Destroyer minesweeper

Conversion of the initial seventeen ships was completed in October and November 1940, and included eight Wickes-class and nine Clemson-class destroyers. Following are the Wickes class destroyers that were converted to minesweepers and subsequently designated DMS-1 to DMS-8:

The Dorsey, the Hogan, the Hamilton, and the Howard survived and escaped damage in the Battle of Lingayen Gulf, the most dangerous battle of the war for Destroyer/Minesweepers. Fifty-three American Naval vessels, five Destroyer/Minesweepers among them, were lost or damaged there in the first two weeks of 1945.[2]

In 1941 ten more destroyers were converted, and designated DMS-9 to DMS-18. This time nine were Clemson class ships and only DM-18 came from the Wickes class.[1]

The Clemson class destroyer USS Hovey, is shown at right, not fully converted, in June 1942, still with four smokestacks. The fully converted USS Hovey is shown immediately below right, with 3 smokestacks, a squared off stern with two cranes visible for minesweeping, and three guns visible fore, midship, and one on the aft deckhouse.

The nine converted Clemson class destroyers and one Wickes class destroyer completed by November 1940 are listed below:

USS Hovey, June 1942, pre-conversion, 4 stacks, 4" guns front and rear

Converted USS Hovey (DMS11) at Mare Island, May 1943, 3 stacks, shown circled from left to right are squared stern with cranes, guns visible aft, midship and forward AA gun

While holding the rank of Lieutenant, the author Herman Wouk worked on the Destroyer/Minesweeper USS Zane from February 1943 to February 1945. He based much of his Pulitzer Prize winning novel The Caine Mutiny on his experiences on the Southard from May of 1945, particularly when she was run aground in Okinowa in late 1945 by typhoon Ida and he was recommended to captain her home. The fictional USS Caine, DMS-22, from Wouk's novel is sketched within the novel itself. Although showing only two smokestacks, the sketch illustrates a flush deck and a galley deckhouse similar to the converted Wickes Class destroyer/minesweepers which actually had three smokestacks, as did the two converted Clemson class destroyers on which Wouk served.[3][4]

At first the ships above retained their initial 4 4in guns for defense. In 1942 they were scheduled to get 3inch/50 caliber dual purpose guns as they needed to be prepared to face air attack in WWII. By 1944, their armament included two or three 3in/ 50 caliber dual purpose guns and twin power operated Bofors guns, which were highly effective against enemy aircraft. Their dual purpose 3 inch guns could be used against enemy shore batteries, to fire on surfaced submarines, and as effective anti-aircraft weapons. The Destroyer/Minesweepers usually lost all four of their original Four 4 inch guns when they received their 3inch/50 caliber and Bofors guns, but they retained a significantly improved capability against Japanese enemy aircraft including kamikazes which many of these ships faced frequently in early to mid 1945.[1]

The Perry, in the list above, was sunk by naval mines on September 13, 1944 off Palau while she was involved sweeping. Records indicate she was the only destroyer/minesweeper sunk by a naval mine while sweeping in WWII. The Wickes Class minesweeper Dorsey had to be destroyed after she ran aground off Okinawa from Typhoon Ida in October of 1945. In the battle of Lingayen Gulf, from January 3-7, 1945, three Clemson class Destroyer/Minesweepers shown above, the Hovey, the Long, and the Palmer, were sunk and the Southard was lightly damaged, though she later had to be destroyed after running aground in Okinawa during Typhoon Ida in Okinawa in 1945. The Hopkins and the Hamilton survived the battle of Lingayen Gulf off Luzon unscathed, though four of the six ships in Hopkins's minesweeping Task Force 77.6, Unit 1 were hit. The Chandler initially rescued the survivors of both the Hovey, and the Long at Lingayen on January 7, 1945 and served out WWII without damage from combat. Full assault by Japanese torpedo planes, bombers, and kamikazes against the semi-isolated Destroyer/Minesweepers in the difficult waters of Lingayen Gulf, still proved too much for their antiaircraft capabilities when isolated from the screening that could be provided by more heavily armed destroyers and battleships. As the renowned Naval historian Samuel Eliot Morison noted in respect to the Destroyer/Minesweepers at the Battle of Lingayen Gulf, the “Japanese seemed to pick on minecraft because they were usually isolated and had no good antiaircraft support”.[5] Nonetheless, only one Destroyer/Minesweeper, the highly upgraded Gleaves class Emmons, was sunk in combat by kamikazes after Lingayen Gulf, and few had been lost prior, as their primary and essential function was to sweep mines or hunt the occasional submarine, not to engage in ship to ship combat, particularly since they lacked torpedoes after their full conversion to minesweepers. Once their minesweeping duties were completed, they were usually vacated to another area, or performed escort duties protecting supply vessels from enemy aircraft and submarines.[6] The USS Wasmuth, after spending much of her WWII career sweeping and escorting ships in the Aleutians was sunk when a gale in Alaskan waters dislodged two of her depth charges that exploded by her hull in December of 1942.

An additional Wickes-class destroyer was converted in 1941.

The 24 subsequent ships in the series were Gleaves-class destroyers built during the war.[1] They had a longer range, a larger crew, and guns highly effective against aircraft, 5 × 5 in (127 mm) Dual Purpose guns, and 6 × 0.50 in. (12.7 mm) guns. The later Gleaves class destroyers had 6 × 0.50 in. and (12.7 mm) guns. Twelve Atlantic Fleet ships (DD-454–458, 461, 462, 464, 621, 625, 636, and 637) were converted in 1944, with the rest in the Pacific in 1945 (DD-489, 490, 493–496, 618, 627, and 632–635). Many of these Atlantic based minesweeper fleets were switched to the Pacific however, a few as early as late 1944.[7]

A single mount 20 mm Oerlikon gun on a ship in 1942

USS Hambleton as converted minesweeper in 1944 with crane at stern, click to enlarge

Magnetic and acoustic minesweeping gear was fitted, with armament reduced from the former Destroyer configuration to three 5 in guns, no torpedo tubes, two K-guns for launching depth charges, four 40 mm guns, likely Bofors, in two twin mounts, and seven 20 mm Oerlikon antiaircraft guns on the Atlantic ships. The Pacific ships and Hobson had increased light AA armament, with eight 40 mm guns, likely Bofors, in two quad mounts and six 20 mm Oerlikon antiaircraft guns in two twin and two single mounts. These ships carried some of the most highly effective anti-aircraft weaponry of the war. At lower right, the USS Hambleton, shown fully converted to minesweeper in 1944. Note the large number of fully shielded and more modern antiaircraft guns, a major improvement over converted Clemson class sweepers, and the stern crane used to haul minesweeping equipment. Shown below is a list of the Gleaves class destroyers, launched in 1941, and converted to Destroyer/minesweepers from 1944-5, with their Minesweeper destination first, and their former Destroyer designation on the right.[7]

The Rodman, Emmans, McComb, and Butler served in Okinowa in 1945.

• List of destroyer-minesweepers

• History of War, Clemson Class Destroyers

• Navy Memorial Society website