USS Rooks (DD-804) - World War II

World War II

Following shakedown off San Diego, California and an availability at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Rooks steamed to the Hawaiian Islands for amphibious landing rehearsals and shore bombardment exercises. On 22 January 1945, she got under way in company with a flotilla of LSTs for Eniwetok, Marshall Islands—the first stop en route to the forward battle area. Rooks and her LSTs then proceeded to Saipan for another landing rehearsal.

Arriving at Iwo Jima on D-Day, 19 February 1945, Rooks sent her LSTs on their way to the beach, then assumed duties as a radar picket vessel. In the afternoon she proceeded to the southeastern corner of the island to cover the Marine landings and silenced several enemy batteries. Rooks again fired on the Iwo Jima beaches 21–22 February and 25–26 February losing one seaman to shrapnel from a mortar on the 22d. During this period Rooks also provided radar warning and antisubmarine protection on the screening cordon thrown around the island.

On 28 February, Rooks departed Iwo Jima for Saipan in the screen of a group of transports. She then proceeded in company with another destroyer to Ulithi; escorted two escort carriers to Leyte; and after training exercises, departed Leyte for Okinawa Gunto on 25 March.

Arriving at Okinawa Jima on Easter Sunday, 1 April 1945, Rooks began 87 consecutive days of shore bombardment during which she fired 18,624 rounds of 5 inch shells. During this period she went to general quarters for bona fide air alerts 131 times, and on four occasions was the direct target of kamikaze attack. She was credited with shooting down six enemy aircraft during the battle of Okinawa.

In addition to shore bombardment, Rooks also occupied antisubmarine and antiaircraft patrol stations, and for a number of nights steamed with the surface covering force for the island operation. Every second or third day she proceeded to Kerama Retto to replenish ammunition, fuel, and provisions.

6 April was the most critical day in Rooks' career. At 01:00 she assisted in shooting down six planes which attacked the Allied force. At about 16:00, her area was subjected to an enemy air attack by at least 110 planes and, between then and 16:48, she shot down one kamikaze and assisted in downing five others. At 17:12 she was called upon to assist and escort to port Hyman which had been badly damaged by a Japanese suicide plane. Arriving on the scene, Rooks found Hyman again under attack. After shooting down a Mitsubishi A6M "Zeke" and a Aichi D3A "Val", she escorted Hyman into the Hagushi anchorage and sent a medical officer and pharmacist's mates aboard to aid the wounded.

On 4 July, Rooks sortied with minecraft of various types and sizes, for a large-scale minesweeping operation to open the East China Sea. The only destroyer in the group, she was assigned as a fire support vessel, but her firing was confined to sinking drifting mines. She acted as a radar picket, as a "pointing" vessel in guiding the sweepers along their track, and was frequently called upon to furnish accurate navigational positions of the buoys laid to mark the limits of the swept area. This operation lasted throughout July.

On 1 August, Rooks sortied from Buckner Bay, Okinawa, to escort Salt Lake City and Chester to Saipan. Proceeding on to Ulithi, she then escorted three transports to Leyte and after repairs, departed Leyte on 1 September. She escorted a group of LSTs to Okinawa, then, on the 11th, steamed for Nagasaki to assist in the repatriation of prisoners of war. She departed Nagasaki on the 15th for Okinawa with 92 former POWs, mostly British officers captured at Singapore. She then returned to Nagasaki and carried Rear Admiral William H. P. Blandy, Commander Destroyers, Pacific Fleet, to inspect the former great Japanese naval base of Sasebo. She continued to operate in Japanese and Okinawan waters until departing Yokosuka on 26 October for Pearl Harbor and San Francisco, where she arrived on 10 November.

On 15 November 1945, Rooks reported to the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Bremerton, Washington Assigned to the San Diego Group, she was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 11 June 1946 and was completely inactivated by 17 August 1946.