USS Daly

	USS Daly (DD-519) steaming down the Cooper River in July 1952
History
United States
Namesake	Daniel Daly
Builder	Bethlehem Mariners Harbor, Staten Island
Laid down	29 April 1942
Launched	24 October 1942
Commissioned	10 March 1943
Decommissioned	18 April 1946
Recommissioned	6 July 1951
Decommissioned	2 May 1960
Stricken	1 December 1974
Fate	Sold for scrap, 22 April 1976
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 tons
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.7 m)
Beam	39 ft 8 in (12.1 m)
Draft	17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	6500 nmi. (12,000 km) at 15 kt
Complement	336
Armament	5 × single 5 in (127 mm)/38 guns; 5 × twin AA guns; 7 × single 20 mm (0.8 in) AA guns; 2 × quintuple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes; 6 × single depth charge throwers; 2 × depth charge racks;

USS Daly (DD-519), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Marine Sergeant Major Daniel Daly, (1873–1937), one of the very few people to be twice awarded the Medal of Honor.

Construction and commissioning

Daly was

launched 24 October 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, N.Y., sponsored by Mrs. A. Ransweiler, niece of Sergeant Major Daly; and commissioned

10 March 1943.

1943

Between 14 May and 21 June 1943 Daly screened

San Diego 4 August. The next day she was underway for Alaska, arriving at Adak 11 August. She escorted transports to the invasion of Kiska from 15 to 21 August, then patrolled and had escort duty between Kiska and Attu until 18 November when she sailed for Pearl Harbor

, arriving 23 November.

Daly left Pearl Harbor 9 December 1943 and arrived at Milne Bay, New Guinea, 18 December. Four days later she sortied to escort landing craft during the assault on Cape Gloucester, New Britain on 26 December. She splashed two attacking Japanese bombers, then aided survivors from Brownson (DD-518), rescuing 168 of her crew despite exploding depth charges from the sinking ship which caused temporary loss of power on Daly.

1944

Daly covered the withdrawal of the

LSTs to Cape Sudest, then escorted a convoy to Saidor for the invasion landings of 2 to 4 January 1944. She remained in the New Guinea area covering resupply operations for the troops on Saidor and Cape Gloucester until 4 February when she sailed for Sydney

, Australia.

Returning to Milne Bay, 22 February 1944, Daly sailed with Task Group 74.2 (TG 74.2) for the invasion of the Admiralty Islands, participating in the bombardments of Los Negros Island on 29 February and Seeadler Harbor, Manus Island on 7 March, and patrolling in support of the landing forces. She returned to Milne Bay 12 March. She operated from this port on various training exercises and bombarded Wewak Harbor on 17 March, then sortied 18 April for the Hollandia operation. She provided fire support for the invading troops on 21 and 22 April, then operated out of Seeadler Harbor to bombard the Wakde and Sawar Airfields on the night of 29–30 April to neutralize the danger of air attack on newly won Allied positions on New Guinea, and to patrol between Aitape and Tanahmerah Bay.

From 15 May to 5 August 1944 Daly served in the Western New Guinea operations. She provided fire support and bombardment in the

Battle for Leyte Gulf

on 25 and 26 October. Daly returned to Manus 3 November and six days later sailed for a West Coast overhaul.

1945

Daly arrived off

3rd Fleet in their strikes on the Japanese

mainland.

After replenishing at

Charleston, S.C.

, 23 December, and was placed out of commission in reserve 18 April 1946.

1951 – 1960

Recommissioned 6 July 1951 Daly joined the

Mediterranean

, calling at various ports en route.

Daly's next extended cruise took her to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean between 28 July and 28 November 1955, after which she operated with Hunter-Killer Group 3 in the Caribbean until 10 April 1956. On 4 January 1957 she sailed from Newport for a cruise with the Middle East Force, implementing American foreign policy with visits to Freetown, Sierra Leone; Simonstown and Cape Town, Union of South Africa; Mombasa, Kenya; Karachi, Pakistan; Aden, Massawa, Eritrea; and the Canary Islands before returning to Narragansett Bay 7 June 1957.

Between 3 September and 27 November 1957, Daly cruised to Northern Europe and the Mediterranean, on NATO exercises and service with the 6th Fleet. Between 17 March and 11 October 1959, she returned to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea and Persian Gulf.

Fate

On 2 May 1960, at Norfolk, she was decommissioned and placed in reserve. The ship was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 December 1974. She was sold 22 April 1976, and broken up for scrap.