USS Irwin

History
United States
Namesake	Noble E. Irwin
Builder	San Pedro, California
Laid down	2 May 1943
Launched	31 October 1943
Commissioned	14 February 1944
Decommissioned	10 January 1958
Stricken	15 March 1973
Fate	Transferred to Brazil; 10 May 1968;
History
Brazil
Name	Santa Catarina (D32)
Acquired	10 May 1968
Stricken	28 December 1988
Fate	Sunk in 1990
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 tons
Length	376.5 ft (114.8 m)
Beam	39.7 ft (12.1 m)
Draft	17.9 ft (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); @ 15 kt;
Complement	320
Armament	5 × 5 in (130 mm),; 10 × 40 mm AA guns,; 7 × 20 mm AA guns,; 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes,; 6 × depth charge posts,; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Irwin (DD-794), a

Noble E. Irwin

(1869–1937).

Irwin was

Charles A. Lockwood, Jr., daughter of Admiral Irwin and wife of Vice Admiral Lockwood; and commissioned

14 February 1944.

World War II

Following shakedown, Irwin departed

escort carriers

.

Irwin bombarded the enemy on

Okinawa and Formosa. Off the latter enemy-held shore 14 October 1944, she shot down a torpedo bomber. She assisted in the escort of the bomb-damaged cruisers Houston (CL-81) and Canberra (CA-70) to safety, then again joined the screen of fast attack carriers giving direct air support to the liberation landings at Leyte

, 20 October 1944.

The Japanese fleet made a three-pronged approach to the Philippines 24 October 1944 for the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Planes from Irwin's carrier task group made destructive bombing runs on the Japanese Center Force of battleships and cruisers. But land-based Japanese bombers retaliated with heavy air strikes, scoring a lucky bomb hit on light carrier Princeton (CVL-23). In a heroic saga that brought Irwin the award of the Navy Unit Commendation, she braved raging flames, violent explosions, falling debris, and exploding shells as she went alongside Princeton. Fighting dense black smoke in a choppy sea, she rigged hoses and fought fires in the forward part of the hangar deck. Later, when an explosion blew off the major portion of the carrier's stern, Irwin immediately dispatched boats and some of her men dove into choppy seas to rescue survivors. Two of the divers were Charles Edward Kahler and Bert Townsend Jr. who were designated strong swimmers aboard the Irwin. Though damaged herself, the destroyer stood at close quarters until she had rescued 646 men from the sea and from the decks of Princeton.

Irwin headed for

San Francisco Naval Shipyard (17 November 1944 – 23 January 1945). She then steamed for Hawaii, thence to the Marshalls

and finally to Saipan, arriving 14 February 1945.

Irwin helped screen attack carriers giving direct air support to the

Ie Shima. Another enemy suicide plane was shot down 21 May. Irwin figured in another mercy mission the night of 16 June 1945 when she assisted in the rescue of survivors from destroyer Twiggs

(DD-591), sunk by combined air, torpedo, and suicide attacks.

Irwin remained off Okinawa until hostilities ceased with Japan 15 August 1945. She entered

Pacific Reserve Fleet

.

1951 – 1958

Irwin recommissioned 26 February 1951 at

Mediterranean, January to June 1952, trained along the eastern seaboard, then sailed from Fall River, Mass.

, 1 April 1953.

Steaming through the

7th Fleet in waters off embattled Korea. She guarded the fast attack carriers as they blasted communist targets far inland, and herself joined in the destruction of enemy coastal supply routes and depots by making repeated coastal gunstrikes in support of United Nations troops ashore. Following the uneasy truce, she transited the Suez Canal

and called at Mediterranean ports en route to Boston, arriving 2 October 1953.

Irwin engaged in coastwise operations out of Newport until 5 January 1955 when she sailed for NATO maneuvers in the North Atlantic, thence into the Mediterranean. She returned to Newport 26 May 1955, engaging in Atlantic seaboard operations until departure 29 March 1956 to base at Long Beach, California

Irwin arrived in Long Beach 15 April but soon deployed to spend the summer with the roving 7th Fleet in waters ranging from Japan to Okinawa, the Philippines and Taiwan. She returned to Long Beach 11 August for tactics ranging as far west as Hawaii, again sailing 12 March 1957 to join the 7th Fleet in the Far East. Following patrol of the

Taiwan straits

, combined fleet maneuvers with SEATO nations, and goodwill visits to ports of the Philippines and Japan, she returned to Long Beach 24 August 1957 for inactivation. She decommissioned 10 January 1958.

Irwin received the

battle stars for service in World War II and one battle star for Korean War

service.

Brazilian service

Irwin was transferred to Brazil 10 May 1968, where she was renamed Santa Catarina (D32).

Santa Catarina was stricken in 1988 and used thereafter as a practice target. In 1989 ex-D32 was used as target for the first launch of a live Sea Skua missile from a Brazilian Navy Westland Lynx helicopter. Ex-D32 was finally sunk in 1990.^{[citation needed]}

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
This article includes information collected from the Naval Vessel Register, which, as a U.S. government publication, is in the public domain. The entry can be found here.

World War II

1951 – 1958

Brazilian service

References

External links