HISTORY OF THE USS GUEST DD 472
1942-1945
AREAS OF OPERATIONS:
NORTH SOLOMONS
BOUGAINVILLE
BISMARCK ARCHIPELAGO
MARIANAS
CAROLINES
IWO JIMA
OKINAWA
NAVY DAY OCTOBER 27, 1945
THE USS GUEST WAS BUILT BY THE BOSTON NAVY YARD AND WAS COMMISSIONED ON
15 DECEMBER 1942. A 2,100 TON FLUSH-DECK DESTROYER, SHE CARRIES FIVE
5-INCH GUNS, TEN 21 INCH TORPEDOES AND SEVENTEEN 40-MM AND 20-MM CANNON.
WITH 60, HORSEPOWER, HER MAIN ENGINES ENABLE HER TO MAKE A SPEED OF MORE
THAN 35 KNOTS.
SHE SAILED ON HER FIRST SHAKEDOWN CRUISE ON 15 FEBRUARY 1943 AND SPENT
FIVE MONTHS ON TRAINING CRUISES BETWEEN THE EAST COAST OF THE UNITED
STATES AND CUBA AND SOUTH AMERICA, WITH ONE TRIP BEING MADE TO CASABLANCA,
FRENCH MOROCCO.
IN JULY, 1943, SHE REPORTED TO THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, U.S. PACIFIC
FLEET FOR DUTY AND IN AUGUST ARRIVED IN PEARL HARBOR. AFTER A FEW DAYS IN
TRAINING IN THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS SHE GOT UNDERWAY FOR THE NEW HEBRIDES
ISLANDS, WHERE SHE OPERATED AS ESCORT VESSEL FOR CARRIERS, BATTLESHIPS
AND CRUISERS IN THAT AREA.
ON 1 NOVEMBER 1943 THE GUEST TOOK PART IN THE INVASION OF BOUGAINVILLE, IN THE SOLOMON ISLANDS,
AND THERE UNDERWENT HER FIRST DIVE-BOMBING ATTACK, SHOOTING DOWN TWO ENEMY
PLANES. SHE RETURNED AGAIN TO BOUGAINVILLE ON 7 NOVEMBER WITH A GROUP OF
SUPPLY SHIPS AND UNDERWENT A TORPEDO AND DIVE-BOMBING ATTACK, SHOOTING DOWN
ONE DIVE BOMBER AND ONE TORPEDO PLANE, WITH THE POSSIBLE DESTRUCTION OF
FIVE OTHERS.
FOR THE NEXT FEW MONTHS THE GUEST WAS OCCUPIED WITH ROUTINE ESCORT
DUTIES - RUNNING CONVOYS, HUNTING ENEMY SUBMARINES, BOMBARDING ENEMY
INSTALLATIONS IN THE BOUGAINVILLE AREA AND MAKING AN OFFENSIVE SWEEP
THROUGH SAINT GEORGE'S CHANNEL AND SOUTH OF TRUK, HUNTING JAPANESE
SHIPPING AND SMALL CRAFT IN THE RABAUL-KAVIENG AREA.
THE GUEST, IN COMPANY OF OTHER DESTROYERS, PARTICIPATED IN A COMMANDO
RAID ON GREEN ISLAND AND LATER ACCOMPANIED THE INVASION FORCES IN THE
CAPTURE OF THAT ISLAND, UNDERGOING ONE AIR ATTACK.
IN JUNE, 1944, THE GUEST JOINED A BOMBARDMENT GROUP OF BATTLESHIPS,
CRUISERS AND DESTROYERS AND PROCEEDED TO SIAPAN ISLAND, WHERE THEY
CONDUCTED PRE-INVASION BOMBARDMENTS OF THAT ISLAND UNTIL 15 JUNE WHEN
LANDING WERE MADE.
THE GROUP THEN PROCEEDED TO GUAM AND COMMENCED A SIMILAR BOMBARDMENT,
BUT FIRING WAS CEASED IN 16 JUNE DUE TO THE POSSIBILITY OF A MAJOR FLEET
ENGAGEMENT, THE JAPANESE FLEET HAVING BEEN REPORTED LEAVING THE
PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE GUEST JOINED THE FAST UNITS
OF TASK FORCE FIFTY-EIGHT WHICH STARTED A SWEEP TO THE WESTWARD IN SEARCH
OF THE JAPANESE SURFACE FORCES.
ON 16 JUNE LARGE FORMATIONS OF ENEMY PLANES WERE DETECTED BUT ONLY
TWELVE PENETRATED OUR FIGHTER COVER, OF WHICH TEN WERE SHOT DOWN BY OUR
GROUP OF SHIPS.
AFTER HEAVY ATTACKS BY TASK FORCE FIFTY-EIGHT PLANES, THE JAPANESE
FLEET TURNED AND RAN FOR THE PHILIPPPINES. HOPE OF ENCOUNTERING HEAVY
SURFACE UNITS WAS ABANDONED AND OUR FORCES RETURNED TO THE BOMBARDMENT
OF GUAM UNTIL 21 JULY WHEN LANDINGS WERE MADE.
THE REMAINDER OF JULY AND AUGUST WERE SPENT IN ROUTINE ESCORT AND
TRAINING OPERATIONS UNTIL, ON 6 SEPTEMBER, THE GUEST JOINED AN ATTACK
FORCE EN ROUTE TO THE PALAU ISLANDS. THERE THE BOMBARDMENT OF ENEMY
INSTALLATIONS CONTINUED UNTIL 14 SEPTEMBER WHEN A MINE SWEEPER, THE USS
PERRY, STRUCK A MINE OFF THE COAST OF ANGUAR. COVERING FIRE WAS DELIVERED
INTO THE BEACH AREA AND BOATS WERE LOWERED TO ASSIST IN THE RESCUE OF
SURVIVORS. SEVEN OFFICERS AND FORTY-FIVE MEN WERE RESCUED BY THE BOATS
OF THIS SHIP. THE PERRY CAPSIZED AND SANK AND SURVIVORS WERE TRANSFERRED,
AFTER MEDICAL TREATMENT, TO A LARGER SHIP.
DURING THE REMAINDER OF THE PALAU OPERATION, THE GUEST PROVIDED
COVERING FIRE FOR DEMOLITION AND RECONNAISSANCE TEAMS AND FURNISHED
FIRE IN SUPPORT OF ADVANCING GROUND FORCES.
THE GUEST THEN RECEIVED ORDERS TO PROCEED TO PEARL HARBOR AND THENCE
TO SAN FRANCISCO FOR SIX WEEKS OF NAVY-YARD OVERHAUL.
AFTER TRIAL RUNS AND TRAINING EXERCISES OFF THE COAST OF CALIFORNIA,
THE GUEST RETURNED TO PEARL HARBOR FOR FURTHER TRAINING AND FROM THERE
JOINED AN EXPEDITIONARY FORCE ENROUTE TO IWO JIMA. AT IWO JIMA,
BOMBARDMENTS IN SUPPORT OF GROUND FORCES WERE DELIVERED AND ONE AIR
RAID DRIVEN OFF.
AFTER IWO JIMA HAD BEEN CAPTURED, THE GUEST DEPARTED FOR LEYTE GULF,
IN THE PHILIPPINES. FROM LEYTE, SHE JOINED AN ATTACK FORCE AND DEPARTED
FOR OKINAWA, BEING ASSIGNED SCREENING DUTIES WITH A FORCE OF ESCORT
CARRIERS. IN THE OKINAWA CAMPAIGN SHE PARTICIPATED IN VARIOUS DUTIES,
ANTI-SUBMARINE SCREEN, ANTI-AIRCRAFT SCREEN, FIRE SUPPORT ASSIGNMENTS
AND ANTI-AIRCRAFT PICKET DUTIES. DURING THIS TIME SHE UNDERWENT ALMOST
CONTINUOUS AIR ATTACKS AND WAS NARROWLY MISSED BY A JAPANESE SUICIDE PLANE,
THE PLANE PASSING OVERHEAD, SHEARING OFF A WING ON THE MAST AND CARRYING
AWAY RADIO ANTENNAS.
AFTER 96 DAYS OF OPERATIONS IN THE OKINAWA AREA SHE DEPARTED FOR A
REAR AREA BASE FOR A PERIOD OF REST AND RECREATION, AFTER WHICH SHE WENT
NORTH TO JOIN THE ALEUTIAN BASED NORTH PACIFIC FORCE.
AFTER THE JAPANESE SURRENDER, THE NORTH PACIFIC FLEET DEPARTED FOR
NORTHERN JAPAN AND TOOK PART IN THE OCCUPATION OF NORTHERN HONSHU AND
HOKKAIDO, ADMIRAL FLETCHER ACCEPTING THE JAPANESE SURRENDER FOR THE
AREA.
|
USS GUEST DD472