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Ariake
- USS
Heywood L. Edwards
(DD
663)
- in USN service
USS Heywood L. Edwards (DD 663):
Heywood Lane Edwards was born in
San Saba, Tex., 9 November 1905 and graduated from the Naval
Academy in 1926. After serving in battleship Florida,
cruiser Reno and other ships, he underwent submarine
instruction in 1931, served in several submarines, and was
assigned to cruiser Detroit in 1935. Lt. Comdr. Edwards
assumed command of destroyer Reuben James 6 April 1940. His
ship became the first in the U.S. Navy to be sunk in the
Battle of the Atlantic when it was torpedoed by a German
submarine while on convoy duty west of Iceland 30-31 October
1941. Lt. Comdr. Edwards and 99 of his crew perished with
the ship.
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Heywood L. Edwards (DD-663) was launched by Boston Navy Yard
6 October 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Louise S. Edwards, mother
of the namesake; and commissioned 26 January 1944, Comdr. J.
W. Boulware in command.
Heywood L. Edwards conducted her shakedown beginning 25
February off Bermuda and after gunnery exercises off the
Maine coast departed to join the Pacific Fleet. Sailing from
Boston 16 April, she transited the Panama Canal, stopped at
San Diego, and arrived Pearl Harbor 8 May. There Heywood L.
Edwards, took part in training maneuvers with Task Force 52
under Vice Admiral R. K. Turner, helping to weld the
coordinated amphibious force which was to sweep across the
Pacific. The ships got underway from Pearl Harbor 29 May for
the Marianas with Heywood L. Edwards acting as screening
unit for the transport group, and during the initial
landings on Saipan 15 June the destroyer took up patrol
station to seaward of the invasion beaches. From 21-30 June
she closed the beaches to deliver vital fire support for the
advancing Marines, and continued that highly effective duty
until 2 July. Heywood L. Edwards then joined cruiser
Montpelier for the bombardment of Tinian, another island
objective of the Marianas campaign.
The destroyer returned to her gunfire support role off
Saipan 6 July, and the next night, 7 July, she was called
upon to rescue a group of soldiers cut off from the American
lines and stranded on the beach. Heywood L. Edwards put over
her whaleboat and made four shuttle trips over the
treacherous reefs to rescue the 44 men, transferring them to
a nearby LCI. Between 19 and 21 July she fired more
bombardment missions off Tinian in support of the impending
landing there, returned to Saipan fire support duties for a
few more days, and got underway from the Marianas 30 July
for Eniwetok.
With the Marianas secured, the next objective in the push
across the Pacific was the capture of advance bases for the
invasion of the Philippines. Heywood L. Edwards took part in
the Peleliu operation, departing 18 August for training
exercises with amphibious forces on Florida Island and
sailing for the western Carolines 6 September. Arriving 11
September, the destroyer maintained an antisubmarine patrol
around the heavier bombardment units until 13 September,
when she was detached to provide close support for
underwater demolition teams working on beach obstructions.
On 15 September, the day of the assault on this strategic
island, Heywood L. Edwards provided fire support to forces
ashore, illumination fire at night, and succeeded in
knocking out an ammunition dump next day as the struggle
continued. She encountered a group of barges loaded with
reinforcements shortly after midnight 23 September, and
after illuminating them with star shell opened with her main
battery. By dawn she had sunk 14 of the barges, aided by
landing craft, and had helped prevent the landing of some
650 Japanese troops.
The landing a success, Heywood L. Edwards proceeded to
Manus, Admiralty Islands, where she arrived 1 October. There
she joined with Rear Admiral Oldendorf's fire support and
bombardment group for the historic return to the
Philippines, departing for Leyte 12 October 1944. She
conducted pre-invasion bombardment 18-20 October and
provided gunfire support for the landings 20 October. This
work continued for 4 days under frequent enemy air attack.
Then Heywood L. Edwards joined once more with Rear Admiral
Oldendorf's force for the impendingBattle of Surigao Strait,
as the Japanese made a desperate attempt to destroy the
landing force.
As Oldendorf's masterfully deployed forces waited at the end
of Surigao Strait, Heywood L. Edwards headed section 3 of
Destroyer Squadron 56, screening the left flank of the
cruiser line. Torpedo boats and destroyers made the initial
attacks, farther down the strait, and just after 0300 25
October Heywood L. Edwards and her unit were ordered to
attack. In company with Leutze and Bennion the destroyer
steamed down the port side of the enemy column and ran
through a hail of gunfire to launch torpedoes. Two hits were
obtained on Japanese battleship Yamashiro, with Albert W.
Grant on -the American side damaged but afloat. After this
intrepid attack, the Japanese steamed into Oldendorf's trap.
As the destroyers retired, his heavy units pounded the enemy
line, allowing only cruiser Mogami (later sunk by aircraft)
and one destroyer to escape. As morning broke over Surigao
Strait, Heywood L. Edwards took station on the port bow of
the cruisers in search of enemy cripples, patrolled the
eastern entrance to the strait for a day, then returned to
take up station in Leyte Gulf.
With the American victory complete at sea, Heywood L.
Edwards remained in the invasion area until 25 November,
patrolling and protecting the shipping building up in the
gulf. She arrived Manus for a much-needed rest and repair
period 29 November. Soon underway again, however, she sailed
15 December, and after training exercises in the Palau
Islands departed 1 January with Oldendorf's group for the
second important phase of the Philippine invasion, Lingayen
Gulf. Fighting off suicide planes as they steamed, the ships
arrived Lingayen Gulf 6 January, and Heywood L. Edwards
downed two of these aircraft during a strong attack that
day. She then took up her fire support duties for UDT teams,
and with the landings 9 January covered troops on the
beachhead and fired at strong points ashore. She continued
these assignments in addition to protecting arriving and
departing convoys until 22 January, when she departed for
Ulithi.
Next on the relentless timetable of Pacific victory was Iwo
Jima, seen as a key base for B-29 operations against the
mainland of Japan. Heywood L. Edwards participated in
landing rehearsals 12-14 February 1945 and screened heavy
units during the pre-invasion bombardment. As the Marines
stormed ashore 19 February she began firing support
missions, aiding the hard fighting ashore until 27 February,
when she sailed for Saipan. The destroyer then sailed on to
Ulithi and formed with the supporting forces for the coming
invasion of Okinawa.
The task force for this landing departed Ulithi 21 March,
and after her arrival 4 days later Heywood L. Edwards
covered the UDT teams' reconnaissance of Kerama Retto. As
those islands were captured 27 March in preparation for the
larger landings, the destroyer found herself in the midst of
heavy suicide attacks and shot down many of the kamikazes.
She covered the UDT landings on Okinawa 30 March, bombarded
an airfield ashore that afternoon, and 1 April joined in the
bombardment of the assault areas. During the next weeks of
bitter fighting ashore, naval forces effectively sealed off
the island from any possible reinforcement and effectively
supported the troops with gunfire. Heywood L. Edwards and
the other vessels had to fight off continuing suicide
attacks and other menaces. When destroyer Longshaw ran
aground on a reef 18 May, Heywood L. Edwards knocked out
shore batteries which had opened on the stricken ship. She
then continued performing lire support and radar picket
duties off Okinawa until 28 July, when she sailed for Leyte
Gulf. She had helped to carry out one of the most prolonged
and successful fire support operations in the history of
amphibious warfare.
The destroyer departed Leyte 2 August, and after a time at
Saipan and Eniwetok she got underway again 29 August.
Sailing toward Japan, Heywood L. Edwards covered the initial
occupation of the Ominato area 6 September 1945 and departed
that port 22 October for the United States, via Pearl
Harbor. She arrived Seattle 10 November, decommissioned 1
July 1946, and entered the Long Beach Group, Pacific Reserve
Fleet. Brought out of reserve in 1959, she was loaned to
Japan under the Military Assistance Program, where she
serves as Ariake (DD-183).
Heywood L. Edwards received seven battle stars for her
service in World War II and a Navy Unit Commendation for her
outstanding part in the great amphibious operations of
1944-45.
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Yugure
- USS
Richard P. Leary
(DD
664)
- in USN service
USS Richard P. Leary (DD 664):
Richard Phillips Leary was born 3 November 1842 in
Baltimore, Md. He entered the Naval Academy in 1860. During
the Civil War, he served in Canandaigua and Sangamon
assigned to the Atlantic blockade. Later, during tension
with Germany over Samoa, Leary commanded Adams at Samoa from
October to December 1888. In the Spanish-American War, he
commanded San Francisco off Havana, Cuba. From 1899 into
1900, Captain Leary served as Naval Governor of Guam.
Retiring in 1901, Rear Admiral Leary died 27 December at
Chelsea, Mass.
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Richard P. Leary (DD-664) was laid down 4 July 1943 at the
Navy Yard, Boston, Mass.; launched 6 October 1943; sponsored
by Mrs. George K. Crozer III; and commissioned 23 February
1944, Comdr. Frederic S. Habecker in command.
Following shakedown off Bermuda, Richard P. Leary sailed via
the Panama Canal for Pearl Harbor. After escort duty to
Eniwetok and Saipan in July, she supported the landings at
Peleliu 15 September, and at Leyte 20 October. During the
Battle of Surigao Strait on the 25th, she launched
torpedoes, splashed one enemy plane, and guarded the damaged
Albert W. Grant (DD-649). While patrolling off Leyte Gulf on
1 November, she rescued 70 survivors of Abner Read (DD-526).
During the Lingayen Gulf campaign, she shot down one enemy
plane 6 January 1945, and rendered fire-support for the
landings on the 9th. She again supplied gunfire support for
the landings at Iwo Jima 19 February and for the landings at
Okinawa 1 April. During the night of 6-7 April she escorted
the damaged Morris (DD-417) to Kerama Retto, Okinawa Gunto.
Upon completion of duties at Okinawa her next assignment
took her to Adak, Alaska, in August. After serving in the
Aleutians, she sailed for Japan arriving at Ominato, 8
September. She departed Japan on the 30th, and steamed to
San Diego, Calif.
Designated for inactivation after her return, she
decommissioned 10 December 1946, and was assigned to the
Pacific Reserve Fleet. Richard P. Leary was transferred 10
March 1959 to Japan, in whose Navy she served as Yugure
until retired in 1974.
Richard P. Leary received six battle stars for World War II
service.
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