USS Rodman (DD-456)

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USS Rodman (DD-456/DMS-21), a Gleaves-class

destroyer, is the first ship of the United States Navy to be
named for Admiral Hugh Rodman.

Rodman was laid down on 16 December 1940 by the

Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Kearny, New Jersey
and launched on 26 September 1941; sponsored by Mrs.
Albert K. Stebbins, Jr., grandniece of Admiral Rodman. The
destroyer was commissioned on 27 January 1942,
Commander William Giers Michelet in command. History
United States

Contents Name: USS Rodman

Namesake: Hugh Rodman
1 World War II Builder: Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock
1.1 1942 Company
1.2 1943
1.3 1944 Laid down: 16 December 1940
1.4 1945 Launched: 26 September 1941
2 Post war
Commissioned: 29 April 1942
3 Notes
4 References Identification: DD-456
5 External links Reclassified: DMS-21, 16 December 1944
Decommissioned: 28 July 1955
Fate: Transferred to Taiwan, 28 July
World War II 1955
Struck: 1 November 1972
1942
Taiwan
Following shakedown, Rodman, assigned to Task Force 22
(TF 22), alternated training and patrol duties at NS Name: ROCS Hsien Yang
Argentia, Newfoundland with screening and plane guard Acquired: 28 July 1955
services for the aircraft carrier Ranger as that carrier trained Identification: DD-16
aviation personnel along the northeast U.S. coast and ferried
Fate: ran aground, c. 1969; name and
planes of the Army's 33rd Pursuit Squadron to Accra on the
Gold Coast from 22 April to 28 May 1942. Detached in pennant number reassigned to
June, she departed Newport 1 July, escorted a seven- former USS Macomb (DD-458);[1]
troopship convoy to the Firth of Clyde, then continued on to expended for film purposes in
Orkney where, as a unit of TF 99, she commenced 1976
operations with the British Home Fleet. Based at Scapa
Flow into August, she alternated patrols from Scotland and General characteristics
Iceland to protect the southern legs of the PQ/QP convoy Class and type: Gleaves-class destroyer
lanes between those two countries and the north Russian
ports of Murmansk and Archangel. With the long summer Displacement: 1,630 tons
days, however, the U-boats and Norwegian based Luftwaffe Length: 348 ft 4 in (106.17 m)
units continued to exact a heavy toll. In early July, they Beam: 36 ft (11 m)
destroyed Convoy PQ-17. Further convoys were postponed
Draft: 17 ft 5 in (5.31 m)
until the relative cover of the Arctic winter darkness could
be regained. Propulsion: 50,000 shp (37,000 kW);
Operation "Easy Unit" then came into being. Toward the Westinghouse geared
end of July, Rodman was designated to assist in filling the turbines
increasing immediate logistics demands of the Russians, 4 boilers;
and of British and American personnel in northern Russia, 2 propellers
and to prepare for bases, men, and equipment to provide air
cover for the convoys when they resumed. On 17 August Speed: 37 knots (69 km/h)
Rodman, with the cruiser Tuscaloosa and two other Range: 6,500 nmi (12,000 km;
American destroyers departed Scapa Flow carrying medical 7,500 mi) at 12 kn
personnel and supplies men, and equipment for the Royal (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Air Force's 144 and 145 Squadrons, ammunition, (12,000 km at 22 km/h)
pyrotechnics, radar gear drystores, and provisions.
Following the route taken by British destroyers three weeks Complement: 16 officers, 260 enlisted
earlier, they entered Kola Inlet after dark on 23 August. The Armament: (original)
Luftwaffe was grounded. The ships offloaded, refueled, took 4 5 in (127 mm) DP
on merchant sailors survivors of ill-fated convoys, and guns,
departed Vaenga airfield on 24 August. 1 1.1 in (28 mm) quad
gun,
En route back to Scotland, the American ships were joined
by Royal Navy destroyers. On 25 August, the British ships 6 0.5 in (12.7 mm) guns,
tracked the German minelayer Ulm one of many ships 6 20 mm AA guns,
and boats engaged in laying mines at the entrance to the 10 21 in (533 mm)
White Sea and in the shallow waters off Novaya Zemlya torpedo tubes,
and sank her southeast of Bear Island (Norway). 2 depth charge tracks

Rodman arrived back in the Firth of Clyde on 30 August

and on 1 September got underway for New York. An abbreviated overhaul at Boston followed and, at the end
of the month, she resumed training and patrols off the U.S. northeast coast. On 25 October she sortied with
Task Group 34.2 (TG 34.2) to support the amphibious force of TF 34 in Operation Torch, the invasion of North
Africa. On 7 November, Task Unit 34.2.3 (TU 34.2.3), comprising the escort carrier Santee, destroyer Emmons,
and Rodman left TG 34.2 and screened the Southern Attack Group to its destination. From then through 11
November, Rodman screened Santee, then put into Safi for replenishment. On 13 November Rodman retired,
arrived at Norfolk on 24 November, thence proceeded to Boston where her 1.1-inch (28 mm) battery was
replaced by 40 mm and 20 mm guns.

1943

In December she steamed to the Panama Canal whence she escorted a convoy back to the U.S. east coast,
arriving at Norfolk on 7 January 1943. The next day she sailed again joining Ranger for two more ferry runs to
Africa, this time to Morocco. During March and April, she remained in the western Atlantic, again ranging as
far north as Argentia on patrol and escort duty. In May, she returned to the United Kingdom.

Arriving at Scapa Flow on 18 January, Rodman rejoined the Home Fleet. Into the summer she and her sister
ships patrolled out of Scotland and Iceland and screened the larger ships of the combined force, including the
battleships HMS Duke of York, USS South Dakota, and USS Alabama, as they attempted to draw the German
fleet particularly the battleship Tirpitz out of the protected fjords.

With August, Rodman returned to the United States and by 1 September had resumed patrols at Argentia.
Detached in October, she departed Norfolk 3 November for Bermuda whence she sailed in the advance
scouting line screening the battleship Iowa then carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the first leg of his
journey to the Teheran Conference.

1944
Returning in mid-December, the destroyer guarded carriers on training exercises out of Newport and Portland,
Maine, until April 1944. Then, on the 20th, she headed east with other units of her squadron, DesRon 10. On 1
May she arrived at Mers-el-Kebir, whence she operated as a unit of TG 80.6, a hunter-killer group formed to
work with the North African coastal air squadrons against the U-boat menace to shipping in the 325-mile
stretch between the Straits of Gibraltar and Oran. The Anglo-American air-sea effort, devised to keep U-boats
submerged to the point of exhaustion and then overwhelm them as they surfaced, required time and patience, as
well as coordination. It was instrumental in slicing the number of operational U-boats in the Mediterranean by
over one-third between March and June.

On 14 May Rodman, with others of her squadron, departed Mers-el-Kebir to track a submarine which had sunk
four merchantmen in less than two days. A 72-hour air-surface hunt ensued, but on the morning of 17 May, the
damaged U-616 surfaced, was abandoned, and sank. The force picked up survivors and retired to Mers-el-Kebir
only to sail for England the following day.

On 22 May Rodman arrived at Plymouth and on 23 May assumed duties as CTU 126.2.1 for Operation
Neptune, the naval phase of Operation Overlord the invasion of France. On 24 May, she conducted shore
bombardment exercises. Then she waited. On 4 June the convoy B-1, formed, headed out across the English
Channel, but then turned back, as the invasion was postponed one day. On 5 June the convoy again formed and
headed east, this time continuing on to France and landing reinforcements on Omaha Beach on the afternoon of
6 June. Rodman, detached on arrival in the assault area, joined TG 122.4 and through 16 June provided gunfire
support and patrolled in the Baie de la Seine. Brief respite at Plymouth followed, but on 18 June she returned to
the Normandy coast. Back in English waters from 2124 June, she joined TF 129 on 25 June as that force
joined the U.S. IX Army Air Force in supporting the U.S. VII Corps (the 9th, 79th, and 4th Divisions) closing
on Cherbourg.

Rodman returned to England the same day, proceeded to sea again on 30 June; and, after a 3-day stop at
Belfast, got underway for the Mediterranean to participate in Operation Dragoon ("Anvil"), the invasion of
southern France. Arriving at Mers-el-Kebir on 11 July, she was en route to Sicily on 16 July, and into August
operated between that island, the coast of Italy, and Malta.

On 11 August, assigned to TU 85.12.4, Rodman sailed from Taranto. Two days later French warships joined the
formation; and on 15 August, the force arrived off the Delta assault area in the Baie de Bougnon. From 04:30 to
06:41, Rodman covered the minesweeping craft clearing the channels to the beaches. Two hours of shore
bombardment followed. She then shifted to call fire support duties, which, with antiaircraft screening duties,
she continued until retiring to Palermo on 17 August. Back off southern France on 22 August, she fired on
shore batteries at Toulon on 23 August, covered minesweepers in the Golfe de Fos on 25 August, and in the
Baie de Marseilles on 26 August. Engaged in screening and patrol duties through the end of the month, she
sailed for Oran on 2 September and for the next month and a half escorted men and supplies into the assault
area.

In late October, Destroyer Squadron 10 escorted a convoy back to the United States. From New York Rodman
continued on to Boston for conversion to a destroyer minesweeper. Emerging from the yard as DMS-21 on 16
December, she sailed for Norfolk the following week.

1945

On 1 January 1945, Rodman got underway for the Pacific. During the remainder of that month and into
February, she conducted minesweeping and gunnery exercises off California and in Hawaiian waters, then
sailed west. On 12 March she anchored at Ulithi and seven days later sailed for the Ryukyus and her last
amphibious operation, "Iceberg". On 2425 March she participated in minesweeping operations off Kerama
Retto, then prepared for the assault on Okinawa.

After 1 April landings on the Hagushi beaches, she remained in the area and was caught in the air-surface
action which enveloped the island on 6 April. Assigned to picket duty early that day, she later shifted to
screening duties and joined Emmons in covering small minecraft sweeping the channel between Iheya Retto
and Okinawa. In midafternoon a large flight of kamikazes flew over. At 15:32 their leader dived out of the
clouds and crashed into Rodman' port bow. His bomb exploded under her. Sixteen men were killed or missing,
20 were wounded, but Rodman's engineering plant remained intact. Emmons commenced circling Rodman to
provide antiaircraft fire as other kamikazes closed in. Six were splashed. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs arrived,
joined in, and scored on 20, but not before others got through. Rodman was hit twice more during the 3-hour
battle. Emmons splashed six more, but was hit by five and damaged by four near misses. Her hulk was sunk the
next day.

From 7 April to 5 May Rodman underwent temporary repairs at Kerama Retto, then started her journey back to
the United States. Arriving at Charleston Navy Yard on 19 June, her repairs were completed in mid-October,
and on the 22nd she sailed for Casco Bay for refresher training.

Post war
For the next three years, she operated along the U.S. east coast, ranging
from Newfoundland to the Caribbean; then, in September 1949,
deployed to the Mediterranean.

There for only two weeks, she resumed her western Atlantic operations
and during the next six years sailed twice more to the Mediterranean,
both times for 5-month tours with the 6th Fleet, 2 June to 1 October
1952 and 19 January to 17 May 1954 with a short diversion to
Charleston, South Carolina to serve in the role as the fictitious USS
Caine in the film The Caine Mutiny. Reclassified DD-456 on 15
January 1955, she decommissioned 28 July 1955 and was transferred USS Rodman underway, in 1954.
the same day to the Republic of China to serve as RCS Hsien Yang
(DD-16). After she ran aground c. 1969, her ROCN name and ROCN
pennant number were reassigned to the former USS Macomb, which was acquired in 1970.[1]

Rodman earned five battle stars during World War II.

Notes
1. Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. Jane's Fighting Ships 19721973. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. p. 310.

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

External links
USS Rodman page at Destroyer History Foundation
history.navy.mil: USS Rodman
navsource.org: USS Rodman
hazegray.org: USS Rodman

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=USS_Rodman_(DD-456)&oldid=723477879"

Categories: Gleaves-class destroyers of the United States Navy Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey
1941 ships World War II destroyers of the United States Cold War destroyers of the United States
Gleaves-class destroyers of the Republic of China Navy Maritime incidents in April 1945

This page was last edited on 3 June 2016, at 08:03.

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