History of the U.S.S. Caldwell (DD-605)

Another Navy destroyer came home from the wars when the U.S.S. CALDWELL, (DD-605) sailed into San Diego Bay today on her way to an East Coast Navy Yard. During her three and a half years of Pacific cruising, the CALDWELL served in the Aleutians, Gilbert Islands, Marshall Islands, New Guinea, Philippine, and Borneo campaigns. During this time she had been struck a Kamikaze plane, bombed, mined, and attacked by a suicide boat. She has been commanded by Capt. John F. NEWMAN, Jr., U.S.N. of Chevy Chase, Maryland, now on the staff of CincPac, by Commander H. A. LINCOLN, U.S.N., of Traverse City, Michigan, now commanding a big sister to the CALDWELL, by Commander George Wendleberg, U.S.N., now recovering from wounds received in action aboard her, and by Lieutenant Commander D. R. Robinson, U.S.N.R., of Auburn, California, who has served aboard since commissioning.

The CALDWELL was the third destroyer built by the San Francisco ship yard of the Bethlehem Steel Company, being preceded by the U.S.S. LAFFEY, (DD-459) and WOODWORTH, (DD-460). The ship was launched in February and commissioned in June 1942, her first commanding officer being Capt. John F. Newman, Jr. U.S.N., an experienced destroyer officer. After a few weeks shake down on the Pacific coast she went north to join those few light cruisers and destroyers in the Aleutians, the nucleus of what was to become the North Pacific Force. There the ship and her crew spent a rigorous winter during which they were at sea practically continuously, as long as seventy-five days at a time. Refueling was always at sea or after dark, occasionally during storms, in little frequented Aleutian bays. Immediately after receiving fuel and provisions the Task Group would resume their patrol between Japan and the Aleutians. On those few days when the large ships remained in port the destroyers patrolled the harbor entrances against surprise attack by enemy submarines. One unusual mission fell to the CALDWELL's lot in late November when she turned icebreaker, steaming through a foot of ice in Alaska's Cook Inlet to lead an icebound Army transport from Anchorage to Kodiak. On January 7, 1943, the Task Group, now augmented by the U.S.S. INDIANAPOLIS made a surprise raid on Attu Island, hoping to locate and destroy enemy shipping, but without results. Also in January the Task Group served as covering force for the landings on Amchitka Island, scouting westward for any approaching enemy forces. By the 24th the Japanese had discovered our occupation of this island only 60 miles from Kiska and his planes attacked out landing force. Enemy planes were seen frequently thereafter, and on one occasion the Task Group was attacked without suffering damage. On February 18, and again on April 26, 1943, the CALDWELL took part in bombardments of enemy installations at Holtz Bay and Chichig of Harbor, Attu Island. On Washington's birthday the Executive Officer, Commander H. A. Lincoln, U.S.N., succeeded Captain John F. Newman as Commanding Officer. Except for several days spent at Dutch Harbor and Kodiak for repairs, the cruising between Japan's Kuriles and her Aleutian outposts went on all during the Spring of 1943. One incident to break the monotony was the locating and exploding by gunfire of an enemy munitions ship west of Attu.

Off Russia's Komandorsky Islands on March 26, 1943, the Task Group finally encountered the enemy in force and one of the few purely naval battles of the war occurred. The CALDWELL, previously sent to Amchitka on detachment duty rejoined after the fighting was over. Rear Admiral McNorris had turned back a Japanese naval force of twice the size of his unit, and the U.S.S. SALT LAKE CITY, fresh from her South Pacific victories, had again distinguished herself. From this time on, more and more new ships began to appear and the strain on those who had been carrying all the load began to ease. Attu was attacked in early May, and the CALDWELL. Now carrying the pennant of Copmmander Destroyer Squadron Fourteen, was in the covering force. After a thirty day modernization overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard, the ship came back north long enough to escort the landing force to Kiska, then left the Aleutian fogs and storms behind, and in September entered Pearl Harbor for the first time.

In late summer of 1943, the beginnings of what would be the world's greatest naval force, the Fifth Fleet, including Task Force 58 were being formed and trained. The CALDWELL participated in these 1943 carrier task force raids on Makin, Tarawa, and Wake Islands, including the naval bombardment of Wake, during which near misses from enemy shore batteries rocked the ship. Her first crossing of the equator came shortly thereafter, while escorting landing craft to the beachheads of Makin Island during the occupation of the Gilberts. After "D" day the CALDWELL was anchored inside Laking Lagoon to provide anti-aircraft defense for the transports there. One air raid was undergone while staging at Funafut and enemy planes were a daily sight at Makin Island. Upon return to Pearl Harbor from the Gilbert campaign, all hands were overjoyed to learn that a surprise Christmas trip to San Francisco had been edged in before the Marshall Islands occupation. After leaving San Francisco on January 3, 1944, the ship's next job was with a carrier escort support group during the invasion of Kwajalein Island. During the transfer of pilots from one carrier to another at sea, the CALDWELL and an escort carrier sideswiped, necessitating a quick trip of the CALDWELL to Pearl Harbor for repairs. While there Captain Lincoln was relieved to take command of a newer destroyer. The CALDWELL's third skipper was Commander George Wendelburg, U.S.N.

For the next few months the ship was part of the carrier task force which pounded the Carolines, attacking Truk, Palau, Yap, Wocai, Ulithi, Ponape and Satawan Islands and dropping down to New Guinea to support the seizure of Hollandia. Enemy air raids during this period were frequent but weak.

From May to September 1944, the Destroyer Squadron Fourteen, including the CALDWELL, was assigned to the blockade of the remaining enemy held Marshalls, which included Wetje, Jaliut, Maloelap and Mille Islands. Except for shore bombardments, the duty consisted principally of watching from just outside the range of the enemy shore batteries as Allied planes daily bombed these atolls, and in keeping enemy planes and submarines from supplying the Japanese garrisons. Also of interest was the frequent rescuing of downed aviators and sometimes of natives who had escaped the Japanese.

On October 8, 1944, the CALDWELL entered Seeadler Harbor in the Admiralties and reported to Commander Seventh Fleet for duty. Old timers on the ship were well pleased because this again brought her under Admiral Thomas Kincaid, who had been Commander North Pacific Force during most of the Aleutian campaign. After sitting on the outskirts of the battle for Leyte Gulf the ship took part in the closing stages of the Leyte landings. At this time most in bound Leyte convoys were attacked by enemy aircraft.

The CALDWELL's toughest single mission was that of resupplying advance army units on the coast of Ormoc Bay, Leyte, on December 11 - 12, 1944. A small convoy of landing craft escorted by six destroyers left Leyte Gulf on the morning of December 11th, ready for anything after the losses of the U.S.S. COOPER, MAHAN, and WARD, and serious damage to other destroyers in that area a few days before. The destroyers were under the command of Captain John F. Newman, Jr., the CALDWELL's first skipper, who was back aboard as Commander Destroyer Squadron Fourteen. All went satisfactory until late afternoon. After the Suriago Strait had been successfully transited, a large number of Japanese bombing and suicide planes struck suddenly from over adjacent land. Fire was opened immediately and a good number of the enemy were shot down. Among those that got through were three Jap fighters, two of which suicided into the U.S.S. REID which almost immediately blew up. For about a minute she lay on her side with her mast on the water's surface, then rolled and went down. An amazingly large number of survivors were rescued by the U.S.S. COGHLAN and the convoyed LCI's. The last of the three planes, seeing the REID was done for, came in on the CALDWELL but was shot down twenty-five feet off the starboard bow. Only minor damage was caused to the ship, although the bridge was drenched with gasoline, and debris from the plane covered her from bow to stern.

Battered but still advancing the convoy reached the designated landing beaches at eleven o'clock that night. While the essential supplies were being landed, the remaining destroyers countered strafing and bombing attacks, fire from shore batteries and from enemy ships who apparently also chose the night of December 11 - 12 to supply their Ormoc Bay units. By 0400 the mission was accomplished and the empty landing craft commenced retirement, still covered by the destroyers. At eight o'clock the second full scale air attack came and the CALDWELL bore the brunt of it this time. Again accurate gunnery brought down many of the enemy and yet a few got through. The ship was hit simultaneously by two bombs and a suicide plane, causing an ammunition handling room to blow up. Although the entire forward part of the ship was afire, the after guns were still firing and subsequently accounted for at least one more enemy plane. With prompt damage control measures, Captain Wendelburg, although severely injured himself, soon had the fires under control and the ship returned to Leyte Gulf and eventually to her building ship yard, Bethlehem Steel Company, San Francisco, California, for repairs. Captain Wendelburg was relieved by Executive Officer, Lieutenant Commander D. R. Robinson, U.S.N.R., who commanded until the CALDWELL started back for the United States after the conclusion of the war.

After being repaired in only 60 days the CALDWELL returned to the Philippines and the Seventh Fleet to participate in the initial landings on Borneo, at Tarakan, Brunei Bay, and the Lutong-Miri oil fields. In June, 1945, she again sustained damage when she struck an enemy mine in the Borneo area. The very next night a Japanese made an unsuccessful attempt to sink the ship by ramming her with a suicide boat loaded with explosives. He was discovered and killed by the Officer of the Deck, Ensign Keith Carpenter, of Ossining, New York. After undergoing repairs to the mine damage at an advance base, the CALDWELL continued escorting in the Philippine area until early November when she returned to the United States to join the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Fifteen (15) men served through the entire war on the CALDWELL.