In the early morning of December 7, 1941, Japan launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, taking the lives of many American servicemen and crippling much of the U.S. Pacific Fleet while at port. Outraged and united by the rallying cry “Remember Pearl Harbor,” the United States declared war on Japan. In the rapid industrial mobilization that followed, new warships were named in honor of the courageous officers who perished during the attack; among these was the USS Bennion, named for a valiant battleship commander who made the ultimate sacrifice at Pearl Harbor. This is the story of her service in the war.
How the Fletcher-class came to be
The Fletcher-class destroyers were conceived as a 2,100-ton class destroyer following the underwhelming construction of the Benson and Gleaves-class destroyers, which could equip a total of five 5-inch guns and ten torpedoes. The design was approved on 27 January 1940 by the Secretary of the Navy, Charles Edison, with Gibbs & Cox as the designer.
Construction plans of the new design expanded after the Battle of France in Europe when Congress passed the Two-Ocean Navy Act on July 19th, allowing for the construction of 115 destroyers. The Fletcher-class destroyers, named after US Navy Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher, began construction in October 1941, with eleven shipyards involved in their production. By the war’s end, 175 Fletcher-class destroyers were produced.
USS Bennion (DD-662)
The USS Bennion was first laid down on March 19th, 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard, named after Captain Mervyn S. Bennion, who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941 while commanding the battleship USS West Virginia and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. The destroyer, christened by Bennion’s widow, was launched on July 4th, 1943 and, following sea trials, was commissioned into service on December 14th, 1943 with Commander Joshua W. Cooper in command. The USS Bennion was put into service in Destroyer Squadron 56 in Destroyer Division 111.
The USS Bennion left for the Pacific on March 3rd, 1944 with the USS Bataan (CV-29) and arrived in Hawaii on March 22nd. There, they conducted training around Pearl Harbor until May 29th. From then, the USS Bennion joined the Pacific War as a fighter director and radar picket ship and saw action at Saipan, Tinian, Guam, Peliliu, the Philippines, Leyte Gulf, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa.
At Leyte Gulf, aside from supporting the US Army’s amphibious landing on Leyte where it was lightly damaged from a shore battery hit, the USS Bennion was involved in the Battle of Surigao Strait, where it assisted with the sinking of the Japanese battleship Yamashiro with torpedo hits on the battleship. During the same battle, the USS Bennion also shot down at least two Japanese aircraft in anti-aircraft duties. CDR Joshua Cooper would be awarded a Navy Cross for his actions during the battle
During the Battle for Okinawa, USS Bennion, on radar picket duty for Task Force 54, was subjected to kamikaze and dive-bombing attacks by the Japanese. USS Bennion was credited with shooting down 13 Japanese aircraft and performing its duties with early air warnings and fighter direction. For their actions, the USS Bennion was awarded a presidential unit citation, as well as ending the war with eight battle stars.
After the war, the USS Bennion was sent to the Puget Sound Navy Yard on October 21st, 1945 before being decommissioned on June 20th, 1946 and became part of the reserve fleet. USS Bennion was stricken from the register on April 15th, 1971 and was sold on May 30th, 1973 and broken up for scrap.
Bibliography
- Cox, Sam. “Combat and Crisis Experiences of Admiral James L. Holloway III.” Naval History and Heritage Command, 2019, Website
- History Central. “USS Bennion DD 662.” History Central, 1999, Website
- Holloway, James L. “Second Salvo at Surigao Strait.” U.S. Naval Institute, Oct. 2010, Website
- McComb, Dave, and Paul Wright. US Destroyers, 1942-45: Wartime Classes. Osprey Publishing Ltd., 2010
- Parkinson, Bill. “USS Bennion DD 662 Presidential Unit Citation.” Destroyer History Foundation, Website
- Willshaw, Fred. “USS BENNION (DD-662).” NavSource Naval History, Website
