USS Heywood L. Edwards (DD-663) was a of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant Commander Heywood L. Edwards (1905–1941), captain of the destroyer , the first U.S. Navy ship sunk in World War II. Following the war, the ship was transferred to Japan and renamed Ariake. The ship served with the Japanese until 1974 and was scrapped in 1976.
Construction and career
Heywood L. Edwards was launched by Boston Navy Yard on 6 October 1943, sponsored by Mrs Louise S. Edwards, mother of Lt. Comdr. Edwards. The ship was commissioned on 26 January 1944.
Service in the United States Navy
Marianas and Palaus
Heywood L. Edwards conducted her shakedown beginning 25 February off Bermuda and after gunnery exercises off the Maine coast departed to join the Pacific Fleet. Sailing from Boston, Massachusetts on 16 April, she transited the Panama Canal, stopped at San Diego, California and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 8 May. There Edwards, took part in training manoeuvres with Task Force 52 (TF 52) under Vice Admiral Richmond K. Turner. The ships got underway from Pearl Harbor on 29 May for the Marianas with Heywood L. Edwards acting as screening unit for the transport group and during the initial landings on Saipan on 15 June the destroyer took up patrol station to seaward of the invasion beaches. From 21–30 June she approached the beaches to deliver fire support for the advancing Marines and continued that duty until 2 July. Edwards then joined the cruiser for the bombardment of Tinian, as part of the Marianas campaign.
The destroyer returned to her gunfire support role off Saipan on 6 July and the next night, 7 July, she was called upon to rescue a group of soldiers cut off from Allied lines and stranded on the beach. Heywood L. Edwards put over her whaleboat and made four shuttle trips over the reefs to rescue 44 men, transferring them to a nearby LCI. Between 19 and 21 July she shelled Tinian in support of the impending landing there, returned to Saipan for fire support duties and got underway from the Marianas on 30 July for Eniwetok.
Heywood L. Edwards took part in the Peleliu operation, departing 18 August for training exercises with amphibious forces on Florida Island and sailing for the western Carolines 6 September. Arriving 11 September, the destroyer maintained an antisubmarine patrol around the heavier units until 13 September, when she was detached to provide close support for underwater demolition teams (UDTs) clearing beach obstructions. On 15 September, Edwards provided illumination fire at night and knocked out an ammunition dump. She encountered a group of barges with reinforcements shortly after midnight 23 September and after illuminating them with star shell engaged with her main guns. By dawn, she claimed 14 of the barges, aided by landing craft and helped prevent the landing of Japanese troops.
Philippines
Heywood L. Edwards proceeded to Manus Island, Admiralty Islands arriving 1 October. There she joined with Rear Admiral Jesse B. Oldendorf's fire support and bombardment group for the return to the Philippines, departing for Leyte 12 October 1944. She conducted pre-invasion bombardment 18–20 October and provided gunfire support for the landings on 20 October. This work continued for 4 days and under frequent air attack. Edwards joined once more with Rear Admiral Oldendorf's force for the Battle of Surigao Strait.
As Oldendorf's deployed forces waited at the end of Surigao Strait, Heywood L. Edwards headed section 3 of Destroyer Squadron 56 (DesRon 56), screening the left flank of the cruiser line. Torpedo boats and destroyers made the initial attacks, farther down the strait and just after 03:00 25 October Edwards and her unit was ordered to attack. In company with and , the destroyers steamed down the port side of the enemy column and launched torpedoes. Two hits were obtained on Japanese battleship with the destroyer damaged. After this attack, the Japanese steamed into Oldendorf's main forces. As the destroyers retired, the heavy units shelled the enemy ships, with only the cruiser (later sunk by aircraft) and destroyer escaping. The following morning, Heywood L. Edwards took station on the port bow of the cruisers in search of any remaining enemy vessels, patrolled the eastern entrance to the strait for a day, then returned to take up station in Leyte Gulf.