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Hull Number: DD-683

Launch Date: 06/25/1943

Commissioned Date: 02/11/1944

Decommissioned Date: 09/02/1957

Voice Call Sign: SPANIARD, TERRIFIC (44)


Class: FLETCHER

FLETCHER Class

Data for USS Fletcher (DD-445) as of 1945


Length Overall: 376’ 5"

Beam: 39’ 7"

Draft: 13’ 9"

Standard Displacement: 2,050 tons

Full Load Displacement: 2,940 tons

Fuel capacity: 3,250 barrels

Armament:

Five 5″/38 caliber guns
Five 40mm twin anti-aircraft mounts
Two 21″ quintuple torpedo tubes

Complement:

20 Officers
309 Enlisted

Propulsion:

4 Boilers
2 General Electric Turbines: 60,000 horsepower

Highest speed on trials: 35.2 knots

Namesake: FRED WILLIAM STOCKHAM

FRED WILLIAM STOCKHAM

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, April 2016

Fred William Stockham was born in Detroit, Mich., on 16 March 1881. He enlisted in the Marine Corps on 16 July 1903 and, over the next four years, served twice in the Philippines, from 26 September 1903 to 28 August 1905 and from 29 September 1906 to 13 January 1907, and did one tour of duty in China in the intervening period. Private Stockham was honorably discharged at New York City on 15 July 1907. Four years later, on 31 May 1912, he reenlisted in the Marine Corps. By the time he was again discharged, on 30 May 1916, he had risen to the rank of sergeant and had served most of his term ashore in Nicaragua. Sgt. Stockham saw combat during the engagement at Leon, Nicaragua, on 6 October 1915, a little over a month before his departure from that troubled Latin American nation. He was honorably discharged again on 30 May 1916, this time at Mare Island, Calif. However, within a week, he had returned to New York City, where on 7 June, he reenlisted.

By 8 February 1918, Sgt. Stockham was in France and heading for the trenches. Between that time and his death, he served in the Toulon sector, in the Aisne operation, and at Belleau Wood. During- the last named battle, Gy. Sgt. Stockham displayed the “conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty” which later earned him the Medal of Honor by an Act of Congress. On the night of June 13 and 14, “during an intense enemy bombardment with high explosive and gas shells,” Sergeant Stockham upon noticing that the gas mask of a wounded comrade was shot away, without hesitation, removed his own gas mask and insisted upon giving it to the wounded man, well knowing that the effects of the gas would be fatal to himself. Despite the fact that he was without the protection of a gas mask, he continued with undaunted courage and valor to direct and assist in the evacuation of the wounded in an area saturated with gas and swept by heavy artillery fire, until he himself collapsed from the effects of the gas.” Gy. Sgt. Stockham died in France on 22 June 1918. Thanks to the efforts of his former comrades, one of whom undoubtedly was the man whose life his gas mask saved, Gy. Sgt. Stockham was belatedly and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by an Act of Congress on 21 December 1939, over 20 years after his sacrifice.


Disposition:

Stricken 12/1/1974. Sunk as target off Puerto Rico on 2/17/1977.


A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS STOCKHAM DD-683

The Tin Can Sailor, April 2015

The FLETCHER-class destroyer STOCKHAM (DD-683) was built in San Francisco by the Bethlehem Steel Company and commissioned on 11 February 1944. By April she was underway for Pearl Harbor and, in mid June was off Saipan conducting pre-invasion bombardments until the 17th. On 18 June, she joined the Fifth Fleet and Task Group (TG) 58 to engage the approaching enemy fleet in the ensuing Battle of the Philippine Sea, often called “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot.” Though the two fleets never engaged in surface action they launched their planes at one another. During the battle, American antiaircraft fire and combat air patrol proved superior to the attacking Japanese planes. The STOCKHAM splashed at least three and probably two others.

She then joined the amphibious forces in August to support the occupation of Saipan and Tinian and patrol off Guam protecting the invasion fleet from air attack and providing fire when needed. She helped repel several air attacks, splashing another enemy plane in the process, and dueled with Japanese artillery batteries ashore. By the end of August, she was again with the fast carrier task force for their sweep of the Philippines and the Visayan and Palau islands.

The STOCKHAM was moored for upkeep and provisioning at Ulithi when, on 1 October, a typhoon struck and broke her and two others destroyers loose from the nest of DDs. She was forced to get underway to evade the storm until 4 October, when she was able to complete her interrupted preparations for another cruise with TG 38.2. The group went on to strike at Okinawa and Formosa before joining a month-long sweep of the Philippines. There, she supported the landings in Leyte Gulf and screened the carriers during their strikes on southern Luzon and the Visayans. On 25 and 26 October, she joined the Third Fleet to defeat the Japanese Northern Force at Cape Engano during the Battle for Leyte Gulf. On the 29th, TF 38 resumed air strikes on the Philippines. Their raids continued until Christmas.

On 3 January 1945, the STOCKHAM resumed her screening duties with TF 38 until 7 January, when she rejoined the carriers as their planes made sweeps of Japan’s inner defenses. They hit French Indochina and Japanese shipping, bombed Formosa a second and third time, and struck Hainan, Hong Kong, and the China coast. On the way back to Ulithi, they raided Okinawa again, on 22 January.

The Stockham put to sea with TF 38 to bomb Tokyo on 16 and 17 February and to support the Iwo Jima assault on 19 February. During that time, the destroyer’s guns brought down another enemy plane. She then headed north to Japan to screen the carriers. On the 26th, she sank an enemy patrol craft off Tori Shima, fighting heavy seas as well as the Japanese.

By mid March, she was operating in the screen of the Fast Carrier Task Force for sweeps of Kyushu, Okinawa, and Kerama Retto. She went on to Okinawa on 1 April for the landings and remained off that coast to protect the invasion fleet from the onslaught of kamikaze attacks. On 6 April, she splashed two Zekes, then went on to bombard Minami and Kita Daito Shima before returning to Ulithi on the 30th. With TF 58 she screened the fleet from air attack during strikes on Kyushu and Okinawa and helped repel several enemy raids. On 6 June, she left the fleet to escort a group of crippled ships, including the bowless PITTSBURGH to Guam and on to Eniwetok, before rejoining TF 38 on 8 July.

Between 8 July and 15 August, she screened the fleet carriers as their planes struck Japan for the last time, moving swiftly from Tokyo up along Honshu to Hokkaido, pounding targets on both islands. They returned to Tokyo on 18 July. By the end of July, the STOCKHAM had returned to screening the fleet from suicide attacks as its planes pummeled Honshu and Shikoku.

On 15 August 1945, the Japanese capitulated and, four days later, the STOCKHAM joined the Yokosuka occupation force as it entered Sagami Wan on 27 August. She supported the landings at Tokyo Bay and at Tateyama then anchored off Yokosuka on 2 September. Her last war-related duty was supporting minesweeping operations in Sendai Bay and around Goshi. She remained in Tokyo Bay until 31 October when she left Yokosuka for the United States. After more a year of routine operations on the West Coast, she was decommissioned and berthed at San Diego, California.

The hostilities in Korea in 1950 saw the STOCKHAM recommissioned on 14 November 1951 and assigned to the Atlantic Fleet. There she was engaged in fleet training missions out of Newport, Rhode Island. In December 1953, the destroyer joined the United Nations Fleet and operated in the Far East until July 1954 when she returned to Newport after completing a circumnavigation of the world. In November 1954, the STOCKHAM entered the Boston Naval Shipyard for overhaul and the following February began operating with the Sixth Fleet. She visited the Mediterranean twice before her return to Newport in February 1957. There, seven months later, she was decommissioned and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia where she remains to date.

USS STOCKHAM DD-683 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, April 2016

Stockham (DD-683) was laid down on 19 December 1942 by the Bethlehem Steel Co. at San Francisco, Calif.; launched on 25 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Melba Mattingly; and commissioned on 11 February 1944, Comdr. E. P. Holmes in command.

The newly-commissioned Stockham conducted shakedown training off the west coast until 20 April, and then got underway for Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. There, she continued training until departing for the Marshalls on 31 May in preparation for the invasion of the Mariana Islands. She arrived off Saipan on 14 June and conducted preinvasion bombardments on that island until the 17th. On the 18th, she steamed to the west of the Marianas with Task Group (TG) 58.7 to engage the approaching enemy fleet. In the ensuing battle, known as the Battle of the Philippine Sea and less formally as “The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot,” the 5th Fleet swept the skies clear of Japanese naval air power, though the two fleets never closed to engage in surface action. Instead, the two adversaries launched their planes at one another and American antiaircraft fire and combat air patrol proved superior to the attacking Japanese planes. During the battle, Stockham contributed to the victory by splashing at least three Japanese planes and probably two others.

She rejoined the amphibious forces on 25 June and, until mid-August, supported the occupation of Saipan and Tinian and conducted patrols off Guam. Her primary responsibilities were to protect the invasion fleet from air attack and to render fire support when called. She helped repel several air attacks, splashing another enemy plane in the process, and duelled with Japanese artillery batteries ashore. On 21 August, she entered the lagoon at Eniwetok Atoll for a week before rejoining the Fast Carrier Task Force for a 33-day sweep of the Philippines, during which the carrier planes hit targets on Luzon and Mindanao in addition to striking the Visayan and Palau island sub-groups.

She entered Ulithi on 1 October for provisions and upkeep. During her six-day stay, a typhoon struck the atoll and broke Stockham and two others loose from the nest. She cast off lines and anchored, but was later forced to get underway to evade the storm. She returned with the task group on 4 October to complete upkeep and provisioning in preparation for another cruise with the carriers.

On 6 October, the destroyer sortied from Ulithi with TG 38.2 for a month-long sweep primarily of the Philippines, but beginning with strikes on Okinawa, on the 10th, and on Formosa, from the 12th to the 14th. She supported the landing at Leyte Gulf on 20 October and screened the carriers during their strikes on southern Luzon and the Visayans on the 21st and 22d. On 25 and 26 October, she joined most of the elements of the 3d Fleet in meeting and defeating the Japanese Northern Force during the Cape Engano phase of the Battle for Leyte Gulf. On the 29th, Task Force (TF) 38 resumed air strikes on the Philippines. Those raids continued until Christmas broken only by two provisioning and upkeep periods at Ulithi, from 9 to 13 November and from 25 November until 9 December. Stockham’s crew spent Christmas Day and the eight days following it at Ulithi preparing for another cruise with the fast carriers.

On 3 January 1945, she departed with TG 30.8, the replenishment group for TF 38, and screened it until 7 January, when she rejoined the carriers. Over the next 19 days, she screened the carriers as their planes made sweeps of the inner defenses of the Japanese Empire. They hit French Indochina and Japanese shipping on the 12th, bombed Formosa a second and third time on the 15th and 21st, and struck Hainan, Hong Kong, and the China coast on the 16th. On the way back to Ulithi, they raided Okinawa again, on 22 January.

Following- two weeks of upkeep, provisioning, and training at Ulithi, Stockham put to sea with TF 38 to bomb Tokyo on 16 and 17 February and to support the Iwo Jima assault on 19 February. During the short stay in the Volcano Islands, the destroyer’s guns brought down another enemy plane. On 22 February, she headed north to Japan and screened the carriers during another air strike on the Japanese home islands. On the 26th, she sank an enemy patrol craft off Tori Shima, fighting heavy seas as well as the Japanese. On 6 March, she put into Ulithi once again for provisions and upkeep.

On 14 March, she put to sea once more and operated with TF 59 until the following day, when she joined the screen of the Fast Carrier Task Force for sweeps of Kyushu, Okinawa, and Kerama Retto. After the 1 April landings at Okinawa, Stockham remained off that coast until 29 April, protecting the invasion fleet from the onslaught of the kamikazes. On 6 April, she splashed two “Zekes.” She bombarded Minami and Kita Daito Shima on the 21st. She put into Ulithi on the 30th. On 7 May, she put to sea with TF 58 and, conducting drills along the way, headed for another series of air raids on Kyushu and Okinawa. She screened the fleet from air attack during the strikes, helping to repel several enemy raids. She parted company with the main body of the fleet on 6 June to escort a group of crippled ships, including the bowless Pittsburgh, to Apra Harbor, Guam. She remained at Guam from 11 to 30 June; then escorted a group of ships to Eniwetok, before rejoining TF 38 on 8 July.

Between 8 July and 15 August, she screened the fleet carriers while their planes struck their last series of blows at Japan. Starting with Tokyo on the 10th, they moved swiftly up along Honshu to Hokkaido, pounding targets on both islands on the 14th and 15th, then returned to Tokyo on the 18th. On 24 July, she bombarded Cape Shiono at the southern extremity of Honshu, and then returned to screening the fleet from suicide attack while it sent planes to pummel Honshu and Shikoku.

On 15 August 1945, the Japanese Empire capitulated and, four days later, Stockham joined the Yokosuka occupation force, which entered Sagami Wan on 27 August. She supported the landings at Tokyo Bay and at Tateyama on the 30th and 31st respectively, then anchored off Yokosuka on 2 September for six days of upkeep, provisioning, and recreation. She was underway from 9 to 18 September, supporting the minesweeping operations in Sendai Bay and in the vicinity of Goshi. She returned to Tokyo Bay for a month on 19 September, conducted training exercises between 24 and 28 October, and then provisioned for the voyage home. On 31 October, Stockham stood out of Yokosuka to return to the United States. After more than a year on the west coast, she was decommissioned and berthed at San Diego, Calif.

The hostilities in Korea in 1950 necessitated an increase in the size of the active fleet. Stockham was recommissioned on 14 November 1951, Comdr. A. P. Zavadil in command. She was assigned to the Atlantic Fleet until 1953, engaged in fleet training missions out of Newport, R.I. In December 1953, the destroyer joined the United Nations Fleet and operated in the Far East until the summer of 1954. In July, she returned to Newport after completing a circumnavigation of the world. In November 1954, Stockham entered Boston Naval Shipyard and, at the completion of her overhaul in February 1955, she shook down in the Caribbean. She then resumed normal operations with the Atlantic Fleet until 1 February 1956, when she was posted to the 6th Fleet. She cruised the Mediterranean for four months; visited Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, and Greece; then, resumed operations out of Newport. Stockham returned to the 6th Fleet in the fall of 1956; visited France, Italy, and Greece; and participated in an antisubmarine exercise with American and Italian ships. On 23 February 1957, the destroyer returned to Newport. Seven months later, she was decommissioned and placed in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Philadelphia, Pa., where she remains to date.

Stockham (DD-683) earned eight battle stars during World War II.