USS Hobby (DD-610)

USS Hobby (DD-610) was a Benson class destroyer that served in the Atlantic and Mediterranean in 1943, then in the Pacific, then supported the fighting on New Guinea, the invasions of the Admiralties, Peleliu, Iwo Jima and Okinawa and the fast carrier raids on the Japanese Home Islands.

The Hobby was named after James J. Hobby, who served as an engineer in the US Navy during the American Civil War.

The Hobby was laid down by the Bethlehem Steel Co at San Francisco, launched on 4 June 1942 when she was sponsored by Mrs Walter Davis, who had four sons on active duty with the Navy and commissioned on 18 November 1942.

1943

USS Hobby (DD-610) from the stern, San Francisco

After her shakedown cruise the Hobby moved to New York, arriving on 12 February 1943. Between then and the end of the year she carried out five round trips across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean, escorting convoys bringing supplies and reinforcements to North Africa. She carried out several attacks on possible U-boats and was credited with damaging one on 9 May.

1944

On 2 January 1944 she left Norfolk heading to the Pacific, to join the Seventh Fleet which supported MacArthur’s campaign in the New Guinea area. The Hobby supported the invasion of the Admiralty Islands and of Biak Island, off the coast of New Guinea.

On 16 March the Gillespie (DD-609), Hobby (DD-610), Kalk (DD-611) and Reid (DD-369) left Seeadler Harbor to escort a group of LSTs back to Cape Sudest.

In the autumn of 1944 the Hobby moved north to join the main US fleet in the central Pacific. She supported the invasion of Peleliu and nearby Ngesbus islands, providing fire support. She then remained off Peleliu on screening duties throughout November.

Late in 1944 the Hobby joined the escort of the fast carriers of Task Force 38. On 10 December she sortied to support them during a series of raids on targets on Luzon.

1945

The Hobby remained with the fast carriers into 1945, taking part in raids on the Philippines, Formosa and the coast of China. She remained with them as the 3rd Fleet became the 5th Fleet, and supported the fast carriers as they attacked Tokyo on 16 February 1945, the first air attack on Tokyo since the Doolittle raid almost three years earlier.

After these raids the Hoppy joined the screen of the vital tankers, supported them during the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

At the end of June the Hobby departed for Seattle for an overhaul, arriving on 17 July. When the Japanese surrendered she was still in dry dock, and never returned to the Pacific theatre.

After her overhaul was completed the Hobby moved to the US East Coast. She was present at New York for Navy Day (6 October), and hosted foreign naval attaches and congressmen during President Truman’s fleet review. She moved to Charleston later in the year and went into the reserve on 1 February 1946.

The Hobby was struck off on 1 July 1971 and sunk in a fleet exercise on 1 June 1972.

For her participation in the major campaigns of World War II, Hobby was awarded 10 battle stars, for convoy UGS-5, the Bismarck Archipelago, Eastern New Guinea, Hollandia, Western New Guinea, Western Caroline Islands, Leyte-Luzon attacks, Luzon, Iwo Jima 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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