USS Forrest (DD-461)

USS Forrest (DD-461) was a Gleaves class destroyer that served in the Atlantic in 1943 taking part in Operation Torch, with the British Home Fleet off Norway in 1944, took part in the D-Day landings and Operation Dragoon, then moved to the Pacific where she was damaged by a Kamikaze attack off Okinawa, ending her war.

The Forrest was named after Dulany Forrest, who served in the US Navy during the War of 1812, fighting at the battle of Lake Erie.

The Forrest was laid down at the Boston Navy Yard, launched on 14 June 1941 when she was sponsored by Lt Forrest’s great-grandniece Miss Eileen F. Thomson, and commissioned on 13 January 1942.

The Forrest 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 the those ships all of the Bristol class ships joined the Livermore/ Gleaves class.

1942

The Forrest left Boston on 15 June and moved to Argentia to join the escort of the Ranger (CV-4), returning to Newport on 22 June. On 1 July she left Newport with the Ranger group to escort the carrier across the Atlantic so she could fly aircraft off to Accra on the coast of West Africa. The group returned to Norfolk on 5 August.

From 5 August to 21 October the Forrest took part in training, hunted for suspected submarines and coastal escort duties.

On 21 October the Forrest joined the Ranger at Bermuda, ready to take part in the invasion of North Africa. From 8-12 November she screened the carriers during air operations off Safi, Casablanca and Fedhala. She was then used on anti-submarine duties in front of an incomving convoy until 18 November. She then escorted a westbound convoy almost back to Norfolk before heading to Bermuda. At Bermuda she met up with the Augusta (CA-31) and the two ships then returned to Norfolk, arriving on 30 November.

On 2 December she left the US to escort the Ranger to an ocean launch point off Casablanca, from where she flew reinforcements into North Africa.

1943

After a period of training in Casco Bay the Forrest joined the Ranger for patrol duties off Argentia that lasted from 17 May to 24 July.

She then replenished at Boston before crossing the Atlantic to operation with the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. She joined a larger US force that operated off Norway and in support of the Arctic convoys.

On 4 October the Forrest took part in Operation Leader, an attack on German shipping in Bodo Harbour, Norway. The Forrest acted as part of the screen of the carrier USS Ranger during this raid.

In October the Forrest moved south to join the escort of a British aircraft carrier heading to Scapa Flow from the Mediterranean.

In November she formed part of a combined task force that patrolled off the north-west coast of Norway, to cover a convoy heading to Russia.

The Forrest left the Home Fleet in November to return to Boston for an overhaul, arriving on 3 December 1943.

1944

In January and February 1944 the Forrest was used to train the crews of destroyers that were about to be commissioned.

From 15 January she was part of the screen of the new carrier USS Hornet (CV-12) during her shakedown cruiser near Bermuda.

On 7 March she left Norfolk as part of the hunter-killer group built around USS Guadalcanal (TG 21.12). This group crossed the Atlantic to Casablanca, arriving on 27 March. It then left Casablanca on 30 March to escort westbound convoy GUS-37. On 8 April aircraft from the Guadalcanal found U-515 on the surface and subjected her to constant attack. The four destroyer escorts in the group then finished the job, sinking U-515 with gunfire when she was forced to surface. The Forrest stayed with the carrier.

On 20 April the Forrest left Norfolk heading for Northern Ireland. She was used on escort duties around the British coast during the build-up to the D-Day invasion. On 4 June she was sent out to recalled convoys that had already departed for Utah Beach before the invasion was postponed one day from 5 June to 6 June.

On D-Day the Forrest screened transports in the Baie de la Seine.

On 12, 16 and 18 June she carried out shore bombardments. On 18 June she escorted battleships back to Plymouth. On 21 June she covered minesweeping operations off the Cotentine. On 22 and 24 June she clashed with German shore batteries.

Her commanding officer, Commander Kenneth P Letts, was awarded the Silver Star for his actions on 24 June 1944, when the Forrest was defending a minesweeping flotilla that came under fire from large calibre German shore guns. The Forrest laid down a smoke screen that protected the mineweepers and allowed them to continue their mission.

On 25 June she returned to England.

On 29 June the Forrest moved to Belfast to join a fleet preparing to move to the Mediterranean to support the invasion of the South of France. This included the battleships Arkansas and Nevada and cruisers Quincy and Tuscaloosa. From Belfast she moved to Oran and then on to Taranto.

On 11 August she let Taranto to take part in Operation Dragoon. On 15 August she arrived in the inner fire support area off St. Tropez.

Commander Letts was awarded the Bronze Star for his command ‘prior to and during the amphibious invasion of Southern France, in August 1944’. Before the invasion the Forrest moved through German minefields to act as a spotter for Allied capital ships and cruisers. She also carried out shore bombardments of her own.

During the early stage of the campaign she took part in the advance towards Toulon. For the next two months she was used to escort convoys from Palermo, Naples, Ajaccio and Oran to the south of France.

She then departed for Norfolk, arriving on 8 November to be converted into a high speed minesweeper ready for service in the Pacific.

Commander Letts was relieved of command of the Forrest on 11 November and given command of the new destroyer USS Bristol (DD-857). He was replaced by Sanford E Woodard, who commanded her through the fighting at Okinawa.

1945

After training in Chesapeake Bay the Forrest departed for the Pacific on 17 January 1945. She paused at San Diego and Pearl Harbor for more training, and reached Ulithi on 9 March.

On 19 March she left Ulithi to carry out minesweeping operations in Okinawan waters, in advance of the invasion of 1 April.

Captain Woodard was awarded the Bronze Star and Silver Star for his actions off Okinawa. The Bronze Star citation demonstrates the many roles she carried out, listing ‘hazardous minesweeping operations, anti-submarine and antiaircraft screening, night retirement, screening, escort duties and fire support duties’.

The Silver Star was awarded for his actions on 27 May when the Forrest was the target of three kamikaze attackers. The first two were shot down and the third driven off. However the third returned and made a shallow dive towards her. Captain Woodard ordered her engines to be stopped just before she was hit and then organized the firefighting and damage control efforts. Five were killed and thirteen wounded, but she was able to reach Kerama Retto under her own power.

Post-war

This ended the Forrest’s career. She left Okinawa on 25 June 1945 heading for the US East Coast, reaching Boston on 6 August 1945. Although she had survived the kamikaze attack, it wasn’t worth fully repairing her, so she was decommissioned on 30 November 1945 and sold on 20 November 1946.

Forrest received six battle stars for World War II service, for North Africa, the Norway raid of October 1943, Task Group 21.12, Normandy, the South of France and Okinawa.

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.

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