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USS Schley (DD-103)
Encyclopedia
USS Schley (DD-103) was a Wickes-class
destroyer
in the United States Navy
during World War I
and later designated, APD-14 in the World War II
. She was the first ship named in honor of Winfield Scott Schley
.
Schley was laid down on 29 October 1917 by Union Iron Works
, San Francisco, California
; launched on 28 March 1918; sponsored by Miss Eleanor Martin; and commissioned on 20 September 1918, Commander
Robert C. Giffen
in command.
on 10 October 1918 for the east coast and, on 12 November, departed New York for the Mediterranean
. On 24 January 1919 at Taranto
, Italy
, she embarked Rear Admiral
Mark L. Bristol, Senior American Naval Officer in Turkey
, and transported him to Constantinople
. Schley next assumed duty in the Adriatic
, acting as station ship at Pola
, Italy, from 17 February to 15 April, and then visiting Italian and Yugoslav
ports on the Adriatic until heading for the United States
on 2 July. Schley returned to San Diego on 8 September 1919 and, except for trips to San Francisco for repairs, remained there until she was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 1 June 1922.
again at war and war threatening in the Pacific
, Schley was recommissioned at San Diego on 3 October 1940. She arrived at Pearl Harbor
on 17 December for patrols and exercises there the next year. When Japan
ese planes attacked Pearl Harbor
on 7 December 1941, the destroyer was moored in a nest of ships undergoing overhaul and, as her guns were dismantled, was able to do little besides reply with small arms fire. Her overhaul was rushed to completion; and, on 20 December, she took up a patrol station off the channel approaching Pearl Harbor. She operated there and off Honolulu for almost a year. On 13 December 1942, she departed Hawaii
an waters for conversion into a fast transport at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Schley was reclassified APD-14 effective 6 February 1943.
Schley returned to Pearl Harbor on 22 February and proceeded to the New Hebrides
, arriving at Espiritu Santo
on 24 March. In the South Pacific
, she trained intensively with Marine raiders
and other troops, acted as a patrol and escort vessel, and operated as a transport between the Solomons, the New Hebrides, American Samoa
, and New Zealand
.
Schley first participated in a landing under combat conditions on 30 June at New Georgia
. With two other APD's and some smaller ships, she put troops ashore at Wickham Anchorage at the southwest end of Vangunu
. On 5 July, she landed a second group of troops at Rice Anchorage, New Georgia. During this operation, a Japanese reinforcement group belatedly arrived on the scene and, in retiring, sank with a long-range torpedo shot. After another trip to Rice Anchorage with supplies and ammunition, Schley sailed from Espiritu Santo on 1 August for overhaul at Mare Island
.
. The force sailed from the west coast on 13 January 1944 and arrived off Kwajalein
on 31 January. Schley landed her troops that day and then performed antisubmarine patrol duty until she reembarked her troops on 7 February.
She sailed for Eniwetok a week later. Her activities there showed the versatility of the small, fast transports. She arrived on 17 February and, that night, put her troops ashore on Bpgon Island to prevent enemy infiltration from Engebi, which American troops had invaded earlier in the day. The next morning, she began seizing the remaining islands west of the main island of Eniwetok. That day, her troops captured five islands and helped to secure Engebi and Bogon.
On 24 February, after transferring her troops to other transports, she got underway for Kwajalein to escort two transports from that atoll to her new area of operations, New Guinea
.
Schley arrived off New Guinea on 12 March and conducted convoy operations for the next month. On 22 April, she participated in the landings at Aitape
, putting troops ashore and providing gunfire support. The next day at Tumleo Island, her boats landed troops from a larger transport while Schley again provided gunfire support. After repairs to a damaged propeller, Schley landed a company of troops on Niroemoar Island to set up a radar unit on 19 May. The next day, she rescued the crew of a wrecked American gasoline barge off Wakde Island and then sank two Japanese barges and silenced an enemy shore battery. The busy ship landed troops on Biak
on 27 May and at Cape Sansapor at the western end of New Guinea on 30 July. She then proceeded to Australia
for repairs.
Schley next participated in two important preliminaries for the reconquest of the Philippines
. She landed troops on Morotai
on 9 September, and, on 17 October, formed part of the APD group that occupied the small islands at the mouth of Leyte Gulf
, clearing the way for the invasion of Leyte three days later.
After a month of convoy operations, Schley joined the task group which carried out landings in Ormoc Bay
on 7 December. The group came under intense kamikaze
attack; although her sister ship, , was sunk, Schley escaped damage. She then participated in the landings at Mindoro
on 15 December 1944 and at Lingayen
on 9 January 1945; and, during each operation, evaded an attacking kamikaze. At Mindoro, American planes shot down the kamikaze a scant thousand yards from Schley. At Lingayen, the kamikaze veered off at the last minute to attack another ship but missed. Schley remained on patrol off Lingayen until the 18th.
and, two days later, put troops ashore under enemy fire on Corregidor
, climaxing and completing her operations in the Philippines.
Schley departed Manila Bay on the 19th and left the Philippines for Ulithi
on 25 February. She then escorted convoys in the western Pacific, and was briefly at Okinawa with one from 26 April to 28 April. On 29 May, Schley arrived at San Diego for repairs, and was redesignated DD-103 effective 5 July "for duty as rear-area escort and training vessel", as she was then too worn out for further front-line service. She was still under overhaul when the war ended, and after being made seaworthy, sailed on 17 September 1945 for inactivation at Philadelphia
. Schley was decommissioned on 9 November 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 5 December 1945. Scrapping was completed by the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 29 March 1946.
Wickes class destroyer
The Wickes-class destroyers were a group of 111 destroyers built by the United States Navy in 1917-1919. Along with the 6 preceding Caldwell class and 155 subsequent Clemson-class destroyers, they formed the "flush-deck" or "four-stack" class. Only a few were completed in time to serve in World...
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 I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and later designated, APD-14 in the 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 first ship named in honor of Winfield Scott Schley
Winfield Scott Schley
Winfield Scott Schley was a rear admiral in the United States Navy and the hero of the Battle of Santiago Bay during the Spanish-American War.-Civil War:...
.
Schley was laid down on 29 October 1917 by Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works
Union Iron Works, located in San Francisco, California, on the southeast waterfront, was a central business within the large industrial zone of Potrero Point, for four decades at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries.-History:...
, San Francisco, California
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...
; launched on 28 March 1918; sponsored by Miss Eleanor Martin; and commissioned on 20 September 1918, 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 C. Giffen
Robert C. Giffen
-Birth to the beginning of World War I:Robert Carlisle Giffen was born in West Chester, Pennsylvania, on 29 June 1886. He attended the University of Notre Dame, in South Bend, Indiana, before appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy from the State of Nebraska in 1903...
in command.
World War I
Schley sailed from San DiegoSan 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...
on 10 October 1918 for the east coast and, on 12 November, departed New York for the Mediterranean
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...
. On 24 January 1919 at Taranto
Taranto
Taranto is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto and is an important commercial port as well as the main Italian naval base....
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, she embarked Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Mark L. Bristol, Senior American Naval Officer in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and transported him to Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
. Schley next assumed duty in the Adriatic
Adriatic Sea
The Adriatic Sea is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkan peninsula, and the system of the Apennine Mountains from that of the Dinaric Alps and adjacent ranges...
, acting as station ship at Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
, Italy, from 17 February to 15 April, and then visiting Italian and Yugoslav
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
ports on the Adriatic until heading for the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on 2 July. Schley returned to San Diego on 8 September 1919 and, except for trips to San Francisco for repairs, remained there until she was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 1 June 1922.
World War II
With EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
again at war and war threatening in the Pacific
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
, Schley was recommissioned at San Diego on 3 October 1940. She arrived 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...
on 17 December for patrols and exercises there the next year. When 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 planes 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, the destroyer was moored in a nest of ships undergoing overhaul and, as her guns were dismantled, was able to do little besides reply with small arms fire. Her overhaul was rushed to completion; and, on 20 December, she took up a patrol station off the channel approaching Pearl Harbor. She operated there and off Honolulu for almost a year. On 13 December 1942, she departed 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 for conversion into a fast transport at the Puget Sound Navy Yard. Schley was reclassified APD-14 effective 6 February 1943.
Schley returned to Pearl Harbor on 22 February and proceeded to the New Hebrides
New Hebrides
New Hebrides was the colonial name for an island group in the South Pacific that now forms the nation of Vanuatu. The New Hebrides were colonized by both the British and French in the 18th century shortly after Captain James Cook visited the islands...
, arriving 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....
on 24 March. In the South Pacific
South Pacific Area
The South Pacific Area was a multinational U.S.-led military command active during World War II. It was a part of the U.S. Pacific Ocean Areas under Admiral Chester Nimitz.Instructions to the senior U.S...
, she trained intensively with Marine raiders
Marine Raiders
The Marine Raiders were elite units established by the United States Marine Corps during World War II to conduct amphibious light infantry warfare, particularly in landing in rubber boats and operating behind the lines...
and other troops, acted as a patrol and escort vessel, and operated as a transport between the Solomons, the New Hebrides, American Samoa
American Samoa
American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the sovereign state of Samoa...
, and 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...
.
Schley first participated in a landing under combat conditions on 30 June at New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
. With two other APD's and some smaller ships, she put troops ashore at Wickham Anchorage at the southwest end of Vangunu
Vangunu
Vangunu Island is an island, part of the New Georgia Islands in the Solomon Islands. It is located between New Georgia and Nggatokae Island, at , between the islands of New Georgia and Nggatokae. In the north of the island is Lake Marovo, the largest salt water in the world....
. On 5 July, she landed a second group of troops at Rice Anchorage, New Georgia. During this operation, a Japanese reinforcement group belatedly arrived on the scene and, in retiring, sank with a long-range torpedo shot. After another trip to Rice Anchorage with supplies and ammunition, Schley sailed from Espiritu Santo on 1 August for overhaul at Mare Island
Mare Island
Mare Island is a peninsula in the United States alongside the city of Vallejo, California, about northeast of San Francisco. The Napa River forms its eastern side as it enters the Carquinez Strait juncture with the east side of San Pablo Bay. Mare Island is considered a peninsula because no full...
.
1944
Schley left the west coast for Pearl Harbor on 7 October, but engine repairs at Pearl Harbor took most of the rest of the year. On 30 December 1943, she arrived at San Diego to join the task force training for the invasion of 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...
. The force sailed from the west coast on 13 January 1944 and arrived off Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
on 31 January. Schley landed her troops that day and then performed antisubmarine patrol duty until she reembarked her troops on 7 February.
She sailed for Eniwetok a week later. Her activities there showed the versatility of the small, fast transports. She arrived on 17 February and, that night, put her troops ashore on Bpgon Island to prevent enemy infiltration from Engebi, which American troops had invaded earlier in the day. The next morning, she began seizing the remaining islands west of the main island of Eniwetok. That day, her troops captured five islands and helped to secure Engebi and Bogon.
On 24 February, after transferring her troops to other transports, she got underway for Kwajalein to escort two transports from that atoll to her new area of operations, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
.
Schley arrived off New Guinea on 12 March and conducted convoy operations for the next month. On 22 April, she participated in the landings at Aitape
Aitape
Aitape is a small town of about 8,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the highway between these two capitals...
, putting troops ashore and providing gunfire support. The next day at Tumleo Island, her boats landed troops from a larger transport while Schley again provided gunfire support. After repairs to a damaged propeller, Schley landed a company of troops on Niroemoar Island to set up a radar unit on 19 May. The next day, she rescued the crew of a wrecked American gasoline barge off Wakde Island and then sank two Japanese barges and silenced an enemy shore battery. The busy ship landed troops on Biak
Biak
Biak features a tropical rainforest climate with nearly identical temperatures throughout the course of the year. The average annual temperature in the city is 27 degrees celsius, which is also generally the average temperature of each day in Biak...
on 27 May and at Cape Sansapor at the western end of New Guinea on 30 July. She then proceeded to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for repairs.
Schley next participated in two important preliminaries for the reconquest of 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...
. She landed troops on Morotai
Morotai
Morotai Island Regency is a regency of North Maluku province, Indonesia, located on Morotai Island. The population was 54,876 in 2007.-History:...
on 9 September, and, on 17 October, formed part of the APD group that occupied the small islands at the mouth of 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...
, clearing the way for the invasion of Leyte three days later.
After a month of convoy operations, Schley joined the task group which carried out landings in Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay
Ormoc Bay is a bay on the island of Leyte in the Philippines. The bay is an inlet of the Camotes Sea. The city of Ormoc lies at the head of the bay and exports rice, copra and sugar. The World War II Battle of Ormoc Bay took place from November 11 until mid-December in Ormoc Bay during late 1944....
on 7 December. The group came under intense 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....
attack; although her sister ship, , was sunk, Schley escaped damage. She then participated in the landings at 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:...
on 15 December 1944 and at 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...
on 9 January 1945; and, during each operation, evaded an attacking kamikaze. At Mindoro, American planes shot down the kamikaze a scant thousand yards from Schley. At Lingayen, the kamikaze veered off at the last minute to attack another ship but missed. Schley remained on patrol off Lingayen until the 18th.
1945-1946
On 15 February, she landed troops at Mariveles Harbor in order to cut off Japanese escape routes during the assault on Manila BayManila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
and, two days later, put troops ashore under enemy fire on Corregidor
Corregidor
Corregidor Island, locally called Isla ng Corregidor, is a lofty island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in southwestern part of Luzon Island in the Philippines. Due to this location, Corregidor was fortified with several coastal artillery and ammunition magazines to defend the entrance of...
, climaxing and completing her operations in the Philippines.
Schley departed Manila Bay on the 19th and left the Philippines for 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...
on 25 February. She then escorted convoys in the western Pacific, and was briefly at Okinawa with one from 26 April to 28 April. On 29 May, Schley arrived at San Diego for repairs, and was redesignated DD-103 effective 5 July "for duty as rear-area escort and training vessel", as she was then too worn out for further front-line service. She was still under overhaul when the war ended, and after being made seaworthy, sailed on 17 September 1945 for inactivation at Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
. Schley was decommissioned on 9 November 1945 and struck from the Navy list on 5 December 1945. Scrapping was completed by the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 29 March 1946.
See also
- List of United States Navy destroyers
- List of ship launches in 1918
- List of ship commissionings in 1918
- List of ship decommissionings in 1945