USS ''Grayson'' (DD-435), a , is the only ship of the
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
to be named for
Rear Admiral Cary Travers Grayson
Cary Travers Grayson (October 11, 1878 – February 15, 1938) was a surgeon in the United States Navy who served a variety of roles from personal aide to President of the United States, President Woodrow Wilson to chairman of the American Red Cros ...
, who served as personal physician and aide to President
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was an American politician and academic who served as the 28th president of the United States from 1913 to 1921. A member of the Democratic Party, Wilson served as the president of ...
during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. He also served as chairman of the
American Red Cross from 1935 until his death on 15 February 1938.
''Grayson'' was
laid down
Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship.
Keel laying is one o ...
on 17 July 1939 by the
Charleston Navy Yard
Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston.
H ...
,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
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
Shakedown may refer to:
* Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation
* Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational
* Extortion, ...
along the
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the Can ...
coast and in
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the Eastern Shore of Maryland / ...
, ''Grayson'' joined Destroyer Division 22 (DesDiv 22) of the Atlantic Fleet. On 28 August she became the
flagship of Destroyer Squadron 11 (DesRon 11) operating in the
Caribbean out of
Guantanamo Bay. She reported for neutrality patrol in the North Atlantic waters between
Newfoundland and
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...
on 26 October.
After ten months patrolling and escorting
convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...
s 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
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
on 2 April 1942 as part of
aircraft carrier s escort and rendezvoused at sea 13 April with under
Admiral William F. Halsey, Jr. From this fast carrier group, less than 800 miles from the
Japanese home islands
The Japanese archipelago (Japanese: 日本列島, ''Nihon rettō'') is a group of 6,852 islands that form the country of Japan, as well as the Russian island of Sakhalin. It extends over from the Sea of Okhotsk in the northeast to the East Chin ...
, General
Jimmy Doolittle
James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...
launched a
B-25 raid on
Tokyo
Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...
on 18 April.
The task group sailed into
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the R ...
on 25 April. ''Grayson'' departed almost immediately for repairs in
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, before returning to the Pacific war.
Guadalcanal
''Grayson'' sailed from Pearl Harbor 15 July to escort ''Enterprise'' and ''Hornet''. Reaching
Guadalcanal via
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of its capital, Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with 74,611 residents (2016), 70.5% of the nation ...
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
Frank Jack Fletcher (April 29, 1885 – April 25, 1973) was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. Fletcher commanded five different task forces through WWII; he was the operational task force commander at the pivotal battle ...
. On the 25 August, ''Grayson'' sighted a Japanese
submarine on the surface the next day and after expending her entire supply of 46
depth charges, in five attacks, the destroyer saw air bubbles and oil rise to the surface.
She remained around Guadalcanal escorting
troop transports, patrolling in "
The Slot" and served as a
radar picket ship
A radar picket is a radar-equipped station, ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a nation or military (including naval) force to protect it from surprise attack, typically air attack, or from cr ...
. On 18 October she picked up 75 survivors from the destroyer , which had been sunk by an
aerial torpedo 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, arriving 24 September. She claimed four and two possible Japanese barges from
Kolombangara
Kolombangara (sometimes spelled ''Kulambangara'') is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the nation state of Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The name is from a local language, a rough translation of its meaning is ...
between 30 September – 3 October, with DesRon 21. Then after three months of patrols, sailed for
Puget Sound Navy Yard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted u ...
16 December for overhaul.
1944
''Grayson'' returned to the Pacific, putting in at
Majuro Atoll
Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...
,
Marshall Islands
The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Intern ...
, 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
Map Pityilu Island with air base 1944
Pityilu Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and part of the Admiralty Islands. It is off the northern coast of Manus Island and is nearly 4.8 km long and varies in width from ...
,
Admiralties
The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island.
These rainforest-cov ...
, from 22 to 24 April she was a fighter-director ship for the landings at
Tanahmerah Bay
Tanahmerah Bay, or Tanah Merah Bay, ( id, Teluk Tanahmerah, "red soil bay") is a bay on the north coast of New Guinea, in Jayapura Regency, Papua, Indonesia, about 50 km northwest of the provincial capital of Jayapura.
During World War ...
,
Dutch New Guinea
Dutch New Guinea or Netherlands New Guinea ( nl, Nederlands-Nieuw-Guinea, id, Nugini Belanda) was the western half of the island of New Guinea that was a part of the Dutch East Indies until 1949, later an overseas territory of the Kingd ...
. On 27 May, she shelled
Biak Island and
Noemfoor Island on 2 July, prior to the invasion landings.
On 1 September 1944 ''Grayson'' joined TG 38, for airstrikes on the
Palau Islands
Palau,, officially the Republic of Palau and historically ''Belau'', ''Palaos'' or ''Pelew'', is an island country and microstate in the western Pacific. The nation has approximately 340 islands and connects the western chain of the Caro ...
, scene of the next major invasion. She returned to
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German colonial activity between 1884 a ...
on 30 September. She sailed 2 October supporting airstrikes strike against
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
and the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and on 15 October she rescued 194 men from the damaged cruiser .
From Ulithi, ''Grayson'' sailed to
Saipan, 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
is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous ...
. After a brief training period, she sailed for the United States, transiting the Panama Canal 8 October, she put in at
Charleston, South Carolina, 16 October. Eleven days later she hosted over 5,000 visitors on
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy.
By country
Argentina
The Argentine Navy day is celebrated on May 17, anniversary of the victory achieved in 1814 in the Battle of Montevideo.
Bahrain
The R ...
. ''Grayson'' remained at Charleston until decommissioned, 4 February 1947, and was placed in reserve. She was struck from the
Naval Vessel Register
The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...
in 1972, sold 12 June 1974 and broken up for scrap.
''Grayson'' received 13
battle star
A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star inch (4.8 mm) in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or ser ...
s for World War II service.
References
External links
USS ''Grayson'' websitea
{{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