History of USS Halsey Powell DD686

One of the newest and finest fleet destroyers, USS Halsey Powell , earned seven battle stars during her two years of duty in World War ll. During the Korean conflict she earned four additional stars.

Built by the Bethlehem Steel Company at Staten Island, New York, the ship was named for the late Captain Halsey Powell, U.S.N. Her keel was laid on 4 February 1943, and she slid down the ways on 30 June 1943. Mrs Halsey Powell acted as official sponsor for the new ship. The Halsey Powell was placed in commission at the Navy yard in Brooklyn, New York on the 25th of October 1943, with Commander William T. McGarry USN commanding.

The month of November saw the Powell go through her paces during her shakedown cruise to Bermuda.  The shakedown cruise was interrupted to escort the late President Franklin Roosevelt home from the Teheran conference of the big three in December of '43. It is significant that the Halsey Powell left the states February 7, 1944 the same day the initial landings were made on Kwajalein, but from then on there was not a single campaign in the central Pacific in which the ship was not a part....

The first combat assignments were routine patrols and blockades of enemy-held strongholds in the Marshall Islands--Mille and Wotje. At Wotje the ship drew first blood. The ship was credited with an assist on a probable kill. The very next night a landing barge was intercepted, torpedoed and sunk by gunfire. While on this duty the "Halsey Powell" rescued her first of many airmen, Captain Lynn E. Midkiff, USMCR, a Marine fighter pilot who had been shot down by AA fire over Wotje.

After two months of convoy and patrol duty about the Marshall's area the ship returned to Pearl Harbor to receive the Commander of Destroyer Squadron 53, Captain H. B. Jarrett, USN.

Captain Harry Bean Jarrett

Now a flagship, she spent several weeks preparation for a large amphibious assault. The objective was Saipan and opening day found the Powell right on the front line delivering the prelanding bombardment of the beaches.

March 20, 1945 the USS Halsey Powell came alongside the USS Hancock (CV19) for fuel. As the fueling neared completion the alarm was sounded ----Bogie in the area, frantically the lines were cut loose. Then the HANCOCK opened fire. Another Zeke, only this time it was coming straight down at the bridge.  Emergency flank speed was ordered and down below the engine room turbine pressure readings were recorded which have been called IMPOSSIBLE by experts. The ship leaped ahead and the Zeke was still in a dive. It was a gallant afford but not good enough, for the "Divine Wind" blew completely through the fantail of the ship

carrying through two decks and leaving its profile on the main deck. Instantly the entire after third of the ship became flooded and the steering gear jammed with 15 degree left rudder on, taking her directly in the path of the Big Essex  class flattop. By superior ship handling and that extra speed the ships cleared by a matter of inches, the toll....12 dead or missing and 29 wounded....

After temporary battle damage repairs were effected by the USS YOSEMITE in Ulithi the ship was routed to the States to complete the repairs. Sixty days at the US Naval Dry docks at Terminal Island were necessary to complete the work. The ship returned to the Pacific Battle area and on August 26, 1945 was once again with the fleet.....just in time to rendezvous with the Occupation Forces as they sailed into Sagami Wan adjoining Tokyo Bay. The Powell was de-commissioned at San Diego on December 10th, 1945 and placed in the Pacific Reserve fleet.

On June 25th 1950, North Korean troops crossed the 38th Parallel and invaded the Southern part of Korea bringing War to the South Korean people. With the increased demands on the United States Navy as a result of the Korean conflict, Halsey Powell was re-commissioned 27th April 1951. after shakedown and training exercises the ship sailed for the familiar waters of the Far East on 23rd July, 1951 from Long Beach, California arriving Japan 16th August 1951. Joining  Task Force 77 the destroyer acted as plane guard and screening ship while the carrier planes kept up constant pressure on the communist lines and shore installations. Halsey Powell continued these operations off the eastern coast of Korea until October, when she departed the nearly stabilized war zone for training off Okinawa. Late in the month she returned to take part in destructive bombardments of Suwon Dam, Wonsan, Hungnam and other areas.

Initiating its own local operation "Chicken Stealer", the USS Halsey Powell (DD686) send her small whaleboats close into waterfront area at Sam-He to enable her spotting crew to direct her main guns on the most desirable targets. With excellent coverage, she damaged 18 jetties, riddled numerous boats with shrapnel, completely gutted a warehouse and engaged shore batteries that had taken her whaleboats under fire. The resulting gun fire by 75mm guns, small arms and machine gun fire wounded two crewmen. Returning to the United States 20th February 1952.

    Halsey Powell, got underway for her second tour in Korea 4th October 1952 and the next seven months took part in shore bombardment and screening duties as United Nations Naval strength continued to seal off North Korea from the sea.

After a month on the Bomb line of the North Korean coast, the Powell was given an assignment to patrol the Formosa Strait between Communist China and the Nationalist Chinese Island of Formosa. The primary duty of this assignment was to guard against any attack from mainland China on the Nationalist Island of Formosa. On January 18th, 1953 while nearing the northern leg of the patrol, a message was received that a  Navy P2V patrol plane was in trouble. The plane had been fired on by the Communist shore batteries and the plane had been hit with serious damage making ditching  necessary. The Halsey Powell proceeded to the last location of the patrol plane, which was off the coast of Swatow, a Red China port. This area was estimated to be over one hundred-fifty miles south of the Halsey Powell's location when the emergency message was received. The trip to Swatow was through 15 foot heavy sea's with winds of 25 knots or more, this trip took 7 to 8 hours and arrived in the crash area about an hour after dark. The first life raft with the first seven survivors was picked up at about 8:30pm. Other search planes were in the area searching with search lights which helped the Powell find the crash victims. Not only were the P2V members in the water but the crew of a Coast Guard mariner amphibian that had landed and rescued the P2V crew.... had crashed on takeoff in the heavy seas. The last raft to be rescued had three men and were taken on board around 11:30 pm. The total men rescued were ten, three Coast Guardsmen and  seven P2V Navy crewmen, five men were lost in both crashes. The Halsey Powell stayed in the area through the next morning when the shore batteries fired on the searching ships without damaging any ships.

Comment: The first of two life rafts picked up which held the seven flyers from the Navy P2V patrol plane....

The destroyer returned to the United States 6th May 1953, after training exercises out of San Diego once more sailed for Japan 26th December 1953.

On 1st January 1965, HALSEY POWELL was assigned to Reserve Destroyer Squadron 27 with Long Beach her home port. She operated as a Naval Training ship through 1967. The Powell was turned over to the South Korean Navy on April 27, 1968, making her last trip to the FAR EAST....then Stricken from the US Navy's ships register June 2, 1975 and Scraped in 1982.