USS Haggard (DD-555) - Japan

Japan

The destroyer returned to Ulithi 26 January 1945, but soon sailed with Task Group 58.4 (TG 58.4) for strikes against Japan itself. Departing 9 February, the group, including carriers Randolph (CV-15) and Yorktown (CV-10), hit Tokyo 16–17 February, just before the important landings on Iwo Jima. Turning then to that stoutly defended island, Haggard’s carrier group lent air support to the assault until returning to Ulithi 4 March 1945.

With the Pacific campaign then reaching its climax, Haggard sortied again with Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher's 5th Fleet carriers for attacks on Japan. During strikes on Honshū 18–19 March, Japanese suicide planes struck back at the task force. Haggard’s gunners shot down several kamikazes, as carriers Franklin (CV-13) and Enterprise (CV-6) were damaged. After fueling at sea, the fast carrier group, moved toward Okinawa 22 March, with Haggard acting as picket destroyer ahead of the formation. Shortly before midnight she detected a surfaced submarine with radar, and after it dived attacked with depth charges. Ten minutes later the submarine surfaced on Haggard’s port beam. Commander Soballe brought his ship into a hard left turn toward his adversary. With full throttle and guns blazing, Haggard rammed the submarine I-371 amidships, sinking her in three minutes. After this daring duel, Haggard’s crew made emergency repairs to her damaged bow and took her back to Ulithi 25 March.

Her repairs completed, Haggard sailed from Ulithi 21 April with battleship Iowa (BB-61) to support the Okinawa operation. Again occupied with screening carriers in the area, Haggard and other fleet units were constantly threatened by suicide planes as the Japanese tried desperately to stop the invasion. While proceeding to picket station 29 April the ship was attacked by a kamikaze making a shallow dive to starboard. Though nearly blown apart by the fury of the destroyer's guns, the aircraft crashed close aboard and penetrated her hull near the waterline. Soon afterward, her bomb exploded in Haggard’s engine room. As water gushed through the gaping hole in the destroyer's side and she began to settle, another suicide plane attacked, but was splashed by anti-aircraft fire. Through fast and skillful damage control the flooding was stopped and Haggard was kept afloat. Wounded were taken by cruiser San Diego (CL-53) and destroyer Walker (DD-517) arrived to tow the stricken ship to Kerama Retto, near Okinawa. The ship arrived 1 May 1945.

Hampered by lack of materials and almost constant air alerts, Haggard’s crew succeeded in repairing her so that she could get underway. She departed Kerama Retto 18 June 1945 and arrived Pearl Harbor via Saipan and Guam 12 July. From there she steamed to San Diego and the Panama Canal Zone, arriving at Norfolk 5 August 1945. Decommissioned 1 November 1945, Haggard was scrapped because of war damage.