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USS Mansfield (DD-728)
Encyclopedia
USS Mansfield (DD-728), an , is the only ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Sergeant Duncan Mansfield
, a Marine who, in 1804, during the First Barbary War
sailed with Lieutenant Stephen Decatur
aboard the on a covert mission to destroy the recently captured .
The name Mansfield was canceled for DD-594 and reassigned to DD-728 on 26 July 1943. DD-594 was renamed on 21 March 1944 before launching.
Corp., Bath, Maine
; launched 29 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Edmond F. Jewell; and commissioned 14 April 1944, Commander
Robert E. Brady, Jr., in command.
After shakedown off Bermuda
and further training at Norfolk
and Casco Bay, Maine, Mansfield steamed via the Panama Canal
for the West Coast, arriving San Diego 10 September 1944. A week later, in company with DesDiv 122, she headed for Pearl Harbor
, conducting training exercises en route. After antiaircraft and shore bombardment exercises at Pearl Harbor, Mansfield and four other destroyers escorted a convoy to Ulithi.
area. On 10 December 1944, Mansfield, with DesRon 61 in TG 38.2, again screened raids on Luzon
. After several successful strikes, a sudden typhoon canceled further strikes and capsized destroyers , , and . Mansfield's task group picked up survivors and returned to Ulithi.
On 30 December, Mansfield joined TG 30.1 for airstrikes against Formosa
and central Luzon. Afterwards, Admiral William Halsey took the 3rd Fleet, with TG 30.1, through the Bashi Strait into the South China Sea
, up to then a private lake of the Japanese Navy
. However, no Japanese units challenged Halsey's fleet during its 3,800 mile foray along the China
coast from Hong Kong
to Saigon. From 10 to 20 January 1945, 3rd Fleet aircraft battered enemy facilities and merchant ships and destroyed 112 Japanese planes.
In early February 1945, Mansfield screened in TG 58.1 as carriers flew strikes against targets in the Tokyo industrial area. On 15 February Mansfield helped splash an enemy fighter closing the formation. From 17 to 23 February, TG 58.1 lent fighter support for the Iwo Jima
assault, then steamed at full speed back to the Tokyo area for bombing runs on Nagoya and Kobe. As heavy weather set in, the task group retired southward, pounding enemy shore installations on Okinawa while en route to Ulithi for replenishment.
From 14 March to 27 April 1945, Mansfield screened carriers during strikes against southern Kyushu, followed by sweeps against Okinawa Gunto. On 9 May 1945, her flattops again pounded Kyushu, Okinawa, and the island groups between. From 28 May, when the 5th Fleet again became the 3rd Fleet and TG 58.1 became TG 38.1, to the Japanese surrender 15 August, the destroyer operated off the Japanese homeland. Three weeks before VJ Day, Mansfield, with eight destroyers of DesRon 61, conducted a daring high‑speed torpedo run into Nojima Saki, sinking or damaging four enemy ships.
After witnessing the formal Japanese surrender ceremony (alongside the USS Missouri) in September in Tokyo Bay, Mansfield returned to the West Coast. During the postwar years, the combat veterans trained reservists from the West Coast and made annual cruises to WestPac as part of the Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet.
, Mansfield steamed from Sasebo, Japan, to South Korea to provide gunfire support and escort services. Three months later, as flagship for DesDiv 91, she led the division into Inchon Channel, openly inviting shore batteries to unmask themselves. After the shore opened up upon her, Mansfield smothered them with a 5‑inch bombardment; she suffered no damage or casualties in the action.
Two weeks after Inchon, Mansfield, while searching for a downed Air Force B‑26, struck a mine which severed the bow below the main deck and seriously injured 27 crewmembers. Receiving a stub bow at Subic Bay, she steamed to Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington for repairs; rejoining the U.N. Fleet off South Korea late in 1951 for gunfire support, escort, and shore bombardment duty.
After Korea, Mansfield alternated between duty in WestPac and training West Coast reservists. Overhauled in the fall of 1955 at the Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, California, she returned there in 1960 for FRAM
. The Mark II overhaul and conversion replaced her 3 inch 50 cal. battery with Mark 25 and Mark 32 antisubmarine torpedo batteries, and configured the aft superstructure for DASH. From October 1960 to October 1961, the "new" destroyer conducted training exercises with the 1st Fleet off the West Coast. For the following 3 years, home ported at Yokosuka, she provided escort service for the 7th Fleet's Fast Carrier Attack Force.
.
In June 1966, Mansfield was once again assigned Yokosuka Naval Base
as her homeport, after which her deployment schedule repeatedly took her back to the South China Sea for operations off the coast of Vietnam
. Excluding 2 weeks in September with TF 130 as an alternate recovery ship for Gemini XI and 2 weeks in late November as station ship at Hong Kong, she spent the remainder of 1966 off the Vietnamese coast in roles which ranged from blockade patrol in the I Corps area and the interdiction of junk and sampan traffic from the north into South Vietnam, to gunfire support south of Saigon. Adding air‑sea rescue to her services in 1967, she has continued to carry out similar missions in support of Allied operations in Vietnam from 1967 into 1969.
4 June 1974 and cannibalized for spare parts.
Mansfield received five battle stars for World War II service, and three for Korean service.
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...
to be named for Sergeant Duncan Mansfield
Duncan Mansfield
Sergeant Duncan Mansfield was in the United States Marine Corps.-Biography:Born at Albany, New York, Mansfield enlisted in the Marine Corps at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 11 August 1798 and served until 1805. While serving in schooner Enterprise during the war with Tripoli, Sergeant Mansfield...
, a Marine who, in 1804, during the First Barbary War
First Barbary War
The First Barbary War , also known as the Barbary Coast War or the Tripolitan War, was the first of two wars fought between the United States and the North African Berber Muslim states known collectively as the Barbary States...
sailed with Lieutenant Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur
Stephen Decatur, Jr. , was an American naval officer notable for his many naval victories in the early 19th century. He was born on the eastern shore of Maryland, Worcester county, the son of a U.S. Naval Officer who served during the American Revolution. Shortly after attending college Decatur...
aboard the on a covert mission to destroy the recently captured .
The name Mansfield was canceled for DD-594 and reassigned to DD-728 on 26 July 1943. DD-594 was renamed on 21 March 1944 before launching.
Initial operations
Mansfield was laid down 28 August 1943 by the Bath Iron WorksBath Iron Works
Bath Iron Works is a major American shipyard located on the Kennebec River in Bath, Maine, United States. Since its founding in 1884 , BIW has built private, commercial and military vessels, most of which have been ordered by the United States Navy...
Corp., Bath, Maine
Bath, Maine
Bath is a city in Sagadahoc County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 9,266. It is the county seat of Sagadahoc County. Located on the Kennebec River, Bath is a port of entry with a good harbor. The city is popular with tourists, many drawn by its...
; launched 29 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Edmond F. Jewell; and commissioned 14 April 1944, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
Robert E. Brady, Jr., in command.
After shakedown off Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and further training at Norfolk
Norfolk Naval Shipyard
The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard and abbreviated as NNSY, is a U.S. Navy facility in Portsmouth, Virginia, for building, remodeling, and repairing the Navy's ships. It's the oldest and largest industrial facility that belongs to the U.S. Navy as well as the most...
and Casco Bay, Maine, Mansfield steamed via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
for the West Coast, arriving San Diego 10 September 1944. A week later, in company with DesDiv 122, she headed for 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...
, conducting training exercises en route. After antiaircraft and shore bombardment exercises at Pearl Harbor, Mansfield and four other destroyers escorted a convoy to Ulithi.
World War II
There Mansfield joined TG 38.1 to screen and serve as picket during carrier strikes against central Luzon, including the ManilaManila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
area. On 10 December 1944, Mansfield, with DesRon 61 in TG 38.2, again screened raids 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...
. After several successful strikes, a sudden typhoon canceled further strikes and capsized destroyers , , and . Mansfield's task group picked up survivors and returned to Ulithi.
On 30 December, Mansfield joined TG 30.1 for airstrikes against Formosa
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
and central Luzon. Afterwards, Admiral William Halsey took the 3rd Fleet, with TG 30.1, through the Bashi Strait into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
, up to then a private lake of the Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
. However, no Japanese units challenged Halsey's fleet during its 3,800 mile foray along the China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
coast from Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
to Saigon. From 10 to 20 January 1945, 3rd Fleet aircraft battered enemy facilities and merchant ships and destroyed 112 Japanese planes.
In early February 1945, Mansfield screened in TG 58.1 as carriers flew strikes against targets in the Tokyo industrial area. On 15 February Mansfield helped splash an enemy fighter closing the formation. From 17 to 23 February, TG 58.1 lent fighter support for the 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...
assault, then steamed at full speed back to the Tokyo area for bombing runs on Nagoya and Kobe. As heavy weather set in, the task group retired southward, pounding enemy shore installations on Okinawa while en route to Ulithi for replenishment.
From 14 March to 27 April 1945, Mansfield screened carriers during strikes against southern Kyushu, followed by sweeps against Okinawa Gunto. On 9 May 1945, her flattops again pounded Kyushu, Okinawa, and the island groups between. From 28 May, when the 5th Fleet again became the 3rd Fleet and TG 58.1 became TG 38.1, to the Japanese surrender 15 August, the destroyer operated off the Japanese homeland. Three weeks before VJ Day, Mansfield, with eight destroyers of DesRon 61, conducted a daring high‑speed torpedo run into Nojima Saki, sinking or damaging four enemy ships.
After witnessing the formal Japanese surrender ceremony (alongside the USS Missouri) in September in Tokyo Bay, Mansfield returned to the West Coast. During the postwar years, the combat veterans trained reservists from the West Coast and made annual cruises to WestPac as part of the Destroyer Force, Pacific Fleet.
Korean War
On 27 June 1950, two days after the North Korean invasion of South KoreaSouth Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Mansfield steamed from Sasebo, Japan, to South Korea to provide gunfire support and escort services. Three months later, as flagship for DesDiv 91, she led the division into Inchon Channel, openly inviting shore batteries to unmask themselves. After the shore opened up upon her, Mansfield smothered them with a 5‑inch bombardment; she suffered no damage or casualties in the action.
Two weeks after Inchon, Mansfield, while searching for a downed Air Force B‑26, struck a mine which severed the bow below the main deck and seriously injured 27 crewmembers. Receiving a stub bow at Subic Bay, she steamed to Naval Shipyard, Bremerton, Washington for repairs; rejoining the U.N. Fleet off South Korea late in 1951 for gunfire support, escort, and shore bombardment duty.
After Korea, Mansfield alternated between duty in WestPac and training West Coast reservists. Overhauled in the fall of 1955 at the Naval Shipyard, Long Beach, California, she returned there in 1960 for FRAM
Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization
The Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization program of the United States Navy extended the lives of World War II-era destroyers by shifting their mission from a surface attack role to that of a submarine hunter...
. The Mark II overhaul and conversion replaced her 3 inch 50 cal. battery with Mark 25 and Mark 32 antisubmarine torpedo batteries, and configured the aft superstructure for DASH. From October 1960 to October 1961, the "new" destroyer conducted training exercises with the 1st Fleet off the West Coast. For the following 3 years, home ported at Yokosuka, she provided escort service for the 7th Fleet's Fast Carrier Attack Force.
Vietnam
To be home ported at Long Beach, the destroyer returned to the United States in June 1964. On 20 August 1965 Mansfield again sailed westward for duty with the 7th Fleet. For the next 6 months she carried out screening and plane guard duties with fast carriers, and provided gunfire support for South Vietnamese, Australian, and American forces fighting in South VietnamSouth Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
.
In June 1966, Mansfield was once again assigned Yokosuka Naval Base
United States Fleet Activities Yokosuka
U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, or Commander, Fleet Activities Yokosuka is a United States Navy base, in Yokosuka, Japan. Its mission is to maintain and operate base facilities for the logistic, recreational, administrative support and service of the U.S. Naval Forces Japan, U.S. 7th Fleet and...
as her homeport, after which her deployment schedule repeatedly took her back to the South China Sea for operations off the coast of Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
. Excluding 2 weeks in September with TF 130 as an alternate recovery ship for Gemini XI and 2 weeks in late November as station ship at Hong Kong, she spent the remainder of 1966 off the Vietnamese coast in roles which ranged from blockade patrol in the I Corps area and the interdiction of junk and sampan traffic from the north into South Vietnam, to gunfire support south of Saigon. Adding air‑sea rescue to her services in 1967, she has continued to carry out similar missions in support of Allied operations in Vietnam from 1967 into 1969.
End of career
The Mansfield was decommissioned 4 February 1971. On 1 February 1974, she was officially stricken from the Navy Vessel Register. She was sold to ArgentinaArgentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
4 June 1974 and cannibalized for spare parts.
Mansfield received five battle stars for World War II service, and three for Korean service.