USS McCook (DD-496/ DMS-36)

USS McCook (DD-496) was a Gleaves class destroyer that served on convoy escort duties, supported the D-Day landings and the invasion of the south of France before spending the immediate post-war period as a minesweeper in Japanese waters.

The McCook was named after Commander Roderick S. McCook, who served from the 1850s to the 1880s, fighting in the Civil War.

The McCook was laid down at the Seattle‑Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp., Seattle on 1 May 1941, launched on 30 April 1942 when she was sponsored by McCook’s granddaughter Mrs Reed Knox and commissioned on 15 March 1943.

The McCook 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

Her shakedown cruise was carried out from San Diego. On 22 May 1943 she departed for the east coast, along with the escort carrier Block Island (AVG-21). They reached Norfolk, Virginia on 6 June.

The McCook was allocated to convoy escort duties. Her first convoy departed Norfolk on 26 June heading for Casablanca and returned on 17 July. During 1943 she carried out two more North Africa convoys, one to the United Kingdom and many along the US East Coast.

On 15 December she began six weeks training destroyers crews at Norfolk.

1944

The training role finished on 31 January 1944 when she departed for Trinidad as part of the screen of the new carrier Wasp (CV-8) during her shakedown cruise. They returned to Boston on 27 February.

USS McCook (DD-496) from above, 1945 USS McCook (DD-496) from above, 1945

March was spent training in anti-submarine and anti-aircraft warfare.

On 18 April she departed for the UK with TG 27.8, arriving on Plymouth to join the forces gathering to take part in the D-Day invasion. After her arrival she moved to Portland, and spent the next month taking part in amphibious landing exercises at Slapton Sands and Belfast.

On the night of 28 May the McCook was anchored in Weymouth Bay when the Portland area was hit by a heavy German air raid. Secrecy meant that the warships couldn’t fire back in case it revealed the presence of the invasion fleet, leaving the defence to shore based AA guns. The McCook suffered a near miss which knocked the SG surface search radar antenna off the foremast, jammed the 5in gun directors FD fire control radar and the optical range finder, damaged her sonar and disabled five guns. Only very rapid work by the crew of the destroyer tender Melville (AD-2) had her ready in time for D-Day.

During the crossing on the night of 5-6 June the McCook, Satterlee and Carmick screened the British minesweepers of Minesweeping Flotilla 4 as they cleared Fire Support Area 3. The destroyers then took up position in the cleared area.

On D-Day the McCook and Carmick were allocated to Dog Green and Easy Green beaches, in the centre of Omaha Beach, where they supported the 115th and 116th RCTs of the 29th Infantry Division. By 0616 she had neutralized her original targets – three pillboxs, thirteen machine gun nests and three shore guns. After that the destroyers stopped firing on the beach for fear of hitting US troops. This gap lasted until around 900, although the McCook resumed firing earlier.

From 0839-0852 she fired on a pillbox that was firing on the beach. She was forced to stop when a patrol craft got in the way, but fired again from 0854-0858, knocking the pillbox out with a direct hit.

From 0933-0946 she fired on two guns built into the cliffs and firing along the beach. She reported that they were destroyed, with one falling off the cliff.

By 1000 fire from the McCook and Carmick had helped open the exit from Dog Green beach.

At 1024 she closed in to Dog Green beach at Vierville sur Mer and opened fire from 1,300 yards.

At 1217 she opened fire on houses and emplacements in the gully leading towards the sea from Vierville sur Mer church, destroying six houses and a stone wall sheltering German forces.

At 1635 she fired four salvoes into a cliff position and the German troops came out waving white flags. The McCook signalled with lights and semaphore that they were to march east and surrender. What happened next isn’t recorded.

At 2330 she recorded a heavy air raid and reported seeing two ships hit by bombs and five aircraft shot down in flames.

During D-Day she had fired 975 rounds of 5in ammo.

By D+2 she had run short of ammo and departed for England to resupply at 0540. After resupplying she returned to Normandy and continued to support the fighting there until 14 July.

On 18 July she departed for Bizerte escorting a convoy of LSTs and LCIs that were to take part in the invasion of the South of France, arriving on 28 July. She then moved to Mers-el-Kebir and then Naples.

On 13 August she sailed for France to take part in Operation Dragoon. On 14 August she arrived in a screening position to the south of Toulon. She spent the next 35 days supporting the invasion, carrying out fire support and screening duties, and escorting convoys from Corsica and Naples.

On 21 September she departed to the US, arriving at New York on 3 October. The rest of 1944 was spent operating along the US East Coast.

On 28 December she returned to trans-Atlantic convoy duties.

1945

By 24 May 1945 she had made six return trips across the Atlantic. On that date she entered the Philadelphia Navy Yard to be converted into a fast minesweeper. She was reclassified as DMS-36 on 30 May and the work was completed on 12 July. Training lasted until 12 August, three days before the surrender of Japan.

Post-war

The McCook reached Okinawa on 28 September 1945. She arrived just in time to endure two typhoons, before getting to work in the Yellow Sea in late October. Between 23 October-15 November she swept 77 mines.

On 17 November she arrived at Sasebo for duty in Japanese coastal waters. In mid-December she was badly damaged by a typhoon while returning from a courier trip to Wakayama. Repairs were carried out at Sasebo, starting on 18 December and lasting for one month.

From 3-26 February 1946 she checked the swept channels in the Inaldn Sea around Kure and Hiroshima. This ended her minesweeping career. On 26 February she departed for Shanghai, where she spent two weeks. She returned to Japan, before departing for the US on 12 March, reaching San Francisco on 31 March.

On 14 January 1947 she was ordered to San Diego, where she spent most of the next two years working with the Underwater Training Unit. She also took part in destroyer squadron exercises and battle problems, which took her to Hawaii. From 7 July-11 September 1947 she carried out a cruise to the Marshalls and Marianas.

On 27 May 1949 she was decommissioned and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego. She was later moved to Bremerton. She was sold for scrap on 27 August 1973.

The McCook received three battle stars, for Normandy, the South of France and Pacific Minesweeping.

Displacement (standard)

1,630t design
1,838t as built

Displacement (loaded)

2,395t

Top Speed

35kts design
36.5kt at 50,200shp at 2,220t on trial (Niblack)

Engine

2-shaft Westinghouse turbines
4 boilers
50,000hp design

Range

6500nm at 12kt design

Armour - belt

 

 - deck

 

Length

348ft 3in

Width

36ft 1in

Armaments

Five 5in/38 guns
Ten 21in torpedo tubes
Six 0.5in AA guns
Two depth charge tracks

Crew complement

208

Laid down

1 May 1941

Launched

30 April 1942

Commissioned

15 March 1943

Sold for scrap

27 August 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.
cover cover cover

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (1 July 2024), USS McCook (DD-496/ DMS-36) , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_USS_McCook_DD496.html

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