USS Harry E. Hubbard

History
United States
Name	Harry E. Hubbard
Namesake	Harry Hubbard
Builder	Bethlehem Mariners Harbor, Staten Island, New York
Laid down	30 October 1943
Launched	24 March 1944
Commissioned	22 July 1944
Decommissioned	October 1969
Stricken	17 October 1969
Motto	Nomine Diem ("Name the Day")
Fate	Sold July 1970 and broken up for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type	Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer
Displacement	2,200 tons
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
Beam	40 ft (12 m)
Draft	15 ft 8 in (4.78 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45,000 kW);; 2 propellers;
Speed	34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement	336
Armament	6 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. guns,; 12 × 40 mm AA guns,; 11 × 20 mm AA guns,; 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes,; 6 × depth charge projectors,; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Harry E. Hubbard (DD-748), was an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer of the United States Navy.

Namesake

Harry Enson Hubbard was born on 18 March 1903 in

Gleaves-class destroyer USS Meredith

.

Meredith helped screen the aircraft carrier USS Hornet off Japan during the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo on 18 April 1942. Thereafter it conducted patrol and escort from Hawaii to the Samoan, Fiji, and the Solomon Islands and helped cover transports landing reinforcements on Guadalcanal on 18 September 1942. On 15 October 1942, Meredith fought against Imperial Japanese Navy carrier-based scouting planes, then fought off 18 Japanese dive bombers and 12 torpedo planes launched by the aircraft carrier Zuikaku. The ship's gunners shot down five of the attackers, and Hubbard carried on the fight though blinded by burns about his face. When his men had cleared the bridge, they abandoned the sinking Meredith moments before it sank. He died on a life raft at sea on the morning of 16 October 1942.

Construction and commissioning

Harry E. Hubbard was

launched on 24 March 1944 by the Bethlehem Steel Co., Staten Island, New York; sponsored by Miss Jean Hubbard, daughter; and commissioned

on 22 July 1944.

Service history

World War II

As

Okinawa on 8 May 1945 to serve as a picket destroyer, guarding against the day and night waves of Japanese aerial raids and runs of kamikazes

. Although the American fleet suffered losses and damage, it had come to stay. As with all previous Japanese weapons, even the kamikazes were defeated in their attempt to save this last "stepping stone" to Japan itself. For nearly two months, Harry E. Hubbard fought off the savage raiders, shooting down four kamikazes that tried to crash into her at various times.

When

Kerama Retto

. One enemy plane was disintegrated by Harry E. Hubbard's gunners a bare 50 yards (46 m) from the ship.

Harry E. Hubbard remained off Okinawa until 24 July 1945, then escorted occupation troops to

Pacific Reserve Fleet

until recommissioned 14 May 1949 but decommissioned 12 December without having gone to sea.

Korean War

Following the invasion of

Songjin, Chingjin, Kyoto, Ohako, Bokuko, Chuminjin, and other enemy strongholds of supply and reinforcement. When Walke was heavily damaged by an underwater explosion off Wonson 11 June 1951, Harry E. Hubbard, with the same skill as off Okinawa in 1945, moved in to render effective medical and damage control assistance. She returned to the California coast in October 1951 for overhaul and completed a similar tour of duty with the 7th Fleet off Korea July to December 1952. She returned to San Diego in January 1953 but again departed on 11 July to guard fast carrier task groups patrolling after the Armistice Agreement

was signed in Korea. Intervened by patrol in the Taiwan Straits, this duty continued until 13 January 1954. She returned to San Diego for overhaul and refresher training along the western seaboard.

Harry E. Hubbard departed San Diego 11 August 1954 on the first of nine additional Far East tours with the 7th Fleet which were completed by the close of 1966. During this service, she joined the roving 7th Fleet 6 to 13 February 1955 in moving in under

SEATO Treaty nations to improve readiness in defending freedom in that part of the world. From time to time, she patrolled the Taiwan Straits to insure Taiwan was not threatened from the Communist mainland of China. She was off Guam in June 1960, twice guarding the flight of President Dwight D. Eisenhower

's aircraft during his Far East visit.

Vietnam War

During the

Secretary of the Navy Paul Nitze

stated that they had "demonstrated the firm intent of the United States to maintain freedom of the seas and to take all necessary measures in defense of peace in Southeast Asia."

Harry E. Hubbard returned to Long Beach on 28 October 1964 for a year of warfare readiness operations along the western seaboard. In October 1965, she departed for the coast of South Vietnam. In company with Valley Forge in November and December 1965, she provided gunfire support for two Marine amphibious landings. In the following months, she acted as escort to Kitty Hawk and Hancock during their strike operations in the South China Sea, acting as Harbor Defense ship at Da Nang and fired more than 1,000 rounds of exploding 5-inch shells into Viet Cong strongholds along the South Vietnamese coast. She returned to Long Beach, California, on 7 April 1966. The destroyer had drawn nationwide attention on 10 March 1966 when the ABC Television Network included scenes of one of her shore bombardments along the South Vietnamese coast.

Harry E. Hubbard served two more tours in Vietnam from April to August 1967 and from August 1968 to January 1969.

Fate

Harry E. Hubbard was decommissioned and struck on 17 October 1969.

Awards

Combat Action Ribbon with two gold stars
Navy Unit Commendation
battle star
World War II Victory Medal
Navy Occupation Medal
with "ASIA" clasp
China Service Medal
National Defense Service Medal with star
Korean Service Medal with five battle stars
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with two stars
Vietnam Service Medal with seven campaign stars
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Korea Medal
Korean War Service Medal (South Korea)
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Harry E. Hubbard shared in the Navy Unit Commendation awarded Task Group 77.5 for support operations in the Gulf of Tonkin 2–5 August 1964.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.