DD-464
Following extensive shakedown and training operations in Casco Bay, Maine, the new destroyer joined veteran aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4) at Norfolk, Virginia, and sailed on 1 July to escort her to Africa. Carrying a vital cargo of 72 P-40 aircraft, Ranger arrived safely via Trinidad, unloaded the planes and returned with Hobson on 5 August 1942. The destroyer then conducted training exercises off Newport, Rhode Island, and Norfolk until 3 October, when she departed Norfolk for Bermuda on escort duty.
As the Allies prepared to land in North Africa, Hobson joined the Center Attack Group. Her main job was to screen and to protect Ranger while the carrier's mobile air power supported the assault. Departing 25 October from Bermuda, Hobson's group arrived off Fedhala on 8 November and as the landings proceeded, provided the indispensable air support. Ranger's planes hit shore batteries, immobile Vichy French battleship Jean Bart, and later helped turn back the attack by French ships on the transport area. Hobson screened Ranger until she sailed 11 November for Norfolk, leaving the Allies fully in command of the assault area.
Upon her return to Norfolk on 27 November 1942, the destroyer took part in exercises in Casco Bay, later steaming with a convoy to the Panama Canal Zone in December. The ship again joined Ranger in early 1943 and the antisubmarine patrol group sailed on 8 January to patrol the western Atlantic. Groups such as Ranger's did much to protect Allied shipping in the Atlantic from U-boats, and contributed to the eventual victory in Europe. Typical of Hobson's versatile performance was her rescue of a group of survivors from SS St. Margaret off Bermuda on 2 March 1943.
In April, Hobson and Ranger arrived at NS Argentia, Newfoundland, and began operations out of that base. The ships provided air cover for convoys and antisubmarine patrol, and in July 1943 had the honor of convoying RMS Queen Mary, carrying Prime Minister Winston Churchill to the Quebec Conference. The veteran destroyer arrived in Boston 27 July to prepare for new duties.
Hobson sailed with Ranger and other ships 5 August to join the British Home Fleet at Scapa Flow. Arriving 19 August, she operated under Royal Navy orders in northern waters, helping to provide cover for vital supply convoys to Russia. While at Scapa Flow 21 September, she was inspected by Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox and Admiral Harold Rainsford Stark. Hobson accompanied Ranger on a daring raid 2–4 October 1943, as carrier aircraft staged a devastating attack on German shipping at Bodø, Norway. Following this operation, the destroyer continued to operate with Home Fleet. She screened HMS Formidable during flight operations in November and after two convoy voyages to Iceland, returned to Boston and U.S. control 3 December 1943.
During the first two months of 1944, Hobson trained in Chesapeake Bay and operated with carriers between the East Coast and Bermuda. She joined escort carrier Bogue (CVE-9) and other escorts at Norfolk, departing 26 February. These hunter-killer groups played a major part in driving German U-boats from the sea lanes, and this cruise was no exception. After patrolling for over two weeks, the destroyers spotted an oil slick, made sonar contact, and commenced depth charge attacks on the afternoon of 13 March. Weather-reporting submarine U-575 was severely damaged and was forced to surface, after which gunfire from Hobson and the other ships sank her. After further antisubmarine sweeps as far east as the Azores, Hobson returned to Boston on 2 April.
For some time the Allies had been building up tremendous strength in England for the eventual invasion of France, and the destroyer sailed on 21 April 1944 to join the vast armada which would transport and protect the soldiers. She spent a month on patrol off Northern Ireland, arriving at Plymouth on 21 May for final preparations for the invasion. Assigned to Rear Admiral Don P. Moon's Utah Beach Assault Group, Hobson arrived off Normandy with other ships of the bombardment group at 01:40 6 June, and blazed away at German shore batteries. During the early hours Corry (DD-463) struck a mine and sank, after which Hobson and Fitch (DD-462) fired at German shore positions while simultaneously rescuing survivors from the water. Hobson continued to lend powerful fire support until returning to Plymouth later that afternoon.
The destroyer was not long out of the fray, however, returning 8 June to screen the assault area. She also jammed glider bomb radio frequencies 9–11 June and provided channel convoy protection. With the Allies sorely in need of a good port in France, Hobson steamed to Cherbourg 25 June to assist in the bombardment. She fired at the large batteries, screened the battleships Texas (BB-35) and Arkansas (BB-33); and when the battleships were dangerously straddled, Hobson and Plunkett (DD-431) made covering smoke which allowed all to retire. A few days later, the Allies occupied Cherbourg.
Hobson's next duty took her to the Mediterranean; she arrived Mers-el-Kébir, Algeria, 11 July, and for a month performed convoy duties to and from Taranto, Italy. Joining Rear Admiral Bertram J. Rodgers' Delta Assault Force, she sailed from Taranto on 11 August for the invasion of Southern France. Early on 15 August, she acted as spotter for the Nevada (BB-36) and her preliminary bombardment; as troops stormed ashore, she provided direct fire support with her own batteries. The destroyer remained in the assault area until the next evening, arriving at Palermo on 17 August to take up Mediterranean convoy duty.
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