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USS Melvin (DD-680)
Encyclopedia
USS Melvin (DD-680), a Fletcher-class
destroyer
, was the second ship of the United States Navy
to be named for Lieutenant, junior grade
John T. Melvin (1887–1917).
Melvin was laid down on 6 July 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, in Kearny, N.J.
; launched
on 17 October 1943, sponsored by Miss Gertrude C. Bailey, grandniece of Lieutenant Melvin; and commissioned
on 24 November 1943, with Commander
Warner R. Edsall in command.
, Melvin sailed for the Pacific
on 1 February 1944. Arriving Pearl Harbor
on 4 March, she got underway for Majuro
five days later and for the next month conducted antisubmarine patrols and participated in the blockade of enemy-held atoll
s in the Marshall Islands
, returning to Pearl Harbor on 2 May. There, she underwent intensive fire support training and 31 May departed with Task Group 52.17 (TG 52.17) for Saipan
. Approaching that island on the night of 13/14 June, she sank . A few hours later, while steaming off northern Saipan, she again engaged an enemy vessel, this time a merchantman, which burned brightly for a few hours before sinking. For the next 23 days, she provided counter-battery fire, conducted antisubmarine patrols, damaging an enemy submarine on the 17th, served as call fire ship for Marines
on the beach, escorted ships from Eniwetok, and participated in the bombardment of Tinian
.
On 8 July, Melvin. sailed for Eniwetok, where on the 18th, she sailed in the screen of the transports carrying troops to Guam
, off the coast of which she screened transports and oilers from 22 July to 7 August. After preparations at Guadalcanal
, from 8–21 September she took part in the capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands, then joined TG 33.19 for the unopposed occupation of Ulithi
. After escorting LST
s to Hollandia, she arrived at Manus Island
to stage for the invasion of Leyte
, Philippines
.
Now with TG 79.11, Melvin sailed on 11 October toward the Philippines in the screen of the landing craft to be used in the assault on Dulag
. Soon after midnight on 20 October, she entered Leyte Gulf
and took up her assigned screening station between Dinagat and Hibuson Island
s, carrying out similar screening patrols for the next 4 days. In the early hours of the 25th, she joined in the torpedo
attack by Destroyer Squadron 54 (DesRon 54), which opened the Battle of Surigao Strait. Assigned with and to the Eastern Attack Group, Melvin began launching torpedoes soon after 0300, scoring hits on , which exploded and sank at about 0338. Following their attack, the destroyers retired up the Dinagat coast to Hibuson, from where they witnessed the deadly barrage from Admiral
Jesse B. Oldendorf
's battle line.
to rehearse for the assault on Luzon
. She stood out of Purvis Bay
, Florida Island on 25 December, escorting transports to Manus and then on to Lingayen Gulf
. She arrived with her charges on 11 January 1945, and provided illumination and fire support as well as screening services. Continuing to cover the landings until the 15th, she met Japanese kamikaze
s, as swimmers, in boats, and in planes, with equal determination.
From Luzon
, Melvin sailed south to Leyte, then to the Carolines
and a new assignment, screening the Fast Carrier Task Force
(TF 38/58). Steaming north with that force on 10 February, Melvin guarded the flattops as their planes raided Honshū
and then provided direct air cover for the Iwo Jima campaign
. On the 21st, she aided in her fight against fires and enemy planes, splashing three, and then escorted her to Eniwetok for repairs.
By mid-March, she had rejoined the fast carriers at Ulithi, sailing northwest with them on the 14th to prepare the way for the Okinawa campaign
. For the next 61 days, Melvin remained at sea, guarding the carriers, providing fire support for the troops embattled after 1 April, and patrolling on picket station. After a brief respite at Ulithi in mid-May, she returned to the Ryukyu Islands
on the 24th for raids on enemy installations in those islands and on Kyūshū
. Mid-June brought another brief respite from the war while the destroyer was docked in San Pedro Bay
. She was underway again on 1 July as the carriers steamed north for their last deployment against Japan. In the next month and a half, the force operated off the enemy's homeland, shelling and bombing industrial and military centers on Honshū and Hokkaidō
.
Melvin remained with the aircraft carrier
s until 10 August, when she sailed north to join TF 92 in an anti-shipping sweep and bombardment of Paramushiro. With that mission completed on the 12th, she sailed east to Adak, Alaska
, where she received word of the Japanese surrender, and new orders to return to Japan for occupation duty with minesweeper
s off northern Honshū. On 12 October, she departed for the United States, arriving at San Francisco on 4 November. At San Diego
on 31 May 1946, she was decommissioned and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
to join the Atlantic Fleet's DesRon 24 and bolster the 2nd and 6th Fleets so that they could spare destroyers for the U.N. effort in South Korea
. For 2½ years, she cruised off the US east coast and in the Caribbean Sea
, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea
from 22 April to 8 October 1952 and 22 April to 6 June 1953.
On 13 January 1954, she again decommissioned and joined the Reserve Fleet
at Charleston, South Carolina
. She remained berthed there until 1960, when she was reassigned to the Philadelphia Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Melvin was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 1 December 1974. She was sold on 14 August 1975 and broken up for scrap.
Fletcher class destroyer
The Fletcher class were a class of destroyers built by the United States during World War II. The class was designed in 1939 as a result of dissatisfaction with the earlier destroyer leader types...
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...
, was the second ship of 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...
to be named for Lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
John T. Melvin (1887–1917).
Melvin was laid down on 6 July 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company, in Kearny, N.J.
Kearny, New Jersey
Kearny is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. It was named after Civil War general Philip Kearny. As of the United States 2010 Census, the town population was 40,684. The town is a suburb of the nearby city of Newark....
; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 17 October 1943, sponsored by Miss Gertrude C. Bailey, grandniece of Lieutenant Melvin; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 24 November 1943, with 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...
Warner R. Edsall in command.
1944
Following shakedown off BermudaBermuda
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...
, Melvin sailed for the Pacific
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
on 1 February 1944. Arriving 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...
on 4 March, she got underway for 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...
five days later and for the next month conducted antisubmarine patrols and participated in the blockade of enemy-held atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
s in the Marshall Islands
Marshall 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...
, returning to Pearl Harbor on 2 May. There, she underwent intensive fire support training and 31 May departed with Task Group 52.17 (TG 52.17) for 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...
. Approaching that island on the night of 13/14 June, she sank . A few hours later, while steaming off northern Saipan, she again engaged an enemy vessel, this time a merchantman, which burned brightly for a few hours before sinking. For the next 23 days, she provided counter-battery fire, conducted antisubmarine patrols, damaging an enemy submarine on the 17th, served as call fire ship for Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
on the beach, escorted ships from Eniwetok, and participated in the bombardment of Tinian
Tinian
Tinian is one of the three principal islands of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.-Geography:Tinian is about 5 miles southwest of its sister island, Saipan, from which it is separated by the Saipan Channel. It has a land area of 39 sq.mi....
.
On 8 July, Melvin. sailed for Eniwetok, where on the 18th, she sailed in the screen of the transports carrying troops to 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...
, off the coast of which she screened transports and oilers from 22 July to 7 August. After preparations at 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...
, from 8–21 September she took part in the capture and occupation of the southern Palau Islands, then joined TG 33.19 for the unopposed occupation of Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
. After escorting LST
Tank landing ship
Landing Ship, Tank was the military designation for naval vessels created during World War II to support amphibious operations by carrying significant quantities of vehicles, cargo, and landing troops directly onto an unimproved shore....
s to Hollandia, she arrived at Manus Island
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
to stage for the invasion of Leyte
Battle of Leyte
The Battle of Leyte in the Pacific campaign of World War II was the invasion and conquest of the island of Leyte in the Philippines by American and Filipino guerrilla forces under the command of General Douglas MacArthur, who fought against the Imperial Japanese Army in the Philippines led by...
, Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Now with TG 79.11, Melvin sailed on 11 October toward the Philippines in the screen of the landing craft to be used in the assault on Dulag
Dulag, Leyte
Dulag is a third-class municipality in the province of Leyte in Eastern Visayas in the Philippines. This coastal town covering 11,007 hectares of land is home to 44,143 residents...
. Soon after midnight on 20 October, she entered Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
and took up her assigned screening station between Dinagat and Hibuson Island
Hibuson Island
Hibuson Island is a small island in the Philippines, in the province of Surigao del Norte. It lies northwest of Dinagat Island in Leyte Gulf, at the north end of Surigao Strait....
s, carrying out similar screening patrols for the next 4 days. In the early hours of the 25th, she joined in the torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
attack by Destroyer Squadron 54 (DesRon 54), which opened the Battle of Surigao Strait. Assigned with and to the Eastern Attack Group, Melvin began launching torpedoes soon after 0300, scoring hits on , which exploded and sank at about 0338. Following their attack, the destroyers retired up the Dinagat coast to Hibuson, from where they witnessed the deadly barrage from Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse B. Oldendorf
Jesse Bartlett "Oley" Oldendorf was an admiral in the United States Navy, famous for defeating a Japanese force in the Battle of Leyte Gulf during World War II...
's battle line.
1945
Within 48 hours, Melvin was en route to Hollandia, and escorting resupply convoys to the Philippines into December, when she returned to the Solomon IslandsSolomon Islands
Solomon Islands is a sovereign state in Oceania, east of Papua New Guinea, consisting of nearly one thousand islands. It covers a land mass of . The capital, Honiara, is located on the island of Guadalcanal...
to rehearse for the assault on Luzon
Battle of Luzon
The Battle of Luzon was a land battle fought as part of the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II by the Allied forces of the U.S., its colony The Philippines, and Mexico against forces of the Empire of Japan. The battle resulted in a U.S. and Filipino victory...
. She stood out of Purvis Bay
Purvis Bay
Purvis Bay is located in the Florida Islands, which are part of the Solomon Islands. The bay was used by the US Navy during World War Two....
, Florida Island on 25 December, escorting transports to Manus and then on to Lingayen Gulf
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
. She arrived with her charges on 11 January 1945, and provided illumination and fire support as well as screening services. Continuing to cover the landings until the 15th, she met Japanese kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
s, as swimmers, in boats, and in planes, with equal determination.
From 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...
, Melvin sailed south to Leyte, then to the Carolines
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
and a new assignment, screening the Fast Carrier Task Force
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
(TF 38/58). Steaming north with that force on 10 February, Melvin guarded the flattops as their planes raided Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
and then provided direct air cover for the Iwo Jima campaign
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. On the 21st, she aided in her fight against fires and enemy planes, splashing three, and then escorted her to Eniwetok for repairs.
By mid-March, she had rejoined the fast carriers at Ulithi, sailing northwest with them on the 14th to prepare the way for the Okinawa campaign
Battle of Okinawa
The Battle of Okinawa, codenamed Operation Iceberg, was fought on the Ryukyu Islands of Okinawa and was the largest amphibious assault in the Pacific War of World War II. The 82-day-long battle lasted from early April until mid-June 1945...
. For the next 61 days, Melvin remained at sea, guarding the carriers, providing fire support for the troops embattled after 1 April, and patrolling on picket station. After a brief respite at Ulithi in mid-May, she returned to the Ryukyu Islands
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
on the 24th for raids on enemy installations in those islands and on Kyūshū
Kyushu
is the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. Mid-June brought another brief respite from the war while the destroyer was docked in San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
. She was underway again on 1 July as the carriers steamed north for their last deployment against Japan. In the next month and a half, the force operated off the enemy's homeland, shelling and bombing industrial and military centers on Honshū and Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
.
Melvin remained with the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
s until 10 August, when she sailed north to join TF 92 in an anti-shipping sweep and bombardment of Paramushiro. With that mission completed on the 12th, she sailed east to Adak, Alaska
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...
, where she received word of the Japanese surrender, and new orders to return to Japan for occupation duty with minesweeper
Minesweeper (ship)
A minesweeper is a small naval warship designed to counter the threat posed by naval mines. Minesweepers generally detect then neutralize mines in advance of other naval operations.-History:...
s off northern Honshū. On 12 October, she departed for the United States, arriving at San Francisco on 4 November. At San Diego
Naval Station San Diego
Naval Base San Diego is the largest base of the United States Navy on the west coast of the United States, in San Diego, California. Naval Base San Diego is the principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, consisting of 54 ships and over 120 tenant commands. The base is composed of 13 piers stretched...
on 31 May 1946, she was decommissioned and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet.
1951-1954
Melvin recommissioned on 26 February 1951 and sailed on 1 June for Newport, R.I.Naval Station Newport
The Naval Station Newport is a United States Navy base located in the towns of Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Naval Station Newport is home to the Naval War College and the Naval Justice School...
to join the Atlantic Fleet's DesRon 24 and bolster the 2nd and 6th Fleets so that they could spare destroyers for the U.N. effort in South Korea
South 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...
. For 2½ years, she cruised off the US east coast and in the Caribbean Sea
Caribbean Sea
The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean located in the tropics of the Western hemisphere. It is bounded by Mexico and Central America to the west and southwest, to the north by the Greater Antilles, and to the east by the Lesser Antilles....
, deploying to the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
from 22 April to 8 October 1952 and 22 April to 6 June 1953.
On 13 January 1954, she again decommissioned and joined the Reserve Fleet
United States Navy reserve fleets
The United States Navy maintains a number of its ships as part of a reserve fleet, often called the "Mothball Fleet". While the details of the activity have changed several times, the basics are constant: keep the ships afloat and sufficiently working as to be reactivated quickly in an...
at Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
. She remained berthed there until 1960, when she was reassigned to the Philadelphia Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Melvin was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 1 December 1974. She was sold on 14 August 1975 and broken up for scrap.