- USS Izard (DD-589)
USS "Izard" (DD-589), a "Fletcher"-class
destroyer , was a ship of theUnited States Navy named for Lieutenant Ralph Izard (1785–1822),"Izard" was launched
8 August 1942 by theCharleston Navy Yard ; sponsored by Mrs. Robert E. Lee III, great-granddaughter of Lt. Ralph Izard; and commissioned15 May 1943 , Commander Earl K. Van Swearingen in command.History
After shakedown interrupted by a search for a German
U-boat off the coast ofThe Carolinas , "Izard" departed Norfolk14 September 1943 and sailed forPearl Harbor via thePanama Canal Zone and San Diego. Arriving Pearl Harbor4 October she spent the next 6 weeks training and standing plane guard duty.As the Pacific Fleet started its mighty sweep across
Micronesia "Izard" sortied10 November 1943 from Pearl Harbor with Rear AdmiralCharles A. Pownall 's Carrier Force (TF-50) for the Gilbert Islands operations, and for the next month provided air, surface and antisubmarine protection forMakin Island .After taking part in the bombardment of
Nauru Island8 December 1943 "Izard" retired toHavannah Harbor ,Efate . Here she trained and rehearsed for the fleet's next target—theMarshall Islands . "Izard" sortied fromFunafuti Harbor,Ellice Island ,23 January 1944 with Rear AdmiralForrest Sherman 's Carrier Task Group to provide air cover for the assault and capture of Kwajalein. At 04:4029 January the carriers launched their first strikes towardKwajalein . By that afternoon the fleet had delivered many devastating blows on the enemy. By4 February "Izard" had enteredMajuro Atoll, recently captured from the Japanese, and dropped anchor. Here she joined AdmiralRaymond Spruance 's Truk Striking Force and AdmiralMarc Mitscher 'sFast Carrier Task Force (TF 58/38) for strikes onTruk (17–18 February 1944). The first strike was launched at 06:4217 February and after 2 days the carrier planes had destroyedauxiliary cruiser s "Aikoku Maru" and "Eiyosumi Maru"; destroyer "Fumizuki";submarine tender s "Rio de Janeiro Maru" and "Heian Maru"; aircraft ferry "Fujikawa Maru", 6 tankers and 17 more marus; total tonnage about 200,000. Planes from "Enterprise" (CV-6) also sunk destroyers "Oite" and "Agano". On the first day of the strikes while Admiral Mitscher's planes were at work, Admiral Spruance's group, including "Izard", conducted a round-the-atoll search to catch escaping vessels. They sunklight cruiser "Katori", destroyer "Maikaze", andsub chaser "SC-24". After18 February Truk lost its usefulness as a fleet anchorage or advanced naval base for the Japanese. In addition, the 250 to 275 planes destroyed or damaged was a severe blow to the Japanese air force."Izard" screened the carriers launching strikes in the
Tinian -Saipan area22 February , retiring to Majuro the 26th and Pearl in mid-March. From March through August she operated in support of the 5th Fleet operations inNew Guinea and theMarianas . "Izard" was part of the screen for Admiral J.J. "Jocko" Clark's Carrier Task Group TG 58.1 during theBattle of the Philippine Sea (19–20 June 1944) which broke the enemy's once-mighty naval air arm."Izard" continued in support of fast carriers launching strike after strike against the enemy. On
4 July 1944 it was in a group of three cruisers and four destroyers that bombarded the airfield atIwo Jima . During the first part of October she joined Admiral John S. McCain's task group for strikes onOkinawa and Formosa. During the following months she supported the Leyte operation and participated in the Battle ofLingayen Gulf . There she was next to the "Columbia" (CL-56) when the "Columbia" was hit by akamikaze . At one point, she sailed through the eyewall of a Pacific storm that had 50 knot winds. In February 1945 she was supposed to head for refitting, but another ship needed replacement as part of the Iwo Jima attack. She sailed with one other ship to Iwo Jima, arrived on the second day of the invasion, and was assigned duty during theBattle of Iwo Jima rendering fire support, screening, and radar picket duty until27 March . She fired 3,600 five inch rounds at Iwo Jima during the battle, firing from South of the island."Izard" steamed for
Eniwetok 28 March arriving2 April . Joining aconvoy she steamed east, reachingPearl Harbor on the day of FDR's death, hearing the news as she was sailing in the channel at Pearl on her arrival. She then quickly resumed sailing and arrived at Bremerton for refitting on20 April , 1945. "Izard" sailed for Pearl Harbor30 June and in August joined theNorthern Pacific Force atAdak, Alaska . The last of August, the "Izard" sailed forHonshū , Japan, and after the war continued to operate in northern Japan, liberating prisoners-of-war and demobilizing Japanese army and navy units until15 November ."Izard" returned to Seattle the last of November and
2 April 1946 steamed to San Diego. "Izard" decommissioned there31 May 1946 and joined theReserve Fleet . She was stricken from theNaval Vessel Register 1 May 1968 , was sold2 April 1970 and broken up for scrap.Awards
"Izard" received 10
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i3/izard.htm
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/i3/izard.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Izard"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/589.htm Two photos of and the patch from the USS "Izard" at navsource.org]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd589txt.htm hazegray.org: USS "Izard"]
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