USS ''Grayson'' (DD-435), a , is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

Cary Travers Grayson, who served as personal physician and aide to President Woodrow Wilson during World War I. He also served as chairman of the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

from 1935 until his death on 15 February 1938. ''Grayson'' was laid down on 17 July 1939 by the Charleston Navy Yard, South Carolina and launched on 7 August 1940; sponsored by Mrs Alice Gertrude Gordon Grayson Harrison (Mrs George Leslie Harrison), widow of Rear Admiral Grayson. The ship was commissioned on 14 February 1941.

Service history

After shakedown along the New England coast and in Chesapeake Bay, ''Grayson'' joined Destroyer Division 22 (DesDiv 22) of the Atlantic Fleet. On 28 August she became the

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

of Destroyer Squadron 11 (DesRon 11) operating in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

out of Guantanamo Bay. She reported for neutrality patrol in the North Atlantic waters between

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

and Iceland on 26 October. After ten months patrolling and escorting convoys in the North Atlantic, ''Grayson'' was ordered to the Pacific to join an American fleet battered but resolutely carrying the war to the enemy. She sailed from San Diego on 2 April 1942 as part of

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and facilities for carrying, arming, deploying, and recovering aircraft. Typically, it is the capital ship of a fleet, as it allows a ...

s escort and rendezvoused at sea 13 April with under

Admiral Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...

William F. Halsey, Jr. William Frederick "Bull" Halsey Jr. (October 30, 1882 – August 16, 1959) was an American Navy admiral during World War II. He is one of four officers to have attained the rank of five-star fleet admiral of the United States Navy, the others ...

From this fast carrier group, less than 800 miles from the Japanese home islands, General Jimmy Doolittle launched a

B-25 The North American B-25 Mitchell is an American medium bomber that was introduced in 1941 and named in honor of Major General William "Billy" Mitchell, a pioneer of U.S. military aviation. Used by many Allied air forces, the B-25 served in e ...

raid on Tokyo on 18 April. The task group sailed into Pearl Harbor on 25 April. ''Grayson'' departed almost immediately for repairs in California, before returning to the Pacific war.

Guadalcanal

''Grayson'' sailed from Pearl Harbor 15 July to escort ''Enterprise'' and ''Hornet''. Reaching

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

via Tongatapu on 7 August 1942, the carriers launched their aircraft to cover the landings there and then operated in the area to block Japanese reinforcements. As they manoeuvred off Guadalcanal, ''Enterprise'' was hit by Japanese bombs on 24 August in an action lasting half an hour which saw ''Grayson'' claim two Japanese aircraft and damage a third. The task group then dispersed, with ''Enterprise'' returning to Pearl Harbor for repairs. ''Grayson'' joined Task Force 11 (TF 11), built around under Admiral Frank Jack Fletcher. On the 25 August, ''Grayson'' sighted a Japanese

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

on the surface the next day and after expending her entire supply of 46

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

s, in five attacks, the destroyer saw air bubbles and oil rise to the surface. She remained around Guadalcanal escorting

troop transports A troopship (also troop ship or troop transport or trooper) is a ship used to carry soldiers, either in peacetime or wartime. Troopships were often drafted from commercial shipping fleets, and were unable land troops directly on shore, typicall ...

, patrolling in " The Slot" and served as a radar picket ship. On 18 October she picked up 75 survivors from the destroyer , which had been sunk by an

aerial torpedo An aerial torpedo (also known as an airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo) is a torpedo launched from a torpedo bomber aircraft into the water, after which the weapon propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torped ...

on 16 October, and helped escort the barge ''Vireo''.

Kolombangara

Returning to Pearl Harbor on 15 April 1943 for overhaul, ''Grayson'' continued on to the United States for further repairs and then made to

New Caledonia ) , anthem = "" , image_map = New Caledonia on the globe (small islands magnified) (Polynesia centered).svg , map_alt = Location of New Caledonia , map_caption = Location of New Caledonia , mapsize = 290px , subdivision_type = Sovereign st ...

, arriving 24 September. She claimed four and two possible Japanese barges from Kolombangara between 30 September – 3 October, with DesRon 21. Then after three months of patrols, sailed for Puget Sound Navy Yard 16 December for overhaul.

1944

''Grayson'' returned to the Pacific, putting in at Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands, 10 February 1944. Patrol duty in the Solomons, Carolines, and Marshalls occupied her the following six months. On 30 March she supported the initial landings on Pityilu Island, Admiralties, from 22 to 24 April she was a fighter-director ship for the landings at Tanahmerah Bay, Dutch New Guinea. On 27 May, she shelled

Biak Island Biak is an island located in Cenderawasih Bay near the northern coast of Papua, an Indonesian province, and is just northwest of New Guinea. Biak is the largest island in its small archipelago, and has many atolls, reefs, and corals. The large ...

and

Noemfoor Island Numfor (also Numfoor, Noemfoor, Noemfoer) is one of the Schouten Islands (also known as the Biak Islands) in Papua province, northeastern Indonesia. It was the site of conflict between Japanese and the Allied forces during World War II, and w ...

on 2 July, prior to the invasion landings. On 1 September 1944 ''Grayson'' joined TG 38, for airstrikes on the Palau Islands, scene of the next major invasion. She returned to Seeadler Harbor on 30 September. She sailed 2 October supporting airstrikes strike against Okinawa and the Philippines and on 15 October she rescued 194 men from the damaged cruiser . From Ulithi, ''Grayson'' sailed to

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, where on 3 November she took up radar picket and lifeguard duty. Finally ''Grayson'' was ordered home, reaching Seattle on 9 June 1945.

End of World War II and fate

''Grayson'' returned to Pearl Harbor 1 September 1945, the day of the signing of the Articles of Surrender in Tokyo Bay. After a brief training period, she sailed for the United States, transiting the Panama Canal 8 October, she put in at

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, 16 October. Eleven days later she hosted over 5,000 visitors on Navy Day. ''Grayson'' remained at Charleston until decommissioned, 4 February 1947, and was placed in reserve. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register in 1972, sold 12 June 1974 and broken up for scrap. ''Grayson'' received 13 battle stars for World War II service.

References

External links

USS ''Grayson'' website
a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grayson (DD-435) World War II destroyers of the United States Ships built in Charleston, South Carolina 1940 ships Gleaves-class destroyers of the United States Navy