_in_1957.jpg) USS Ross (DD-563) in 1957 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Namesake | David Ross |
| Builder | Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation |
| Laid down | 7 September 1942 |
| Launched | 10 September 1943 |
| Commissioned | 21 February 1944 |
| Decommissioned | 6 November 1959 |
| Stricken | 1 December 1974 |
| Fate | Sunk as a target, 26 January 1978. |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Fletcher-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 2,050 tons |
| Length | 376 ft 6 in (114.7 m) |
| Beam | 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) |
| Draft | 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m) |
| Propulsion | 60,000 shp (45 MW); 2 propellers |
| Speed | 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 6500nmi. (12,000 km) @ 15 kt |
| Complement | 314 |
| Armament |
|
USSRoss (DD-563) was aU.S. NavyFletcher-classdestroyer.Ross is the only ship in U.S. naval history to survive two underwater mine explosions.
David Ross was a lieutenant in theContinental Navy. He commanded the American private armed shipBelvedere (14 guns) at the end of the 18th century. While en route toLondon, on 23 December 1799, his ship was caught in ahurricane. Provisions, seven guns and a quantity of shot were thrown overboard to lighten ship. Nineteen days later, on 12 January 1800,Belvedere was overtaken by aFrenchbrig, whose captain demanded that the Americanhaul down her flag. Ross's answer was abroadside. A two-hour engagement, within pistol shot, followed; and after the Frenchman had sheered off,Belvedere, with damage to its rigging, sails, and hull, continued on.
Ross was laid down on 7 September 1942 by theSeattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp.,Seattle, Washington andlaunched on 10 September 1943, sponsored by Mrs. William J. Malone. She wascommissioned on 21 February 1944, Commander Benjamin Coe commanding.
She completedshakedown offCalifornia in early May 1944 and on 5 May sailed forPearl Harbor. On 29 May she sortied with Task Force 52 (TF 52) forEniwetok, whence the fleet sailed forSaipan and the beginning of theMarianas Campaign.
Attached to thecarrier support group for theinvasion of Saipan,Ross arrived on station in the operating area to the east of the island on 14 June. Through the landings on the 15th, and until the 19th, she remained in that area providing screening and plane guard services for the carriers. On 19 June, she headed east withKalinin Bay (CVE-68) to rendezvous with replacement aircraft from Eniwetok. On the 25th, the two ships rejoined the Saipan support force.Ross remained in the vicinity of Saipan andTinian well into July, interrupting duty there only at the beginning of the month to escort another replacement aircraft run.
On 1 August, the destroyer returned to Eniwetok, then headed for theSolomons to rehearse thePalau operation. On 6 September she departedPurvis Bay in Task Group 32.5 (TG 32.5), the Western Fire Support Group. OffPeleliu by dawn on 12 September,Ross screened the heavier ships as they began bombarding the proposed landing beaches. On the morning of the 13th, she closed White and Orange beaches to provide fire support for theUnderwater Demolition Teams (UDTs) clearing the approaches of obstacles and through that day and the next she alternated between that mission and screening duty. On the night of 14–15 September, she shelledNgesebus Island and conducted patrols to intercept enemy boat traffic. Then, prior to the 08:30 landings, she fired on enemy observation posts in the assault area. After the troops hit the beaches, she shifted to call fire support and until the 20th rotated that duty with night patrols and picket duty.
On 20 August,Ross headed forUlithi. Arriving the next day, she covered UDT operations onAsor,Falalop, andSorlen. On the 23d, she covered the landings on Falalop and on the 24th she got underway to return to Peleliu.
En routeRoss stopped inKossol Roads to embark Major GeneralJulian Smith,USMC, and his staff, whom she transported to Peleliu. Arriving on 26 August, she provided harassing fire, call fire, and illumination until the 29th, when she sailed forManus to prepare for her last amphibious operation, theinvasion of Leyte.
On 12 October,Ross departed theAdmiralties. Five days later she arrived offDinagat Island. On the morning of the 18th, she covered landings there, on Black Beach 2, then joined Task Unit 77.2.6 (77.2.6) to provide cover for thatminesweeping andhydrography unit. Her duty, however, ended abruptly less than 15 hours later.
At 01:33 on 19 October, she struck a mine to port under the forward engineroom and fireroom; and began to list to port. At 01:55 she struck a second mine in the vicinity of the after engineroom. The list increased to 14°.
Chickasaw (ATF-83) andPreserver (ARS-8) closed to render assistance.
Soon after 02:10,Ross jettisoned sixtorpedoes, all portdepth charges, and miscellaneous gear. Topside movable weights were shifted to starboard. The list began to decrease. At 03:15, her medical officer, the seriously injured, and the ship's funds were transferred toChickasaw. At 03:43, she was taken in tow by the ATF and 4 hours later anchored offHomonhon Island.
_underway_off_Mare_Island_Naval_Shipyard%2c_California_(USA)%2c_on_27_June_1945_(NH_107271).jpg)
Casualties from the mine explosions were three killed, 20 missing, nine injured. At 12:04 the anchorage was attacked by Japanese planes. Shrapnel injured two more fromRoss' crew.
In the afternoon, the destroyer was towed to an anchorage south ofMariquitdaquit Island. At dawn on 20 October, that anchorage was attacked.
Salvage work onRoss began. Air attacks caused frequent interruptions, but the work continued. On 23 November, she was shifted to the Northern Transport Area anchorage and on the 24th, she was towed intoSan Pedro Bay and docked in floating drydockARD-19. The frequent air raids continued, and on the 28th,Ross sustained further damage. ANakajima Ki-44 "Tojo" crashed into the ARD, passed through the starboard wingwall, and caused gasoline-fed flames to encompass the dock basin deck. As firefighters went to work, another Japanese fighter began a strafing run, but was splashed by gunfire fromRoss, the ARD andLST-556.
Repairs toRoss were delayed as the ARD's crew repaired the drydock, but on 13 December the destroyer was underway under tow, forHumboldt Bay. There, further repairs were made and her journey was continued. On 2 March 1945 she reachedMare Island.
Repairs complete,Ross moved down toSan Diego at the end of June and in July she steamed for Pearl Harbor en route back to the WesternCarolines. She arrived at Ulithi on 14 August, the day hostilities ended.
From 24 August to 4 September,Ross was on air-sea rescue duty as occupation troops were moved by air fromOkinawa toTokyo. On the 5th, she enteredTokyo Bay and into October remained on occupation duty.
Ross departed Japan for the United States on 21 October. On 9 November, she reported for inactivation at Seattle, and with the new year, she shifted to San Diego where she was decommissioned on 4 June 1946.
For the next 5 yearsRoss remained berthed with theReserve Fleet at San Diego. In the summer of 1951 she was activated and on 27 October she was recommissioned. Into March 1952 she operated off southern California. On the 12th, she departed San Diego for the U.S. east coast, escorting the Carriers Ranger and Antietam for their conversion to slant deck carriers at her newhomeport, Naval Station Norfolk|Norfolk, Va., on the 29th, in company with another destroyer . Local operations occupied the summer; and, in late summer, she moved toPhiladelphia Navy Yard for overhaul/conversion with a tri-pod mainmast to support high-tech radar/countermeasures and beefed-up 3.50" armament to counter missiles, replacing the 20/40mm AA armament. Also, acquiring another, smaller secondary tri-pod mast amidships, for AA firecontrol/countermeastures. In February 1953, she again steamed south, operated in theCaribbean into April, then returned to Norfolk to prepare for a summer cruise toScotland andNorway. In August she was back in the Caribbean, and in September she returned to Norfolk. Further operations off the Atlantic seaboard and in the Caribbean followed, then in the spring of 1954 she began a cruise around the world.
Departing Norfolk 20 April,Ross transited thePanama Canal and crossed the Pacific. Arriving atYokosuka, Japan on 28 May, she served with the7th Fleet until the end of August, ranging from theSea of Japan to theSouth China Sea. From 24 to 29 July she participated in operations offIndochina as residents ofNorth Vietnam were allowed to move toSouth Vietnam.
On 31 August,Ross departedSasebo, Japan. Then, steaming viaHong Kong,Singapore,Colombo, and theSuez Canal, she crossed theMediterranean, and entered the Atlantic. On 28 October she reached Norfolk.
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Coastal and Caribbean operations were resumed in May 1955, following an overhaul. In November, she headed east and, for the next 2½ months, operated with the6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. Returning to Norfolk on 26 February 1956, she conducted local operations through the spring, then repeated her 1953 schedule—a northernEuropean cruise followed by exercises in the Caribbean.
In 1957, the destroyer again deployed to the Mediterranean. Departing the east coast in late October, she arrived atGibraltar at the end of the month and continued on. On 8 November she transited the Suez Canal and until mid-December operated in theRed Sea,Persian Gulf,Indian Ocean area. She then retransmitted the Canal, and remained with the 6th Fleet until 16 February 1958.
Ross returned to Norfolk 5 March 1959. During the summer, she conducted her last summer cruise to Northern Europe. Into the summer she remained on the east coast. In July she operated in theKey West-Guantanamo Bay area and in August she departed Norfolk forBeaumont, Tex., and inactivation.
In reserve from 10 August,Ross was decommissioned on 6 November 1959. The ship was stricken from theNaval Vessel Register 1 December 1974. She was sunk as a target offPuerto Rico 26 January 1978.
Ross (DD-563) earned fivebattle stars duringWorld War II.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.Photo gallery of USSRoss (DD-563) at NavSource Naval History
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 1978 | |
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