USS Newcomb (DD-586)
Encyclopedia
USS Newcomb (DD-586) was a Fletcher-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was the only ship named for Commodore Frank H. Newcomb
of the United States Revenue Cutter Service, Congressional Gold Medal recipient from the Spanish-American War
.
Newcomb was laid down 19 March 1943 by Boston Navy Yard
; launched
4 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. C. C. Baughman; and commissioned
10 November 1943, Commander L. B. Cook in command.
, arriving 4 April 1944 for two months duty on antisubmarine patrol off the Japan
ese held Mille
, Wotje, and Jaluit atolls. She next joined the assault on Saipan
as flagship
for the screen from 29 May until 5 August, serving as fire support and patrol ship at both Saipan
and Tinian
. On 22 June, while guarding transports, she and Chandler
(DMS-9) sank Japanese
submarine
I-185, and on 4 July her well-directed fire broke up a Japanese banzai attack north of Garapan
on Saipan.
Operating in the Fire Support and Bombardment Group for the assault on the Palaus 6 September to 1 October, Newcomb fired 23 separate shore bombardments and also covered underwater demolition team
s providing bombardment control spotting. As flagship of Destroyer Squadron 56 (DesRon 56), Newcomb joined in the Leyte landings
12 October to 4 December, covering underwater demolition teams and firing preinvasion-bombardment, call-fire, night-harassing and illumination missions.
Her squadron made a night torpedo attack in the Surigao Strait
phase of the Battle for Leyte Gulf 25 October. At least one of her 5 torpedoes struck battleship
Yamashiro
, sunk in this action. Closely straddled but not damaged, Newcomb went to the aid of stricken Albert W. Grant
(DD-649), providing medical aid and a tow out of the battle area. In this classic sea battle, Newcomb and her sisters played a key role in the great American victory which insured the success of General Douglas MacArthur
's return to the Philippines, and effectively ended major Japanese naval threats for the remainder of the war.
Often under fire from Japanese aircraft, several of which she destroyed, Newcomb continued service in the Philippines
, engaging Japanese shore batteries at Ormoc 9 December while screening landing craft
, fighting a convoy
through heavy enemy air attack to Mindoro
19 through 24 December, and driving off 2 would-be kamikaze
s during the Lingayen
landing 6 January 1945. She covered operations in Lingayen Gulf
through 24 January, then prepared for duty as fire support ship at Iwo Jima
from 10 February, where she covered minesweeping
for three days prior to the landing. During the invasion the destroyer engaged shore batteries and fired pinpoint-accurate bombardments of inestimable assistance to troops ashore. She again engaged a Japanese submarine 25 February, with unknown results.
Departing Iwo Jima 10 March, Newcomb joined the Okinawa assault force 11 days later, and again covered underwater demolition and minesweeping operations as well as antiaircraft and shore bombardment until 6 April, when she was screening minesweepers off Ie Shima. At least 40 enemy aircraft were observed in the area during the day, and at 16:00 suicide attacks began. Though handicapped by a low ceiling, her gunners were able to drive off or shoot down several attackers, but over a period of an hour and a half, she was struck five times. With a skill and fighting spirit which won them a Navy Unit Commendation
, her crew worked furiously to repair engine damage and extinguish fires, while continuing to fight their ship and maneuver to avoid further crashes. Aid was rendered by Leutze
(DD-481), herself struck by the fifth kamikaze skipping across from Newcomb, and Beale
(DD-471). Indomitably afloat, fires and power out, with 18 killed, 25 missing, and 64 wounded, Newcomb was towed to Kerama Retto
by Tekesta (ATF-93).
Repairs to her hull were made by Vestal
(AR-4) under frequent enemy air attack, and 14 June she left under tow for Saipan, Pearl Harbor, and San Francisco, arriving 8 August.
28 March 1946, she was scrapped at Mare Island Navy Yard in October 1947.
Newcomb received 8 battle stars for World War II
service.
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...
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 the only ship named for Commodore Frank H. Newcomb
Frank Newcomb
Frank Hamilton Newcomb was a Commodore in the United States Revenue Cutter Service. Commodore Newcomb was most famous for his heroic actions at the Battle of Cárdenas during the Spanish-American War....
of the United States Revenue Cutter Service, Congressional Gold Medal recipient from the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
.
Newcomb was laid down 19 March 1943 by Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
; 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...
4 July 1943, sponsored by Mrs. C. C. Baughman; 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...
10 November 1943, Commander L. B. Cook in command.
History
Newcomb shook down in the West Indies for a month, then made passage to the Marshall IslandsMarshall 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...
, arriving 4 April 1944 for two months duty on antisubmarine patrol off 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 held Mille
Mili Atoll
Mili Atoll is a coral atoll of 92 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. It is located approximately southeast of Arno Its total land area is making it the second largest of the Marshall Islands after Kwajalein. It encloses a...
, Wotje, and Jaluit atolls. She next joined the assault on Saipan
Battle of Saipan
The Battle of Saipan was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Saipan in the Mariana Islands from 15 June-9 July 1944. The Allied invasion fleet embarking the expeditionary forces left Pearl Harbor on 5 June 1944, the day before Operation Overlord in Europe was...
as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
for the screen from 29 May until 5 August, serving as fire support and patrol ship at both 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...
and 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 22 June, while guarding transports, she and Chandler
USS Chandler (DD-206)
USS Chandler was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was the only ship named for William Eaton Chandler, who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1882 to 1886....
(DMS-9) sank Japanese
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...
submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
I-185, and on 4 July her well-directed fire broke up a Japanese banzai attack north of Garapan
Garapan
Garapan is the largest village and the center of the tourism industry on the island of Saipan, which is a part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ....
on Saipan.
Operating in the Fire Support and Bombardment Group for the assault on the Palaus 6 September to 1 October, Newcomb fired 23 separate shore bombardments and also covered underwater demolition team
Underwater Demolition Team
The Underwater Demolition Teams were an elite special-purpose force established by the United States Navy during World War II. They also served during the Korean War and the Vietnam War...
s providing bombardment control spotting. As flagship of Destroyer Squadron 56 (DesRon 56), Newcomb joined in the Leyte landings
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...
12 October to 4 December, covering underwater demolition teams and firing preinvasion-bombardment, call-fire, night-harassing and illumination missions.
Her squadron made a night torpedo attack in the Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. This strait connects the Bohol Sea with Leyte Gulf and is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao...
phase of the Battle for Leyte Gulf 25 October. At least one of her 5 torpedoes struck battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
Yamashiro
Japanese battleship Yamashiro
Yamashiro was the Imperial Japanese Navy's second Fusō-class battleship, and was laid down at the Yokosuka Naval Arsenal on November 20, 1913, launched on November 3, 1915, and commissioned on March 31, 1917. She was the first Japanese vessel equipped with aircraft catapults...
, sunk in this action. Closely straddled but not damaged, Newcomb went to the aid of stricken Albert W. Grant
USS Albert W. Grant (DD-649)
USS Albert W. Grant was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was the only ship named for Vice Admiral Albert W. Grant , an admiral during World War I.Albert W...
(DD-649), providing medical aid and a tow out of the battle area. In this classic sea battle, Newcomb and her sisters played a key role in the great American victory which insured the success of General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
's return to the Philippines, and effectively ended major Japanese naval threats for the remainder of the war.
Often under fire from Japanese aircraft, several of which she destroyed, Newcomb continued service in the 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...
, engaging Japanese shore batteries at Ormoc 9 December while screening landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
, fighting a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
through heavy enemy air attack to Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
19 through 24 December, and driving off 2 would-be 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 during the Lingayen
Invasion of Lingayen Gulf
The Liberation of Lingayen Gulf was an Allied amphibious operation in the Philippines during World War II. In the early morning of 9 January 1945, an Allied force commanded by Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf began approaching the shores of Lingayen. U.S...
landing 6 January 1945. She covered operations in 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...
through 24 January, then prepared for duty as fire support ship at 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...
from 10 February, where she covered minesweeping
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:...
for three days prior to the landing. During the invasion the destroyer engaged shore batteries and fired pinpoint-accurate bombardments of inestimable assistance to troops ashore. She again engaged a Japanese submarine 25 February, with unknown results.
Departing Iwo Jima 10 March, Newcomb joined the Okinawa assault force 11 days later, and again covered underwater demolition and minesweeping operations as well as antiaircraft and shore bombardment until 6 April, when she was screening minesweepers off Ie Shima. At least 40 enemy aircraft were observed in the area during the day, and at 16:00 suicide attacks began. Though handicapped by a low ceiling, her gunners were able to drive off or shoot down several attackers, but over a period of an hour and a half, she was struck five times. With a skill and fighting spirit which won them a Navy Unit Commendation
Navy Unit Commendation
The Navy Unit Commendation of the United States Navy is an award that was established by order of the Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal on 18 December 1944...
, her crew worked furiously to repair engine damage and extinguish fires, while continuing to fight their ship and maneuver to avoid further crashes. Aid was rendered by Leutze
USS Leutze (DD-481)
USS Leutze was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Admiral Eugene H. C. Leutze ....
(DD-481), herself struck by the fifth kamikaze skipping across from Newcomb, and Beale
USS Beale (DD-471)
USS Beale , a , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Lieutenant Edward Fitzgerald Beale ....
(DD-471). Indomitably afloat, fires and power out, with 18 killed, 25 missing, and 64 wounded, Newcomb was towed to Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
by Tekesta (ATF-93).
Repairs to her hull were made by Vestal
USS Vestal (AR-4)
USS Vestal was a repair ship in service with the United States Navy from 1913 to 1946. Before her conversion to a repair ship, she had served as collier since 1909. The Vestal served in both World Wars...
(AR-4) under frequent enemy air attack, and 14 June she left under tow for Saipan, Pearl Harbor, and San Francisco, arriving 8 August.
Fate
The end of the war ended further repairs, and Newcomb decommissioned 20 November 1945. Stricken from the Navy ListNaval 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...
28 March 1946, she was scrapped at Mare Island Navy Yard in October 1947.
Newcomb received 8 battle stars for 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...
service.