.gif)
USS Norman Scott (DD-690)
Encyclopedia
USS Norman Scott (DD-690) was a United States Navy
Fletcher-class
destroyer
named for Rear-Admiral Norman Scott (1889–1942), who was killed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
and awarded the Medal of Honor
.
Norman Scott was laid down 26 April 1943 by Bath Iron Works
, Bath, Maine
; launched
28 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Norman Scott; and commissioned
5 November 1943, Commander Seymour D. Owens in command.
, escorting Canberra
(CA-70) to Pearl Harbor
, arriving 1 February. Immediately, she served in the Marshall Islands Operations
, accompanying Gambier Bay
(CVE-73) to newly-won Majuro
. She returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Mariana Islands Operations
, during which she escorted heavy bombardment ships as well as conducting fire support missions of her own, during the invasions of Saipan
, 15 June, and of Tinian
. While firing on the latter 24 July,during the invasion of Tinian the battle ship USS Colorado BB 45 was being attacked by shore batteries. While drawing fire away from the USS Colorado the Norman Scott was hit six times with in a few seconds by counterfire. The USS Norman Scott lost her captain, Seymour Owens, and 22 others, with an additional 57 wounded. Temporary repairs were made at Saipan
. On the 28th, she sailed for Pearl Harbor and Mare Island Naval Shipyard
, where permanent repairs were completed on 21 October. The USS Norman Scott was the star of a World War II RKO-Pathe film entitled This is America-Navy Yard in October 1944. It was about her repair after being hit at Tinian by Japanese shore batteries on 24 July 1944.
Norman Scott trained her new crew in Hawaiian waters, then sailed for Manus, from which she escorted transports to the Philippines
until 9 February 1945. She then joined the fast carrier task force
s of the 5th and 3rd Fleets, ranging the western Pacific for strikes which supported the assaults on Iwo Jima
and Okinawa
. Later in the war, she closed the Japan
ese home shores as battleship
s bombarded them. On 15 July 1945, the Norman Scott joined the battleships Missouri
, Wisconsin
, Iowa
and the destroyers Remey and McGowan
in attacking the sea port city of Muroran. These were the first surface ships to bomb the Japanese homeland. The USS Norman Scott was part of the famed squadron DesRon 54 that opened the battle at Surigao Strait. The Norman Scott was leaving Mare Island on 21 October 1944 after her repair to join her sister ships of Desron 54.
After supporting the occupation of the Japanese naval base at Yokosuka, Norman Scott returned briefly to Okinawa, then proceeded to the west coast, arriving for Navy Day
(27 October) celebrations at Tacoma, Washington
. After operating out of San Francisco, she was decommissioned 30 April 1946 and was berthed in reserve at San Diego, moving in 1947 to Mare Island. Norman Scott was stricken 15 April 1973. She was sold for scrap on 3 December 1973.
Norman Scott received seven battle stars for World War II
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...
Fletcher-class
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...
named for Rear-Admiral Norman Scott (1889–1942), who was killed in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
The Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, sometimes referred to as the Third and Fourth Battles of Savo Island, the Battle of the Solomons, The Battle of Friday the 13th, or, in Japanese sources, as the , took place from 12–15 November 1942, and was the decisive engagement in a series of naval battles...
and awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
.
Norman Scott was laid down 26 April 1943 by Bath Iron Works
Bath 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...
, 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
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...
28 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Norman Scott; 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...
5 November 1943, Commander Seymour D. Owens in command.
History
On 14 January 1944, Norman Scott left BostonBoston 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...
, escorting Canberra
USS Canberra (CA-70)
USS Canberra was a Baltimore class cruiser and later a Boston class guided missile cruiser of the United States Navy. Originally to be named USS Pittsburgh, the ship was renamed Canberra before launch, for the Royal Australian Navy's County class cruiser, , which was sunk during the Battle of Savo...
(CA-70) to 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...
, arriving 1 February. Immediately, she served in the Marshall Islands Operations
Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
In the Pacific Theater of World War II, the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, from November 1943 through February 1944, were key strategic operations of the United States Pacific Fleet and Marine Corps in the Central Pacific. The campaign was preceded by a raid on Makin Island by U.S...
, accompanying Gambier Bay
USS Gambier Bay (CVE-73)
USS Gambier Bay was a Casablanca-class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was sunk in the Battle off Samar after helping to turn back a much larger attacking Japanese surface force....
(CVE-73) to newly-won 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...
. She returned to Pearl Harbor to prepare for the Mariana Islands Operations
Mariana and Palau Islands campaign
The Mariana and Palau Islands campaign, also known as Operation Forager, was an offensive launched by United States forces against Imperial Japanese forces in the Mariana Islands and Palau in the Pacific Ocean between June and November, 1944 during the Pacific War...
, during which she escorted heavy bombardment ships as well as conducting fire support missions of her own, during the invasions of 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...
, 15 June, and of Tinian
Battle of Tinian
The Battle of Tinian was a battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, fought on the island of Tinian in the Mariana Islands from 24 July 1944 to 1 August 1944.-Background:...
. While firing on the latter 24 July,during the invasion of Tinian the battle ship USS Colorado BB 45 was being attacked by shore batteries. While drawing fire away from the USS Colorado the Norman Scott was hit six times with in a few seconds by counterfire. The USS Norman Scott lost her captain, Seymour Owens, and 22 others, with an additional 57 wounded. Temporary repairs were made at 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...
. On the 28th, she sailed for Pearl Harbor and Mare Island Naval Shipyard
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
The Mare Island Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located 25 miles northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates the peninsula shipyard from the main portion of the...
, where permanent repairs were completed on 21 October. The USS Norman Scott was the star of a World War II RKO-Pathe film entitled This is America-Navy Yard in October 1944. It was about her repair after being hit at Tinian by Japanese shore batteries on 24 July 1944.
Norman Scott trained her new crew in Hawaiian waters, then sailed for Manus, from which she escorted transports to 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...
until 9 February 1945. She then joined 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...
s of the 5th and 3rd Fleets, ranging the western Pacific for strikes which supported the assaults on Iwo Jima
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...
and Okinawa
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...
. Later in the war, she closed 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 home shores as 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...
s bombarded them. On 15 July 1945, the Norman Scott joined the battleships Missouri
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
, Wisconsin
USS Wisconsin (BB-64)
USS Wisconsin , "Wisky" or "WisKy", is an , the second ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Wisconsin...
, Iowa
USS Iowa (BB-61)
USS Iowa was the lead ship of her class of battleship and the fourth in the United States Navy to be named in honor of the 29th state...
and the destroyers Remey and McGowan
USS McGowan (DD-678)
USS McGowan was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Rear Admiral Samuel McGowan ....
in attacking the sea port city of Muroran. These were the first surface ships to bomb the Japanese homeland. The USS Norman Scott was part of the famed squadron DesRon 54 that opened the battle at Surigao Strait. The Norman Scott was leaving Mare Island on 21 October 1944 after her repair to join her sister ships of Desron 54.
After supporting the occupation of the Japanese naval base at Yokosuka, Norman Scott returned briefly to Okinawa, then proceeded to the west coast, arriving for Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
(27 October) celebrations at Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
. After operating out of San Francisco, she was decommissioned 30 April 1946 and was berthed in reserve at San Diego, moving in 1947 to Mare Island. Norman Scott was stricken 15 April 1973. She was sold for scrap on 3 December 1973.
Norman Scott received seven 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.