View source for USS Harry E. Hubbard

{{Short description|Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}

{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image= [[File:USS Harry E. Hubbard (DD-748) underway in August 1952.jpg|300px|USS Harry E. Hubbard (DD-748) underway in August 1952]]
|Ship caption=
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1969}}
|Ship name=''Harry E. Hubbard''
|Ship namesake=Harry Hubbard
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Bethlehem Mariners Harbor]], [[Staten Island]], New York
|Ship laid down=30 October 1943
|Ship launched=24 March 1944
|Ship commissioned=22 July 1944
|Ship decommissioned=October 1969
|Ship struck=17 October 1969
|Ship honours=
|Ship motto=''Nomine Diem'' ("Name the Day")
|Ship fate=Sold July 1970 and broken up for scrap
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=2,200 tons
|Ship length={{convert|376|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|15|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*{{convert|60000|shp|abbr=on}};
*2 propellers
|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn}}
|Ship range={{convert|6500|nmi|abbr=on}} at {{convert|15|kn|abbr=on}}
|Ship complement=336
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*6 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|{{convert|5|in|mm|abbr=on|0}}/38 cal. guns]],
*12 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] AA guns,
*11 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] AA guns,
*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s,
*6 × [[depth charge]] projectors,
*2 × depth charge tracks 
|Ship armour=
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|Ship aircraft=
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|Ship notes=
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|}

'''USS ''Harry E. Hubbard'' (DD-748)''', was an {{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer}} of the [[United States Navy]].

==Namesake==
Harry Enson Hubbard was born on 18 March 1903 in [[Baltimore]], Maryland. He graduated from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in June 1925, served 3 years on the [[battleship]] {{USS|Maryland|BB-46|6}}, then qualified in [[submarine]]s at [[New London, Connecticut]]. Following duty on the submarine {{USS|S-34|SS-139|6}}, he completed Naval Academy postgraduate work, then served on the submarine tender {{USS|Holland|AS-3|6}}, and, was an executive officer of the [[destroyer]] {{USS|Twiggs|DD-127|6}}. He served at the Naval Torpedo Station at [[Newport, Rhode Island]] then commanded the destroyer {{USS|Roper|DD-147|6}} from 1939 to 1940, before assignment as staff gunnery officer for destroyers in the Atlantic. The latter duty terminated 1 March 1942 when Hubbard took command of the [[Gleaves class destroyer|''Gleaves''-class destroyer]] {{USS|Meredith|DD-434|6}}.

''Meredith'' helped screen the aircraft carrier {{USS|Hornet|CV-8|6}} off [[Japan]] during the [[Doolittle Raid]] on [[Tokyo]] on 18 April 1942. Thereafter it conducted patrol and escort from [[Hawaii]] to the [[Samoa]]n, [[Fiji]], and the [[Solomon Islands]] and helped cover transports landing reinforcements on [[Guadalcanal campaign|Guadalcanal]] on 18 September 1942. On 15 October 1942, ''Meredith'' fought against [[Imperial Japanese Navy]] carrier-based scouting planes, then fought off 18 Japanese dive bombers and 12 torpedo planes launched by the [[Japanese aircraft carrier Zuikaku|aircraft carrier ''Zuikaku'']]. The ship's gunners shot down five of the attackers, and Hubbard carried on the fight though blinded by burns about his face. When his men had cleared the bridge, they abandoned the sinking ''Meredith'' moments before it sank. He died on a life raft at sea on the morning of 16 October 1942.

==Construction and commissioning==
''Harry E. Hubbard'' was [[Ship naming and launching|launched]] on 24 March 1944 by the [[Bethlehem Steel]] Co., [[Staten Island]], New York; sponsored by Miss Jean Hubbard, daughter; and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 22 July 1944.

==Service history==

===World War II===
As [[flagship]] of Destroyer Squadron 64, ''Harry E. Hubbard'' trained precommissioning crews destined for newly constructed warships until sailing for [[Hawaii]] on 16 January 1945. She served as a [[training ship]] out of [[Pearl Harbor]] until 17 April, then departed for combat She arrived off [[Okinawa Island|Okinawa]] on 8 May 1945 to serve as a [[Radar picket|picket destroyer]], guarding against the day and night waves of Japanese aerial raids and runs of ''[[kamikaze]]s''. Although the American fleet suffered losses and damage, it had come to stay. As with all previous Japanese weapons, even the ''kamikazes'' were defeated in their attempt to save this last "stepping stone" to Japan itself. For nearly two months, ''Harry E. Hubbard'' fought off the savage raiders, shooting down four ''kamikazes'' that tried to crash into her at various times.

When {{USS|Evans|DD-552|2}} and {{USS|Hugh W. Hadley|DD-774|2}} were badly damaged in their stand against some 50 ''kamikazes'' on 11 May 1945, ''Harry E. Hubbard'', first to arrive on the scene, went alongside ''Evans'' to render fire-fighting, damage control and medical aid. She gave similar assistance to {{USS|Barry|APD-29|2}} on 24–25 May, shooting down two ''kamikazes'' as she escorted ''Barry'' from picket station into [[Kerama Retto]]. One enemy plane was disintegrated by ''Harry E. Hubbard''{{'}}s gunners a bare {{convert|50|yd|m}} from the ship.

''Harry E. Hubbard'' remained off Okinawa until 24 July 1945, then escorted occupation troops to [[Jinsen]], [[Korea]], and carried the Commander of Destroyer Squadron 64 (DesRon 64) to [[Jinhae|Chinkai]], Korea, to oversee the demilitarization of the former Japanese naval base there. She returned to Jin-sen 7 November 1945, then based out of [[Qingdao|Tsingtao]], [[China]]. She performed escort, mail, and communication service for the North China Occupation force until departing 16 March 1946, for the [[California]] seaboard. She arrived at [[San Francisco]] on 28 March 1946, underwent demobilization overhaul at [[Oakland, California|Oakland]], then decommissioned at [[San Diego]] on 15 January 1947. She remained in the [[Pacific Reserve Fleet]] until recommissioned 14 May 1949 but decommissioned 12 December without having gone to sea.

===Korean War===
Following the invasion of [[South Korea]], ''Harry E. Hubbard'' recommissioned on 27 October 1950. After initial shakedown along the coast of California, she departed San Diego on 2 January 1951 for two months of training in [[Hawaii]]an waters. She then steamed to assist the [[United Nations]] Forces in Korea. Besides helping guard the fast carrier task force making repeated airstrikes against the enemy, she frequently joined in gunstrike missions to bombard coastal rail and communication centers and performed as seagoing artillery to support the advance of land troops. Her bombardment missions were conducted against targets at Yongdae Gap, [[Wonsan]], [[Songjin]], [[Chingjin]], Kyoto, Ohako, Bokuko, Chuminjin, and other enemy strongholds of supply and reinforcement. When {{USS|Walke|DD-723|2}} was heavily damaged by an [[underwater explosion]] off Wonson 11 June 1951, ''Harry E. Hubbard'', with the same skill as off Okinawa in 1945, moved in to render effective medical and damage control assistance. She returned to the California coast in October 1951 for overhaul and completed a similar tour of duty with the [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th Fleet]] off Korea July to December 1952. She returned to San Diego in January 1953 but again departed on 11 July to guard fast carrier task groups patrolling after the [[s:Korean Armistice Agreement|Armistice Agreement]] was signed in Korea. Intervened by patrol in the Taiwan Straits, this duty continued until 13 January 1954. She returned to San Diego for overhaul and refresher training along the western seaboard.

''Harry E. Hubbard'' departed San Diego 11 August 1954 on the first of nine additional Far East tours with the 7th Fleet which were completed by the close of 1966. During this service, she joined the roving 7th Fleet 6 to 13 February 1955 in moving in under [[Chinese Communist]] artillery defenses to cover the evacuation of [[Chinese Nationalist]] from untenable positions on the [[Tachen Islands]]. In May 1955, she participated in "Operation WIGWAM", an underwater nuclear test approximately 500 miles southwest of San Diego, California. In October to November 1956 she diverted from Australia to the "Dewline" in the Northern Pacific to serve on picket patrol during the [[Suez Crisis]]. She next joined in combined warfare exercises with [[SEATO]] Treaty nations to improve readiness in defending freedom in that part of the world. From time to time, she patrolled the Taiwan Straits to insure Taiwan was not threatened from the Communist mainland of China. She was off Guam in June 1960, twice guarding the flight of President [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]'s aircraft during his Far East visit.

===Vietnam War===
During the [[Gulf of Tonkin Incident]] of August 1964, ''Harry E. Hubbard'' was nearby in the South China Sea screening {{USS|Ticonderoga|CV-14|2}}. The carrier task group struck to destroy [[North Vietnamese]] [[torpedo boats]] and their supporting facilities. In awarding the [[Navy Unit Commendation]] to ''Ticonderoga'' and her screen, [[Secretary of the Navy]] [[Paul Nitze]] stated that they had "demonstrated the firm intent of the United States to maintain freedom of the seas and to take all necessary measures in defense of peace in Southeast Asia."

''Harry E. Hubbard'' returned to Long Beach on 28 October 1964 for a year of warfare readiness operations along the western seaboard. In October 1965, she departed for the coast of South Vietnam. In company with {{USS|Valley Forge|LPH-8|2}} in November and December 1965, she provided gunfire support for two Marine amphibious landings. In the following months, she acted as escort to {{USS|Kitty Hawk|CVA-63|2}} and {{USS|Hancock|CVA-19|2}} during their strike operations in the South China Sea, acting as Harbor Defense ship at Da Nang and fired more than 1,000 rounds of exploding 5-inch shells into [[Viet Cong]] strongholds along the South Vietnamese coast. She returned to Long Beach, California, on 7 April 1966. The destroyer had drawn nationwide attention on 10 March 1966 when the ABC Television Network included scenes of one of her shore bombardments along the South Vietnamese coast.

''Harry E. Hubbard'' served two more tours in Vietnam from April to August 1967 and from August 1968 to January 1969.

==Fate==
''Harry E. Hubbard'' was decommissioned and struck on 17 October 1969.

==Awards==
*[[Combat Action Ribbon]] with two gold stars
*[[Navy Unit Commendation]]
*[[Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal]] with one [[battle star]]
*[[World War II Victory Medal]]
*[[Navy Occupation Medal]] with "ASIA" clasp
*[[China Service Medal]]
*[[National Defense Service Medal]] with star
*[[Korean Service Medal]] with five battle stars
*[[Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal]] with two stars
*[[Vietnam Service Medal]] with seven campaign stars
*[[Korean Presidential Unit Citation]]
*[[United Nations Korea Medal]]
*[[Korean War Service Medal]] (South Korea)
*[[Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal]]

''Harry E. Hubbard'' shared in the Navy Unit Commendation awarded Task Group 77.5 for support operations in the Gulf of Tonkin 2–5 August 1964.

==References==
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/h/harry-e-hubbard-dd-748.html}}

==External links==
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/748.htm navsource.org: USS ''Harry E. Hubbard'']
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd748txt.htm hazegray.org: USS ''Harry E. Hubbard'']
*[http://dd748.org/index.html USS ''Harry E. Hubbard'' veterans' website]

{{Allen M. Sumner class destroyer}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harry E. Hubbard (Dd-748)}}
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Staten Island]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]