1944
After screening aircraft carriers during the attacks on Okinawa and Formosa, the Gridley joined the American forces for the Philippines Campaign. While protecting large ships off Luzon 28 October 1944, she and the destroyer USS Helm detected and sank the Japanese submarine I-51 with a series of devastating depth charge attacks.
In the following days. the Gridley fought off Japanese kamikazes and returned to Ulithi with damaged carriers Franklin and Belleau Wood on 2 November.
1945
The Gridley was soon at sea again, clearing Ulithi 5 November with the fast carrier task force for the Leyte operation. She later joined a group of escort carriers and served as a bombardment and patrol ship during the landings at Lingayen Gulf until 10 February 1945.
After stopping again at Ulithi, the Gridley escorted the battleship USS Mississippi en route to Pearl Harbor and then sailed via San Diego and the Panama Canal for New York, where she arrived 30 March 1945. She entered New York Navy Yard the next day for much-needed repairs and after finishing her overhaul, departed the United States 22 June 1945 and served in Europe from July 1945 to January 1946.
She was decommissioned on 18 April 1945 and sold for scrap in August 1947.
During her service, the Gridley earned ten Battle Stars.
--GreGen
No comments:
Post a Comment