USS Callaghan (DD-792)

History
United States
Namesake	Daniel J. Callaghan
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding, San Pedro, Los Angeles
Laid down	21 February 1943
Launched	1 August 1943
Commissioned	27 November 1943
Fate	Sunk by Okinawa , 28 July 1945
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 tons
Length	376.4 ft (114.7 m)
Beam	39.6 ft (12.1 m)
Draft	13.8 ft (4.2 m)
Propulsion	60,000 SHP (45 MW); 2 propellors
Speed	38 knots (70 km/h; 44 mph)
Range	6500 NM (12,000 km) at 15 knot
Complement	329
Armament	5 × 5 in (130 mm) /38 guns, 10 × 40 mm AA guns, 7 × 20 mm AA guns, 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes

USS Callaghan (DD-792), a

In late March 1945, Callaghan joined Task Force 54 (TF 54) at Ulithi, and from this base sailed for the bombardment preceding the invasion of Okinawa, where she made harassing fire ashore during the night of 26 March. This initiated prolonged fire support and screening duty in the dangerous waters off Okinawa during which, in addition to invaluable aid to the troops, Callaghan joined in the sinking of a Japanese midget submarine and shot down three dive bombers.

Fate

Though the Allied forces had taken Okinawa by 21 June, Japanese forces continued to skirmish. On 9 July 1945, Callaghan took station on the radar picket line, where on 28 July she drove off an attacking wood-and-fabric Yokosuka K5Y biplane. The aircraft survived the first approach because the proximity fuses were ineffective against its wooden fuselage.^[2] The plane, skimming low and undetected, crashed into Callaghan on the starboard side. It exploded and one of the aircraft's bombs penetrated the aft engine room. The destroyer flooded and the fires which ignited antiaircraft ammunition prevented nearby ships from rendering aid. Callaghan sank at 02:35, 28 July 1945, with the loss of 47 members of her crew. She was the last Allied ship sunk by a kamikaze attack during the war.

Awards

Callaghan received eight