USS Gansevoort (DD-608) - 1942 and 1943

1942 and 1943

After shakedown, Gansevoort departed San Francisco 18 November 1942 in the screen of a convoy bound via Hawaii to Noumea, New Caledonia, where she arrived 9 December. Assigned to the South Pacific forces, she spent the next three months giving convoy protection to troop and supply ships reinforcing Guadalcanal from New Caledonia; the New Hebrides; Wellington and Auckland, New Zealand.

This duty terminated 18 March 1943, when Gansevoort departed Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, to become a unit of Rear Admiral Charles H. McMorris' Northern Covering Group of cruisers and destroyers in the approaches to Attu, Aleutian Islands. She took part in the preinvasion bombardment of Attu 26 April; made several depth charge attacks on a Japanese submarine in that area 14 May for unconfirmed results; screened convoys on the northern and southern approaches around the Aleutian chain; and twice participated in the bombardment of Kiska, Alaska (2 and 12 August).

She departed Kulka Bay 24 August for repairs in the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard until 28 September, then steamed via Hawaii with Destroyer Division 27 to Wellington, New Zealand. Here, Gansevoort became a unit of Rear Admiral Hill's Southern Attack Force which carried Major General Julian Smith's 2d Marine Division to Tarawa Atoll, Gilbert Islands.

Gansevoort provided continuous gunfire support to Marines during the initial landings on Tarawa 20 November, closing the beach to blast enemy strongpoints with point blank fire. On 24 November, she sped to support Marine forces occupying Apamama Atoll. After embarking Marine wounded, she opened an accurate bombardment that destroyed the entire Japanese garrison on that atoll. She conducted antisubmarine patrol around Tarawa until 4 December, then proceeded via Hawaii to San Francisco where both her high pressure turbines were replaced.