U.S. Destroyer Boyd Returns From Battle

From the Times Herald, home of Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, California, Thursday, September 27, 1945

Member Of Famous Destroyer Division 92 Arrives At M.I.

Her homeward bound pennant fluttering from foremast to fantail, the trim United States destroyer Boyd steamed into berth at Mare Island Navy Yard yesterday, the first member of the much decorated Destroyer Division 92 to arrive following the Japanese surrender.

Flagship of this division that won acclaim for its heroic role on picket duty in the Okinawa campaign, the Boyd is skippered by Comdr. A. E. Teall, USN, of San Francisco.

The vaunted group of tin cans often referred to by men in the command as "three Bs and a C," consists of the Boyd, Bandford, Brown and Cowell of the 2100 Fletcher class and were built at Terminal Island.

Distinguishing itself in the closing days of the Okinawa operation by destroying 32 Jap suiciders and turning back scores of others, Division 92 was on of the few units that escaped the relentless fury of "kamikaze" attacks on light shipping without so much as a man injured or hull scraped.

The Boyd's Gunnery Officer, Lt. Robert A. Low, USNR, of New York, a graduate of Stanford and a former Interscholastic tennis singles champion, told how it felt to be under Kamikaze attack.

SMASH KAMIKAZE WAR

"Picket Duty was the "no man's land" of the Destroyer Fleet," the gunnery officer related. "The Kamikazers flying mobility may have been mediocre, but his intent was a deadly and consequently a greater menace than he was given credit for. We always had to shoot 'way over our heads' to come out on top."

Skipper Teall was equally adamant in describing the suiciders as a definite threat. He explained further that the accented Kamikaze campaign waged against our surface units was

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Famed Vessel Returns From Pacific Battle

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finally broken up by the Destroyer Navy because they held and maintained their small but significant edge--by reason of sheer manuverability.

"There were several times when we had as many as 15 Nips coming at us from all angles," Comdr. Teall said, "and we knew it would take some fancy shooting and fast moving to stop them, and , we stopped'em."

In its two years of duty in the Pacific from "Tarawa to Tokyo," the Boyd has a lengthy record of war-time achievement.

On Dec. 8, 1943, this gallant little destroyer fought an island--the first engagement of its kind known, by this crew, to be recorded among the odd exploits of the war.

This "David and Goliath" encounter came about when the Boyd closed to within a few hundred yards of Nauru, a small but important Jap-held phosphate center near the equator, while on a mission to pick up possible survivors of a plane crash.

Jap shore batteries greeted the destroyer, scored two direct hits on their first salvo, knocking out the forward engine room and spraying No. 1 stack.

Although handicapped by loss of fire control and temporarily dead in the water, in the ensuing slug-fest that followed the destroyer outfought and silenced several of the Jap coastal guns. Regaining motive power on her after engine, she dodged the remaining shell bursts from shore and limped into port.

A noteworthy rescue mission was performed by this vessel when she picked up Lt. L.E. Price, a pilot from the USS Cowpens, after spotting the tiny life raft which he had been adrift for 11 days off the Marianas.

In the raids on Formosa and the Ryukyus last October, when the cruiser Houston was struck by an aerial torpedo, the Boyd and two other destroyers raced to the rescue of survivors from the damaged draft. While her gunners assisted in driving off several attacking torpedo and dive bombers. Boyd crew members remained at rescue stations throughout the repeated enemy air raids, picking up 385 Houston survivors.

At Iwo Jima, the destroyer was on 24 hour duty leading fire support round the clock. During the day her guns blasted a path ahead of the next Marine advance. At night the Boyd's batteries kept up a constant harassing and illumination fire, thwarting any attempts at a Jap counter attack.

ECLIPSE AIDS BOYD

While on picket duty in the closing days of the Okinawa operations, an eclipse of the moon helped the Boyd turn back heavy "Kamikaze" attack.

Silhouetted against one of the brightest fall moons in months, the Boyd was patrolling in company with two other destroyers when large groups of "bogies" appeared from several different directions.

Using the almost daylight brightness to press home the attack, the swarm of single and twin engined planes tried numerous times to breach the heavy anti-aircraft fire thrown up by the destroyers who presented clear outlined targets.

As the Jap planes seeming headed back for the "kill" bridge personnel noted the moon beginning to cloud, and in a few moments the ships were enveloped in total darkness. Under advantage of cover, the destroyer's gunners kept blazing away at the confused attackers and two "meatballs" were sent spinning into the sea. The remaining Jap planes fled.

The Boyd was occupied by mine sweeping operations off the China coast when the war ended.

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