History of the USS Bell (DD587)
A Fletcher Class Destroyer (circa 1943)The U.S.S. Bell was named for Henry H. Bell, who was born in North Carolina in 1808 and appointed a Midshipman on August 4, 1823. During the Civil War he served as Fleet Captain of the West Gulf Blockading Squadron under Admiral Faragut. Promoted to Rear Admiral on July 25, 1866, he was drowned when his barge capsized in Osaka Harbor, Japan, on January 11, 1868.
The second Bell (DD587) was launched June 24, 1942, by Charleston Naval Yard. It was sponsored by Mrs. Clea Cook Hulse, great grandniece of Admiral Bell, and was commissioned March 4, 1943, with Commander L. C. Peatross in command.
Until November, 1943, the Bell operated on patrol and escort in the North Atlantic, making one voyage to Britain in August. She got underway for the Pacific on November 6 and arrived in Pearl Harbor on November 27. The Bell then joined TF58 for the Kavieng, New Ireland, strikes (December 25, 1943, and January 1 and 4, 1944); Kwajalein, Marshall Islands, invasion (January 29 - February 2); Truk strike (February 17 and 18); Marianas raid (February 21 and 22); Carolines strike (March 30 - April 1); Hollandia landings (April 21 - 24); Saipan invasion (June 12 - 24); 1st Bonins raid (June 15 and 16); Battle of the Philippine Sea (June 19 and 20); 2nd Bonins raid (June 24); 3rd Bonins raid (July 3 and 4); Guam invasion (July 21); western Carolines raids (July 25 - 28); 4th Bonins raid (August 4 and 5); Palau raids (September 9 - 24); Okinawa raid (October 10); and with TF38 in the Formosa raids (October 12 - 17). The Bell formed part of the escort of the crippled Houston (CL-81) and Canberra (CN-70) from Formosa to Ulithi (October 15 - 29). She then rejoined the 3rd Fleet for strikes against Luzon (November 5 - December 16) and the invasion of Lingayen Gulf, Luzon (January 4 - 18, 1945).
During the late evening of January 31, 1945, while at 13 degrees 20 North, 119 degrees 20 East, she joined the O'Bannon (DD-450) and the Ulvert M. Moore (DE-442) in sinking the Japanese submarine RO-115. The Bell returned to Puget Sound Navy Yard for repairs, arriving February 27. She departed the west coast on April 22 and arrived at Leyte on May 29. From there she steamed to the Brunei Bay (June 7 - 10) and Balikpapan, Borneo (July 1 - 3) landings. The Bell patrolled and escorted convoys in the Philippines until the end of the war and then served on occupation duty at Okinawa, China, and Korea until December 14, 1945, when she left for San Francisco, arriving January 4, 1946. Placed out of commission in reserve on June 14, 1946, she joined the San Diego Group, Pacific Reserve Fleet.
The U.S.S. Bell (DD-587) received twelve battle stars for her participation in World War II.
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Laid Down: 30 December 1941 Commissioned: 4 March 1943 Launched: 24 March 1943 Decommissioned: 14 June 1946 Struck: 1 November 1972 Fate: Sunk as target 11 May 1975 Displacement: 2,050 tons Length: 376 ft 6 in (114.7 m) Beam: 39 ft. 7 in (12.1m) Draft: 17ft 9in (5.4m) Propulsion: 60,000 shp (45MW); 2 propellers Range: 6500 nmi. (12,000 km) @15 kt Complement: 329 Armament: 5 x 5 in./38 guns (127 mm), 10x21 in. torpedo tube |