USS Cummings (DD-365)
Encyclopedia
The second USS Cummings (DD-365) was a Mahan-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was named for Andrew Boyd Cummings
.
Cummings; and commissioned 25 November 1936, Commander
C. P. Cecil in command.
Departing New York 29 September 1937, Cummings arrived at San Diego
28 October to join the Battle Force. She participated in the fleet problem in Hawaii
an waters in April 1938 and a Presidential Fleet Review at San Francisco
in July. In 1939 the exercises were held in the Panama Canal Zone
and the Caribbean
from January to April. Returning to San Diego 12 May 1939, Cummings participated in flotilla and fleet training, and served as plane guard for the carriers Yorktown (CV-5)
and Lexington (CV-2)
. When the security patrol was begun on the west coast in 1940, Cummings served on it intermittently, while continuing to conduct exercises in antiaircraft and submarine tactics, and target practice.
Cummings was based at Pearl Harbor
from 26 April 1940. Except for a west coast overhaul and a cruise to Tutuila
, Samoa
; Auckland
, New Zealand
; and Tahiti
between 4 March and 3 April 1941, Cummings remained in Hawaiian waters conducting patrols and constantly exercising and drilling.
When the Japan
ese attacked Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941, Cummings weathered bombs which fell ahead and astern, receiving only minor casualties from fragments, and sortied on patrol almost immediately. From 19 December 1941 to 4 May 1942 Cummings escorted convoys between Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, then sailed between Suva
, Fiji Islands, and Auckland, New Zealand., from 9 June to 13 August on similar duty.
After overhaul at San Francisco, Cummings escorted a convoy to Noumea
, and Wellington, New Zealand, in November 1942; then began patrol and escort missions for the Guadalcanal
operation from bases at Espiritu Santo
and Nouméa until 17 May 1943 when she sailed to Auckland, New Zealand, for brief overhaul. Returning to Nouméa 4 June, Cummings screened transports to Auckland in July, and then served at Efate
from 5 August until 4 September.
Overhauled on the west coast again, Cummings joined TF 94. to patrol off Adak
, Alaska
, between 1 and 16 December before returning to Pearl Harbor 21 December.
operations, accompanying the carriers for air strikes on Wotje and Eniwetok until 21 February. Cummings sailed from Majuro
4 March for Trincomalee
, Ceylon, where she rendezvoused 31 March with British
ships for exercises. She sailed 16 April with British Force 70 to screen during air strikes on Sabang
, Sumatra
, on 19 April, and then returned to Ceylon until 6 May when she cleared for Exmouth
Gulf, Australia. With British Force 66, she sortied 15 May for air strikes on Soerabaja, Java, then left the British forces and returned by way of Sydney to Pearl Harbor.
Arriving at San Francisco 7 July 1944, Cummings sailed 21 July to escort President Franklin D. Roosevelt
embarked in Baltimore (CA-68)
to Pearl Harbor, Adak, and Juneau
. The President and his staff came aboard 8 August for transportation to Seattle
and upon arrival there, 12 August, President Roosevelt broadcast a nationwide address from the forecastle of Cummings.
Departing Seattle 13 August 1944, Cummings joined TG 12.5 at Pearl Harbor for an air strike and shore bombardment of Wake Island
on 3 September. With the 3d Fleet, she joined in the bombardment of Marcus Island on 9 October, then screened the escort carriers as they launched the supporting air strikes on Luzon
, Cebu
, Leyte, Samar, and Negros, during the Leyte landings, and gallantly engaged the Japanese in the decisive Battle of Leyte Gulf
. She took part in the bombardment of Iwo Jima
on 11 and 12 November, and then returned to Saipan
21 November for local duty. She interrupted this duty to join in the repeated strikes on Iwo Jima from 8 December 1944 to 19 March 1945 when she supplied fire support for the invading troops. She was stationed off Iwo Jima, occasionally escorting convoys to Saipan and Guam
until the end of the war. Her duties included local convoy escort and control duty, and the important air-sea rescue work that accompanied the intensified strikes on Okinawa and the Japanese home islands. She supervised the occupation of Haha Jima on 9 September, then sailed from Iwo Jima 19 September for San Pedro, California, Tampa
, Florida
, and Norfolk
. Cummings was decommissioned 14 December 1945 and sold 17 July 1947.
Mahan class destroyer
The Mahan-class destroyers served in the United States Navy before and during World War II. The lead ship of the class was named for Alfred T. Mahan, a US Naval officer and influential theorist on sea power....
destroyer
Destroyer
In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was named for Andrew Boyd Cummings
Andrew Boyd Cummings
Andrew Boyd Cummings was an officer in the United States Navy during the American Civil War who was killed in action off the coast of Louisiana...
.
History
Cummings was launched 11 December 1935 by United Shipyards, Incorporated, New York; sponsored by Mrs. W. W. Mills, niece of Lieutenant CommanderLieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Cummings; and commissioned 25 November 1936, Commander
Commander (United States)
In the United States, commander is a military rank that is also sometimes used as a military title, depending on the branch of service. It is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the military, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Naval rank:In the United States...
C. P. Cecil in command.
Departing New York 29 September 1937, Cummings arrived at San Diego
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
28 October to join the Battle Force. She participated in the fleet problem in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
an waters in April 1938 and a Presidential Fleet Review at San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in July. In 1939 the exercises were held in the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
from January to April. Returning to San Diego 12 May 1939, Cummings participated in flotilla and fleet training, and served as plane guard for the carriers Yorktown (CV-5)
USS Yorktown (CV-5)
was an aircraft carrier commissioned in the United States Navy from 1937 until she was sunk at the Battle of Midway in June 1942. She was named after the Battle of Yorktown in 1781 and the lead ship of the Yorktown class which was designed after lessons learned from operations with the large...
and Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington (CV-2)
USS Lexington , nicknamed the "Gray Lady" or "Lady Lex," was an early aircraft carrier of the United States Navy. She was the lead ship of the , though her sister ship was commissioned a month earlier...
. When the security patrol was begun on the west coast in 1940, Cummings served on it intermittently, while continuing to conduct exercises in antiaircraft and submarine tactics, and target practice.
Cummings was based at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
from 26 April 1940. Except for a west coast overhaul and a cruise to Tutuila
Tutuila
Tutuila is the largest and the main island of American Samoa in the archipelago of Samoan Islands. It is the third largest island in the Samoan Islands chain of the Central Pacific located roughly northeast of Brisbane, Australia and over northeast of Fiji. It contains a large, natural harbor,...
, Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
; Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
; and Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
between 4 March and 3 April 1941, Cummings remained in Hawaiian waters conducting patrols and constantly exercising and drilling.
When the Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese attacked Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
on 7 December 1941, Cummings weathered bombs which fell ahead and astern, receiving only minor casualties from fragments, and sortied on patrol almost immediately. From 19 December 1941 to 4 May 1942 Cummings escorted convoys between Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, then sailed between Suva
Suva
Suva features a tropical rainforest climate under the Koppen climate classification. The city sees a copious amount of precipitation during the course of the year. Suva averages 3,000 mm of precipitation annually with its driest month, July averaging 125 mm of rain per year. In fact,...
, Fiji Islands, and Auckland, New Zealand., from 9 June to 13 August on similar duty.
After overhaul at San Francisco, Cummings escorted a convoy to Noumea
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, and Wellington, New Zealand, in November 1942; then began patrol and escort missions for the Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
operation from bases at Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
and Nouméa until 17 May 1943 when she sailed to Auckland, New Zealand, for brief overhaul. Returning to Nouméa 4 June, Cummings screened transports to Auckland in July, and then served at Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
from 5 August until 4 September.
Overhauled on the west coast again, Cummings joined TF 94. to patrol off Adak
Adak, Alaska
Adak , formerly Adak Station, is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, Alaska, United States. At the 2010 census the population was 326. It is the westernmost municipality in the United States and the southernmost city in Alaska. The city is the former location of the Adak Army Base and Adak...
, Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
, between 1 and 16 December before returning to Pearl Harbor 21 December.
1944
Assigned to the 5th Fleet, she sortied on 19 January 1944 for the MarshallsMarshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
operations, accompanying the carriers for air strikes on Wotje and Eniwetok until 21 February. Cummings sailed from Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
4 March for Trincomalee
Trincomalee
Trincomalee is a port city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka and lies on the east coast of the island, about 113 miles south of Jaffna. It has a population of approximately 100,000 . The city is built on a peninsula, which divides the inner and outer harbours. Overlooking the Kottiyar Bay,...
, Ceylon, where she rendezvoused 31 March with British
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
ships for exercises. She sailed 16 April with British Force 70 to screen during air strikes on Sabang
Sabang
Sabang is a city consisting of several islands in Aceh, Indonesia. The metropolitan area is located on Weh Island, 17 km north of Banda Aceh. The city covers an area of 118 square kilometres and according to the 2000 census had a population of 23,654 people...
, Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
, on 19 April, and then returned to Ceylon until 6 May when she cleared for Exmouth
Exmouth, Western Australia
-Further reading:* Western Australia. Ministry for Planning. Exmouth-Learmonth structure plan. Perth, W.A. : Western Australian Planning Commission...
Gulf, Australia. With British Force 66, she sortied 15 May for air strikes on Soerabaja, Java, then left the British forces and returned by way of Sydney to Pearl Harbor.
Arriving at San Francisco 7 July 1944, Cummings sailed 21 July to escort President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
embarked in Baltimore (CA-68)
USS Baltimore (CA-68)
The fifth USS Baltimore , the lead ship of a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, was launched 28 July 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Company, Fore River, Massachusetts, sponsored by Mrs. Howard W. Jackson, wife of the Mayor of Baltimore, commissioned 15 April 1943, Captain Walter C...
to Pearl Harbor, Adak, and Juneau
Juneau, Alaska
The City and Borough of Juneau is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Alaska. It has been the capital of Alaska since 1906, when the government of the then-District of Alaska was moved from Sitka as dictated by the U.S. Congress in 1900...
. The President and his staff came aboard 8 August for transportation to Seattle
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
and upon arrival there, 12 August, President Roosevelt broadcast a nationwide address from the forecastle of Cummings.
Departing Seattle 13 August 1944, Cummings joined TG 12.5 at Pearl Harbor for an air strike and shore bombardment of Wake Island
Wake Island
Wake Island is a coral atoll having a coastline of in the North Pacific Ocean, located about two-thirds of the way from Honolulu west to Guam east. It is an unorganized, unincorporated territory of the United States, administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, U.S. Department of the Interior...
on 3 September. With the 3d Fleet, she joined in the bombardment of Marcus Island on 9 October, then screened the escort carriers as they launched the supporting air strikes on Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Cebu
Cebu Island
Cebu is an island of the Philippines. It is the main island of Cebu Province at the center of the Visayan Islands, south of Manila.It lies to the east of Negros Island; to the east is Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol Island. It is flanked on both sides by the Cebu Strait and Tañon Strait...
, Leyte, Samar, and Negros, during the Leyte landings, and gallantly engaged the Japanese in the decisive Battle of Leyte Gulf
Battle of Leyte Gulf
The Battle of Leyte Gulf, also called the "Battles for Leyte Gulf", and formerly known as the "Second Battle of the Philippine Sea", is generally considered to be the largest naval battle of World War II and, by some criteria, possibly the largest naval battle in history.It was fought in waters...
. She took part in the bombardment of Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
on 11 and 12 November, and then returned to Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
21 November for local duty. She interrupted this duty to join in the repeated strikes on Iwo Jima from 8 December 1944 to 19 March 1945 when she supplied fire support for the invading troops. She was stationed off Iwo Jima, occasionally escorting convoys to Saipan and Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
until the end of the war. Her duties included local convoy escort and control duty, and the important air-sea rescue work that accompanied the intensified strikes on Okinawa and the Japanese home islands. She supervised the occupation of Haha Jima on 9 September, then sailed from Iwo Jima 19 September for San Pedro, California, Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and Norfolk
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
. Cummings was decommissioned 14 December 1945 and sold 17 July 1947.
External links
- http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/365.htm