USS Aaron Ward  (ii) DD 483 & (iii)DD 773   then DM34

 

USS Aaron Ward (ii) DD 483

Navy US Navy
Type Destroyer
Class Bristol 
Pennant DD 483 
Built by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. (Newark, New Jersey, U.S.A.) 
Laid down 11 Feb 1941 
Launched 22 Nov 1941 
Commissioned 4 Mar 1942 
Damaged 13 November 1942 - 14 crew lost in this action and Buried at Sea next Day
Loss position 7 Apr 1943 in position 09º10'S, 160º12'E - 27 crew were lost with the ship.
  USS Aaron Ward (Lt.Cdr. Frederick Julian Becton) was sunk after being bombed by Japanese aircraft off Tagoma Point at Guadalcanal.
   

USS Aaron Ward (iii) DD 773
Navy US Navy
Type Destroyer
Class Sumner 
Pennant DD 773 / DM 34 
Laid down 12 Dec 1943 
Launched 5 May 1944 
Commissioned 28 Oct 1944 
End service 28 Sep 1945 
  Former DD 773, converted as Destroyer Minelayer DM-34.
Heavily damaged by Japanese kamikaze aircraft 3 May 1945 while off Okinawa.41 crew were lost in this action
USS Aaron Ward (DM-34), 1944-1946
History  
  9 Feb 1945
 USS Aaron Ward departs San Diego bound for Pearl Harbour.

15 Feb 1945
 USS Aaron Ward arrives at Pearl Harbour

5 Mar 1945
 USS Aaron Ward departs Pearl Harbour bound for Ulithi.

16 Mar 1945
 USS Aaron Ward arrives at Ulithi.

19 Mar 1945
 USS Aaron Ward departs Ulithi to participate in the operations of Okinawa.

22 Mar 1945
 USS Aaron Ward arrives in the Okinawa area.

4 Apr 1945
 USS Aaron Ward departs the Okinawa area bound for Saipan.

10 Apr 1945
 USS Aaron Ward arrives at Saipan. She left Saipan for Guam the same day. She stayed at Guam for a few days before returning to the Okinawa area.

On 3 May 1945,

While on picket station west of Okinawa, Aaron Ward was the target of intense attacks by Kamikaze suicide planes. She shot down several, but was hit and near-missed by many more. Her crew managed to keep their badly-damaged ship afloat, an effort that was recognized by the award of a Presidential Unit Citation, and she was towed to an anchorage the next day. Following temporary repairs, she was able to steam across the Pacific and through the Panama Canal, to arrive at New York in August 1945.

11 Jun 1945
 USS Aaron Ward departs Kerama Retto bound for the United States east coast.
 Decommissioned 28 September 1945.
Stricken 11 October 1945.
Scrapped in 1946 

USS Aaron Ward, a 2200-ton Robert H. Smith class light minelayer, was built at San Pedro, California. Originally intended to be a destroyer (DD-773) of the Allen M. Sumner class, she was converted to a mine warfare ship after launching and entered commissioned service in late October 1944. Aaron Ward arrived in the Pacific war zone in February 1945, and in March took part in the invasion of Okinawa. For the next several weeks, she supported minesweeping operations, performed escort, patrol and radar picket duties, and helped fight off constant Japanese air raids.

With World War II now nearly at an end, Aaron Ward was not worth the expense of renovation. She was decommissioned in late September 1945 and sold for scrapping in July 1946.

Decommissioned 28 September 1945.
Stricken 11 October 1945.
Scrapped in 1946.