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1943
In December she steamed to the Panama Canal whence she escorted a convoy back to the U.S. east coast,
arriving at Norfolk on 7 January 1943. The next day she sailed again joining Ranger for two more ferry runs to
Africa, this time to Morocco. During March and April, she remained in the western Atlantic, again ranging as
far north as Argentia on patrol and escort duty. In May, she returned to the United Kingdom.
Arriving at Scapa Flow on 18 January, Rodman rejoined the Home Fleet. Into the summer she and her sister
ships patrolled out of Scotland and Iceland and screened the larger ships of the combined force, including the
battleships HMS Duke of York, USS South Dakota, and USS Alabama, as they attempted to draw the German
fleet particularly the battleship Tirpitz out of the protected fjords.
With August, Rodman returned to the United States and by 1 September had resumed patrols at Argentia.
Detached in October, she departed Norfolk 3 November for Bermuda whence she sailed in the advance
scouting line screening the battleship Iowa then carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the first leg of his
journey to the Teheran Conference.
1944
Returning in mid-December, the destroyer guarded carriers on training exercises out of Newport and Portland,
Maine, until April 1944. Then, on the 20th, she headed east with other units of her squadron, DesRon 10. On 1
May she arrived at Mers-el-Kebir, whence she operated as a unit of TG 80.6, a hunter-killer group formed to
work with the North African coastal air squadrons against the U-boat menace to shipping in the 325-mile
stretch between the Straits of Gibraltar and Oran. The Anglo-American air-sea effort, devised to keep U-boats
submerged to the point of exhaustion and then overwhelm them as they surfaced, required time and patience, as
well as coordination. It was instrumental in slicing the number of operational U-boats in the Mediterranean by
over one-third between March and June.
On 14 May Rodman, with others of her squadron, departed Mers-el-Kebir to track a submarine which had sunk
four merchantmen in less than two days. A 72-hour air-surface hunt ensued, but on the morning of 17 May, the
damaged U-616 surfaced, was abandoned, and sank. The force picked up survivors and retired to Mers-el-Kebir
only to sail for England the following day.
On 22 May Rodman arrived at Plymouth and on 23 May assumed duties as CTU 126.2.1 for Operation
Neptune, the naval phase of Operation Overlord the invasion of France. On 24 May, she conducted shore
bombardment exercises. Then she waited. On 4 June the convoy B-1, formed, headed out across the English
Channel, but then turned back, as the invasion was postponed one day. On 5 June the convoy again formed and
headed east, this time continuing on to France and landing reinforcements on Omaha Beach on the afternoon of
6 June. Rodman, detached on arrival in the assault area, joined TG 122.4 and through 16 June provided gunfire
support and patrolled in the Baie de la Seine. Brief respite at Plymouth followed, but on 18 June she returned to
the Normandy coast. Back in English waters from 2124 June, she joined TF 129 on 25 June as that force
joined the U.S. IX Army Air Force in supporting the U.S. VII Corps (the 9th, 79th, and 4th Divisions) closing
on Cherbourg.
Rodman returned to England the same day, proceeded to sea again on 30 June; and, after a 3-day stop at
Belfast, got underway for the Mediterranean to participate in Operation Dragoon ("Anvil"), the invasion of
southern France. Arriving at Mers-el-Kebir on 11 July, she was en route to Sicily on 16 July, and into August
operated between that island, the coast of Italy, and Malta.
On 11 August, assigned to TU 85.12.4, Rodman sailed from Taranto. Two days later French warships joined the
formation; and on 15 August, the force arrived off the Delta assault area in the Baie de Bougnon. From 04:30 to
06:41, Rodman covered the minesweeping craft clearing the channels to the beaches. Two hours of shore
bombardment followed. She then shifted to call fire support duties, which, with antiaircraft screening duties,
she continued until retiring to Palermo on 17 August. Back off southern France on 22 August, she fired on
shore batteries at Toulon on 23 August, covered minesweepers in the Golfe de Fos on 25 August, and in the
Baie de Marseilles on 26 August. Engaged in screening and patrol duties through the end of the month, she
sailed for Oran on 2 September and for the next month and a half escorted men and supplies into the assault
area.
In late October, Destroyer Squadron 10 escorted a convoy back to the United States. From New York Rodman
continued on to Boston for conversion to a destroyer minesweeper. Emerging from the yard as DMS-21 on 16
December, she sailed for Norfolk the following week.
1945
On 1 January 1945, Rodman got underway for the Pacific. During the remainder of that month and into
February, she conducted minesweeping and gunnery exercises off California and in Hawaiian waters, then
sailed west. On 12 March she anchored at Ulithi and seven days later sailed for the Ryukyus and her last
amphibious operation, "Iceberg". On 2425 March she participated in minesweeping operations off Kerama
Retto, then prepared for the assault on Okinawa.
After 1 April landings on the Hagushi beaches, she remained in the area and was caught in the air-surface
action which enveloped the island on 6 April. Assigned to picket duty early that day, she later shifted to
screening duties and joined Emmons in covering small minecraft sweeping the channel between Iheya Retto
and Okinawa. In midafternoon a large flight of kamikazes flew over. At 15:32 their leader dived out of the
clouds and crashed into Rodman' port bow. His bomb exploded under her. Sixteen men were killed or missing,
20 were wounded, but Rodman's engineering plant remained intact. Emmons commenced circling Rodman to
provide antiaircraft fire as other kamikazes closed in. Six were splashed. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs arrived,
joined in, and scored on 20, but not before others got through. Rodman was hit twice more during the 3-hour
battle. Emmons splashed six more, but was hit by five and damaged by four near misses. Her hulk was sunk the
next day.
From 7 April to 5 May Rodman underwent temporary repairs at Kerama Retto, then started her journey back to
the United States. Arriving at Charleston Navy Yard on 19 June, her repairs were completed in mid-October,
and on the 22nd she sailed for Casco Bay for refresher training.
Post war
For the next three years, she operated along the U.S. east coast, ranging
from Newfoundland to the Caribbean; then, in September 1949,
deployed to the Mediterranean.
There for only two weeks, she resumed her western Atlantic operations
and during the next six years sailed twice more to the Mediterranean,
both times for 5-month tours with the 6th Fleet, 2 June to 1 October
1952 and 19 January to 17 May 1954 with a short diversion to
Charleston, South Carolina to serve in the role as the fictitious USS
Caine in the film The Caine Mutiny. Reclassified DD-456 on 15
January 1955, she decommissioned 28 July 1955 and was transferred USS Rodman underway, in 1954.
the same day to the Republic of China to serve as RCS Hsien Yang
(DD-16). After she ran aground c. 1969, her ROCN name and ROCN
pennant number were reassigned to the former USS Macomb, which was acquired in 1970.[1]
Notes
1. Blackman, Raymond V. B., ed. Jane's Fighting Ships 19721973. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1973. p. 310.
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry
can be found here.
External links
USS Rodman page at Destroyer History Foundation
history.navy.mil: USS Rodman
navsource.org: USS Rodman
hazegray.org: USS Rodman
Categories: Gleaves-class destroyers of the United States Navy Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey
1941 ships World War II destroyers of the United States Cold War destroyers of the United States
Gleaves-class destroyers of the Republic of China Navy Maritime incidents in April 1945