Heywood Edwards (DD 663) - Naval Cruise Book

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i)Iic i.f ifl. ' sc mrlll.Ml li:i.l ;mi .-IT.-i I. I ' l. l I ' rlrliu II ,- , . - J ' l .Srpl. U Mill S,ii|(;iri. ciiini ' a fr« (la (if l«)f;i.sti(s al Kiii- « l..k. and Iwi. w -fk i.f l allli- piai ii-c in tin- S.il.i- iii(in . Th.-n. a |)arl of Task Ki.n ■ Wl. I)l)(.(.: s.-l a ciiiiisc for lii ' i- set (iiul niajoi ' iinasioii: I ' i ' Icliii. wlm-i- airlii-lil-. si raddled tin- st-a road lo Manila. This time slu- arrixi ' d lu-forc l) l)a . On I) minus . ' . lu l)f I ' xart. Otuf nuiri- licr major assi-innii-nt was liomliardment. On D l)a itsi-lf. she lirt-d u lliou- sand rounds at ihf forlilii ' d fiun positions on Bloody Nose l{idj;f, and dfstroMil an irifin suppK dci)ol holdinj; lixc tanks anil lucKi- liuck-. and an ammu- nition depot. .After D ' l)a . liicie vwie laxes to l e s ' aled and pinpoint lire to lu- ilcliveied in support of tile j;round troops. j;ain al I ' eleliu. I)l) ' .(..l -liour.l ,, lal.nl l,,i Iri- (li idii.d .11 linn in --lioal wain. On lln- ni;:lil ..! S.-pl. i: -l . uhilr palrollinj;. hci i.idai pi( k.d up s.nni- taryets ill hcliind llu- reef, close t i the lieach. It was a (•(duiiiii of Jap har es. allemptinf; | assaf;e from Koiei lo I ' eleliu. The lirsl shell was on its wa in -eeoiids. When tin- last had -.nia-hed ils tarjiel. a lolal of tifleen hai-es were ,.ii llir holloiii. I ' .O.W. reported the DDdd.Ts sc-oii- .1- one ammunition harjie. and fourleen peisomiel haij es. ronlaiiiiiif; TOO troops. F ' irst-to-eome. Ia?t-to-f:o DDi.ii! --li ' amed away from I ' eleliu on 29 Septemh -i . I lie i-laiuls were se- cured, ihcie was another assault to jiel read for. In her III old as a i oinmendalioii from Admiral Ol- dcndorf for the entire operation, with speiial refer- ence to hei detection and destruction of the harjii ' s. If altarkeil ill more wa s than one. DDlidi nl.ili- ali ' d in kind. l the end of hiT i aieei -he had ai ■ counted for eii;hl eiiem planes. Iwi. -hip-. Iifleen liar-ies and had launched torpedoes in a -iiiiadron attack on a haltleship. On the terrestial side, shi- had one oil dump, one train. Ii e tanks. IweKe trucks, an ammunition depot, a seme or more of jjini em- ' - ■»., .. MANUS ADMIRALTY ISLANDS placements, an odd i;ross of ca es and a fireat a- rielN of othi-i lari els In hei cieilil. lin luded were al lea-I IIHK) of ihe en.-ni . . : i: (Irl. II «.r. DDod.t dcpailcd I ' eh ' liii in coiiipans with ihe llonciliiln. lhre - other cruisers, aiul eifiht other de- -iMAci- of l) ' sHoii. F ( . Destination: Manus. Ad- iniialu l-laiids. Ihil Maiiii- was onl a short slopoxer on the (iranil Kxcursion li.kel foi ih, I ' arilic Isles. After 10 da s of refueling, icliuini;. leanninfi. reiujiani iiif;. and rest DDdd.S went lo sea again. This time it was as part of Task (iroup 77.2 and to some of her com- pany the excursion ticket looked like a one-wa lo LK TK. Here was the keystoiu- in the master stra- U- ' ' c plan, ihr I ' liil ippines. f:atewa to Asia and Japan il-rll. In Le te (iiilf on 17 O.l.. or I) minus A Day. DDOO. ' i drew anolhi ' r shoal water assignment: sup- poiiinj; the deinoliliiui teams under direct lire of ill ' lap shore hatleries. The operation was suece.»s- fill, the halteries were not. ami DDdd.i withdrew to waters more na igalionalK safe lo spend the next six da s III liomliaiilm eni and lighlini; olT aiicraft attacks. hen I .imc Ihe w m i ih.ll ihe J.lp Heel w .1- .ll HALFWAY CHANGE OF COMMAND

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TAKING IN THE SLACK WHILE FUELING first captain. Five months and twenty-twd rlaxs from keel-la in ; to commissioning. DD66. ' «as a war bali . On 22 Apiil l ' J44. after three moiillis of fitlirij; onl and shaking down. DD663 transited the I ' aiiama Canal tf) enter the Parifie. Knowing lier. it is uii- likeJN thai she was ni-i ou (n e en mo ed (in llii.- Uii Id .i enilMr I ' M. ). ) )( i,A l.iucll. ' d the I nited States again at Puget Sound a y Yard to he pnl in reserve status. The elapsed time was one ear. -i months, and nineteen days. It i inipiohahle she wa rnui li e i ili ' l at this, either. Dining the interval eonsiderahle liad lia|i|ic-ned. It i ihi ' purpoM- (if u hi lcir . nliie(lirig ihe nanio and emiili(iii nf men In llie will of a -liip so strong thai she madr llieni all -lrong. --(i inipregnalile that she made them in ninrr ahle. o ahiof lliat she detached them fnmi ihrm eKo anti made them ihink oid of iheir mi-siiin il i tin- purt ci e nf llii- hi-- |(ir Id tell the -lnr of tho e nineleen mcinlli . SMPWTIM ■; Jiuir II - J ) l„h II On 2 J .Vla . I9H. a- part nf Ta k (dcmp 7,2. I. ' ). I)|)f)M sortied from I ' eai I llarli.ir f.ir the Mariannas Operaliiin uhicli wa - In prn ide Iv2 ' ) bases against llie Jap mairdand. She ai i i ed nif the coast of Saipan nil i) l)a . I. ' ) jinie. and stayed sixty-odd davs. until the con(|iiest of Saipan and Tinian was com- plete. This was DD66;Vs lirst lime iimlci lire aii l the lust lime she had fired a slml in uliat has heen euphemistically termed, anger. Ihi pci fnrmance was cool and competent as she mnxed almiit nn her in- itial assignment, shore b(Mnliardmeiit. I his nperatinn as sea-borne field artiller wa-aliimsi a .-pecialtx and her crews became practised in w lial must have seemed impossible initially, sleeping wiiilc ihe main batter lired five inch salvos at regular inteixals. For da s and sometimes for weeks, the fire support ships stayed within eas range nf ihr encm positinris. moving in long before the first wa c. and following or leading the advance until the last point of resist- ance was destro ed. Sometimes the fired steadih fnr almost a week, the irew alternating at the guns. At Saipan. Dl)()6. ' i worked in coordinalinii wilh the Army, knocking out gun einplacemenls. irnnp concentrations; sealing ca es: and reducing ma- chine gun nests to a tangle of shattered ordnance and enemy dead. On July 7th. DI)()(i.H had a cliam c for individual action. During a lasl desperate attack, a portion nf the lO.Sth I . S. iiifantiN was cut off and driven oul into the sea to a point v licre ihe limit of retreat was reached at the heifiht nf a tired soldier ' s mniilh. DDfid.H pul nver her whaleboats and sent ihcin in over llic trca(hernus reefs to the rescue. Net proceeds were H Ainciic ans and one Jap. w ho had adopted the novel e |)ediciit of deserting during an attack. Saipan was DI)()6. ' -! s first time miilci Inc. In lici career she had the dubious disliiic linn, wliirli would w illinglv have heen v acalcd in fav ni ol anv ( laimaiil. of being attacked hv llic i-ncmv a full do iii v(av . DD66. ' ? beat off or destroved ihc Jap cvcrv uav he came after her — and he came in lialtlesliips and cruisers . . . and dcstrovcis . . . and -iihmai inc . . . and PT boats . . . and siiii idc lioals . . . He -v am llic water w illi dcmolilinn ( hargcs lied In his hark, lie (lew ill dive hnnibcis . . . and Kamika c planes . . . and pilnlcl haka hnmli- . . . Ilc-li,-u, ' d mii,,- liher- allv in Ik I palli and lie liicd al lici willi -lime hal- Iciies. il i- prnlialilc even llial he piavi ' d ai;ainsl her . . . nr (iirsed liei avoiding lo all llic god- nf Shinto.

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r x ZS SJE SURIBACHI; HELL ON EARTH WE DENT A FENDER AT IWO And on 24 October DD663 took her ])la e in the left flank of the battle disposition covering the entrance to South Surigao Strait from Mindanao Sea. It was her first major action between ships — and charac- teristically she picked a good one. For at 033! on 2S Oct.. flank speed was rung up on her lclcglapll and she led the third section of DesHon .5() straight at the Jap battle line. The approach was made under a double arch of fire, from the battleships and crui- sers astern and the Japs ahead. At 6.500 Nards torpe- does were launched and DD06. ' zigzagged her wa through exploding Jap shells to safety behind the smoke screen. This torpedo attack 1 the ships of