USS ''John Hood'' (DD-655) was a 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 ...
, named for Rear Admiral
John Hood John Hood may refer to:
People
* John Hood (MP, fl.1393–99), English politician, MP for Leominster
* John Hood (MP, fl.1421–29), English politician, MP for Leominster
*John Hood (inventor) (1720–1783), Irish surveyor and inventor
*John Hood ( ...
(1859–1919).
''John Hood'' was laid down 12 October 1942 by
Gulf Shipbuilding Corp.,
Chickasaw, Ala.;
launched 25 October 1943, sponsored by Miss Amelia O'Neal; and
commissioned 7 June 1944.
World War II
After shakedown 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 ...
, the new destroyer departed for the
Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
21 August 1944, arriving
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates th ...
6 September. She sailed on to the
Aleutian Islands
The Aleutian Islands (; ; ale, Unangam Tanangin,”Land of the Aleuts", possibly from Chukchi language, Chukchi ''aliat'', "island"), also called the Aleut Islands or Aleutic Islands and known before 1867 as the Catherine Archipelago, are a cha ...
for duty with the
North Pacific Forces
North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.
Etymology
The word ''north'' is ...
, arriving
Adak, Alaska
Adak (, ale, Adaax, russian: Адак), formerly Adak Station, is a city located on Adak Island, in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2020 census the population was 171, down from 326 in 2010. It is the westernmost m ...
18 September. ''John Hood'' joined Destroyer Squadron 57 (DesRon 57) of
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 ...
John L. McCrea's Task Force 92 (TF 92) and served her entire war career in the stormy waters of the
North Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
. The principal offensive missions were to harass and threaten the enemy outposts in the
Kuril Islands
The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast in the ...
, more than 600 miles (1,100 km) westward of
Attu. In carrying out this mission, the Task Force made nine sorties against the Kurils and five offensive sweeps in the
Sea of Okhotsk
The Sea of Okhotsk ( rus, Охо́тское мо́ре, Ohótskoye móre ; ja, オホーツク海, Ohōtsuku-kai) is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean. It is located between Russia's Kamchatka Peninsula on the east, the Kuril Islands ...
, hampered by bad weather, and well beyond the range of friendly air cover. ''John Hood'' was the only ship of the task force which participated in every sortie from reporting through the end of the war.
In November she engaged in the bombardment of the
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
base on
Matsuwa
Matua (russian: Матуа, ja, 松輪島, Matsuwa-tō) is an uninhabited volcanic island near the center of the Kuril Islands chain in the Sea of Okhotsk in the northwest Pacific Ocean, across Golovnin Strait from Raikoke. Its name is derived ...
, causing considerable damage to the installation. She continued sorties and patrol operations in the Kurils through the winter and spring of 1945. While patrolling in the Sea of Okhotsk 25 June 1945, ''John Hood'' encountered an enemy
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 ...
attempting last minute reinforcements to the badly battered Japanese garrisons. The destroyer assisted in sinking one cargo ship and probable sinking of another. On 11 August her task group conducted one of the final naval operations of the war by destroying another enemy convoy.
Following the cessation of hostilities, she steamed to Adak to prepare for occupation duties. ''John Hood'' departed Adak 31 August with a large force headed for Northern Japan. The battle tested destroyer remained in Northern Japanese waters with the occupations forces until she turned homeward 18 November. She arrived
Charleston, S.C., 22 December and remained there until she decommissioned 3 July 1946 and entered the
Atlantic Reserve Fleet
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the maintenance activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and s ...
.
1951 – 1964
''John Hood'' recommissioned 3 August 1951. Following commissioning she received major modifications to enable her to assume a place in the modern fleet.
''John Hood'' departed
Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
29 June for an around-world cruise, including peace-keeping patrols with the
7th Fleet
The Seventh Fleet is a numbered fleet of the United States Navy. It is headquartered at U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is part of the United States Pacific Fleet. At present, it is the largest of th ...
off the coast of
Korea
Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...
. She returned to Norfolk 6 February 1954 for repairs and coastal training operations before sailing 5 November 1955 for
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
duty with the
6th Fleet. Upon returning to Norfolk 26 February 1956, the destroyer received repairs to her storm-damaged mast and then trained midshipmen in the summer. During the tense
Suez crisis
The Suez Crisis, or the Second Arab–Israeli war, also called the Tripartite Aggression ( ar, العدوان الثلاثي, Al-ʿUdwān aṯ-Ṯulāṯiyy) in the Arab world and the Sinai War in Israel,Also known as the Suez War or 1956 Wa ...
in the fall she sailed with Task Force 26 to
Lisbon
Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
to be ready for action if needed and returned to the
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America.
In 1610, a supply ship learned of the famine at Jamestown when it l ...
in December.
Following training exercises along the Atlantic coast, and another 6th Fleet cruise 1957 in the still turbulent
Mideast
The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabian Peninsula, Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Anatolia, Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Pro ...
ern waters, ''John Hood'' commenced training cruises in early 1958. She operated with Fleet Sonar School and engaged in
antisubmarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...
(ASW) exercises before being transferred to the Reserve Destroyer Squadron at
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
1 October 1959. She continued training reservists until 1 August 1961, when
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination i ...
ordered a callup of reservists to bolster the nation's military strength during the
Berlin crisis. The American answer to the Communist challenge prevented a major conflict; and, as the crisis subsided, ''John Hood'' resumed duties as a reserve training destroyer at New York in August 1962.
The warship decommissioned on 30 June 1964, remaining in reserve until stricken from the
Navy List
A Navy Directory, formerly the Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval author ...
on 1 December 1974. She was sold for scrap to Luria Bros. & Co., Inc.,
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, on 12 April 1976 and removed from Navy custody by the end of that month.
''John Hood'' received one
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 ...
for
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
service.
References
*
External links
navsource.org: USS ''John Hood''
{{DEFAULTSORT:John Hood (DD-655)
World War II destroyers of the United States
Cold War destroyers of the United States
Ships built in Chickasaw, Alabama
Korean War destroyers of the United States
1943 ships
Fletcher-class destroyers of the United States Navy