USS DALE DD-353

A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS DALE DD-353

The Tin Can Sailor, July 2996

The second of the FARRAGUTs built at the New York Naval Shipyard was launched on January 23, 1935 and commissioned the following June. USS DALE was named for Capt. Richard Dale who, as a young lieutenant, had served under John Paul Jones during the epic battle between Jones’ BON HOMME RICHARD and the British frigate SERAPIS during the American Revolution. The new destroyer would be the fourth to bear the name.

Most destroyers in the pre-World War II years participated in essentially the same round of exercises. DALE was no exception. Working up in the Atlantic, DD-353 visited the usual ports in the Caribbean and along the Gulf Coast. She had the honor of escorting President Franklin D. Roosevelt on his cruise to the Bahamas before receiving her new assignment, service with the Pacific Fleet with the rest of the FARRAGUTs.

Like her sisters, DALE was moored to a destroyer tender in East Loch when Japanese aircraft attacked the Pacific Fleet anchorage on December 7, 1941. The ranking officer aboard the destroyer, an ensign, succeeded in getting the tin can underway and maintained a patrol station off the harbor entrance while what remained of the fleet prepared to respond to the Japanese attack. Her accurate anti-aircraft fire accounted for at least one of the attackers.

In the months that followed, DALE screened the large carriers LEXINGTON (CV-2) and YORKTOWN (CV-5) in swift strikes around New Guinea. Subsequently, DD-353 returned to Pearl Harbor for training and, later, to Mare Island for an overhaul. Ready in time for the Midway campaign, the tin can screened the support and replenishment forces the strike force relied upon.

Weeks later, DALE was reassigned to RADM “Sock” McMorris’ Task Force MIKE in the Aleutians. The plan was to force the Japanese out of the Alaskan chain by cutting the supply lines of the island garrisons. As TF MIKE moved west, a strong Japanese force moved east, the confusing battle of the Komandorski Islands ensued. In the four furious hours in the Northern Pacific, DALE and the other vessels of Task Force MIKE took on three Japanese cruisers many times their own size. Intimidated, the Japanese withdrew. In Tokyo, the decision was made to withdraw forces from the Aleutians.

By mid-1944, DALE was once again in the Central Pacific, screening carriers on their way to blast Kwajalein, Eniwetok, Palau, Yap, and Ulithi, followed by quick strikes at the Imperial Japanese fleet base at Truk. Reassigned to the famous Task Force 38, DALE involved in the classic sea battles that sealed the Imperial Empire’s fate. The tin can helped defend her charges at the battle of the Philippine Sea, steamed deep into enemy waters to attack the coast of China, Formosa and the coast of the Japanese home islands themselves.

The Japanese cease-fire found DALE anchored at Guam. The destroyer convoyed one last group of ships, then returned to the East Coast of the United States. Like many of her sisters she was decommissioned at the same shipyard where she was built; her commissioning pennant came down for the last time on October 16, 1945 and she was sold for scrapping in December of 1946.

DALE earned twelve battle stars for her operations in World War II.

USS DALE DD-353 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, July 2015

The fourth Dale (DD-353) was launched 23 January 1935 by Brooklyn Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. E. C. Dale; and commissioned 17 June 1935, Commander W. A. Corn in command.

Dale made a southern cruise from 13 February to 6 March 1936, visiting Norfolk, Dry Tortugas, Fla., and Galveston, Tex., and acted as escort for President F. D. Roosevelt’s cruise in the Bahamas before departing for the west coast. She took part in fleet problems, made a good will visit to Callao, Peru, served as training ship for the gunnery school at San Diego, and cruised to Hawaii, Alaska, and the Caribbean on exercises.

On 5 October 1939 Dale departed San Diego to join the Hawaiian Detachment for training and patrol. She was moored at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked 7 December 1941. The duty officer (an ensign) got her underway immediately to establish a patrol off the harbor entrance. She opened fire on the enemy planes, splashing at least one.

From 14 December 1941 to 17 March 1942 Dale screened Lexington (CV-2) and Yorktown (CV-5), covering the strikes on the Salamaua-Lae area of New Guinea on 10 March. Dale returned to Pearl Harbor on escort and training duty until 11 May when she departed for Mare Island and an overhaul. On 5 June she sailed from San Francisco, with others, to back up the task forces engaged in the Battle of Midway from 6 July to 17 August. She was assigned to convoy duty between Viti Levu, Fijis, and Efate and Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, in preparation for the assault on Guadalcanal. She covered the landings, escorted transports loaded with reinforcements to the bitterly contested island from 18 August to 21 September, then sailed to Pearl Harbor for escort and training duty until 10 November. She sailed to screen battleships Washington (BB-56) and South Dakota (BB-57) into Pearl Harbor, continuing with South Dakota to San Francisco.

On 9 January 1943 Dale sailed from San Francisco for duty in Aleutian waters. She supported the occupation of Amchitka between 23 January and 19 March, patrolling and repelling attacks by the Japanese. On 22 March her group sailed to patrol west of Attu to intercept and destroy enemy shipping bound for Attu or Kiska. Four days later the group engaged a numerically superior Japanese force screening reinforcements to Attu. In the resulting Battle of the Komandorski Islands, at one time or another Dale took all of the Japanese cruisers under fire as well as screening the damaged Salt Lake City (CA-25). The Japanese reinforcements failed to reach Attu. She screened transports and fire support ships into Attu for the assault on 11 May, then patrolled off Attu until 1 August. She joined in the preinvasion bombardment of Kiska 2 August, then screened the transports which landed men there 13 August. She joined Kane (DD-235) for a reconnaissance of Rat and Buldir Islands 22 August, finding no Japanese present.

Sailing from Adak 5 September 1943, Dale arrived at Pearl Harbor 16 September to screen the group which on 8 October fueled carriers returning from a 2-day air strike on Wake. Dale trained at Pearl Harbor until 5 November. She escorted a group of LST’s to the landings on Makin of 20 November, then sailed for the west coast.

Dale got underway from San Diego 13 January 1944 to screen carriers during the assaults on Kwajalein and Eniwetok. She served in the Marshalls on escort and patrol until 22 March, then screened TF 58 during air attacks on Palau, Yap, Ulithi and Woleai between 30 March and 1 April raids supporting the Hollandia operations from 21 to 24 April; and strikes on Truk, Satawan and Ponape from 20 April to 1 May.

From 6 June to 30 July Dale served in the Marianas, bombarding Saipan and Guam, screening carriers during the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and supporting underwater demolition teams. Overhauled at Bremerton Navy Yard from August to October, Dale returned to Pearl Harbor, then sailed to Ulithi to join TF 38. She screened this group during Philippines invasion between 25 November and 8 December; and while it refueled TF 38 in the South China Sea during raids on the Chinese coast, Formosa, Luzon, and Okinawa. She remained with the group during carrier strikes on Tokyo and Kobe.

Dale cruised with the logistics group on five voyages between Ulithi and the Okinawa area between 13 March 1945 and 11 June when she sailed for Leyte to join a carrier division’s screen. Dale returned to Leyte to escort a convoy to Ulithi and patrolled there until 29 July and then escorted a convoy to Okinawa.

Anchored at Guam when the war ended, Dale convoyed two ships to a rendezvous on 19 August off Japan, then sailed homeward, arriving at San Diego 7 September. Four days later she was underway for the east coast. Arriving at New York 25 September, Dale was decommissioned 16 October 1945 and sold 20 December 1946.

Dale received 12 battle stars for World War II service.