1.0 1.1 MICROFILMED by NPPSO-NAVAL Distria
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1.0 2.5 lU ^t 2.2 S E4 ^ « a2.0 1.1 1.8 DATE /2l^^ 1.25 1.4 1.6 jZ J '' ,;'Jh'^- |^g^4(z^y'j/F^^L^->4'<r //2> / ^/S'<D /i^ j/^ MICROFILMED BY NPPSO-NAVAL DISTRia WASHINGTON ilCROFILM SECTION REEL TARGET - START AND END NDW-NPPSO-5210/1 (6.-78) Office of Kaval Records-and History Ships' Histories Section Havy Department ; • HISTORY'OP USS MASSEY (DD 778) • The USS MASSEY, one of the Navy's nev 2,200 ton destroyers, has had an eventful career. She was. built at the Seattle plant of the Todd-Pacific Shipbuilding Company. Mrs. Lance E. Massey christened the ship on Septem'ber- 12, 19^4, in honor of her late' husband,, Lieu• tenant Commander Lance E. Massey, USN, one of the early heroes of the Pacific- war. As the Commander of Torpedo Squadron Three in the Battle of Midway, Commander Massey died pressing home an assault through in• tense antiaircraft and fighter opposition that resulted In the sinking of two Japanese aircraft carriers. .On November 24, 1944, in Seattle, the USS MASSEY was officially placed in commission with Commander Charles W, Aldrich, USN,- as her first 'commanding officer. For the next week, the MASSEY continued • on her final outfitting alongside the dock before getting underway on • .'November 50 on the first of her pre-shakedown trial runs. After con• ducting various gunnery, radar, and degauslng tests and-exercises in .the.Puget Sound area, the MASSEY departed for San Diego on December 12. Here she underwent six weeks of various drills and inspections climaxed by her final military Inspection of January 25. The follow• ing day,. she began tlie return trip to Puget Sound, where she went . in.to dry.dock in the Br.emer.ton Navy Yard for a post-shakedown over- • haul. On February 15,- the MASSEY weighed anchor and steamed out through the Strait of.Juan de Fuca with Pearl Harbor her destination. After holding gunnery -exercises in the Hawaiian area, she departed for Port Purvis, Florida Island, as one of the screening units for two escort 'carriers..' In the Solomons Group, of which Florida is a member, the •ship took, part in the maneuvers conducted there preliminary to the .Okinawa amphibious operation. She continued to screen these escort carriers as tiaey moved northward to Ulithi in the Western Carolines ..on March 21 and then up to Okinawa by April 1, For the first month-of tho Okinawa campaign, the MASSEY served with a .task force-of four escort carriers, whose planes supplied air support for the ground forces on the island and conducted neutralizing attacks on the airfield-of the Sakishlma Islands to the southwest. Then followed seven weeks of radar pictcet duty around Okinawa in company-with one.or more destroyers. It was during this period that . •'her gunners firs.t'had an opportunity to show what they .could do. The ship underwent'frequent attacks by Kamikaze planes, but tho combina• tion of able maneuvering by Captain Aldrich, expert aircraft identi• fication by her radarmen, and excellent shooting by her gunners-, brought her through unscathed. She accounted for nine iCamikaze planes in all, five of which fell before her guns one evening in a brief engagement commencing just after the friendly fighter plane cover had returned to base for tho night. With the collapse of organized Japanese resistance on Okinawa, most of^the destroyers on picket duty there received new assignments. - 2 - (USS MASSEY) On June 24, the MASSEY departed for San Pedro Bay, Leyte Gulf, P. I., In company with Destroyer Squa'dron 24. Following a brief period of repair work,.she returned to Buckner'Bay, Okinawa, as part of the screen for a fast cruiser/task, force. This force made tho first surface antishipping sweeps off the China Coast, ranging from the . waters north of Formosa, to the .approaches to...Shanghai. At the time of the Japanese surrender, the MASSEY lay at .anchor in Buckner Bay, provisioning for another one of those sweeps . • . c The MASSEY first steamed into Japanese waters on 22 September as part of a task force, covering the first American landings at Wakayama on the Inland Sea. Just previously, she had .completed one week of •patrolling a lifeguard station on the airline, route from Tokyo to Okinawa, over which liberated prisoners of war were being flown. Then •followed a round trip couriar run to Okinawa, where she narrowly missed the destructive typhoon -of 9 October. Back in Wakayama, she operated'.with, other destroyers of Squadron 66 on a weekly trip to Yokosuka in Tokyo Bay. She continued on this duty until the squa'dron departed for San Diego on 5 December, traveling by the way of Eniwetok Ma,rshall Islands.-, and Pearl Harbor. .' Leaving Pearl Harbor, the MASSEY pointed her nose eastward and "home.- She•arrived.at San Diego on 22 December 1945 and after 14 months at war, all'hands had a very merry Christmas — at home. On 3 January 1946, the MASSEY left for New York, ar.rivod there on 15.January and was Immediately given 10 days upkeep. From 6 July • until 1 November the destroyer voyaged between Newport, New York, and the SouthDrill Grounds, conducting extensive gunnery exercises. From 6 July until 1 November of 1946 MASSEY cruised in the'Nor• folk and British West -Indies area, running the gamut of tasks and- - exercises which are,demanded of a peace-time destroyer; escorting, practice shore bombardment, screening, drilling, and all the various maneuvers which go to maintain top-notch efficiency on the destroyer service. After a short time in Charleston for tender availability, and .more' cruising, the MASSEY reported to Commander Destroyer Squadron Two at Norfolk where, on 15 July 194?, she awaited a cruise to the Mediterranean. By Directive dated March 1946, the USS MS3EY (DD 778) has re• mained on active duty, attached to the U. S. Atlantic Fleet, * * • The USS MASSEY (DD 778) earned two (2) battle stars on the Asiatic-Pacific Area Service Ribbon, for participating in the follow- •ing operations: '1 Star/Okinawa Gunto Operation ^ ; .' Assault and Occupation-of 'Okinawa — 24 March to 3-0 June 1945. ' t . 1 Star/DHIRD Fleet Operations against Japans--- 10 July to 15 August 1945. • •':•=. ! U - 3 - (US3 MASSEY) The USS MASSEY (CD 778) also earned the Navy Occupation Service Medal - Pacific, for-the poriod of 2 Septemher to 6 Decenber 194-5. * * * STATISTICS DISPIACEMENT 2,200 tons OVERALL LENGTH 376 feet 6 inches .BEAM- • 40 feet 10 Inches SPEED • • 35 toots plus • Stencilledt July 1947 Restencilledt February I95I t»X14 * , rtxm JAM, MAT JULT AUo, OCT. Nov. Dec. IIHI 11 a M < y >< y X X —A— X 24 November 1944 \K t ri» I UA« I AJ-X I teAT I JUJ» | JUL I AUO t Atr \T lHOVl Q<C lUSSBT DD 778 - DATE7 -jr^y-gA .Tiine'X.S-' NAME YASSEY FROM C, 0.. ilAS.SEY SERIAL. 092 DATE^ 7 July 1945 SUBJECT Action Report -. QKINAIVA GUNTO operations for • period 2 May to 24 June 1945. eovers .BCtivit.ies on radar picket station during; ICEBERG •I ooerations from assignment to TG 51.5 Rafter 23 Nay; 31.b) • on L/ol day-(after having been in screen of CVEs) J^^?^ nr« fro^ are, or L/ 84, {luoh enemy arr aotion in area. _ FILED: -War Diary - ci^^r^ a/^ • Separately as PHDIOSTAT as ORIGIK.IL MICBOSEEIAL NO. 131518^ I ACTION REPORT O.HAV 1 DATE e june IS4S NAME -INISSEY • FROM C. 0.. MASSEY ' . SERIAL 036 DATE 13 June 1945 SUBJECT Antl-ei roraft action on radar pic<Q-c stanion ••.^'J, OaNA7/A. Covers heavy suicide plane attack on voasei off 0KINAS7A on 1/66 day for initial landings. In TG 31.5 under Commodore Moosbrugger, ComTaskFlot 5. Ship suffered no damage. FILED: • War Diary • Separately ' as PHOTOSTAT; aa ORIGINAL; F . MICRGSEHIAL HO. Ibl590 I ACTION REPORT ONNAV 'DEC'LASSlrlED" DATE 22 July 1945 NAME 2,tASSEY C.-O. MASSEY EROM SERIAL 099 DATE ?A July 1945. SUBJECT Report - E&ot China Soa Operation - 12-23 July 1945. Covers unproritable anti-ahipping avreep, 0542-12501, abeut 7 miles off CHINA coast hetvr. FOOCHOn- & 7?ENCH0iT. In TF 95 (GUAM, ALASKA, MONTPSLIER, CLEVELAND, COLmffllA, DSIT/ER &. 9 • DPa under RAd Low. CruDlv 16). Ar.ea sTrept lay north of FOR •(ovor) FILED: War Diary • Separately ft3 ouo. DESRON 24 ser. 0185 (24 July ^ . 1946) J as OEIGIHAlj MICROSERIAL NO. 145554 UcTlOH REPORTophav-29-100 R£V. l?-^a6 'DATE 27 July-5 Aug"1945 NAidS MASSEY IROM C. 0. MASSEY SERIAL .2112 DATE 11 Xup:. 1943 SUBJECT Action Report: EAST CHINA SEA Operation, period 25 July through 7 Aug. 1945. Covers anti-shipping sweeps off mouth ,of YANGT23 Riror and across northeast approach to SHANGHAI to cut South CHINA- KrUSHU sea traffic. No profitable contacts in either YBLL01 or EAST CHINA SEA. In TG 95.2 (GUAl,ALASKA, MONTPSLISH, FILED: War Diary . • over Separately as Enc DSSHON 24 ser. 0195 (11 Aug. 1945) p.19 ; Bfl OHIGINAl; as PHOTOSTAT _.; (CEHHACt PRS-iliNYASION OF JAPAN;CHIHA COAST .GPStR-lS) .MICROSERIAL NO. ^187579 I ACTION REPORT OPNAV 16-258 (?) AL DATE 1-2 August 1945 NAME MASSBY FROM C. 0. MASSEY SERIAL 0109 I DATE 9 August 1945. Anti-Aircraft Action Report. SUBJECT Merely forwards, without comment, AA form report covering action at 05041/2 Aug., in EAST CHINA Sea, against enemy all craft. .In TG 95.'2 (CUAM, ALASKA, 1«DNTPELIBR, COLUMBIA, CLEVELAND, DENVER & 9 DDs under RAd Low, CruDiv 16). FILED: War Diary (over 1 Separately as ORIGINAL; aa -PHOTOSTAT .