The second Mugford was laid down 28 October 1935 by Boston Navy Yard; launched 31 October 1936; sponsored by Miss Madeline Orne; commissioned 16 August 1937.
Operational history
Joining the Pacific Fleet in late 1937, Mugford conducted local operations along the West Coast and around the Hawaiian Islands, taking time out for periodic overhauls and upkeep. From 5 June 1939 to 30 July 1940 she was the first command of then Lieutenant Commander Arleigh Burke, and under his command was awarded a Battle "E" for gunnery excellence.[1] 7 December 1941 found her at Pearl Harbor as flagship of Destroyer Division Eight of Destroyer Squadron Four. When the attack began, Mugford was on standby status, berthed at B6 in the Navy Yard for repairs, and while raising steam to get underway, downed three planes in 10 minutes with her antiaircraft guns. Within an hour after the attack began, the “little ship” was steaming out of Pearl Harbor firing as she went. Her next major duty was to screen the Wake Island relief force and after completion of this duty served as an escort for convoys traveling between the United States and Australia. She served in this capacity until mid‑1942.
Mugford under air attack at Guadalcanal on 7 August 1942.
On 7 August Mugford was on patrol off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, when a large Japanese airstrike came in; three near misses and one bomb hit couldn’t prevent Mugford from downing two of her attackers, but she suffered eight killed, 17 wounded, and 10 missing. Next day she shot down another enemy aircraft in a raid in which she suffered no damage, and rescued two enemy aviators from the water. On the 9th, she sped toward the action of the first Battle of Savo Island, arriving in time to pull 400 survivors of Vincennes (CA-44) and Astoria (CA-34) from the water.
After battle damage repairs at Sydney, from 16 September through December, she operated on patrol in the Coral Sea and along Australia’s northern coast. Brisbane was her base for continued patrol, as well as escort missions to Milne Bay, New Guinea, which became her base later in the summer as New Guinea operations took on a faster pace. She joined in the assault on Woodlark Island in July, conducted shore bombardment and patrols in that general area in August, and in September escorted LSTs to the invasion of Lae on the 4th, after which she patrolled offshore while under enemy air attack. Later that month she conducted preinvasion bombardment north of Finschafen, off which she served until late in October. On 20 October, she and four companion destroyers were attacked by 60 enemy planes; Mugford suffered no damage.
On 14 and 15 December, she participated in the largest operation yet in the New Guinea campaign, the landings on Arawe, New Britain. Next was the assault on Buna and Cape Gloucester, where on Christmas Day she came under enemy air attack, taking three near misses in a first attack, and shooting down an attacker in a second assault later the same day. One man was killed, six wounded, and the ship riddled with shrapnel with some small holes below the waterline.
After repairs at Milne Bay, Mugford returned to patrol, bombardment, and escort missions for the New Guinea operation, sailing off Saidor. On 10 January 1944 she sailed for Sydney, then returned to New Guinea and escort and patrol duty in Huon Gulf. After escorting three merchantmen from Tulagi to the Union Islands, Mugford arrived at Pearl Harbor 24 February to escort Maryland (BB-46) to Puget Sound, before continuing on to Mare Island for overhaul, arriving 5 March.
Mugford returned to Pearl Harbor 10 May for training in preparation for the Marianas operation, for which she staged at Majuro. Screening the fast carriers, she observed the first strike the morning of 11 June, then screened battleships bombarding Saipan and Tinian, firing night harassing missions herself and screening night retirements. She rejoined the carrier screen as word came of the approach of an enemy carrier force, and thus played a role in the epic Battle of the Philippine Sea, when Japanese naval aviation was all but exterminated in a great victory. She continued patrol and escort missions in the Marianas and Marshalls as preparations were made to invade Guam, during which action Mugford served as radar picket between Guam and Rota. On 28 August, she sortied with TF 38 for surface bombardment and airstrikes on enemy shipping and installations in the Bonins, Yap, and Palau, covering the Palau invasion in September. Early in October, TF 38 struck at Okinawa, and on the return voyage hit at Formosa and Luzon. The enemy mustered as strong an air attack as it could on the 12th and 13 October, and Mugford shared in downing many of the attackers while protecting the vulnerable carriers.
With the Leyte invasion now underway, TG 38.4, with Mugford, sped to meet the threat posed by major Japanese fleet movements, and on 24 October, planes from the force hit the Japanese Center Force in the Mindanao Sea, then headed north on receiving reports of a Japanese carrier force off northern Luzon. The next day strikes were flown against the Japanese, opening the Battle off Cape Engaño phase of the American victory in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Further action came 30 October, when a Japanese airstrike damaged Enterprise (CV-6), Belleau Wood (CVL-24), and Franklin (CV-13). Mugford and other destroyers guarded the damaged ships to safety at Ulithi, repaired their own damage, and returned to patrol duty in Leyte Gulf.
On 5 December, Mugford spotted enemy aircraft attacking amphibious craft passing through her patrol area in Surigao Strait. She sped to protect them, and late in the action was crashed by a “Val” dive bomber. She was badly damaged, and lost eight men killed, 14 wounded. Making temporary repairs, Mugford pulled into San Pedro under her own steam. She was ordered to the United States for permanent repairs at Mare Island 5 January 1945 to 4 March 1945.
Returning to the western Pacific in mid‑March, Mugford served as radar picket and on antisubmarine patrol between Ulithi and Saipan until the close of the war. She served in TG 55.7 repatriating Allied prisoners of war from Japan to Okinawa early in September, then screened carriers providing air support for the occupation of the Nagasaki‑Sasebo area. She continued on occupation duty until returning to San Diego 19 November. Here she was stripped and prepared for participation in the Bikini atomic tests (see Operation Crossroads), during which she decommissioned 29 August 1946. Retained for experiments in decontamination, she was finally sunk off Kwajalein 22 March 1948.
USS Phoenix (CL-46), was a light cruiser of the Brooklyn-class cruiser family. She was the third Phoenix of the United States Navy. After World War II the ship was transferred to Argentina in 1951 and was ultimately renamed General Belgrano in 1956. General Belgrano was sunk during the Falklands War in 1982 by the British nuclear-powered submarine HMS Conqueror, the only ship to have been sunk in combat by a nuclear-powered submarine during wartime.
USS Monaghan (DD-354) was the last ship built of the Farragut-class destroyer design. She was named for Ensign John R. Monaghan. Monaghan was laid down on November 21, 1933 at the Boston Navy Yard, and launched on January 9, 1935. She was sponsored by Miss Mary F. Monaghan, niece of Ensign Monaghan, and commissioned on 19 April 1935. During the next few years Monaghan operated primarily in the North Atlantic, training US Navy personnel who served in World War II. Monaghan was present during the Pearl Harbor raid on December 7, 1941. She participated in the Battle of the Coral Sea and the Battle of Midway in 1942. Monaghan was sunk in Typhoon Cobra east of the Philippines in 1944.
USS Fletcher (DD/DDE-445), named for Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, was the lead Fletcher-class destroyer, and served in the Pacific during World War II. She received fifteen battle stars for World War II service, and five for Korean War service.
USS Honolulu (CL-48) of the United States Navy was a Brooklyn-class light cruiser active in the Pacific War. Honolulu was launched in 1937 and commissioned in 1938. The ship served in the Battle of Tassafaronga, the Battle of Kula Gulf, the Battle of Kolombangara and the Battle of Peleliu. She was taken out of action by serious torpedo damage just before the Battle of Leyte Gulf. She was repaired, but not in time to rejoin the war. She was decommissioned in 1947 and was held in reserve until she was scrapped in 1959.
Mahan-class destroyers of the United States Navy were a series of 18 destroyers of which the first 16 were laid down in 1934. The last two of the 18, Dunlap and Fanning, are sometimes considered a separate ship class. All 18 were commissioned in 1936 and 1937. Mahan was the lead ship, named for Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, an influential historian and theorist on sea power.
The fourth USS Dale (DD-353) was a Farragut-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. Dale received 14 battle stars for World War II service. She was named for American Revolutionary war hero Richard Dale.
USS Morris (DD-417), a World War II-era Sims-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, was named after Commodore Charles Morris. She was among the most decorated US Naval vessels of World War II.
USS Hughes (DD-410) was a World War II-era Sims-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy.
USS Uhlmann (DD-687) was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and from 1950 to 1972. She was scrapped in 1974.
USS Jenkins (DD-447) was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, the second ship named after Rear Admiral Thornton A. Jenkins. Beginning service during World War II, the destroyer saw action in the Pacific theatre. Jenkins was placed in reserve following the end of the war, until 1951, when the ship was reactivated for the Korean War. She served in the western Pacific until 1969 when the destroyer was taken out of service and sold for scrap in 1971.
USS Helm (DD-388) was a Bagley-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Rear Admiral James Meredith Helm. Helm received 11 battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific.
USS Ralph Talbot (DD-390) was a Bagley-class destroyer in the United States Navy, named for USMC Second Lieutenant Ralph Talbot (1897–1918), who was awarded the Medal of Honor during World War I. Talbot served in the Pacific Theater during World War II, from the attack on Pearl Harbor through the battle of Okinawa, earning 14 battle stars for her service.
USS O'Bannon (DD/DDE-450), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named after Lieutenant Presley O'Bannon (1784–1850), the Marine Corps's "hero of Derna".
USS Kidd (DD-661), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, who died on the bridge of his flagship USS Arizona during the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Kidd was the first US flag officer to die during World War II and the first American admiral ever to be killed in action. A National Historic Landmark, she is now a museum ship, berthed on the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is the only surviving US destroyer still in her World War II configuration.
The third USS Macdonough (DD-351) was a Farragut-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Thomas Macdonough.
The second USS Gridley (DD-380) was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in the United States Navy. She was the second US Navy ship named for Charles Vernon Gridley. She served with distinction in the Pacific Theater during the Second World War and shared in the sinking of a Japanese submarine.
USS Bagley (DD-386), a Bagley-class destroyer, was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ensign Worth Bagley, officer during the Spanish–American War, distinguished as the only U.S. naval officer killed in action during that war.
USS Patterson (DD-392), a Bagley-class destroyer, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Daniel Todd Patterson, an officer of the US Navy who served in the Quasi-War with France, First Barbary War, and the War of 1812.
USS Stack (DD-406) was a Benham-class destroyer in the United States Navy. She was named for Edward Stack.
USS William Seiverling (DE-441) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort acquired by the United States Navy during World War II. The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy, in addition to other tasks as assigned, such as patrol or radar picket. Post-war she returned home bearing four battle stars; when she was reactivated for the Korean War, she returned home after that war with three more.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States
