Destroyer Renshaw

Renshaw

Country	United States
Ship Class	Fletcher-class Destroyer
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey, United States
Laid Down	7 May 1942
Launched	13 Oct 1942
Commissioned	5 Dec 1942
Decommissioned	1 Feb 1947
Displacement	2,050 tons standard; 2,924 tons full
Length	376 feet
Beam	40 feet
Draft	18 feet
Machinery	General Electric geared turbines with two screws
Power Output	60,000 shaft horsepower
Speed	35 knots
Range	6,500nm at 15 knots
Crew	329
Armament	5x5in guns, 4x40mm anti-aircraft, 4x20mm anti-aircraft, 10x21in torpedo tubes, 6 depth charge projec
Recommission	Jun 1950
Second Decommission	14 Feb 1970

Contributor:

ww2dbaseCommissioned with Commander C. F. Chillingworth in command, Renshaw took her shakedown cruise and reported to the Pacific Fleet in spring of 1943. She escorted transports in the Solomon Islands area and participated in the bombardment of the Vila Stanmore and Shortland Island areas in Kula Gulf beginning on 2 Jul 1943. Between 21 Nov 1943 and 19 Jan 1944, she bombarded Japanese positions at Bougainville, Buka, and Green Islands, then she sailed for Bougainville to provide naval gunfire support for the landing operations there. In Mar 1944, she bombarded Japanese positions in the New Britain and New Ireland area. After a brief training period at Pearl Harbor, she escorted LSTs during the landing operations on Tinian. In Nov 1944, she provided gunfire support in the Ormoc Bay area in the Philippines. On 31 Dec 1944, she sailed with a task unit to screen a large Allied transport formation sailing for Lingayen Gulf at Luzon; the task force reached Luzon for landing operations on 9 Jan 1944 safely.

ww2dbaseOn 21 Feb 1945, Renshaw was struck by a torpedo. With a hole 3 meters below the waterline, her firerooms were flooded and the ship lost all power. 19 men were killed and 20 more injured. She remained afloat and was eventually escorted to San Pedro Bay for temporary repairs and then to the Todd Pacific Shipyard in Tacoma, Washington, United States for permanent repairs. Because of the torpedo damage, she missed the remainder of the war.

ww2dbaseOn 27 Oct 1945, in New York Harbor, President Harry Truman reviewed the Navy Day victory parade from aboard Renshaw.

ww2dbaseRenshaw was decommissioned in 1947, but she was recommissioned during the Korean War as an anti-submarine vessel. She served two tours of duty in the Pacific Rim area, serving in anti-submarine, escort, patrol, search and rescue, and bombardment duties. In 1960, she received the new anti-submarine weapon Weapon Alpha. On 17 Dec 1961, she recovered the nose-cone of space shuttle Discoverer 36. On 3 October, she participated in the recovery of Project Mercury Astronaut Commander Walter M. Schirra. In 1965, she returned to the Pacific Rim, this time operating in the South China Sea area off Taiwan and Vietnam. She returned to Pearl Harbor from her 12th and final Western Pacific tour in Dec 1969, and was decommissioned in Feb 1970. She was sold for scrap in Oct 1970 to Zidell Explorations Inc.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Dec 2006

Destroyer Renshaw Interactive Map

Photographs

Truman aboard USS Renshaw during Navy Day Fleet Review, New York City, New York, United States, 27 Oct 1945; note USS Missouri

Line drawing of the Fletcher-class destroyer.

Renshaw Operational Timeline

5 Dec 1942	Renshaw was commissioned into service.
30 Jun 1943	Cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia in column with destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle bombarded Japanese shore installations in the Buin-Shortlands area of southern Bougainville, Solomon Islands.
6 Jul 1943	Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle arrived in the southern Solomon Islands and began operating out of Tulagi.
7 Jul 1943	The day after the Battle of Kula Gulf, a second cruiser force consisting of cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle departed Tulagi on a night patrol up the New Georgia Sound (the "Slot").
10 Jul 1943	Cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle departed Tulagi on a night patrol up the New Georgia Sound (the "Slot").
12 Jul 1943	In the early morning darkness, cruisers USS Montpelier, USS Denver, USS Cleveland, and USS Columbia and destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle conducted a bombardment of Japanese installations in the Munda area on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands.
15 Jul 1943	Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Philip, USS Saufley, USS Waller, and USS Pringle made a nighttime, flank-speed sortie from Tulagi to Doveli Cove on Vella Lavella in the Solomon Islands.
23 Aug 1943	Shortly after midnight, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Chevalier, USS O’Bannon, USS Taylor, USS Saufley, USS Cony, and USS Renshaw made a patrol through Vella Gulf, Solomon Islands without locating any shipping. Persistent air attacks from Japanese aircraft resulted in no damage.
28 Feb 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, USS Renshaw, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Eaton, and USS Sigourney departed Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands bound for Cape St. George on New Ireland on a bombardment sortie.
29 Feb 1944	After refueling at the Treasury Islands, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, USS Renshaw, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Eaton, and USS Sigourney shelled the Japanese radar station on Point St. George on New Ireland and then set a course for Borpop Airfield area.
1 Mar 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, and USS Renshaw shelled the Japanese airfield at Borpop on New Ireland and then set a course for Nabuto Harbor. At Nabuto Bay, the ships shelled harbor installations and shore batteries before retiring at high speed toward Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands.
2 Mar 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, and USS Renshaw arrived at Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
10 Mar 1944	Destroyers USS Saufley, USS Philip, and USS Renshaw departed Tulagi, Solomon Island bound for Empress Augusta Bay, Bougainville.
1 Apr 1944	Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands bound for Emirau Island in the Bismarck Islands.
16 Apr 1944	Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed the Emirau Island area in the Bismarck Islands bound for Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
18 Apr 1944	Destroyers USS Renshaw, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip arrived at Tulagi, Solomon Islands.
4 May 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed Tulagi, Solomon Islands bound for Funafuti. Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu).
5 May 1944	On 6 May 1944, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip reset their logs to 5 May 1944 local date and arrived at Funafuti. Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu).
6 May 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip departed Funafuti, Ellice Islands (now Tuvalu) bound for Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i and they crossed the 180th meridian later that day.
7 May 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip crossed the equator northbound.
10 May 1944	While transiting from Funafuti, Ellice Islands to Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip were diverted to an area about 85 miles north of their track to investigate a sighting of a possible Japanese submarine.
11 May 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, USS Pringle, and USS Philip spent the day searching for the Japanese submarine believed to be in this area. Several sound contacts were made but no targets could be developed. Due to fuel shortages, Waller, Saufley, Pringle, and Philip resumed course for Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i while Renshaw remained until relieved by USS McCalla 7 hours later.
12 May 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Pringle, and USS Philip, and later USS Renshaw separately, arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i.
24 Aug 1944	Destroyer USS Saufley and the convoy she was screening arrived at Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i. Saufley rejoined with destroyers USS Waller, USS Philip, USS Renshaw, and USS Conway and departed Pearl Harbor bound for San Francisco, California, United States.
30 Aug 1944	Destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Philip, USS Renshaw, and USS Conway arrived at San Francisco, California, United States for scheduled overhauls. Waller entered General Engineering and Drydock Company in Alameda, Saufley entered Bethlehem Steel Company in San Francisco, Philip entered Moore Drydock Company in Oakland, Renshaw moored at San Francisco's Pier 20 North where work was performed by the United Engineering Company, and Conway entered the United Engineering Company yard in Alameda.
6 Nov 1944	Battleship USS Colorado with escorting destroyers USS Renshaw and USS Saufley departed Pearl Harbor, Hawai'i bound for Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
17 Nov 1944	Battleship USS Colorado with escorting destroyers USS Renshaw and USS Saufley arrived at Ulithi, Caroline Islands.
18 Nov 1944	Battleship USS Colorado with escorting destroyers USS Renshaw and USS Saufley departed Ulithi, Caroline Islands bound for Leyte, Philippines.
20 Nov 1944	Battleship USS Colorado with escorting destroyers USS Renshaw and USS Saufley arrived at Leyte Gulf, Philippines. Renshaw and Saufley were released by Colorado and joined USS Maryland's Task Group 77.2 patrolling Leyte Gulf.
27 Nov 1944	US Navy Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, USS Colorado, and USS New Mexico, cruisers USS Denver, USS St. Louis, USS Columbia, USS Minneapolis, and USS Montpelier, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Waller, USS Eaton, USS Cony, USS Mustin, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Lang, USS Sigourney, USS Saufley, USS Aulick, USS Renshaw, USS Taylor, USS Edwards, and USS Mugford, tanker USS Caribou, and other patrol craft were patrolling in Leyte Gulf, Philippines when the group came under a concentrated Japanese special air attack from 20 to 30 aircraft. All but two of the Japanese planes dived on the formation in the sustained attack. Submarine chaser SC-744 was sunk and battleship Colorado and cruisers St. Louis and Montpelier were damaged.
28 Nov 1944	Beginning late the night before, destroyers USS Waller, USS Saufley, USS Renshaw, and USS Pringle transited the Surigao Strait and bombarded shore targets in Ormoc Bay, Leyte. Upon retiring shortly after midnight, the destroyers detected a Japanese submarine on the surface. All destroyers opened fire with their 5-inch/38 caliber guns and the submarine sank by the stern (some sources suggest this was submarine I-46 but others content Yu-2 is more likely). The destroyers then returned through the Surigao Strait into Leyte Gulf.
29 Nov 1944	US Navy Task Group 77.2 consisting of battleships USS Maryland, USS West Virginia, and USS New Mexico, cruisers USS Denver, USS Columbia, USS Minneapolis, USS Montpelier, and USS Portland, destroyers USS Nicholas, USS Waller, USS Cony, USS Conway, USS Pringle, USS Lang, USS Saufley, USS Aulick, USS Renshaw, USS Edwards, USS Mugford, and USS Connor, and other patrol craft were patrolling in Leyte Gulf, Philippines when the group came under a Japanese air attack where special attack aircraft damaged Maryland, Saufley, and Aulick.
1 Feb 1947	Renshaw was decommissioned from service.

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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Anonymous says:
4 May 2010 08:46:42 AM

great detil

2. Tammi Johnson says:
4 Dec 2014 07:07:04 AM

Hi, I believe you need to include the USS Strong DD 467 in your web page. She was felled by the longest missile strike in WW2 history at over 11 nautical miles on July 5, 1943, just 25 hours ahead of the sinking of the USS Helena. I lost a family member on the ship, and believe her role in the Solomons campaign has been greatly under-rated. I have a web site dedicated to her history and that of my great-uncle William C. Hedrick, Jr. at www.projectuss-strongdd467.com.

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Renshaw