Fletcher-class destroyer
For other ships with the same name, see
USS Hoel
.
|
History
|
United States
|
Name
| Hoel
|
Namesake
| William R. Hoel
|
Builder
| Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation
, San Francisco, California
|
Laid down
| 4 June 1942
|
Launched
| 19 December 1942
|
Commissioned
| 19 July 1943
|
Honours and
awards
| Presidential Unit Citation, Philippine Presidential Unit Citation, 5 Battle Stars
|
Fate
| Sunk 25 October 1944,
Battle off Samar
|
General characteristics
|
Class and type
| Fletcher
-class
destroyer
|
Displacement
|
- 2,100 long tons (2,134 t) (
Standard load
)
- 2,544 long tons (2,585 t) (Full load)
|
Length
| 376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
|
Beam
| 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m)
|
Draft
| 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m)
|
Installed power
| 60,000
shp
(45,000 kW)
|
Propulsion
| |
Speed
| 38
knots
(70 km/h; 44 mph)
|
Range
| 6,500
nmi
(7,500 mi; 12,000 km) @ 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
|
Complement
| 273
|
Sensors and
processing systems
| QC series
sonar
|
Armament
| |
Hoel
underway, August 10th, 1944
USS
Hoel
(DD-533)
was a
Fletcher
-class
destroyer
built for the
United States Navy
during
World War II
. She was named after
Lieutenant Commander
William R. Hoel
. Commissioned in 1943, she was sunk in the
Battle off Samar
during the
Battle of Leyte Gulf
on October 25, 1944.
Design and characteristics
[
edit
]
The
Fletcher
-class destroyers were designed, beginning in October 1939, to be large enough to adequately carry the armament of the preceding
Gleaves
-class
destroyers.
From January 1940 to the end of
World War II
, 175
Fletcher
-class destroyers were built.
As a
Fletcher
-class,
Hoel
displaced
2,100
long tons
(2,134
t
) under her standard load and 2,544 long tons (2,585 t) at full load.
She had an
overall length
of 376 feet 6 inches (114.76 m), with a
draft
of 13 feet 6 inches (4.11 m) and
beam
of 39 feet 4 inches (11.99 m).
She was powered by two
General Electric
steam turbines
and four
Babcock & Wilcox
boilers
, which produced 60,000
shaft horsepower
(45,000
kW
) and a top speed of 38
knots
(70
km/h
; 44
mph
). With a fuel capacity of 492
short tons
(446
t
) of
fuel oil
,
Hoel
had a range of 6,500
nautical miles
(12,000
km
; 7,500
mi
) at 15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph). She was crewed by 273
enlisted men
and
officers
.
Hoel
'
s armor measured 0.75 inches (19 mm) thick on its sides and 0.5 inches (13 mm) on the deck over its machinery. Her primary armament consisted of a
main battery
of five
dual-purpose
5 in (127 mm)/38 cal. guns
, guided by a
Mark 37 Gun Fire Control System
, ten
21 in (530 mm) torpedo
tubes guided by a Mark 27 Torpedo Fire Control System, and six
depth charge
projectors with two tracks guided by a Mark 27 Depth Charge Fire Control System. Her
anti-aircraft
battery was made up by ten
40 mm (1.6 in) Bofors guns
and seven
20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon cannons
, each guided by a
Mark 51 Fire Control System
. She was equipped with a QC series
sonar
.
Construction and service history
[
edit
]
Hoel
was
launched
on 19 December 1942 by the
Bethlehem Steel
Co.,
San Francisco, California
, sponsored by Mrs. Charles Bunker Crane, Jr., granddaughter of the namesake; and
commissioned
on 29 July 1943.
Hoel
sailed from San Francisco Bay 16 August 1943 for shakedown training in operating areas out of
San Diego
during which she made seven
depth charge
runs on an underwater sound contact with unknown results. After returning to
Mare Island Naval Shipyard
17 September 1943 for final alterations, she cleared San Francisco 26 October 1943 as a part of the screen for a convoy which reached
Pearl Harbor
31 October 1943 where
Hoel
reported to
Captain
Albert George (A. G.) Cook, Commander of Destroyer Squadron 47 (DesRon 47), who then shifted his flag to her from
Heermann
.
Fifth Fleet
, which was then preparing to take the
Gilbert Islands
in
Operation Galvanic
, assigned
Hoel
to
Rear Admiral
Kelly Turner
's Northern attack force Task Force 52 (TF 52). She joined
Morris
,
Franks
, and
Hughes
and
Revenge
in guarding Air Support Group 52.3 composed of the
escort carriers
Liscome Bay
,
Coral Sea
, and
Corregidor
.
Hoel
sortied from Pearl Harbor with her group 10 November 1943 and guarded her "baby flattops" as their aircraft pounded
Makin
in a dawn preinvasion attack 20 November 1943. For the next three days,
torpedo bombers
and fighters from Air Support Group 52.3 supported
Major General
Ralph C. Smith
's
27th Infantry Division
as it struggled to
take Makin
. Thousands of bombs and countless rounds from the guns on these aircraft smashed Japanese troop concentrations, gun emplacements, and shore installations on the island. Before dawn 24 November 1943, a
torpedo
fired by
Japanese submarine
I-175
struck
Liscome Bay
amidships and lookouts on the fantail of
Coral Sea
spotted the wake of a second torpedo which barely missed their ship. Bluejackets on board
Hoel
saw smoke and flame rise at least a 1,000 feet (300 m) when the torpedo ripped into
Liscome Bay
and detonated her bomb magazine. Rear Admiral
Henry M. Mullinnix
, commander of the Air Support Group, Captain
Irving D. Wiltsie
and 642 officers and men died with the carrier that sank some 23 minutes later after spewing smoke, flame and redhot aircraft parts for miles around. The groups destroyers rescued 272 survivors. At dusk the following day, 25 November 1943, Japanese aircraft spotted Rear Admiral Turner's task force steaming a few miles off
Butaritari
Island and dropped both float and parachute flares on each side of his ships to light them up as targets for 13 torpedo bombers which swooped in to attack. Spirited gunnery and well-timed radical simultaneous turns, however, enabled the American vessels to escape without suffering a single hit.
When the escort carriers cleared the area at night 27 November 1943,
Hoel
joined the screen protecting Abemama Group l which was unloading on
Abemama
Island. The next morning,
Hoel
joined Rear Admiral Turner's task force and arrived off
Tarawa
1 December 1943 for antisubmarine patrol five miles (8 km) off the lagoon entrance. Two days later she joined the escort for
Tennessee
and a group of transports sailing for Pearl Harbor where they arrived 11 December 1943. Captain A. G. Cook, commander of Destroyer Squadron 47 shifted his flag from
Hoel
to
McCord
14 December 1943.
Hoel
with fleet units of the
5th Amphibious Force
, began intensive training for the invasion of the
Marshall Islands
. Departed Pearl Harbor 21 January 1944 with the transport screen of Reserve Force, Task Group 51.1 (TG 51.1) which steamed east of
Kwajalein
while Rear Admiral Turner's Joint Expeditionary Force landed on that atoll 31 January 1944.
Hoel
escorted the group's transports into Kwajalein Lagoon 2 February 1944, and the following day took station as a
radar picket
patrol ship south of Kwajalein where she was on call for gunfire support. On 6 February 1944, she accompanied
Miller
on a tour of inspection in the
Roi-Namur
area for Admiral
Chester Nimitz
.
When Task Forces 51 and 53 dissolved and their ships reverted to Task Force 51,
Hoel
was assigned to Fire Support Section 3, Task Unit 51.17.3 (TU 51.17.3) of the
Eniwetok
Expeditionary Group. In the early morning darkness of 17 February 1944,
Hoel
reentered Eniwetok Lagoon with
Portland
to bombard
Parry
and
Japtan
Islands.
Hoel
picked up several aviators from a wrecked scout aircraft from
Indianapolis
and returned them to their ship. That afternoon
Hoel
'
s guns destroyed several small craft on the beach of Parry Island and fired on pillboxes and troop concentrations inland. She then anchored in standby position while the rest of the force bombarded the two islands. The next day,
Hoel
took her turn at providing harassing fire and at night illuminated the beaches and the reef to prevent enemy troop movements. Just before daybreak 19 February 1944, she took station off Eniwetok for close fire support of the initial landings. When relieved by
Phelps
on 21 February 1944,
Hoel
steamed to a position off the deep entrance to Eniwetok Lagoon for patrol duty which continued until 26 February 1944, when she embarked a fighter director team from
Hazelwood
and assumed duties of standby fighter director for the Eniwetok area. On 4 March 1944, 2 days later after the attack and occupation phase of Eniwetok was completed, the fighter-director team was transferred to
Cambria
, freeing
Hoel
to depart for
Majuro
for repairs.
Hoel
, in company with three other destroyers of DesRon 47 reported to Commander
3d Fleet
at
Purvis Bay
,
Florida Island
, 18 March 1944. The next day she cleared that port to join Task Force 39, but 20 March 1944 she was ordered to change course for
Emirau Island
which was then being
occupied by marines
. On 25 March 1944,
Trathen
and
Johnston
joined
Hoel
and the rest of DesRon 47 uniting the squadron for the first time.
Hoel
then patrolled south and east of
Cape Botiangen
,
New Hanover Island
, where her guns destroyed an enemy warehouse 26 March 1944, and, the next day, captured documents which contained valuable information from a 4-foot (1.2 m) outrigger canoe. That night she made four
depth charge
runs on an underwater sound contact with unknown results. She returned to Purvis Bay on 8 April 1944 to screen a convoy carrying troops and supplies to Emirau Island.
Upon her return to Purvis Bay 14 April 1944,
Hoel
reported for duty to Rear Admiral
Robert W. Hayler
, the commander of Cruiser Division 12 who kept her busy with training exercises and convoy duty until 14 August 1944, when she was assigned to the
3d Amphibious Force
then preparing for the invasion of the
Palaus
. She joined
Kitkun Bay
at
Espiritu Santo
24 August 1944, for passage to Purvis Bay. On 8 September 1944 they put to sea for the Palau Islands with Rear Admiral W. D. Sample's escort carrier task force unit to provide air support during the
invasion of Peleliu
. While continuing to screen the escort carriers, she rescued a pilot and passenger from an aircraft that had gone into the sea on attempting to take off from
Ommaney Bay
and transferred them to
Marcus Island
. On 1 October 1944,
Hoel
made three depth charge runs on an underwater sound contact with unknown results.
Taffy 3
[
edit
]
After replenishing at
Seeadler Harbor
of Manus,
Admiralty Islands
,
Hoel
cleared that base with a fire support group 12 October 1944 to join Rear Admiral
Thomas L. Sprague
's escort carrier group (Task Group 77.4) in invading the
Philippines
. Sprague's force was composed of three units, each comprising a group of escort carriers and a screen of destroyers and destroyer escorts. These units, known by their radio calls as the "Three Taffys", began operating off
Samar
18 October 1944 to cover the landings on
Leyte
.
Hoel
was attached to "Taffy 3" (Escort Carrier Task Unit 77.4.3) commanded by Rear Admiral
Clifton A. F. Sprague
and comprising four escort carriers guarded by destroyers
Hoel
,
Heermann
, and
Johnston
. Before the
Battle off Samar
, "Taffy 3" was reinforced by the arrival of Admiral
Ralph A. Ofstie
with two more escort carriers and
Dennis
,
John C. Butler
,
Raymond
, and
Samuel B. Roberts
.
Dawn of 25 October 1944 found "Taffy 3" steaming northeast of Samar operating as the Northern Air Support Group. "Taffy 2" was in the central position patrolling off the entrance to
Leyte Gulf
, and "Taffy 1" covered the southern approaches to the Gulf some 150 miles (240 km) to the southeast of Hoel's "Taffy 3". Rear Admiral
Clifton A. F. Sprague
was under the erroneous impression that Admiral
William Halsey
's 3d Fleet was providing protection to the north and so was taken by surprise when at 06:45 "Taffy 3"'s lookouts observed anti-aircraft fire to the northward and within three minutes were under heavy fire from
Vice Admiral
Takeo Kurita
's powerful Center Force of 4
battleships
, 6
heavy cruisers
, 2
light cruisers
, and 11 destroyers.
The only chance for survival of the little group of American "Jeep" carriers and "tin cans" lay in running to the east long enough to launch what aircraft could be readied before fleeing to the south hoping that aid would arrive before their complete destruction. While the carriers launched all available aircraft to attack their numerous Japanese adversaries and then formed a rough circle as they turned toward Leyte Gulf,
Hoel
and her fellow destroyers
Johnston
and
Heermann
, worked feverishly to lay down a smoke screen to hide their "baby flattops" from the overwhelmingly superior enemy ships. At 07:06, when a providential rain squall helped to hide his carriers, Admiral Clifton Sprague boldly ordered his destroyers to attack the Japanese with torpedoes.
Hoel
instantly obeyed this order by heading straight for the nearest enemy battleship,
Kong?
, then 18,000 yards (16,000 m) away. When she had closed to 14,000 yards (13,000 m) she opened fire as she continued her race toward
Kong?
'
s 14-inch (356 mm) guns. A hit on her
bridge
which knocked out all voice radio communication did not deflect her from her course toward the enemy until she had launched a half salvo of torpedoes at a range of 9,000 yards (8,200 m). Although
Hoel
'
s torpedoes all failed to strike their target, they caused
Kong?
to lose ground in her pursuit of the carriers by forcing her to turn sharply left and to continue to move away from her quarry until they had run their course. Minutes later
Hoel
suffered hits which knocked out three of her guns, stopped her port engine, and deprived her of her Mark-37 fire control director, FD radar, and Bridge steering control.
Undaunted,
Hoel
turned to engage what her crew believed to be a column of enemy heavy cruisers which were actually the battleships
Haruna
and
Yamato
. When she had closed to within 6,000 yards (5,500 m) of the leading ship, identified as
Haguro
but more likely
Yamato
, or possibly Haruna. As Hoel came closer and closer to the Japanese ships, Yamato fired at Hoel with her 5-inch guns, while Haruna targeted Hoel with her secondary batteries, and Hoel returned fire, getting into a gun duel with the largest and most powerful battleship ever made. Hoel struck Yamato with a 5 inch shell, and it's unclear if Yamato scored any hits, or if Hoel made any hits on Haruna. The destroyer launched a half-salvo of torpedoes which ran "hot, straight and normal." This time her crew was rewarded by the sight of large columns of water alongside their target, seemingly signifying hits. This observation may have been illusory, as neither
Haruna
nor
Haguro
received torpedo damage and explosions may have been near miss bombs from the constant air attacks. Track charts of the battle indicate the most likely target of this attack was actually Kurita's flagship
Yamato
, which, alongside torpedoes from the Heerman, was forced to turn north to evade these torpedoes, taking Kurita away from the battle at a critical moment and causing him to lose control of his forces, and forcing the Japanese center force's most effective warship, Yamato, out of the battle for an extended period of time.
Hoel
now found herself crippled and surrounded by enemies.
Kong?
was only 8,000 yards (7,300 m) off her port beam, and the heavy cruiser column was some 7,000 yards (6,400 m) off her port quarter. To make things worse, battleship Yamato, returning from an evasive maneuver, possibly targeted Hoel with her secondary guns (although it is unclear whether Yamato targeted Hoel or Johnston with her 6.1-inch guns). During the next hour the ship rendered her final service by drawing enemy fire to herself and away from the carriers. In the process of fishtailing and chasing salvos she peppered them with her two remaining guns. Finally, at 08:30, after withstanding over 40 hits, an 8-inch (203 mm) shell stilled her last working engine. With her engine room under water, her No. 1 magazine ablaze, and the ship listing heavily to port and settling by the stern,
Hoel
'
s captain, Commander
Leon S. Kintberger
, ordered his crew to "prepare to abandon ship." The Japanese continued to fire at the doomed ship as her surviving officers and men went over the side and only stopped at 08:55 when
Hoel
rolled over and sank.
Only 86 of
Hoel
'
s complement survived; 253 officers and men died with their ship, at least 40 of them dying in the water while awaiting rescue. Commander Kintberger described the courageous devotion to duty of the men of the
Hoel
in a seaman's epitaph to the action: "Fully cognizant of the inevitable result of engaging such vastly superior forces, these men performed their assigned duties coolly and efficiently until their ship was shot from under them."
Awards and Memorials
[
edit
]
In addition to the
United States Presidential Unit Citation
,
Hoel
received the
Philippine Presidential Unit Citation
and five
battle stars
for World War II service.
The William E. Taylor Division of the US Naval Sea Cadet Corps is named after Watertender 2nd Class William E. Taylor, a native of Wilmington, Delaware, who died on the USS Hoel. The division is based out of Kennett Square, Pennsylvania.
Notes
[
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]
References
[
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]
Books
[
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]
External links
[
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]
11°46′N
126°33′E
/
11.767°N 126.550°E
/
11.767; 126.550