USS Izard (DD-589)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States
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| Namesake: | Ralph Izard |
| Builder: | Charleston Navy Yard |
| Laid down: | 9 May 1942 |
| Launched: | 8 August 1942 |
| Commissioned: | 15 May 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 31 May 1946 |
| Struck: | 1 May 1968 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrap, 2 April 1970 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Fletcher class destroyer |
| Displacement: | 2,050 tons |
| Length: | 376 ft 6 in (114.7 m) |
| Beam: | 39 ft 8 in (12.1 m) |
| Draft: | 17 ft 9 in (5.4 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 35 knots (65 km/h) |
| Range: | 6500 nmi. (12,000 km) @ 15 kt |
| Complement: | 273 |
| Armament: |
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USS Izard (DD-589), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Lieutenant Ralph Izard (1785–1822),
Izard was launched 8 August 1942 by the Charleston Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. Robert E. Lee III, great-granddaughter of Lt. Ralph Izard; and commissioned 15 May 1943, Commander Earl K. Van Swearingen in command.
After shakedown interrupted by a search for a German U-boat off the coast of The Carolinas, Izard departed Norfolk 14 September 1943 and sailed for Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal Zone and San Diego. Arriving Pearl Harbor 4 October she spent the next 6 weeks training and standing plane guard duty.
As the Pacific Fleet started its mighty sweep across Micronesia Izard sortied 10 November 1943 from Pearl Harbor with Rear Admiral Charles Alan Pownall's Carrier Force (TF-50) for the Gilbert Islands operations, and for the next month provided air, surface and antisubmarine protection for Makin Island.
After taking part in the bombardment of Nauru Island 8 December 1943 Izard retired to Havannah Harbor, Efate. Here she trained and rehearsed for the fleet's next target—the Marshall Islands. Izard sortied from Funafuti Harbor, Ellice Island, 23 January 1944 with Rear Admiral Forrest Sherman's Carrier Task Group to provide air cover for the assault and capture of Kwajalein. At 04:40 29 January the carriers launched their first strikes toward Kwajalein. By that afternoon the fleet had delivered many devastating blows on the enemy. By 4 February Izard had entered Majuro Atoll, recently captured from the Japanese, and dropped anchor. Here she joined Admiral Raymond Spruance's Truk Striking Force and Admiral Marc Mitscher's Fast Carrier Task Force (TF 58/38) for strikes on Truk (17–18 February 1944). The first strike was launched at 06:42 17 February and after 2 days the carrier planes had destroyed auxiliary cruisers Aikoku Maru and Eiyosumi Maru; destroyer Fumizuki; submarine tenders Rio de Janeiro Maru and Heian Maru; aircraft ferry Fujikawa Maru, 6 tankers and 17 more marus; total tonnage about 200,000. Planes from Enterprise (CV-6) also sunk destroyers Oite and Agano. On the first day of the strikes while Admiral Mitscher's planes were at work, Admiral Spruance's group, including Izard, conducted a round-the-atoll search to catch escaping vessels. They sunk light cruiser Katori, destroyer Maikaze, and sub chaser SC-24. After 18 February Truk lost its usefulness as a fleet anchorage or advanced naval base for the Japanese. In addition, the 250 to 275 planes destroyed or damaged was a severe blow to the Japanese air force.
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