USS AARON WARD DD-773

USS AARON WARD DD-773 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, June 2022

The third Aaron Ward (DD-773) was laid down on 12 December 1943 at San Pedro, Calif., by the Bethlehem Steel Corp.; launched on 5 May 1944; sponsored by Mrs. G. H. Ratliff; redesignated a light minelayer, DM-34, on 19 July 1944; and placed in commission on 28 October 1944, Cmdr. William H. Sanders, Jr., in command.

Between commissioning and the end of January 1945, Aaron Ward completed fitting out and conducted her shakedown cruise off the California coast. On 9 February, she departed San Pedro, bound for Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 15 February. The warship conducted additional training in Hawaiian waters before loading supplies and ammunition and getting underway on 5 March to join the Fifth Fleet at Ulithi. She entered the lagoon of that atoll in the Western Carolines on 16 March but put to sea again on the 19th with Task Force (TF) 52 bound for the Ryukyu Islands.

The Mine Flotilla, of which Aaron Ward was a unit, arrived off Okinawa late on the 22nd. The following day, the light minelayer got her first glimpse of the enemy when some of his planes approached the sweep group but did not attack. More came in later, but the combined gunfire of the group dissuaded them from approaching close enough to harm the American ships. The first actual air raid occurred on the 26th, and Adams (DM-27) knocked the intruder out of the sky.

Aaron Ward supported minesweeping operations around Kerama Retto and Okinawa until the time of the first landings. During that period, she accounted for three enemy aircraft. On 1 April 1945, the day of the initial assault on Okinawa, the light minelayer began screening the heavy warships providing gunfire support for the troops ashore. That duty lasted until 4 April when she departed the Ryukyus and headed for the Marianas. She arrived at Saipan on the 10th but shifted to Guam later that day. After several days of minor repairs, Aaron Ward headed back to Okinawa to patrol in the area around Kerama Retto. During that patrol period, she came under frequent air attack. On the 27th, she splashed one enemy plane and, the next day, accounted for one more and claimed a probable kill in addition. She returned to Kerama Retto to replenish her provisions and fuel. While she was there, a kamikaze scored a hit on Pinkney (APH-2). Aaron Ward moved alongside the stricken evacuation transport to help fight the inferno blazing amidships. While so engaged, she also rescued 12 survivors from Pinkney.

On 30 April 1945, the light minelayer returned to sea to take up position on radar picket station number 10. That night, she helped repulse several air attacks; but, for the most part, weather kept enemy airpower away until the afternoon of 3 May. When the weather began to clear, the probability of air attacks rose. At about dusk, Aaron Ward’s radar picked up bogies at 27 miles distance; and her crew went to general quarters. Two of the planes in the formation broke away and began runs on Aaron Ward. The warship opened fire on the first from about 7,000 yards and began scoring hits when he had closed range to 4,000 yards. At that point, he dipped over into his suicide dive but splashed about 100 yards off the light minelayer’s starboard quarter. The second of the pair began his approach immediately thereafter. Aaron Ward opened fire on him at about 8,000 yards and, once again, began scoring hits to good effect-so much so that her antiaircraft battery destroyed him while he was still 1,200 yards away.

At that point, a third and more determined intruder appeared and dove in on Aaron Ward’s stern. Though repeatedly struck by antiaircraft fire, the plane pressed home the attack with grim determination. Just before crashing into Aaron Ward’s superstructure, he released a bomb which smashed through her hull below the waterline and exploded in the after engine room. The bomb explosion flooded the after engine and fire rooms, ruptured fuel tanks, set the leaking oil ablaze, and severed steering control connections to the bridge. The rudder jammed at hard left, and Aaron Ward turned in a tight circle while slowing to about 20 knots. Topside, the plane itself spread fire and destruction through the area around the after deckhouse and deprived mount 53 of all power and communication. Worse yet, many sailors were killed or injured in the crash.

For about 20 minutes, no attacking plane succeeded in penetrating her air defenses. Damage control parties worked feverishly to put out fires, to repair what damage they could, to jettison ammunition in danger of exploding, and to attend to the wounded. Though steering control was moved aft to the rudder itself, the ship was unable to maneuver properly throughout the remainder of the engagement. Then, at about 1840, the ships on her station came under a particularly ferocious air attack. While Little (DD-803) was hit by the five successive crashes that sank her, LSM(R)-195 took the crash that sent her to the bottom; and LCS(L)-25 lost her mast to a suicider. Aaron Ward also suffered her share of added woe. Just before 1900, one plane from the group of attackers selected her as a target and began his approach from about 8,000 yards. Fortunately, the light minelayer began scoring hits early and managed to splash the attacker when he was still 2,000 yards away. Another enemy then attempted to crash into her, but he, too, succumbed to her antiaircraft fire.

Her troubles, however, were not over. Soon after the two successes just mentioned, two more Japanese planes came in on her port bow. Though chased by American fighters, one of these succeeded in breaking away and starting a run on Aaron Ward. He came in at a steep dive apparently aiming at the bridge. Heavy fire from the light minelayer, however, forced him to veer toward the after portion of the ship. Passing over the signal bridge, he carried away halyards and antennae assemblies, smashed into the stack and then splashed down close aboard to starboard.

Quickly on the heels of that attack, still another intruder swooped in toward Aaron Ward. Coming in just forward of her port beam, he met a hail of antiaircraft fire but pressed home his attack resolutely and released a bomb just before he crashed into her main deck. The bomb exploded a few feet close aboard her port side, and its fragments showered the ship and blew a large hole through the shell plating near her forward fireroom. As a result, the ship lost all power and gradually lost headway. At that point, a previously unobserved enemy crashed into the ship’s deckhouse bulkhead causing numerous fires and injuring and killing many more crewmen.

As if that were not enough, Aaron Ward had to endure two more devastating crashes before the action ended. At about 1921, a plane glided in steeply on her port quarter. The loss of power prevented any of her 5-inch mounts from bearing on him, and he crashed into her port side superstructure. Burning gasoline engulfed the deck in flames, 40-millimeter ammunition began exploding, and still more heavy casualties resulted. The warship went dead in the water, her after superstructure deck demolished, and she was still on fire. While damage control crews fought the fires and flooding, Aaron Ward began to settle in the water and took on a decided list to port.

She still had one ordeal, however, to suffer. Just after 1920, a final bomb-laden tormentor made a high-speed, low-level approach and crashed into the base of her number 2 stack. The explosion blew the plane, the stack, searchlight, and two gun mounts into the air, and they all came to rest strewn across the deck aft of stack number 1. Through the night, her crew fought to save the ship. At 2106, Shannon (DM-25) arrived and took Aaron Ward in tow. Early on the morning of 4 May, she arrived at Kerama Retto where she began temporary repairs. She remained there until 11 June when she got underway for the United States. Steaming via Ulithi, Guam, Eniwetok, Pearl Harbor, and the Panama Canal, Aaron Ward arrived in New York in mid-August. On 28 September 1945, she was decommissioned, and her name was stricken from the Navy Register. In July 1946, she was sold for scrapping.

Aaron Ward (DM-34) received the Presidential Unit Citation for her heroic battle on 3 May 1945, and one battle star for her service.in the assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto (25 March-11 June 1945).

Commanding Officer                                Date Assumed Command

Cmdr. William H. Sanders, Jr.,                  28 October 1944

A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS AARON WARD DD-773

The Tin Can Sailor, April 1999

Named for Aaron Ward, who distinguished himself at the Battle of Santiago during the Spanish-American War and served as the Supervisor of New York Harbor until he retired in 1913, the DM-34 was the third ship to bear the admiral’s name. Launched as the DD-773 on 5 May 1944, she was reclassified DM-34 on 19 July. The WARD was commissioned 28 October 1944 as a unit of Division 9, Mine Squadron 3.

She arrived at Pearl Harbor on 15 February 1945. With a month of additional training behind her, she entered the lagoon at Ulithi on 16 March to prepare for the invasion of Okinawa. On the 19th, she put to sea bound for the Ryukyus. The mine force arrived late on 22 March and the next day began sweeping operations off Kerama Retto. While supporting minesweeping operations around Kerama Retto and Okinawa, the WARD’s gun crews shot down three enemy aircraft.

Finally, on the day of the initial landings, the DM moved in to screen the heavy warships covering the troops ashore. She continued that duty until 4 April when she left Okinawan waters for minor repairs at Guam. Returning to take up picket duty in the Kerama Retto area, the WARD’s gun crews shot down two enemy planes and drove off countless others. She was in port at Kerama Retto for provisions and fuel when a kamikaze scored a hit on the PINKNEY (APH-2). Her crew helped fight the fire blazing aboard the stricken transport and, in the process of bringing the fire under control, rescued twelve survivors.

Back at sea on 30 April, the DM took up her position on radar picket station. She fought off several air attacks before foul weather closed in, keeping enemy raids at a minimum for the next three days. By the afternoon of 3 May, however, the weather began to clear. At 1822, general quarters sounded. The WARD’s radar had picked up bogies at twenty-seven miles distance. Two of the planes broke out of the formation and made a run on the WARD. Her gunners opened fire on the first and began scoring hits when he’d closed the range to 4,000 yards. That was when the pilot began his suicide dive. His calculations were off and trailing smoke, the plane plunged into the water 100 yards off the ship’s starboard quarter. The impact carried the plane’s engine, propeller, and part of one wing into the DM’s after deck house, but with little damage and no casualties.

The WARD’s crew had no time to cheer because the second of the kamikazes was right behind the first. Her gunners destroyed the plane at a distance of 1,200 yards. At that point, a Zeke appeared off the WARD’s stern. Struck repeatedly by antiaircraft fire, the plane continued on its deadly course. Just before plowing into the ship’s superstructure, the pilot released his bomb, which penetrated her hull below the water line and exploded in the after engine room. The ensuing explosion flooded the after engine and fire rooms, ruptured fuel tanks, set the leaking oil ablaze, and severed steering control connections to the bridge. The rudder jammed at hard left, and the WARD turned in a tight circle while slowing to about twenty knots. Meanwhile the plane itself had spread destruction around the after deck house, killing and injuring many of the ship’s crew. Her Number 3, five-inch mount lost power but continued under local control.

For the next twenty minutes, the ship’s air defense kept the enemy at a safe distance while her damage control parties worked feverishly to put out the fires, repair what damage they could, jettison ammunition in danger of exploding, and attend to the wounded. The ship still could not maneuver properly and was particularly vulnerable when she and the other ships on station number ten came under furious attack at about 1859. Nearby, the LITTLE (DD-803) was sent to the bottom by five kamikaze hits, and a suicide plane also sank the LSMR-195. The WARD, herself, was the target of two enemy planes. Her gunners splashed one and exploded the other in the air with a direct hit. Almost immediately thereafter, two Vals dove on the crippled ship. One began his run on the WARD, apparently aiming for the bridge. Heavy fire from her guns forced the plane to veer toward the after portion of the ship. As he passed over the signal bridge, the attacker carried away halyards and antennae assemblies, smashed into the stack, and then hit the water just off the starboard side.

With not a second to spare, the WARD’s gunners had to swing quickly to face another attacker coming in just forward of the ship’s port beam. Continuing through a rain of antiaircraft fire, the attacking pilot released a bomb just before he crashed into the WARD’s main deck. The bomb exploded in the forward fire room causing the ship to lose propulsion. Now unable to maneuver at all, she lay in the path of a fifth enemy plane. The raider came out of the smoke and crashed into her deck house bulkhead starting fires and injuring and killing many more crewmen. It was now forty minutes after the attack began, and the action hadn’t ended for the WARD and her crew.

At about 1921, another suicide plane dove in on the ship’s port quarter crashing into her superstructure. Burning gasoline engulfed the deck in flames, and the ship’s 40-mm ammunition began exploding. Still more men died or were wounded. By now, the ship was ablaze, dead in the water, her superstructure deck demolished. Her damage control crews fought valiantly to contain the fire and flooding, but the WARD was beginning to settle in the water. And the enemy had not yet finished with her.

A final bomb-laden attacker made a high-speed, low-level approach and crashed into the base of the DM’s number two stack. The explosion blew the plane, the stack, searchlight, and two 20-mm gun mounts into the air. The debris was strewn across the deck aft of stack Number 1. Lying low in the water, the WARD was listing eight degrees to starboard, her main deck just five inches above the water. With the help of two LCSs, her crew, joined by gunners and sailors from the Black Gang who no longer had stations to tend, fought through the night in the midst of flames and exploding ammunition to save their ship. Damage control parties bravely wet down the magazines by hand, knowing that the ammunition could explode at any minute. The ship’s doctor and a handful of corpsmen treated fifty-five major and twenty lesser injuries during the night. Finally at 2106, the SHANNON (DM-25) took the WARD in tow. In “fifty-two minutes of hell,” forty-five of her crew were either killed, missing, or died of wounds and forty-nine others were wounded. According to one later report, the WARD had been the victim of “one of the most intense and carefully coordinated mass suicide attacks on record.” She arrived at Kerama Retto on 4 May and was greeted by a message from Admiral Nimitz. “We all admire a ship that can’t be licked,” read the message. “Congratulations on your magnificent performance.”

After six weeks of repairs, and with one engine to power her, the WARD headed for home on 11 June. Her fighting days had come to an end, and the ship limped eastward, arriving in New York in mid-August 1945. The AARON WARD was decommissioned on 28 September 1945 and was stricken from the navy’s lists 11 October 1945. She was finally sold for scrap on 1 July 1946.