USS Gilligan (DE-508) - Loss of The Mississinewa

Loss of The Mississinewa

Gilligan sailed 1 November to escort merchantmen to Eniwetok and Saipan, subsequently mooring at Ulithi 17 November. Three days later, on 20 November, fleet oiler Mississinewa (AO-59) -- loaded with more than 400,000 gallons of aviation gasoline -- was torpedoed inside Ulithi lagoon with a loss of 50 officers and men. Seconds later, Gilligan saw a miniature Japanese submarine pass close alongside; with other ships she depth charged within the lagoon and possibly damaged one midget. Destroyer Case (DD-370) rammed and sank another outside the harbor, and Marine planes finished off a third the same day.

Gilligan sailed 4 December as a steamship escort to Manus and conducted patrols off Bougainville from that port until 31 December 1944 when she departed Manus to escort troopships bound for Lingayen Gulf, arriving in time for D-Day, 9 January 1945. Although in constant danger from enemy air attacks, the destroyer escort supported the assault, screened for Attack Group Able of VADM Wilkinson's Task Force 79, and made smoke.