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USS Stack (DD-406)
Encyclopedia
USS Stack (DD-406) was a in the United States Navy
. She was named for Edward Stack
.
; launched on 5 May 1938; sponsored by Miss Mary Teresa Stack; and commissioned on 20 November 1939, Lieutenant Commander
Isaiah Olch in command.
Following shakedown which lasted until 4 April 1940, including a cruise to the West Indies and Rio de Janeiro
, Stack proceeded to the west coast and thence to Pearl Harbor where she operated with the Pacific Fleet until June 1941. She then returned to the east coast for an overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Stack began patrolling off Bermuda
late in November with the Neutrality Patrol
. After the United States entered World War II, Stack continued to patrol in the Caribbean until 22 December when she was assigned to escort from Bermuda to Norfolk, Virginia
.
On the 28th, she sailed from Norfolk as screen for , She arrived at Casco Bay
, Maine
, two days later. She refueled and got underway for Argentina
in the screen for Long Island
and .
on New Year's Day 1942, she was assigned to patrol duty. On 15 January 1942, she picked up two survivors from SS Bay Rose which had been torpedoed the night before off Cape Race
.
From 17 to 24 January, Stack escorted a convoy which was transporting the first American Expeditionary Force troops to Ireland. En route from Hvalfjörður
to Reykjavík
, Iceland
, on 29 January, she was ordered on a submarine sweep after the , operating with Task Force (TF) 15, was torpedoed. Steaming at 25 knots on a night sweep, Stack sighted a submarine close aboard. She returned to the point where it had been seen and made two depth charge attacks on sound contact. came to assist and also made two attacks. The submarine, U-132, suffered damage to a diesel compressor and was forced to return to France for repairs.
Stack departed Iceland on 31 January and operated out of Casco Bay until 17 March. That morning, patrolling with zero visibility, she collided with Wasp
. Since her number one fireroom was completely flooded, she steamed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and underwent repairs until May.
On 5 June, Stack joined TF 37 consisting of Wasp, , , , , , and and headed for San Diego, California
. The force arrived there on 19 June, was redesignated TF 18, and ordered to Nukualofa
, Tongatapu
Island, on the 25th. Arriving on 18 July, the ships spent five days preparing for battle, and sailed for the invasion of Guadalcanal
, Solomon Islands
.
landings with Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 12 and was then assigned independent escort and patrol duty in the Guadalcanal area. On 16 January 1943, she was ordered to return to the west coast, via Pearl Harbor, for yard availability. Stack entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on 2 February. Following repair, overhaul and sea trials, she sailed on the 23d to escort SS Matsonia to Pearl Harbor
and continue on to Efate
, New Hebrides Islands.
Stack operated out of Efate from 20 April until late May. During this time, she made several patrols off Guadalcanal. She then screened covering the southern supply routes. Assigned to TF 31 in July and August, she had her first opportunity to "slug it out" with the enemy. Stack was under attack by Japanese aircraft on 17 and 18 July near New Georgia Island. On the night of 6 and 7 August, in what would be known as the Battle of Vella Gulf
, Stack, with other units of Task Group (TG) 31.2, was searching for enemy traffic along Gizo
and Kolombangara
island. At 2335, reported that she had made radar contact at 19,000 yards. The group tracked the enemy and identified them as four ships in column. The American ships opened the battle with a successful torpedo attack, followed by gunfire and more torpedoes. This resulted in the sinking of three Japanese destroyers, Arashi, Hagikaze, and Kawakaze, and damage to the fourth. The destroyers were loaded with troops who were to have been landed at Kolombangara as reinforcements for the Japanese garrison there. There were no American losses, and the task group retired to Tulagi
.
Stack joined TF 38 to participate in raids against Rabaul
during November. On the 11th, two carrier attacks had already been launched when radar picked up a flight of incoming bogies. The actual attack began at 1355 when Stack commenced firing on a group of 20 Val
s coming in on her starboard bow. Thereafter, antiaircraft fire was continuous from the task force against all types of Japanese planes. The attacking force numbered about 90 planes. Stack downed one and had two more probable kills.
Stack then operated with TG 50.4 during the assault and landings on Tarawa
and Makin Island
in the Gilberts
. She was a unit of the group screening the carriers which were providing fighter cover to the landing forces, when it was attacked by enemy bombers on 20 November, the day of the landings.
Stack then steamed west of the Gilberts to participate in the combined aerial and shore bombardment of Nauru Island on 8 December 1943.
and Majuro Atolls in the Marshalls
. She was one of five destroyers in the Bombardment Support Group, which included three battleship
s, that shelled Roi-Namur
and adjacent islands. On 17 and 18 February, the task force, now including nine carriers, carried out raids against the Japanese bastion at Truk and, on the 20th, against Jaluit Atoll
.
Stack then departed the Central Pacific for Pearl Harbor and for the west coast of the United States. She was overhauled and held sea trials from 11 March to 22 June when she weighed anchor for Pearl Harbor and Milne Bay
.
Stack arrived at Milne Bay on 15 July and began operations as a unit of TG 76.7. She laid a mine field off Wewak
, New Guinea
, and, on the night of 31 August and 1 September, shelled Kairiru Island in the Wewak area. Stack was part of the assault force that landed troops on Morotai
, North Moluccas
, on 15 September.
Stack was attached to TG 78.4 which entered Leyte Gulf
on 17 October. She spent the next two days performing pin-point fire support in the Dinagat Island
landing area. On the 20th, she, in company with Lang and five YM's, performed mine sweeping operations and provided antiaircraft support for landings in the Philippines
on Pinaon Island.
to support the assault and landing at "Blue Beach", Luzon
. During the period from 5 to 12 January 1945, she provided antisubmarine and antiaircraft cover for various units and call fire on the beaches. Stack spent the next three weeks escorting convoys between Leyte and Lingayen Gulfs.
On 8 February, 1945, Stack departed San Pedro for the Solomon Islands and a period of upkeep, training, logistics, and exercises which were to last until mid-March. She sailed from Purvis Bay
on the 15th; moored at Ulithi for a week; and, on 27 March, steamed for the Ryūkyūs
with TF 53. Stack arrived off Okinawa on 1 April, "L-Day", and began her assigned duties as an antisubmarine and antiaircraft patrol ship. There were numerous enemy planes the next two days, and she fired on several. On the 5th, she was ordered to Saipan
and thence to Ulithi where she joined TU 94.18.12 on 13 April for the return voyage to Okinawa.
Arriving at Hagushi
on the 21st, Stack was assigned to patrol duty west of Zampa Misaki for the remainder of the month. She then patrolled southeast of Okinawa to cover the Sakashima Group during May and early June.
Stack reported to on 15 June 1945 and was directed to screen that vessel to Pearl Harbor. Stack had boiler trouble en route which forced her to undergo tender availability at Pearl Harbor until late July. She stood out of Pearl on the 27th underway for Eniwetok, Saipan, Okinawa, and Guam
. On 28 August, she was en route from Guam to Truk Atoll with Brigadier General Leo Hermle, USMC, and various other Navy and Marine Corps officers on board for a preliminary conference with Japanese military authorities regarding the surrender o£ their forces. The conference was held on 30 August, and Stack transported the Japanese officers and civilians to Guam who were to take part in the surrender. She remained in the Marianas
until ordered to Iwo Jima
on 16 September. Stack relieved on 19 September, at Haha Jima, as Commander, Naval Occupation Forces. She returned to the Marianas and remained in the area until 15 December when she weighed anchor for Pearl Harbor and the west coast.
, the atomic bomb tests to be held in the Marshall Islands. Stack arrived at Bikini Atoll
on 29 May 1946. She survived the bomb tests of July and August and was decommissioned in the Marshalls on 29 August 1946. Stack was sunk by gunfire near Kwajalein on 24 April 1948 and struck from the Navy List on 28 May.
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...
. She was named for Edward Stack
Edward Stack
Edward Stack was an officer in the United States Marine Corps during the American Revolutionary War.-Biography:...
.
History
Stack was laid down on 25 June 1937 by the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, VirginiaPortsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
; launched on 5 May 1938; sponsored by Miss Mary Teresa Stack; and commissioned on 20 November 1939, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant commander (United States)
Lieutenant commander is a mid-ranking officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade of O-4 and NATO rank code OF-3...
Isaiah Olch in command.
Following shakedown which lasted until 4 April 1940, including a cruise to the West Indies and Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, Stack proceeded to the west coast and thence to Pearl Harbor where she operated with the Pacific Fleet until June 1941. She then returned to the east coast for an overhaul at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. Stack began patrolling 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...
late in November with the Neutrality Patrol
Neutrality Patrol
At the beginning of World War II, when Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 started the hostilities in Europe, President Franklin D...
. After the United States entered World War II, Stack continued to patrol in the Caribbean until 22 December when she was assigned to escort from Bermuda to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
.
On the 28th, she sailed from Norfolk as screen for , She arrived at Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, two days later. She refueled and got underway for Argentina
Argentina
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...
in the screen for Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
and .
1942
Arriving in ArgentiaNaval Station Argentia
Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941-1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Canadian province .-Construction:Established under the British-U.S...
on New Year's Day 1942, she was assigned to patrol duty. On 15 January 1942, she picked up two survivors from SS Bay Rose which had been torpedoed the night before off Cape Race
Cape Race
Cape Race is a point of land located at the southeastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland, Canada. Its name is thought to come from the original Portuguese name for this cape, "Raso", or "bare"...
.
From 17 to 24 January, Stack escorted a convoy which was transporting the first American Expeditionary Force troops to Ireland. En route from Hvalfjörður
Hvalfjörður
Hvalfjörður is situated in the west of Iceland between Mosfellsbær and Akranes. The fjord is approximately 30 km long and 5 km wide....
to Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Reykjavík is the capital and largest city in Iceland.Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's northernmost capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
, Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
, on 29 January, she was ordered on a submarine sweep after the , operating with Task Force (TF) 15, was torpedoed. Steaming at 25 knots on a night sweep, Stack sighted a submarine close aboard. She returned to the point where it had been seen and made two depth charge attacks on sound contact. came to assist and also made two attacks. The submarine, U-132, suffered damage to a diesel compressor and was forced to return to France for repairs.
Stack departed Iceland on 31 January and operated out of Casco Bay until 17 March. That morning, patrolling with zero visibility, she collided with Wasp
USS Wasp (CV-7)
USS Wasp was a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The eighth Navy ship of that name, she was the sole ship of her class. Built to use up the remaining tonnage allowed to the U.S. for aircraft carriers under the treaties of the time, she was built on a reduced-size version of the Yorktown-class...
. Since her number one fireroom was completely flooded, she steamed to the Philadelphia Navy Yard and underwent repairs until May.
On 5 June, Stack joined TF 37 consisting of Wasp, , , , , , and and headed for San Diego, California
San 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...
. The force arrived there on 19 June, was redesignated TF 18, and ordered to Nukualofa
Nukuʻalofa
Nukualofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the southern most island group of Tonga.-Mythological origins:...
, Tongatapu
Tongatapu
Tongatapu is the main island of the Kingdom of Tonga and the location of its capital Nukualofa. It is located in Tonga's southern island group, to which it gives its name, and is the country's most populous island, with approximately 71,260 residents , 70.5% of the national population...
Island, on the 25th. Arriving on 18 July, the ships spent five days preparing for battle, and sailed for the invasion of 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...
, Solomon Islands
Solomon 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...
.
1943
Stack covered the Guadalcanal-TulagiTulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
landings with Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 12 and was then assigned independent escort and patrol duty in the Guadalcanal area. On 16 January 1943, she was ordered to return to the west coast, via Pearl Harbor, for yard availability. Stack entered the Mare Island Navy Yard on 2 February. Following repair, overhaul and sea trials, she sailed on the 23d to escort SS Matsonia 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...
and continue on to Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, New Hebrides Islands.
Stack operated out of Efate from 20 April until late May. During this time, she made several patrols off Guadalcanal. She then screened covering the southern supply routes. Assigned to TF 31 in July and August, she had her first opportunity to "slug it out" with the enemy. Stack was under attack by Japanese aircraft on 17 and 18 July near New Georgia Island. On the night of 6 and 7 August, in what would be known as the Battle of Vella Gulf
Battle of Vella Gulf
The was a naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II fought on the night of 6-7 August 1943, in Vella Gulf between Vella Lavella Island and Kolombangara Island in the Solomon Islands of the Southwest Pacific....
, Stack, with other units of Task Group (TG) 31.2, was searching for enemy traffic along Gizo
Gizo
Gizo is the capital of the Western Province in the Solomon Islands. With a population of 6,154 , it is the second largest town in the country. It is situated on Ghizo Island approximately 380 kilometers west-northwest of the capital, Honiara, and is just southwest of the larger island of Kolombangara...
and Kolombangara
Kolombangara
Kolombangara is an island in the New Georgia Islands group of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean...
island. At 2335, reported that she had made radar contact at 19,000 yards. The group tracked the enemy and identified them as four ships in column. The American ships opened the battle with a successful torpedo attack, followed by gunfire and more torpedoes. This resulted in the sinking of three Japanese destroyers, Arashi, Hagikaze, and Kawakaze, and damage to the fourth. The destroyers were loaded with troops who were to have been landed at Kolombangara as reinforcements for the Japanese garrison there. There were no American losses, and the task group retired to Tulagi
Tulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
.
Stack joined TF 38 to participate in raids against Rabaul
Rabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
during November. On the 11th, two carrier attacks had already been launched when radar picked up a flight of incoming bogies. The actual attack began at 1355 when Stack commenced firing on a group of 20 Val
Aichi D3A
The , Allied reporting name "Val") was a World War II carrier-borne dive bomber of the Imperial Japanese Navy . It was the primary dive bomber in the Imperial Japanese Navy, and participated in almost all actions, including Pearl Harbor....
s coming in on her starboard bow. Thereafter, antiaircraft fire was continuous from the task force against all types of Japanese planes. The attacking force numbered about 90 planes. Stack downed one and had two more probable kills.
Stack then operated with TG 50.4 during the assault and landings on Tarawa
Tarawa Atoll
Tarawa is an atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, previously the capital of the former British colony of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands. It is the location of the capital of the Republic of Kiribati, South Tarawa...
and Makin Island
Makin Island
Makin Island may refer to:* Butaritari, an atoll in Kiribati* Makin * USS Makin Island...
in the Gilberts
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
. She was a unit of the group screening the carriers which were providing fighter cover to the landing forces, when it was attacked by enemy bombers on 20 November, the day of the landings.
Stack then steamed west of the Gilberts to participate in the combined aerial and shore bombardment of Nauru Island on 8 December 1943.
1944
In late January and early February 1944, Stack, as part of TF 58, participated in the bombardment and assault on KwajaleinKwajalein
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...
and Majuro Atolls in the Marshalls
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...
. She was one of five destroyers in the Bombardment Support Group, which included three 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, that shelled Roi-Namur
Roi-Namur
Roi-Namur is an island in the northern part of the Kwajalein atoll in the Marshall Islands.Occupied by Japanese forces prior to World War II, it was the target of the U.S. 4th Marine Division in the Battle of Kwajalein, in February 1944....
and adjacent islands. On 17 and 18 February, the task force, now including nine carriers, carried out raids against the Japanese bastion at Truk and, on the 20th, against Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll
Jaluit Atoll is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is only , but it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Most of the land area is on largest islet of Jaluit . Jaluit is located...
.
Stack then departed the Central Pacific for Pearl Harbor and for the west coast of the United States. She was overhauled and held sea trials from 11 March to 22 June when she weighed anchor for Pearl Harbor and Milne Bay
Milne Bay
Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, southeastern Papua New Guinea. The bay is named after Sir Alexander Milne.The area was a site of the Battle of Milne Bay in 1942....
.
Stack arrived at Milne Bay on 15 July and began operations as a unit of TG 76.7. She laid a mine field off Wewak
Wewak
Wewak is the capital of the East Sepik province of Papua New Guinea. It is located on the northern coast of the island of New Guinea. It is the largest town between Madang and Jayapura. It is the see city of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Wewak....
, 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...
, and, on the night of 31 August and 1 September, shelled Kairiru Island in the Wewak area. Stack was part of the assault force that 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:...
, North Moluccas
North Maluku
North Maluku is a province of northeastern Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, which are split between it and the province of Maluku. Maluku province used to cover the entire group...
, on 15 September.
Stack was attached to TG 78.4 which 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...
on 17 October. She spent the next two days performing pin-point fire support in the Dinagat Island
Dinagat Island
' is a province in the Philippines, located on the south side of Leyte Gulf. Leyte is to its west, across Surigao Strait, and Mindanao is to its south...
landing area. On the 20th, she, in company with Lang and five YM's, performed mine sweeping operations and provided antiaircraft support for landings 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...
on Pinaon Island.
1945
Stack, with TG 78.5, sortied from Sansapor, New Guinea, on 30 December 1944 bound for Lingayen GulfLingayen 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...
to support the assault and landing at "Blue Beach", 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...
. During the period from 5 to 12 January 1945, she provided antisubmarine and antiaircraft cover for various units and call fire on the beaches. Stack spent the next three weeks escorting convoys between Leyte and Lingayen Gulfs.
On 8 February, 1945, Stack departed San Pedro for the Solomon Islands and a period of upkeep, training, logistics, and exercises which were to last until mid-March. She sailed from 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....
on the 15th; moored at Ulithi for a week; and, on 27 March, steamed for the Ryūkyūs
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...
with TF 53. Stack arrived off Okinawa on 1 April, "L-Day", and began her assigned duties as an antisubmarine and antiaircraft patrol ship. There were numerous enemy planes the next two days, and she fired on several. On the 5th, she was ordered to 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 thence to Ulithi where she joined TU 94.18.12 on 13 April for the return voyage to Okinawa.
Arriving at Hagushi
Hagushi
Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American supplies during the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The bay, at the mouth of the Bishi River , was the dividing line between the First and Sixth US Marine divisions, which landed on the Hagushi beaches to the north, and the Seventh...
on the 21st, Stack was assigned to patrol duty west of Zampa Misaki for the remainder of the month. She then patrolled southeast of Okinawa to cover the Sakashima Group during May and early June.
Stack reported to on 15 June 1945 and was directed to screen that vessel to Pearl Harbor. Stack had boiler trouble en route which forced her to undergo tender availability at Pearl Harbor until late July. She stood out of Pearl on the 27th underway for Eniwetok, Saipan, Okinawa, and 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...
. On 28 August, she was en route from Guam to Truk Atoll with Brigadier General Leo Hermle, USMC, and various other Navy and Marine Corps officers on board for a preliminary conference with Japanese military authorities regarding the surrender o£ their forces. The conference was held on 30 August, and Stack transported the Japanese officers and civilians to Guam who were to take part in the surrender. She remained in the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
until ordered to 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...
on 16 September. Stack relieved on 19 September, at Haha Jima, as Commander, Naval Occupation Forces. She returned to the Marianas and remained in the area until 15 December when she weighed anchor for Pearl Harbor and the west coast.
Fate
Stack arrived at San Diego on 30 December 1945 for stripping and reduction of her personnel. She sailed two weeks later for Pearl Harbor and ultimate disposal. She was assigned to Joint Task Force 1 as a target for Operation CrossroadsOperation Crossroads
Operation Crossroads was a series of nuclear weapon tests conducted by the United States at Bikini Atoll in mid-1946. It was the first test of a nuclear weapon after the Trinity nuclear test in July 1945...
, the atomic bomb tests to be held in the Marshall Islands. Stack arrived at Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll
Bikini Atoll is an atoll, listed as a World Heritage Site, in the Micronesian Islands of the Pacific Ocean, part of Republic of the Marshall Islands....
on 29 May 1946. She survived the bomb tests of July and August and was decommissioned in the Marshalls on 29 August 1946. Stack was sunk by gunfire near Kwajalein on 24 April 1948 and struck from the Navy List on 28 May.