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_underway_1971.jpg) USSHenderson (DD-785) in 1971 | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSHenderson |
| Namesake | Lofton R. Henderson |
| Builder | Todd Pacific Shipyards,Seattle, Washington |
| Laid down | 27 October 1944 |
| Launched | 28 May 1945 |
| Commissioned | 4 August 1945 |
| Decommissioned | 30 September 1980 |
| Stricken | 30 September 1980 |
| Homeport | Long Beach, CA |
| Identification |
|
| Nickname(s) | Hendy Maru |
| Honors & awards |
|
| Fate | Sold toPakistan, 1 October 1980 |
 Pakistan | |
| Name | PNSTughril (D167) |
| Acquired | 1 October 1980 |
| Decommissioned | 2001 |
| Renamed | Nazim, 1998 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Gearing-classdestroyer |
| Displacement | 3,460 long tons (3,516 t) full |
| Length | 390 ft 6 in (119.02 m) |
| Beam | 40 ft 10 in (12.45 m) |
| Draft | 14 ft 4 in (4.37 m) |
| Propulsion | Geared turbines, 2 shafts, 60,000 shp (45 MW) |
| Speed | 35knots (65 km/h; 40 mph) |
| Range | 4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph) |
| Complement | 336 |
| Armament |
|
USSHenderson (DD-785) was aGearing-classdestroyer of theUnited States Navy, the second Navy ship of that name, and the first named forUnited States Marine Corps MajorLofton R. Henderson. The previousHenderson was named forMarine Corps CommandantArchibald Henderson.
Henderson was laid down byTodd Pacific Shipyards,Seattle, Washington, on 27 October 1944; launched on 28 May 1945; sponsored by Mrs. A. R. Early; andcommissioned at Seattle on 4 August 1945.
Henderson conducted shakedown cruise out ofSan Diego, then departed Seattle on 31 October for Hawaii. Upon her arrival on 7 November she operated as a screen ship forescort carriers in Hawaiian waters and conducted experimentalsonar tests withsubmarines before returning toNaval Station San Diego on 23 April 1946. After divisional exercises off California she departed on 2 December 1946 for "Operation Highjump", anAntarctic exploration and test program. This operation included tests of clothing and equipment as well as mapping and weather work.Henderson reached Sydney, on 13 March 1947 and San Diego on 6 April 1947.
After two long cruises to the Pacific in support of U.S. occupation forces in Japan.Henderson departed San Diego on 5 August 1950 to join the United Nations forces inKorea. ArrivingYokosuka, Japan on 19 August she served as a screening ship for fast carrier forces whose aircraft flew ground support and other missions in Korea. As U.S. forces prepared to leap northward with theInchon invasion,Henderson was with the assault forces. She steamed upFlying Fish Channel on 13 September, destroyingmines and bombarding theInchon waterfront preparatory to the invasion. The destroyers also traded blows withCommunist shore batteries. The gunfire support group again entered the channel intoInchon Bay 14 to 15 September, softening up shore defenses.General of the ArmyDouglas MacArthur soon made signal as the Marines landed that day: "The Navy and Marines have never shone more brightly than this morning."Henderson remained on fire support duty at Inchon until 1 October.
_and_USS_Henderson_(DD-785)_refueling_from_an_oiler_off_Korea%2c_circa_in_1950.jpg)
The destroyer returned to screening duty after Inchon, first along the coast of Korea and then in theFormosa Strait. This duty continued until she departedKeelung on 20 March, arriving San Diego on 7 April 1951. After coastwise exercises and a cruise to Hawaii for training,Henderson sailed on 4 January 1952 for her secondtour of duty in Korea. She arrived offHŭngnam on 16 February to take part in the blockade of that port and the coastal areas to the north. Her duties included gunfire support and bombardment of industrial sites until 7 March, when she screened carrierBataan (CVL-29) off the coast of Japan. For the remainder of her tourHenderson operated with the fast carrier task forces around Korea and in the Formosa Strait. She departed Yokosuka on 25 July and arrived San Diego on 10 August 1952.
Henderson conducted training exercises off San Diego until 22 March 1953, when she departed for her third Korean tour. She took part in the siege ofWonsan harbor, supportingKorean troops with accurate and continuous gunfire, and conducted anti-submarine operations offOkinawa. The destroyer engaged in the vital coastal patrol, maintainingAllied control of the seas around Korea, until after theKorean armistice in July 1953. She arrived San Diego on 19 October 1953, after a total of 22 months of Korean duty.
Following Korea,Henderson established a pattern of cruises to the Far East, cruising to various crisis spots in thewestern Pacific for the next decade. Highlights of this phase of her service includeprotection of the Quemoy Islands from Communist aggression in September 1954, relief ofCeylonese flood victims in January 1958, and important fleet and individual exercises during her periods at sea. In 1959–60 Henderson continued to serve on "Formosa Patrol" protecting the Quemoy Islands and in May 1960 she served as station ship in Hong Kong. During her time in Hong Kong harbor she survivedTyphoon Mary which was a direct hit on the area at that time.
In the early 1960sHenderson was thoroughly modernized in theFleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) program. She received the FRAM I refit at theMare Island Naval Shipyard, completed in April 1962. This modernization was to enable the World War II-destroyers to combat modern submarines.
This upgrade included rebuilding the ship's superstructure, engines, electronic systems, radar, sonar, and weapons. The No. 2 twin 5-inch turret was removed, as were all World War II torpedo launchers and 3-inch twin mounts. Upgraded systems includedSQS-23 sonar,SPS-40 air search radar, two tripleMk 32 torpedo launchers, 8-cellASROC box launcher, andQH-50C DASH ASW drone helicopter, with its own landing pad andhangar.[1]
The Gyrodyne QH-50C DASH was an unmanned anti-submarine helicopter, controlled remotely from the ship. The drone could carry twoMK.44 homing ASW torpedoes. During this era the ASROC system had an effective range of only 5 nautical miles (9 km), but the DASH drone should allow the ship to deploy ASW attack to sonar contacts as far as 22 nautical miles (41 km) away.[2]. However, the FRAM refit did not improve defenses against aircraft, the air defense being taken over by the new guided missile-equipped ships.
Commencing 11 August 1964,Henderson began annual cruises in Vietnamese waters, supporting the7th Fleet amphibious and shore bombardment operations, and guarding aircraft carriers on "Yankee Station". She returned toLong Beach on 16 December, underwent modernization overhaul and intensive shore bombardment training, and returned to the intensified struggle inSouth Vietnam on 10 July 1965. During the next five months she ranged theSouth China Sea andGulf of Tonkin while screeningOriskany (CV-34) and serving on the gun line. In December she steamed to theGulf of Siam, where she conducted shore bombardment missions againstViet Cong positions on theCa Mau Peninsula. As escort forBon Homme Richard (CVA-31), the veteran destroyer departed Hong Kong on 26 December and arrived Long Beach on 13 January 1966.
Henderson spent the next year serving as ananti-submarine warfare (ASW) school ship out of San Diego and taking part in squadron exercises out of Long Beach. Late in July she joined in a massive, but unsuccessful air-sea search for the Hawaii-bound aircraft carryingBrigadier GeneralJoseph Warren Stilwell, Jr.,USA. After completing preparations for another WestPac deployment, she returned to the troubled waters of Southeast Asia in January 1967. Over the next four months she supported attack carrier operations and conducted more shore bombardment assignments.Henderson returned to Long Beach in mid-June, conducted ASW refresher training that summer and fall.
After a short restricted availability in early 1968,Henderson returned to Vietnam in April and resumed her familiar gunline and escort duties in the South China Sea. Interspersed with visits to Hong Kong,Subic Bay and Japan,Henderson remained there until 26 September when she arrived at Long Beach. During this tour of Asian watersHenderson also served withBon Homme Richard (CVA-31) off the coast of North Korea in support of the capturedPueblo (AGER-2) as part ofOperation Formation Star.Pueblo had previously been taken by the North Korean government while steaming in the Sea of Japan.Henderson received a regular overhaul alongsideIsle Royale (AD-29) later in the year and adry dock period at San Francisco January through March 1969, where she received new sonar and communications equipment.
After completing the overhaul in May,Henderson spent the summer and fall conducting refresher training before deploying to the Far East on 18 November. Caught in a storm nearMidway Island, the destroyer suffered damage to the forward 5-inch gun mount and diverted toYokosuka for repairs. After a brief yard period the destroyer then spent several weeks on patrol off the Korean peninsula, as tensions remained high following the shoot down of a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft the previous year.Henderson then spent three months offVietnam, supporting riverine operations and participating in "Operation Ringmaster I". During this period, the destroyer also rescued six passengers from anSH-3 Sea Kinghelicopter that crashed while en route fromDa Nang toConstellation (CVA-64).
Returning to Long Beach on 8 May,Henderson underwent several months of inspections and certifications, which ultimately kept the warship in service in contrast to the mass 1970s decommissioning of many of her war-builtsister ships. Following training and preparations that fall,Henderson departed for her sixth Vietnam deployment on 26 January 1971. Arriving in theater on 22 February, she served on the gunline and on "Yankee Station", both familiar assignments. In a change of pace, the destroyer participated in an ASW exercise at one point and successfully fired an exercisetorpedo againstdiesel-electric submarineSailfish (SS-572). In April,Henderson conducted a variety of duties, including serving as naval gunfire support school ship at theTabones range in thePhilippines, conducting a short surveillance patrol in theParacel Islands and visiting ports inTaiwan. Departing the region on 30 June, the destroyer swung south for visits toManus Island,Papua New Guinea;Cairns and Sydney, Australia;Auckland, New Zealand; andPago Pago, American Samoa; before arriving home in Long Beach on 10 August.
The destroyer began another major overhaul at Long Beach that winter and began pre-deployment preparations starting in July 1972. The warship sailed on her seventh and final Vietnam tour on 16 November, arriving inDa Nang harbor on 14 December. She spent the next few weeks conducting naval gunfire support missions, including one gunnery duel with an enemy battery on Christmas Eve that earned her theCombat Action Ribbon. On New Year's Eve, the destroyer's motor whaleboat rescued four crewmen from a crashed SH-3 helicopter. After port visits to Singapore,Thailand and Hong Kong during truce talks,Henderson steamed into the Gulf of Tonkin for "Operation End Sweep" in April 1973. After helpingminesweepers clearHaiphong harbor, the warship sailed for home, arriving in Long Beach on 26 May.
After participating in two fleet exercises that summer and fall,Henderson was retired from active duty and assigned to theNaval Reserve Fleet in Destroyer Squadron 27 (DesRon 27) on 1 October. She then moved intoLong Beach Naval Shipyard for conversion to Navy distillate fuel. The active duty crew was also reduced in number and the ship only reached a full complement on drill weekends.
Henderson spent the next six years conducting reserve training operations out of Long Beach. The destroyer spent the majority of her time sailing in local operating areas, though the warship also conducted reserve unit training cruises toPearl Harbor or thePacific Northwest on an annual basis. Highlights of this period included visits to thePortland Rose Festival (where the ship was "streaked" on one occasion by two "lassies" on a nearbycabin cruiser), being struck by a practice torpedo fired bySalmon (SS-573), and a series of excellent inspections that extended the service life of the destroyer through the end of the decade.
Henderson decommissioned on 30 September 1980, was struck from theNavy list that same day and sold toPakistan on 1 October 1980. The destroyer served in thePakistan Navy asPNSTughril (167). She was renamedNazim and transferred to the PakistanMaritime Security Agency (MSA) in 1998 atKarachi. The ship was finally decommissioned in 2001.
Henderson received eightbattle stars forKorean War service, seven battle stars forVietnam War service, and shared in theNavy Unit Commendation given her task unit for its part in theInchon landings.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
