famed Task Force 58 and sailed with it from Kwajalein on June 7. The fast carrier group guarded the western approaches to the islands from June 11 to June 13 and provided air support for the landings, which were carried out by Admiral Kelly Turner's amphibian group 1,000 miles from the nearest advance base at Eniwetok. The carrier task forces returned from a strike on the Bonin Islands on June 18 and deployed to repel the Japanese fleet as it closed the Marianas for a decisive naval battle. The great fleets approached each other on June 19 for the biggest carrier engagement of the war. As four large air raids hit the American fleet formation, fighter cover from "Helm"'s task group and surface fire from the ships annihilated the Japanese planes. With able assistance from American submarines, Mitscher succeeded in sinking two Japanese carriers while inflicting such staggering losses on the enemy naval air arm that the battle was dubbed the "Marianas Turkey Shoot." Admiral Spruance had succeeded in protecting the invasion force in a battle the importance of which was well understood by the Japanese. Admiral Toyoda had said on June 15: "The fate of the Empire rests on this one battle," repeating the words of Admiral Togo at the Battle of Tsushima.

Following the decisive Battle of the Philippine Sea, "Helm" and the fast carriers turned their attention to neutralizing the enemy bases on the Bonin and Volcano Islands and supporting the invasion of Guam. The mobile carrier groups, screened by destroyers and cruisers, also began attacks on the Palau Islands on July 25, 1944. With occasional respite at Eniwetok or Ulithi, the carriers attacked Iwo Jima and other islands in the western Pacific until well into September. "Helm" sank a small Japanese freighter off Iwo Jima on September 2 and later that day surprised and sank a small cargo ship.

"Helm" and her carrier group arrived in Seeadler Harbor on September 21, 1944. They sortied again on September 24; and, after ground support strikes in the Palaus, rendezvoused with the entire task force of seventeen carriers with their supporting and screening vessels for an important sweep to the west. Strikes were launched against Okinawa on October 10; after which the carriers turned to their real objective, the airfields and military installations on Formosa. In a devastating 3-day attack carrier planes did much to destroy that island as a supporting base for the Japanese in the battle of the Philippines and other invasions to come. Enemy planes retaliated with heavy and repeated land-based attacks. "Helm" brought down one bomber with her 5-inch guns on October 13 and assisted in shooting down several more.

Following the Formosa Air Battle, a convincing demonstration of the power and mobility of sea power, Task Force 38 returned to the east coast of Luzon to strike enemy air bases in the Philippines to neutralize Japanese air power during the invasion of Leyte. By October 24 it was clear that the assault on Leyte had called forth one final effort on the part of the Japanese to destroy the American fleet. Its three major fleet units moved toward the Philippines. The Northern Group was to lure the American carriers northward away from Leyte, before the others converged on the assault area in Leyte Gulf for a two-pronged death blow. In for the historic Battle of Leyte Gulf, "Helm" with Rear Admiral Davison's Task Group 38.4 turned her attention toward Admiral Kurita's Center Force. Planes from the carriers struck the Japanese ships near mid-day in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea, sinking giant battleship "Musashi" and damaging other heavy ships.

While two of the other phases of this great battle, the Battle off Samar and the Battle of Surigao Strait, were being fought, Admiral Halsey took the carrier groups north to engage the powerful fleet of Admiral Ozawa. Screened by "Helm" and other surface units, the carriers made air contact on October 25 and, in a series of devastating strikes, sank four Japanese carriers and a destroyer. The great sea battle was thus ended, with the invasion of Leyte secured and the Japanese fleet no longer an effective fighting unit.

"Helm" and the carriers resumed direct support of ground operations on Leyte on October 26. In addition to air attacks by land-based Japanese aircraft, the group also experienced submarine attack on October 28. "Helm" and companion destroyer "Gridley" made a contact around noon and, as the carriers cleared the area, the two ships dropped depth charges and sank 1-46. Two carriers, "Franklin" and "Belleau Wood", were damaged on October 30 by suicide planes. That night the group retired toward Ulithi, where it arrived on November 2 after over 2 months of almost continuous service.

Departing Ulithi again on November 5, 1944, "Helm" and her carrier group returned to the Philippines for strikes against Japanese shipping and shore targets, returning on November 20. "Helm" was then detached from Task Group 38.4 and steamed from Ulithi for Manus on November 20. Arriving 2 days later, the ship began preparations for the next important amphibious operation in the Philippine campaign, the landings at Lingayen Gulf on Luzon. "Helm" departed on December 27 with a large task group bound for Lingayen Gulf.

1945

As the ships entered the Sulu Sea, heavy air attacks began. The Japanese, hitting with their only remaining weapon, struck with suicide planes on January 4, 1945 and sank escort carrier "Ommaney Bay". Gunfire from "Helm" and the other screening ships took a heavy toll of the attackers. From January 6 to January 17 the destroyer operated with carriers west of Lingayen Gulf providing air support for these important landings. The ships departed on January 17 and arrived in Ulithi 6 days later.

As the great naval task force assembled for the invasion of Iwo Jima, next stop on the island road to Japan, "Helm" sailed on February 12 in the screen of a group of escort carriers, arriving off the volcanic island fortress on February 16. She screened the carriers during the important preliminary strikes and protected them while they lent close support to the invasion, which began on the 19th. The carrier groups were hit repeatedly by desperate air attacks, with "Helm" and the other destroyers accounting for many suicide and torpedo planes. When escort carrier "Bismarck Sea" was sunk, in a massive suicide attack on February 21, "Helm" rescued survivors and brought them to the transport anchorage next day.

The veteran destroyer continued screening operations off Iwo Jima until March 7 when she steamed toward Leyte for repairs. She was soon underway again, however, for the last and largest of the Pacific amphibious operations, the invasion of Okinawa. Sailing on March 27, she joined escort carrier groups off the island for pre-invasion strikes; and, after the historic assault on April 1, for ground support operations. During her stay off Okinawa the destroyer shot down many suicide planes which menaced the carriers during fanatical, last-ditch efforts by the Japanese to repel the invasion. "Helm" steamed to Leyte on June 19 with Okinawa secured.

Post-war

Following the Okinawa operation "Helm" served as an escort and patrol ship out of Ulithi and Leyte, and helped to search for survivors of ill-fated "Indianapolis" from August 3 to August 6, 1945. The ship was steaming toward Ulithi from Okinawa when the war ended on August 15. She returned to Okinawa and finally to Iwo Jima to join the Bonins patrol, for air-sea rescue work until September 8. The destroyer then sailed to Sasebo, Japan, where she served as shipping guide and patrol vessel until returning to Okinawa on September 26. After another stay in Japan, the ship departed for Pearl Harbor and San Diego on October 29.

She returned to the United States on November 19, then sailed back to Pearl Harbor where she was decommissioned on June 26, 1946. "Helm" was used that summer as a target ship during the historic Operation Crossroads atomic tests in the Pacific, and her hulk was sold to Moore Dry Dock Co., Oakland, California, in October 1947 for scrapping.

Notes

References

*
* Nimitz, C.W. (15 February 1942) " [http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/CinCPac.htm Report of Japanese Raid on Pearl Harbor, 7 December, 1941.] ", Naval Historical Center, published 20 May 2001, retrieved 11 August 2008.
* Carrol, C.E. (11 December 1941) " [http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph45.htm Action during air raid on December 7 – Report on.] ", Naval Historical Center, published 9 September 2003, retrieved 11 August 2008.

External links

* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/388.htm navsource.org: USS "Helm"]
* [http://www.domeisland.com/goldplater/usshelm.html domeisland.com: USS "Helm"]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-h/dd388.htm Navy Photos of "Helm" (DD-388)]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/docs/wwii/pearl/ph45.htm USS Helm, Report of Pearl Harbor Attack]
*DANFS entry and mirrors
** [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h4/helm.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Helm"]
** [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd388txt.htm hazegray.org: USS "Helm"]
** [http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/DD/dd388.html ibiblio.org: USS "Helm"]