USS Hutchins (DD-476) - 1945

1945

Hutchins returned to Pearl Harbor to resume her combat duty 26 January 1945. Training exercises were carried out until 3 February when she steamed toward Saipan to join a carrier force for the Iwo Jima operation. Her carrier group arrived 3 days before the landings to pound Japanese defenses and continued to support the operation during February and March 1945. With this important island in allied hands, Hutchins returned to Ulithi briefly before sailing 27 March for the giant Okinawa operation, last step on the long island campaign toward Japan. She screened a transport group during the landings 1 April and for 3 days following, undergoing numerous air attacks which she skillfully helped repel. Assigned to gunfire support 4 April, in the battle-filled days that followed Hutchins spent her days close to the beaches and her nights screening the larger ships during bombardment and air defense. Hutchins shot down several attacking planes during the great air attack 6 April, rescuing survivors from the stricken Newcomb (DD-586), and was under severe attack again 12–13 April.