USS Hugh W. Hadley

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USS Hugh W. Hadley
History
United States
NameHugh W. Hadley
NamesakeHugh William Hadley
BuilderBethlehem Shipbuilding, San Pedro
Laid down6 February 1944
Launched16 July 1944
Commissioned25 November 1944
Decommissioned15 December 1945
Stricken8 January 1946
FateSold 2 September 1947 scrapped
General characteristics
Class and typeAllen M. Sumner-class destroyer
Displacement2,200 tons
Length376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
Beam40 ft (12 m)
Draft15 ft 8 in (4.78 m)
Propulsion
  • 60,000 shp (45,000 kW);
  • 2 propellers
Speed34 knots (63 km/h; 39 mph)
Range6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 15 kn (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Complement336
Armament

USS Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) was an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer which served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Namesake

Hugh William Hadley was born on 17 February 1901 at Moro, Oregon. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1918. Commissioned Ensign on 29 May 1922, he served on board many ships, including USS Pennsylvania and USS S-27, and various shore stations in the prewar years. After serving as Executive Officer of USS Roper from 1936 to 1939 and on board USS Maryland from 1941 to 1942, he was appointed Commander and assigned to command Transport Division 12 in the Pacific. Hadley's attack transports made nightly runs into Guadalcanal to support American troops fighting in the Guadalcanal campaign and while on board USS Little on 5 September 1942 Hadley was surprised by three Imperial Japanese Navy destroyers off Lunga Point. Little fought valiantly, but was sunk along with the attack transport USS Gregory. Hadley was killed in the action and was posthumously awarded the Silver Star.

Construction and commissioning

Hugh W. Hadley (DD-774) was

launched by Bethlehem Shipbuilding, San Pedro, Los Angeles, 16 July 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Hadley, widow of the namesake; and commissioned on 25 November 1944. It played a significant role in the Battle of Okinawa as part of the Northern Attack Force Screen (Task Group 53.6) in the Okinawa naval order of battle
.

Pacific

After shakedown training off the coast of

Okinawa
invasion.

Okinawa

The ship departed in company with a large group of

antisubmarine patrol station outside the transport area. As the bitter fighting ashore continued, Hadley helped protect against submarines and aircraft as the Japanese made a final effort to stop the invasion. The ship remained on patrol until 4 April, when she sailed with a group of transports to Saipan
, arriving on 14 April.

Hadley was soon on her way back to Okinawa, however, and arrived from Saipan on 27 April to resume her outer patrol. For the next few days the destroyer fought off numerous air raids, picked up a downed fighter pilot, and carried out antisubmarine patrol. She went alongside the destroyer

Combat Air Patrols
, so vital to the invasion's air cover.

As radar picket ships were scarce, Hadley was assigned this duty on the afternoon of 10 May. Joining destroyer

Ie Shima
. The days action took the lives of 28 crew members, and wounded 67 more.

During this battle. Hadley had succeeded in downing some 23 enemy aircraft and aided in destroying several others. After temporary repairs, the ship was taken to

Buckner Bay, Okinawa, in a floating drydock towed by Avoyel on 15 July 1945, and after 20 days there began the long voyage under tow of the US Navy tug ATA 199 to the United States. After encountering heavy weather during the passage the ship arrived at Hunter's Point, California, via Pearl Harbor, 26 September 1945. She was deemed as being too damaged to be repaired
and was decommissioned on 15 December 1945. She was sold 2 September 1947 to Walter W. Johnson Co., San Francisco, and scrapped.

Awards

In addition to one

battle star for her World War II Service, Hadley received the Presidential Unit Citation
for her performance in the action off Okinawa 11 May 1945. Also, several of her crew were decorated for their actions during the war.

Presidential Unit Citation

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION to the UNITED STATES SHIP USS HUGH W. HADLEY (DD-774) for service as set forth in the following CITATION: For extraordinary heroism in action as Fighter Direction Ship on Radar Picket Station Number 15 during an attack by approximately 100 enemy Japanese planes, forty miles northwest of the Okinawa Transport Area, May 11, 1945. Fighting valiantly against waves of hostile suicide and dive-bombing planes plunging toward her from all directions, the U.S.S. HUGH HADLEY sent up relentless barrages of antiaircraft fire during one of the most furious air-sea battles of the war. Repeatedly finding her targets, she destroyed twenty enemy planes, skillfully directed her Combat Air Patrol in shooting down at least forty others and, by her vigilance and superb battle readiness, avoided damage to herself until subjected to a coordinated attack by ten Japanese planes. Assisting in the destruction of all ten of these, she was crashed by one bomb and three suicide planes with devastating effect. With all engineering spaces flooded and with a fire raging amidships, the gallant officers and men of the HUGH W. HADLEY fought desperately against almost insurmountable odds and, by their indomitable determination, fortitude and skill, brought the damage under control, enabling their ship to be towed to port and saved. Her brilliant performance in this action reflects the highest credit upon the HUGH W. HADLEY and the United States Naval Service.

References

External links

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