- USS Thatcher (DD-514)
USS "Thatcher" (DD-514), a .
A closer inspection of "Thatcher" revealed that her collision with "Spence" had sprung her starboard shaft and had caused extensive dishing of her starboard side amidships. She steamed to Purvis Bay and was routed onward to
Nouméa where the misaligned screw was repaired. She then returned to Espiritu Santo where she received orders to proceed to the United States for further repairs. On20 November , "Thatcher" got underway as an escort for USS|Birmingham|CL-62|2, and the ships arrived atSan Francisco on14 December 1943. After her damage had been corrected at the Mare Island Navy Yard, "Thatcher" stood out of San Francisco on11 February 1944 and steamed to Pearl Harbor for refresher training before rejoining TF 39 on14 March .1944
The task force covered the unopposed landings on
Emirau Island on the 20th. On26 March , "Thatcher" was reassigned to TG 58.3 of theFast Carrier Task Force . She escorted the carriers as their aircraft flew strikes againstPalau ,Yap ,Ulithi , andWoleai in theCaroline Islands from30 March to1 April . The task group then retired to theMarshall Islands to prepare for their next assault against Japanese bases.On
13 April , "Thatcher" escorted the fast carriers toNew Guinea as they launched strikes againstHollandia ,Wakde ,Sawar , andSarmi on the 21st and 22d to support landings atAitape and atTanahmerah and Humboldt Bays. On29 April , aircraft from the carriers began a two-day attack againstTruk , Ponape, andSatawan . On1 May , "Thatcher" was in the screen of the bombardment group that shelled Ponape."Thatcher" returned to
Majuro on4 May to enter afloating drydock for repairs. She returned to sea late in the month for refresher training and firing exercises. On26 May , her number 3 5 inch gun accidentally fired into her starboard midships 20 mm mount, killing five men and causing considerable structural damage. Repairs were completed in time for the destroyer to accompany TG 58.4 to theMariana Islands .While operating with the group near
Saipan on12 June , "Thatcher" and USS|Charles Ausburne|DD-570|2 were ordered to rescue some aviators in the water nearPagan Island . The two destroyers closed to within five miles of the enemy-held island before reaching the pilots. It was shortly before dark and, as "Charles Ausburne" was picking them up, "Thatcher" investigated a ship which had been sighted about six miles northward. She found a small wooden freighter and took it under fire. The size of the fires which broke out on the target and the subsequent explosions indicated that her cargo was oil and ammunition. Survivors in the water refused the lifelines thrown to them."Thatcher" rejoined her sister destroyer, and they made a sweep of the island seeking further targets. They soon made radar contact, and both ships began firing at 12,000 yards (11 km) but observed no hits. When they had closed the range to 4,700 yards (4.3 km), "Ausburne" fired
star shell s which revealed a ship similar to the vessel "Thatcher" had sunk. She then fired another salvo which set the ship afire. The destroyers found no other targets before they rejoined the task group the next morning.The carriers conducted air strikes against the
Bonin Islands on 15 and16 June and returned to the Saipan area. On18 June , when TF 58 prepared for a major battle with the Japanese fleet, "Thatcher"'s group took station on the northern flank of the force. During the ensuing action—later referred to as the "Great Marianas Turkey Shoot"—only a few Japanese planes broke through the American fighter cover, and they caused no damage. Meanwhile, the Japanese lost over 300 aircraft.The next day, "Thatcher" and TG 58.4 were detached from the westward-moving task force to refuel and to continue strikes against Rota and
Guam . In the early morning of the 20th, carrier aircraft of the group shot down 18 enemy planes and destroyed 52 more on the ground. On27 June , "Thatcher" was with the destroyer squadron that was detached to accompany USS|Miami|CL-89|2 and USS|Houston|CL-81|2 on a bombardment mission against Rota and Guam. "Thatcher" and two other destroyers shelled Rota, setting fire to a sugar mill and other buildings, and then joined the other ships off Guam to bombard airfields, shipping, storage tanks, and other worthwhile targets. "Thatcher" shelled the same islands again three days later and continued the operation through1 July .She returned to
Eniwetok on6 July with the task group and remained there for a week before headingback toward the Marianas. The destroyer served with TF 58 until2 August when she was detached to join AdmiralWilliam Halsey 's 3d Fleet at Eniwetok. She then joined TG 30.8, the fleet oiler and transport group established to support the 3d Fleet. The ship stood out of Eniwetok on26 August with several oilers and arrived atSeeadler Harbor on the 31st. She spent the next three months with various units of the group as it provided fuel, mail, and planes for TF 38. They first operated in the vicinity of Palau and Yap when the carriers struck west of the Carolines. TG 30.8 then moved to Ulithi as the carriers shifted their strikes westward to thePhilippines and Formosa."Thatcher" then joined TG 38.3 for operations in the Philippine Islands. On 14, 15, and
16 December , the carriers launched strikes againstLuzon to support the landings onMindoro . The group retired to refuel, but the rapidly fallingbarometer indicated atyphoon approaching. "Thatcher" was fueled to 50% capacity before the hoses parted due to rough seas. The task force attempted to steam out of the danger area but was near the center of the storm on the 17th and 18th. Three United States destroyers were lost. When the weather cleared and the fleet reassembled, "Thatcher" joined TG 30.8, a supply group, and served with it until7 January 1945 .1945
On
8 January , "Thatcher" joined a special fueling group composed of six of the fastest oilers, two escort carriers, and eight destroyers to conduct fueling operations in theChina Sea for the fast carriers. They accompanied the fast carriers into theSouth China Sea and took station midway between the Philippines and the coast ofIndochina . The destroyer remained on station until the 20th when she headed for Guam with a group of empty oilers. Arriving atApra Harbor on the 27th, she left for Ulithi and the Philippines the following week."Thatcher" joined the 7th Fleet at Leyte on
10 February and, three days later, escorted a convoy toSubic Bay . From19 February to3 March , the destroyer provided fire support for the Army forces ashore. Following two weeks of escort duty, the destroyer joined TG 78.3, the Visayan Attack Group. The group sailed on15 March and headed directly to the landing beaches on the south coast ofPanay ."Thatcher" was off the landing beaches on
18 March and fired her only bombardment of the day against two groups of Japanese cut off by guerrillas in villages near the assault area. The 40th Infantry Division landed at 09:00 and met very little opposition. As Army troops landed atNegros Occidental on the 29th, the destroyer assisted with call fire and continued the task until5 April when she was relieved. She refitted at San Pedro to prepare for action in the Ryūkyūs.Fate
On
13 May , "Thatcher" got underway forKerama Retto , nearOkinawa . The destroyer was assigned toradar picket duty to detect and intercept enemy aircraft before they could enter the transport anchorages. On20 May , she detected large numbers of Japanese aircraft approaching the anchorage. All ships opened fire, and "Thatcher" maneuvered to bring all batteries to bear on the attacking planes. As a low-flyingNakajima Ki-43 "Oscar" fighter passed down her port side, she increased her speed to 25 knots (46 km/h) and commenced firing with her 20 mm and 40 mm guns. Thekamikaze climbed steeply, did a wing-over, and dived into the destroyer, striking her aft of the bridge. All power and steering control on the bridge were lost; both radars and thegyro system were out; all external communications were lost; and there was a six- by nine-foot hole between the keel and the bilge. USS|Boyd|DD-544|2 and USS|Pavlic|APD-70|2 came alongside to remove the wounded and help extinguish fires. With 14 killed or missing and 53 wounded, the stricken ship limped into Kerama Retto. "Thatcher" awaited drydock entry until1 July . On the 13th, she was ready for sea and had to ride out a typhoon inBuckner Bay . On the 19th, a kamikaze slipped into the bay and dived on the destroyer. His aim was not as accurate as his predecessor, and he bounced off the port side, above the water line, to explode and burn alongside. Damage was slight, and only two men were wounded."Thatcher" got underway for the United States on
25 July . After calling at Ulithi, Majuro, Eniwetok,Johnston Island , andHawaii , she arrived atBremerton, Washington on20 August . A survey board decided that the ship should be scrapped, and she was decommissioned on23 November 1945. "Thatcher" was struck from the Navy List on5 December 1945 and sold on23 January 1948 to the Lerner Co.,Oakland, California , for scrap.Honors
"Thatcher" was awarded 12
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
*DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t4/thatcher-ii.htm
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/t4/thatcher-ii.htm history.navy.mil/danfs: USS "Thatcher"]
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/sh-usn/usnsh-t/dd514.htm history.navy.mil/photos: USS "Thatcher"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/514.htm navsource.org: USS "Thatcher"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd514txt.htm hazegray.org: USS "Thatcher"]
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