USS Edwards (DD-619) at Port Newark Navy Day |
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USS Edwards (DD-619) was a Gleaves class destroyer that served in the Pacific, taking part in the battle of Rennell Island, the Aleutians campaign, as well as operations in the Treasury, Marshall, Gilbert and Palau Islands, the campaigns on Leyte and Luzon and the invasion of Borneo.
The Edwards was named after Lt Commander Walter A. Edwards, who saved nearly five hundred people from the burning French transport Vinh-Long in 1922.
The Edwards was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J, launched on 19 July 1942 when she was sponsored by Mrs. Edward Brayton, widow of Lieutenant Commander Edwards and commissioned on 18 September 1942.
The Edwards was originally classified as a Bristol class ship, which were built with four 5in guns instead of the five installed on the Livermore/ Gleaves class. However after the fifth gun was removed from those ships all of the Bristol class ships joined the Livermore/ Gleaves class.
Her shakedown cruise took her to the Caribbean, but it was short, as on 8 November 1942 she left New York to join the Pacific Fleet.
Some entries in the US Navy’s Dictionary of American Naval Fighting ships confuse the Edwards with the Heywood L Edwards (DD-663).
1943
The Edwards joined Task Force 18 at Noumea. Her first combat role was to help escort a large troop convoy heading to Guadalcanal. On 29-30 January this force was repeated attacked by Japanese aircraft, attempting to cover the evacuation of Guadalcanal (battle of Rennell Island). The American fleet was set up to repel a potential surface or submarine attack, reducing the effectiveness of its anti-aircraft fire. Late on 29 January the Chicago (CA-29) was hit by two torpedoes. The Edwards and four other destroyers were detached to escort the cruiser back to Espiritu Santo, but the Japanese continued to attack, and the Chicago was torpedoed again and sank. The Edwards rescued 224 of the 1,049 survivors. The La Vallette (DD-448) was also torpedoed, and the Edwards helped escort her to safety.
The Edwards returned to Pearl Harbor on 27 March 1943, where she underwent a brief overhaul.
On 15 April she sailed north to take part in the campaign in the Aleutians.
On 26 April she took part in a bombardment of Attu.
On 11 May she was part of the screen of the Pennsylvania during the invasion of Attu.
On 12 May the Japanese destroyer I-31 unsuccessfully attacked the battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38) off Holtz Bay. The Edwards, Farragut and a Catalina flying boat carried out a ten hour long depth charge attack on the submarine, which was eventually forced to surface. The Edwards damaged the submarine with gunfire, forcing it to submerge. It was finished off by the Frazier (DD-607).
The Edwards remained on anti-submarine duties in the Aleutians. In June she joined the blockade of Kiska, and took part in bombardments of the island on 2 and 12 August as well as covering the US landings on 13 August.
Soon after this she underwent an overhaul, before moving to Espiritu Santo in October for training.
On 8 November she sailed as part of the screen for a carrier force that attacked Rabaul on 11 November. This force was attacked by Japanese aircraft, but they were driven off without caused any damaged.
From 19 November the Edwards screened the support force at Tarawa.
She was then used to escort transports back to Pearl Harbor, before returning to the US West Coast for an overhaul.
1944
The Edwards reached Majuro on 3 March 1944, and the island became her base for patrols in the Marshall Islands.
During this period she was used to screen attacks on Mili Atoll in the Marshalls (18 March). She screened the carriers of the 5th Fleet during raids on the Palaus (30 March-1 April 1944). In April she screened the carriers during raids on New Guinea to support the landings at Hollandia. On the way back north she screened the carriers as they attacked Truk on 29-30 April.
From 12 May to 18 August 1944 the Edwards and her division formed the Eastern Marshalls Patrol Group. Their role was patrol off the isolated Japanese held atolls of Mili, Jaluit, Maloelap, and Wotje, to keep the Japanese there pinned down.
On 22 or 23 May the Edwards and Bancroft (DD-598) bombarded several Japanese gun batteries on Wotje, and reported putting them out of action. On 27 June she risked coming under shore fire from Wotje to rescue some downed airmen who were drifting towards the shore.
The Edwards was awarded a battle star for taking part in the capture of Saipan in the Marianas Islands, but only for 24 July 1944. This is the only mention of her taking part in the battle, at a time when she was based in the Eastern Marshalls. However the Heywood L Edwards did take part in the battle of Saipan, so this may be a mistaken award.
In August 1944 the Edwards underwent an overhaul at Pearl Harbor.
She was awarded a battle star for taking part in the fighting in the Palau Islands from 6 September 1944 to 14 October 1944.
On 30 October she arrived at San Pedro Bay, Leyte, to begin a period of patrol duties.
On 7 December the Edwards supported the landings at Ormoc Bay, on the western coast of Leyte. She and the Lamson bombarded targets at Albuera, one of the settlements on the bay, for several hours, as well as fighting off air attacks and supported ships damaged in those attacks. The Edwards claimed four victories and was credited with three of them.
On 11 December the Edwards took on casualties from the Caldwell (DD-605), which had been set on fire by a kamikaze aircraft.
1945
On 4 January 1945 the Edwards left port as part of TU 77.1.2, heading towards Lingayen Gulf at the start of the invasion of Luzon. She remained off Luzon until 18 January.
For the next few months she operated on convoy escort duties in the Philippines
On 9 May she reached Morotai to take part in the invasion of Bornea, returning to Subic Bay in the Philippines on 12 July.
She made one convoy escort trop to Iwo Jima and one to Okinawa, before departing for the US on 16 September.
On 7 January 1946 she reached Charleston, where she was placed out of commission and into the reserves on 11 April 1946. She was struck off on 1 July 1971 and sold for scrap on 25 May 1973.
Edwards received 14 battle stars for World War II service, for Rennel Island, the occupation of Attu, sinking I-31, 1943 Pacific Raids, Treasury-Bougainville Operations, the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands, Asiatic-Pacific Raids 1944, the Marianas, the Palau Islands, Leyte, Luzon, the South Philippines and Hollandia.
Displacement (standard) |
1,630t design |
Displacement (loaded) |
2,395t |
Top Speed |
35kts design |
Engine |
2-shaft Westinghouse turbines |
Range |
6500nm at 12kt design |
Length |
348ft 3in |
Width |
36ft 1in |
Armaments |
Five 5in/38 guns |
Crew complement |
208 |
Laid down |
26 February 1942 |
Launched |
19 July 1942 |
Commissioned |
18 September 1942 |
Struck off |
1 July 1971 |
Sold for scrap |
25 May 1973 |
U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, Norman Friedmann .
The standard history of the development of American destroyers, from the earliest torpedo boat destroyers to the post-war fleet, and covering the massive classes of destroyers built for both World Wars. Gives the reader a good understanding of the debates that surrounded each class of destroyer and led to their individual features.
