USS Manley (DD-74)

USS "Manley" (DD-74/AG-28/APD-1), a Sclass|Caldwell|destroyer, served in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named for Captain John Manley (c.1733–1793).

"Manley" was laid down 22 August 1916 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched 23 August 1917; sponsored by Miss Dorothy S. Sewall; and commissioned 15 October 1917, Commander Robert L. Berry in command. She was redesignated DD-74 17 July 1920.

World War I

After fitting out in Boston Navy Yard, "Manley" sailed 25 November 1917 to join the convoy escort and patrol forces based at Queenstown, Ireland. On the morning of 19 March 1918, while "Manley" escorted a convoy, a violent explosion, caused by the accidental detonation of her depth charges practically destroyed her stern, killing her executive officer, Lt. Comdr. Richard M. Elliot, Jr., and 33 enlisted men. Fragments pierced two 50-gallon drums of gasoline and two tanks containing 100 gallons of alcohol. The leaking fluids caught fire as they ran along the deck and enveloped the ship in flames which were not extinguished until late that night.

Then HMS "Tamarisk" edged up to the shattered destroyer and unsuccessfully tried to put a towline on board. "Manley" remained adrift until British tugs "Blazer" and "Cartmel" took her in tow after daylight 20 March. She reached Queenstown at dusk the following day with more than 70 feet of her hull awash or completely under water.

Inter-war years

"Manley" completed repairs in Liverpool and sailed on 22 December 1918 for operations along the eastern seaboard of the United States. She got underway 11 April 1919 to join U.S. Naval Forces in the Adriatic Sea transporting passengers, carrying mail, and performing diplomatic missions. In June 1919 she began carrying, mail and members of the U.S. Food Commission among Turkish ports in the Black Sea. The destroyer returned from the Mediterranean to New York 1 August 1919 and decommissioned at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 14 June 1922.

The destroyer recommissioned 1 May 1930 for service as an experimental torpedo-firing ship at Newport, Rhode Island. On 19 August 1930 she joined the Scouting Fleet in battle practice along the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean. She performed similar duty on the coast of California out of San Diego during 1932. She returned to the Atlantic early in 1933 for operations which continued until she sailed for the Panama Canal Zone 10 September 1935 and joined the Special Service Squadron that patrolled the Caribbean.

"Manley" sailed for Norfolk, Virginia 1 February 1937 to join DesRon 10 in training midshipmen. On 26 October 1937 she sailed from Boston, Massachusetts with "Claxton" (DD-140) to serve with Squadron 40-T in protecting American interests in the Mediterranean during the Spanish Civil War. She operated principally from Villefranche, Naples, Algiers, and Tangiers until she departed Gibraltar 29 October 1938, arriving Norfolk 11 November 1938. Reclassified a miscellaneous auxiliary 28 November, she was redesignated AG-28.

As an auxiliary and high-speed transport

"Manley" was outfitted as a troop transport in the New York Navy Yard by 7 February 1939. Her first marine landing force drill was carried out on 21 February when she landed marines in Target Bay, Culebra Island in the first of many landing exercises on the Virginia and North Carolina beaches and in the Caribbean that would prove of great benefit to the United States in the vast oversea conflict then just over the horizon. "Manley" briefly visited the California coast in the spring of 1940 for marine landing force drills off Coronado Roads. Back in the Atlantic, "Manley" was officially designated the Navy’s first high-speed transport 2 August 1940 when she became APD-1.

World War II

At dusk 11 April 1942, she picked up 290 survivors from the torpedoed merchant passenger steamer SS "Ulysses", and landed them at Charleston, South Carolina the following day. On 13 July 1942 "Manley" transited the Panama Canal for duty with the Pacific Fleet. Touching the Society and Fiji Islands, she reached Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 14 August, and loaded special cargo for Guadalcanal, invaded only one week earlier.

Carrying bombs, ammunition, and gasoline, "Manley" and "Stringham" (DD-83) got underway on 16 August. After exchanging their cargo for wounded marines, they returned to Espiritu Santo on the 19th. "Manley" was ordered to take torpedoed "Blue" (DD-387) in tow for Tulagi harbor before nightfall. Since a Japanese surface force was approaching, it was necessary to scuttle the destroyer. "Manley" took 99 survivors on board. Only 2 hours of fuel remained when the ship made it back to Espiritu Santo on the 26th.

Ordered to cut out all topside weight on the ship, her crew removed everything not essential to survival, painted the ship jungle green and covered her with camouflage nets. Thus arrayed, the high-speed transport made another trip to Guadalcanal 3 September 1942. After "Little" (APD-4) and "Gregory" (APD-3) were sunk at night 5 September, she rescued five survivors the next morning.

On 8 September 1942 "Manley" took part in a surprise landing on Taivu Point, Guadalcanal, by the 1st Marine Raider Battalion. The leathernecks were put ashore at 05:00, and were reinforced by paratroopers from "Manley" at 11:30. During the operation she bombarded Tasimboko village. The raid was a great success, and played an important role in final victory. Stores, ammunition, and equipment were destroyed and many 75 mm guns were pulled off into deep water by Higgins boats. Larger guns were dynamited, and their ammunition sunk. Reembarkation was completed by 18:30, and "Manley" returned to Lunga Point to put the raiders ashore.

As she was unloading, the shore station ordered her to clear out at highest speed, since a raid by Japanese heavy units was expected momentarily. With 200 marines, including wounded and dead, on board, she hoisted all boats and headed out Lengo Channel with "McKean" (DD-784) at 21:10. "Manley" had fuel for only one day’s operations and so returned to Tulagi the next day. Taking on enough fuel to reach Espiritu Santo, she was routed onward for voyage repairs at Nouméa, New Caledonia.

A company of marine raiders came on board 31 October 1942 with orders to establish a beachhead at Aola Bay, Guadalcanal. Task Force 65 (TF 65) put the marines ashore 4 November 1942. and troops from "Manley" and "McKean" reinforced them on the 8th.

The versatile fighting ship left Nouméa 20 November 1942 carrying six torpedoes, towing two PT boats, and escorting SS "Pomona" to Espiritu Santo. Here she embarked another company of raiders and sailed for Lunga Point, Guadalcanal where the raiders debarked. The PT boats and torpedoes were then delivered to Tulagi, Solomon Islands. In the following months, the high-speed transport was constantly engaged in the risky business of running supplies into Guadalcanal and escorting other ships through the dangerous Solomons.

"Manley" arrived San Francisco, California 12 June 1943 for overhaul at Hunters Point Navy Yard. Then, on 1 August 1943, "Manley" set sail for Hawaii. From Pearl Harbor, the veteran four-piper escorted a convoy south to Funafuti to resume her former duties in the Solomon Islands.

"Manley" arrived Pearl Harbor 14 December 1943 and joined the 5th Amphibious Force to prepare for Operation Flintlock, the invasion of the Marshall Islands. She sortied 22 January 1944 with TF 52. On the 30th she and "Overton" (DD–239) were detached to make a dawn strike on Carter and Cecil Islands of Kwajalein Atoll. All boats and troops were launched shortly before sunrise on 31 January 1944, and by 09:00 reported that they had killed 13 of the enemy on the island at a cost of one American killed and one wounded.

The two high-speed transports were ordered to land reconnaissance troops on Bennett Island before dawn 5 February, and "Manley" was designated fire support ship. The area was well-covered, and the operation went off on schedule.

Three days later "Manley" got underway as part of a transport screen for Hawaii, arriving Pearl Harbor on the 15th to train Army troops for future landings.

On 30 May "Manley" joined Task Group 52.15 (TG 52.15) and departed for the invasion of Saipan. The high-speed transports arrived off Saipan on the night of 14 June and landed their marines on established beaches south of Garapan 16 June. Thereafter, except for a trip to Eniwetok for supplies and night harassing fire on Tinian Town and airports on the nights of 9, 12, and 18 July "Manley" operated in the transport screen until 22 July. She returned to Eniwetok on the 22d and, after a trip to Kwajalein, sailed to Pearl Harbor, arriving 9 August, she began preparations for the next operation.

On 10 September "Manley" took on board 50 tons of explosives, slated as reserves for underwater demolition team work in the proposed invasion of Yap. She left Pearl Harbor on the 15th and proceeded via Eniwetok to Manus, Admiralty Islands. There word arrived that the operation against Yap had been canceled and that the forces assembled would strike Leyte in the Philippines. "Manley" was then assigned to the bombardment and fire support group which arrived in Leyte Gulf early 18 October.

After entering Leyte Gulf, "Manley" was assigned screening stations off the southern transport area at Dulag. On the 19th she picked up casualties from "Ross" (DD-563), and transferred them to "Pennsylvania" (BB-38). After marking a navigational buoy during the early morning hours of the 20th, she headed toward Hollandia with TransDiv 28, on the evening of 21 October.

En route, part of the convoy, including "Manley", was diverted to Seeadler Harbor, Manus, Admiralty Islands, and anchored there on the 27th. After an escort trip to New Guinea, "Manley" returned to Seeadler Harbor. In mid-December, she shifted to Noemfoor Island for tactical exercises and training for the liberation of Luzon.

"Manley" sailed 4 January 1945 as part of a reinforcement group for the landings at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, landing her embarked troops on the 11th. Two days later she left Lingayen, escorting an LST convoy which anchored in Leyte Gulf 18 January.

"Manley" was one of four high-speed transports assigned to an assault landing at Nasugbu, Luzon, 31 January. With elements of the 11th Airborne Division, "Manley" arrived at Nasugbu Bay 31 January and landed troops in two waves without resistance. That afternoon "Manley" returned to Leyte. She proceeded to Mindoro for fueling, then escorted a convoy to Subic Bay.

To block retreat by the Japanese into Bataan, "Manley" with TransDiv 100 and 6 LCI(L) s, put some 700 assault troops ashore at Mariveles 15 February 1945. On the 17th, she landed troops on Corregidor. Hidden gun emplacements shelled her boats, sinking one and wounding an Army officer, but the landings succeeded. That evening the transport returned to Subic Bay.

On 2 April the transport joined the screen of escort aircraft carriers loaded with the first land-based planes to be sent to Okinawa. The first section of the task group launched planes to land on Okinawa 7 April 1945. The following day "Manley's" task group closed the islands to launch the remainder of the aircraft for landing strips on that bitterly contested “last stepping stone” to Japan. "Manley" dropped depth charges on a submarine contact during the launch. Then she protected escort carriers "White Plains" (CVE-66) and "Hollandia" (CVE-97) to Guam.

1945 and the end of the war

"Manley" arrived San Diego 23 May for overhaul. She was reclassified DD-74 on 25 June 1945 and sailed 24 July for the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard, where she was fitted with a catapult for target drones. As she was helping train gunners to meet Kamikaze attacks, the war ended and "Manley" departed the Hawaiian Islands 26 September for San Diego, then via the Panama Canal to Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where she decommissioned 19 November 1945. Her name was struck from the Navy list 5 December 1945; and she was sold for scrapping to the Northern Metal Company, Philadelphia, 26 November 1946.

"Manley" received five battle stars of World War II service and was awarded the Navy Unit Commendation.

References

External links

* [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/flushdeck/ussmanley.html USS "Manley" website] at [http://www.destroyerhistory.org/index.html Destroyer History Foundation]