USS Taylor (DD-468)

World War II

The ship began its service in the Atlantic . He became part of the 20th division of destroyers. After completing the study tour, he began to guard ships engaged in coastal voyages. In mid-November 1942, he was part of a convoy in Casablanca . During the transition, the destroyer intercepted the Spanish merchant ship SS Darro , which was sent to Gibraltar to avoid publicizing the route of the convoy. In early December, the destroyer returned to the base in Norfolk .

On December 17th, as part of the TF 13 compound, Taylor left Hampton Roads and headed for the Pacific Ocean . Having passed through the Panama Canal and made a stop on Tutuila , the compound arrived in Noumea on January 20, 1943. Then Taylor headed for Efate , where he arrived on January 26th. There, he became part of the 21st destroyer division - one of two groups of ships (4 in each), providing cover for the TF 18 compound of Rear Admiral Giffen , which included three heavy cruisers, three light cruisers and two escort aircraft carriers.

On January 27, the compound went to sea, heading for Guadalcanal , where, according to intelligence, the Japanese planned to strengthen their garrison with fresh forces. The purpose of American ships was the destruction of the Japanese in a large-scale naval battle. This battle was not destined to take place, since in fact the Japanese were preparing their troops for evacuation and retreat. Instead, at Rennell Island, U.S. ships underwent a powerful air attack.
On the evening of January 29, the compound was attacked by Japanese torpedo bombers Mitsubishi G4M . The first raid was repelled by dense anti-aircraft fire. However, in subsequent attacks, the Chicago cruiser received a torpedo hit. It was towed by the cruiser Louisville . The next day, the Japanese pilots continued their attacks and Chicago received four more torpedo hits. After that, the team left the dying cruiser. The remaining ships returned to Efat.

On February 4, ships of the 21st destroyer division were transferred to Admiral Ainsworth's TF 67 compound. In February and March, Taylor covered the cruiser St. Louis , Honolulu and Helena during their operations between Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal . On the night of March 15-16, Taylor, together with Nicholas , Radford and Strong, participated in the shelling of the island of Colombangar . On March 26, he escorted the Kanawha tanker, the auxiliary vessel Aloe, and six transports from Espiritu Santo to Guadalcanal. On March 29, ships reached Tulagi , and then the destroyer returned to its formation. On April 4, 5 and 6, he patrolled in the New Georgia Strait .

The ship spent most of April escorting convoys between the Solomon Islands and Espiritu Santo. Then he got up for a short repair, after which he returned to service on April 20.

From May 4 to 14, he covered mines in the Velha Bay . On May 25, he left Espiritu Santo, escorting Munargo transport to the 180th meridian .

In early June, escorted a convoy of transports to Guadalcanal. On June 10, south of San Cristobal, the convoy was attacked by Japanese aircraft, but suffered no casualties. After completing this task, it provided anti-submarine cover for the aircraft carrier Sangamon . On July 6, the destroyer left for Tulagi and became part of the compound TF 31.

On July 11 and 12 he covered the landing and the evacuation of the wounded in Kula Bay . On the morning of July 12, he attacked and damaged a Japanese submarine, but evidence of its sinking was not received. Then he was temporarily assigned to the cruisers of Admiral Ainsworth, which, instead of the sunken Helena, included the New Zealand Leander , to intercept the Japanese squadron. On July 13, during the clash, American destroyers fired torpedoes, one of which hit the Japanese flagship, the cruiser Jintsū , which broke and sank with Admiral Sunya Isaki. After the battle at Colombangar ended , he returned to participate in supporting landing operations in the central part of the Solomon Islands.

On July 30, the ship escorted from Guadalcanal to Noumea. Along the way, he was ordered to join the compound TF 37, located on Efat. On August 11, Taylor , Nicholas , O'Bannon and Chevalier went to sea to participate in the operation on Velha Lavella . On August 15, destroyers covered the landing. Two days later, four Japanese destroyers, which covered landing barges, were intercepted. During the subsequent battle, the parties did not suffer losses, but the Japanese ships were damaged, especially damaged by the shells of the Americans Hamakaze . After the enemy destroyers retreated, American ships attacked auxiliary vessels, sinking some of them. Over the next eleven days, a detachment of destroyers constantly patrolled the waters at Kolombangar, but there were no clashes with the Japanese. Taylor left Guadalcanal on August 28, escorting Titania transport to Noumea. After he left for Sydney for a ten-day rest and repair. September 30 returned to the Solomon Islands to continue patrolling along with other destroyers.

On the night of October 2, Taylor , Terry and Ralph Talbot discovered Japanese transports and their cover in the waters between Kolombangara and Choiseul Island . Four days later, the battle of Velha Lavella took place . Taylor , Ralph Talbot and La Vallette escorted the convoy south of New Georgia when they were ordered to go to the rescue of O'Bannon , Chevalier and Selfridge , who were already fighting with nine Japanese destroyers. During the battle, the Americans lost the Chevalier , the Japanese - the destroyer Yūgumo . In addition, Selfridge was damaged by a torpedo, and O'Bannon collided with an already damaged Chevalier . American ships retreated to Purvis Bay.

After October 17, Taylor became part of the TF 37 and was involved in the protection of convoys. On October 23, he went to Noumea with Lassen transport, and on October 26 - back with Aldebaran .

In early November, the destroyer was included in the compound TG 50.1, the core of which were aircraft carriers Lexington , Yorktown and Cowpens . The main objective of this compound was an attack on the Gilbert Islands . In the course of hostilities, Taylor provided protection against enemy aircraft and submarine attacks.

After the operation was completed, the ships joined the Marshall Islands . On December 4, Taylor, along with La Vallette and the cruiser San Francisco, repelled a Japanese air raid, knocking down two Nakajima B5Ns . After that, the ship left for San Francisco for repair, where it arrived on December 16.

On February 1, the repair was completed and the destroyer headed back to the battlefield. On February 18, he arrived at Kwajalein Atoll . On February 29, it became part of the protection of the aircraft carriers Coral Sea and Corregidor at Eniwetok Atoll. The compound successfully cleared the atoll from Japanese forces and returned to Pearl Harbor on March 3. Twelve days later, Taylor escorted the aircraft carriers Sangamon , Suwannee , Chenango and Santee to Guadalcanal. On April 5, the destroyer headed to Milne Bay in New Guinea . From April 7 to May 13, he participated in various operations as part of the 7th fleet .

May 27, he moved to a new place of basing - to Blanche Harbor Bay. From here, destroyers entered raids in the northern part of the Solomon Islands and into the area of the Bismarck archipelago . On May 28 and 29, he patrolled off the coast of New Ireland , and also fired on the artillery positions of the Japanese. From June 1 to June 14, together with other destroyers, he was engaged in anti-submarine patrols. On June 10, he discovered and attacked a submarine with depth charges, forcing it to emerge. The submarine managed to sink under fire for the second time, Taylor carried out two bombings and, probably, sank it.

On August 5, it was again attached to the 7th Fleet. At the end of the month, he participated in training firing and landing exercises in Aitap and Moffin Bay. These maneuvers were preparations for the landing on Morotai , scheduled for September 15. For the remainder of the month, the destroyer patrolled and was in anti-submarine patrol.

From October 18 to 24, he was part of the cover forces of the second echelon of reinforcements to participate in the battle of Leyte . On the morning of October 25, the destroyer division entered the battle in the Surigao Strait . On October 27 and 28, he acted in conjunction with an aircraft carrier, during the service he picked up a downed pilot from Enterprise and a sailor from Petrof Bay . On October 29, he left Leyte Bay as part of TG 77.2. He returned back on November 16 and patrolled at the entrance to the Surigao Strait. November 29, along with other ships was attacked by kamikazes and bombers. After a month went to Seeadler Bay. He returned to Leyte on December 28 in preparation for participating in the Luzon invasion .

January 4, 1945 left the Leyte Gulf together with the cruisers. The next day, he discovered and rammed a small Japanese submarine. On the way to Lingayen Bay and during the landing, he provided cover for the Japanese aircraft. After landing, he patrolled west of Luzon until the end of January.

From February to June, it was based at Subic Bay . From February 13 to 18, Corregidor fired, supporting minesweepers. In early March, fired at coastal targets in Mindanao . March 26, along with the cruisers Boise and Phoenix , as well as the destroyers Nicholas , Fletcher , Jenkins and Abbot , participated in the attack on Cebu , shelling the positions of Japanese troops before landing.

After a two-day visit to Manila, Taylor left the Philippines with Boise , Phoenix , two Australian ships and four more destroyers, to participate in the landing operation in northeast Borneo . On April 27, destroyers approached the island of Tarakan and operated in the area until May 3.

In mid-June, Taylor rejoined the 3rd Fleet. Acted in conjunction with aircraft carriers south of Okinawa . From June 25 to July 8 he was in Leyte Gulf. Then, until August 3, as part of TG 30.8 offshore Honshu . The destroyer received the news of the surrender of Japan while at sea. On August 23, he, along with Nicholas and O'Bannon , joined the Missouri battleship escort bound for Tokyo Bay . After the war, he acted in the Far East until October 10, and then returned to the United States. Arrived in San Francisco on November 1. It was withdrawn to the reserve and mothballed at the base in San Diego on May 31, 1946.

1951-1953

After four years in reserve, Taylor was mothballed. On May 9, 1950, he arrived at the San Francisco Naval Shipyard , where he underwent modernization and was classified as an escort destroyer. January 2, 1951 received the number DDE-468. December 3, 1951 the ship re-entered service. February 3, 1952 went to sea for a two-month training voyage, and then headed to the base at Pearl Harbor. After visiting the Midway and Yokosuku Atoll , on June 16, 1952, the destroyer joined the TF 77 carrier-based force operating off the coast of Korea .

For five months, the ship performed various tasks in the Far East - it fired on the positions of the North Korean forces, provided anti-submarine defense, participated in the blockade of Wonsan , patrolled the Taiwan Strait . In late October, he acted off the coast of Korea together with British ships - the aircraft carrier Glory and the cruiser Birmingham . He came to Yokosuku on November 21, 1952, and to Pearl Harbor on December 8.

May 2, 1953 again headed to the western part of the Pacific Ocean. On May 12, the composition of the strike group entered, the core of which was the aircraft carriers Bairoko and Ocean . On June 1 he returned to Sasebo , then for two weeks he participated in anti-submarine exercises. June 25 went to Yokosuku, then headed to the Taiwan Strait. During the patrol period he paid visits to Hong Kong and Kaohsiung . July 31, the ship returned to Pearl Harbor and embarked on a three-month repair.

1954-1962

For five years, from 1954 to 1959, Taylor regularly went on military service in the Western Pacific. During the sixth deployment, he visited Australia to attend commemorative events marking the anniversary of the Battle of the Coral Sea . From 1960 to 1961, a major overhaul was carried out at the shipyard in Pearl Harbor. In 1962, he took part in ensuring the operation “Dominic” . On August 7, 1962, it was again reclassified to destroyer (DD-468).

1963-1965

June 4, 1963 left Pearl Harbor for the next deployment in the Far East. During the service, Taylor paid a visit to Kobe , Hong Kong, Okinawa, Kushiro , Yokosuku, Sasebo and Subic Bay. On November 29, the ship returned to Pearl Harbor. In April 1964, he docked for three months, in July he returned to duty.
On November 23, 1964, he left Pearl Harbor with the aircraft carrier Yorktown and the destroyer Thomason . On December 3, the squad arrived at the American base in Yokosuka. Four days later, Taylor went to sea to maneuver with the Hancock aircraft carrier and the Strauss destroyer south of Okinawa. December 19, returned to Yokosuka.
January 4, 1965, along with Yorktown and Thomason , went on a visit to Hong Kong. After five days of parking, they headed for the Philippine Sea . On March 3, Taylor returned to the port of Sasebo. At the end of the month went on patrol in the South China Sea . In May, the ship returned to Hawaii . December 6, got up for another repair.

1966-1967

February 7, 1966, in transit through Yokosuka, headed to the shores of Vietnam . He patrolled off its coast until March 15, then went to the Taiwan Strait . On April 21, he returned to Yankee Point and supported the actions of the troops of South Vietnam . In May, he carried out anti-submarine defense missions. In July he returned to Pearl Harbor.
In December, he visited Pago-Pago , on the 16th he returned to the base and was preparing for the next service off the coast of Asia.
In the first half of June 1967 he participated in exercises together with Japanese and Korean ships. Then he was in the Gulf of Tonkin , supporting the actions of the aircraft carrier Hornet . After he visited Subic Bay and Manila, where he left on July 10 to participate in the SEATO exercises - “ Sea Dog ”. From July 26 to July 28 he visited Thailand . From August 19 to September 11 he again acted off the coast of Vietnam.

1968-1969

The next repair was completed on March 22, 1968. In May and June, the ship was engaged in combat training, sailed in San Diego. From July 3 to 11, he was engaged in combat shooting off the island of San Clemente . August 5 went to sea and headed to the Gulf of Tonkin, where he arrived on the 21st. Then, together with the aircraft carrier Intrepid and the destroyers Maddox and Preston headed for Sasebo. He returned to Vietnam on September 5 and acted there until December 4. The ship met Christmas in Yokosuka, and immediately after the New Year returned to the Gulf of Tonkin. In mid-January, Taylor completed his service in Vietnam and headed to Pearl Harbor.
In May 1969, a decision was made on the unsuitability of the destroyer for further service. On June 3, he was put into reserve, on July 2, transferred to the Italian Navy .
The ship served in the Italian fleet until January 1971, under the name Lanciere (D560). Then it was decommissioned and disassembled for parts.

For actions during the Second World War, the ship was awarded 15 Battle Stars . The destroyer received two stars for actions in Korea , six for service in Vietnam .

• Lieutenant Commander (later Rear Admiral) Benjamin Jacob Katz (August 28, 1942 - January 16, 1944)
• Commander (later Rear Admiral) Nicholas John Frederick Frank (January 16, 1944 - February 6, 1945)
• Commander Henry Howard Delarue (February 6, 1945 - May 31, 1946)
• Commander (later Rear Admiral) Sheldon Kinney (December 3, 1951 - December 1952)
• Commander (later Rear Admiral) Robert Waring McNitt (December 1952-1954)
• Commander Karl Carmichael (1954-1956)
• Commander Charles Nelson (1956-1958)
• Commander John Roderick Mackey (1958-1960)
• Commander Richard Joseph Cody (1960 - March 1, 1962)
• Commander Mervyn Edward Rasmussen (March 1, 1962 - August 1963)
• Commander Henry Joseph Rasett Jr. (August 1963-1965)
• Commander John Francis Mateychek (1965-1967)
• Commander James Dewey Taylor Jr. (1967-1969)
• Commander John Barton Heard (1969 - July 2, 1969)

• USS Taylor website
• USS Taylor website at Destroyer History Foundation
• navsource.org: USS Taylor
• hazegray.org: USS Taylor