Heywood Edwards (DD 663) - Naval Cruise Book

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(•red llfi Imiils fur llic rescue. ' I ' lie liallerv on llie lieaeh i)|)ene(l tire, and was taken under return tire. .• .Hiji it uas kn. ked nut. W illi llie aid nf dIIum ea- sels ill the ariM. main .--urNixoi nf liie I,(iiiu Ikh wert ' rescued. On 2 ' ) Jul . «ith till- i laiids id Okinawa. Ki ' rama Ketlo. le . ' hinia. and Kiinie Sliinia M.ured. |)l)()(i:! was ordered to l,e te. While priniariK a tire support ess(d. I)l)( ( ? al o doiii ied as radar picket. W hile equalh hazardous, this wa- a relief to hci Inidiic :;aii:; who ii-u.dl na ii;ated with onl a few feel of water under the kc(d. While on | ickel diit she w a- attacked twice and shot down lioth planes. a tire support ship she starred, didiveiin an iinineiisc olumi- of well aimed tire. In fait. durin ; the Okinawa homhardment DDfifi.S alone tired more li e-incli shells than the whole llie.l fleet (dT Omaha jiiai h at oiinaiid . one and ouc-iialf limes a mam lo he exact. When linalK I)|)(i( . left Okinawa her ,;;iin- were i.HiiplcliN worn out and had to j.e replaced. WE RESCUE SURVIVORS FROM THE NEWCOMB AND THE LONGSHAW

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GUARDIAN ANGELS dream. This was the first atku k on tlic Jap honic- laiid. Two days out. DD663 dropped a ])attern of charges on a submarine contact. The result was a slick of oil but no more tangible evidence. On 24 March. DD663 moved in close to Kerama Retto. supporting the underwater demolition teams. From then on Kamikaze planes swarmed like hor- nets from China. Formosa and the homeland. On 6 April, in four hours, two hundred tried to attack the formation, many evading the overworked air cover. Four Judies. fl ing low came on ])D66, ' ?. in 90 seconds she splashed them all. The feat needs MO touting, indeed to do so would be to detract from it. In all 60 destrovers were hit. 12 of them sunk. during the Okinawa operation. DD663 was at Okinawa longer than any ship of the original attack force. In 128 days of fighting, of Ijondiarding. of radar picketing, she shol dciuii cli;ht enem planes, smashed shore targets wilhoiil num- ber. On 111 -Ma . the Longshaw. another lin ' - uppuit destroyer, aground on a reef, was demolished for- ward by Jap shore batteries. DD6C)3 moved in, low- THE JAP COMES ABOARD DEAD . AND ALIVE

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OKINAWA AT TWILIGHT THE KOAD BACK 2 ) July r, - ID oi: 45 While plans were lieinp whispered for the next in- vasion and the fleet was softening up the Japan coast, while the minesweepers were plying their trade in the East China Sea. while her crew still wondered when there would be an end— DD6()3 seemed to sense that the war was over. For once almost helpless, she went to Le te. i1h-m( e to Guam for new guns from which she ne er fired a shot in anger. Thence to Eniwetok and finally to Ominato in Northern Honshu to join the North F ' acific Force. There she was assisted in the occupa- tion of Hachinohe. escorted Jap naval vessels to Tokyo, patrolled Tsugaru Straits. On 22 October she departed Ominato. stopping briefly at Pearl Harbor on her way to Seattle and oliliv ion. De.-RoM r)( ' nine shi|is in all— fought a long. hard amphibious war. It is noteworthy that . a v Crosses were awarded to commanding officers at a rate somewhat higher than one to a ship . . . that both squadron commanders dcta( lied dining the war were advanced to flag rank. Of the ships of DesRon 56. eight were damaged by enemy action. DD663 was the ninlli. The writer of this history, millur ;tn histnrian nor a member of the sliii).- conipanN. lla tiled to make it an exercise in objectix il . ft. in reading the logs and action reports, he has lonie to a certain feeling and conclusion. It is that the performance and acromplishment of I)D663 may he directh linked to the perf(irniaM( e and accomplishment of all her cre . . . rather than to individual heroes. That her men mironstiouslv felt this may be seen in the name lhe ( ailed her with pride and a little awe. She uas I ask Force 668 — a coordinated ma- chine. Ti) all wlin MM C(I in her. 1 -| thai Iw high praise . . . fnr l)l)()(i: ' . Iici-cif let it l c an I ' liilaiili. WE FIRE AT IWO ' .