USS Doyle (DD-494/ DMS-34)

USS Doyle (DD-494) was a Gleaves class destroyer that served on convoy escort duties in the Atlantic and Mediterranean, supported the D-Day landings and the invasion of the South of France, served as a mine sweeper in the Pacific after the war and fought in the Korean War.

The Doyle was named after Richard Doyle, who served in the US Navy during the war against Tripoli, and died in 1807 while serving on USS Wasp.

The Doyle was laid down by Seattle-Tacome Shipbuilding, launched on 17 March 1942 when she was sponsored by Mrs C.M. Maloney and commissioned on 27 January 1943.

The Doyle 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.

1943

On 2 February 1943 the Doyle left Bremerton heading to San Francisco, making the trip at unusually high speed, as her experienced XO Clarence Boyd wanted to test out her speed. February was spend on a shakedown cruise off San Francisco and San Diego. In March she departed from San Diego heading for Panama and then New York.

USS Doyle (DMS-34), 1951

After her shakedown cruise the Doyle was allocated to the Atlantic Fleet, and reached New York on 26 April 1943.

Between 13 May and 29 November 1943 she made four round trips across the Atlantic on convoy escort duties, two to Casablanca (Morocco), one to Greenock (Scotland) and one to Londonderry (Northern Ireland).

She then spent the next few months, over the winter of 1943-44 operating along the US Atlantic Coast, on anti-submarine operations and training exercises. She was used to screen the cruiser Quincy (CA-71) during her shakedown cruise.

1944

Early in 1944 she visited the Caribbean in the screen of the Bataan (CVL-29) during the carrier’s shake-down cruise. Initially she was used as a target for the carrier’s aircraft, but this stopped after she was hit between frames 130 and 132 by a practice torpedo from a Grumman TBF which then went on to hit the starboard propeller. This forced her back to Charleston to get a new propeller and have the dent repaired.

In mid-February she escorted the Miami (CL-89) from Norfolk to Trinidad and during her shakedown cruise in the West Indies.

On 18 April the Doyle left Casco Bay heading for Plymouth, England, to join the forces gathering for the D-Day invasion, arriving on 28 April.

On the night of 5-6 June the Doyle and Emmons (DD-457) supported Canadian Minesweeping Squadron 31 as it cleared an area of the German minefield ready to be used by the bombardment forces.

On D-Day itself she supported the fighting on Omaha Beach. She supported the 16th, 18th and 15th RCTS of the 1st Infantry Division as they attacked Fox Red beach at the eastern end of the beach. At 0630 she opened fire on the beach exit, having to use indirect fire as her targets were obscured by smoke and dust. She ceased firing at 0650, having already fired 364 rounds of 5in common shells. At 0710 she fired four salvos at a gun battery west of Port-en-Bessin. This didn’t knock it out so she fired four more salvoes at the same target at 0724. The German battery fired against at 0750. This time the Doyle replied with rapid fire of full salvoes, and the battery wasn’t seen to fire again until 1900. At 0805 she fired her 40mm cannon at a machine gun position on the breakwater at Port-en-Bessin. At 0810 she finally got in contact with her Shore Fire Control Party, but at the time they had no targets for them. She spent the next hour moving between Colleville and Port-en-Bessin at 8 knots.

After this initial phase the destroyers shifted to targets behind the beaches, and didn’t begin to directly support the fighting on the beach itself again until around 0900. At 0901 and against at 0914 she fired on a German position inside the left breakwater at Port-en-Bessin. She opened fire against at 1100, and remained in action until 1630. At 1100 she moved to a position 800 yards off beach Easy Red and opened fire on a machine gun emplacement at the western end of Fox Red, destroying it. This was the pattern for the rest of the day with her firing at targets of opportunity when they were observed from the ship.

After she was out of the firing line the Doyle began to take on wounded men. At 1715 an army DUKW came alongside with wounded onboard. At 1745 this was repeated, this time with survivors from LCI 93 and LCI 487 and more army men.

She opened fire again later in the day. At 1957 she fired on German soldiers who were returning to an abandoned machine gun post. At 2053 she fired on a German battery that had fired on the Emmons. This battery then fired on the Doyle, with one shell passing between her two funnels. After dark she observed a number of German air raids.

By the end of D-Day she had fired 558 rounds of 5in AA common and 156 rounds of 5in common dye loaded ammo.

On D+1 the Doyle reacted to a call to fire on German troops one thousand yards inland on the road from Colleville to Vierville. The wounded men were taken off later in the day. By 1930 she was out of ammo, was relieved by Murphy (DD-603) and retired to the screen.

On D+2 she was took on Rear Admiral Cook and Major General Handy (observers from Washington) from the flagship Ancon and took them close to the beach between Port-en-Bessin and Pointe du Hoc, before departing for Weymouth.

She was back off the beaches by early on D+4 when she fired on a German plane that flew overhead at 0435.

The Doyle continued to operate off Normandy until 15 July when she returned to Plymouth for a brief overhaul.

She was then selected to join the forces supporting Operation Dragoon, the invasion of the South of France. She departed for Oran on 1 August 1944 and ten days later left Oran to escort a convoy to the assault area. She covered the landings, and was then used to escort convoys heading from Naples to the south of France, and to patrol off Marseilles.

On 21 September she departed to the United States. She arrived at New York on 3 October to begin an overhaul.

1945

Between 3 January and 10 June 1945 the Doyle escorted three more convoys from the US to North Africa and back.

On 26 January 1945 the Doyle, Carmick (DD-493) and Endicott (DD-495) joined the fleet escorting President Roosevelt east across the Atlantic, forming an anti-submarine screen ahead of the escorting cruisers. They remained with the force until 28 January, when it was 300 miles to the south of the Azores, then departed for the Panama Canal.

On 20 February the same three destroyers joined the Presidential convoy as it headed west back across the Atlantic. They remained with the convoy until 24 February when fresh escorts arrived. The Doyle took on fuel and was then detached from the convoy.

On 20 June the Doyle arrived at Norfolk to be converted into a high speed minesweeper. She became DMS-34 on 23 June 1945, and left Norfolk on 27 August heading for the Pacific. She arrived at Sasebo on 24 October, well after the Japanese surrender.

Postwar

The Doyle spent several months on occupation in the Far East, serving as the flagship for the Commander, Mine Force, Pacific, from her base at Sasebo. She returned to San Francisco on 31 March 1946.

From 18 August 1947 to 19 April 1948 she split her time between the Western Pacific and the US West Coast.

Korean War

On 30 June 1950, five days after the outbreak of the Korean War, the Doyle left San Diego heading for Korea. She was used to escort troop transports from Sasebo to Korea and to screen carriers providing air support for the ground troops.

On 15 September 1950 (the same day as the Inchon landings) 800 South Korean guerrillas attempted to land behind enemy lines. However their LST was stranded, trapping them on the shore. The Doyle covered the two day rescue effort near Changea Dong

On 29 September 1950 the Doyle left Sasebo to sweep mines off the east coast of Korea, to prepare for landings near Wonsan on the east coast of North Korea. On 12 October she bombarded Rei To to provide cover for an underwater demolition team from the Diachenko (APD-123), and was then given the job of clearing the approaches to Wonsan Harbour. She then operated between Wonsan and the port of Hungnam, further to the north. She supported a Korean landing at Suwon Dan on 3 November. On 12-17 November she supported a sweep of Wonsan by Japanese mine sweepers. She then returned to Sasebo on 20 November.

In the meantime the fighting in North Korea had gone badly for the UN forces, and they were now in rapid retreat. From 2-23 December the Doyle was used to sweep a fire support area that was used during the evacuation of retreating troops from Hungnam.

On 30 December the Doyle, Endicott (DMS-35) and Thompson left Sasebo to carry out minesweeping operations off the east coast of Korea.

On 4 March 1951 she returned to San Diego for an overhaul, then began operations along the US West Coast.

She was back in Korean waters from 5 October 1951 to 8 August 1952

Post-Korea

The Doyle visited the western Pacific for the last time between 2 February and 21 July 1953, visiting Midway, Guam, Kwajalein and the Philippines and spending five weeks as the US station ship at Hong Kong. 

On 7 September 1953 she reached Charleston and spent the next few months operating along the east coast.

From 5 January to 27 May 1954 she served with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean.

She was placed into the reserve in commissioned status in October 1954 and decommissioned on 19 May 1955. She was sold for scrap on 6 October 1972.

Doyle received two battle stars for World War II, for Normandy and the South of France, and six for the Korean War. Anyone who served on her between 13 October 1945-12 March 1946 or on 24 February 1948 qualified for the Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia).

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