USS Robinson ( DD - 562 ) USS " Robinson " ( DD - 562 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Isaiah Robinson ( died c . 1781 ) , who served in the Continental Navy . " Robinson " was laid down on 12 August 1942 by the Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp . , Seattle , Wash . ; launched 28 August 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . Howard M . Sayers ; and commissioned 31 January 1944 , Commander Elonzo B . Grantham , Jr . , in command . After shakedown out of San Diego , " Robinson " , departed Seattle 12 April for Hawaii . Arriving at Pearl Harbor 21 April , she trained until getting underway on 29 May with Task Force 52 ( TF 52 ) , headed for Eniwetok and the Marianas . Marianas campaign . On the morning of 15 June , " Robinson " opened fire in the battle of Saipan and her first salvo set off a large explosion , followed by an oil fire . She then silenced four enemy batteries which had been firing on Marines on the southernmost landing beaches , " Beach Yellow One " . She then scored a direct hit on an enemy pillbox on Tinian . The destroyer joined the screen of battleship " Tennessee " ( BB - 43 ) , at nightfall and in 2 hours fought off five enemy aircraft . She then teamed with destroyers " Selfridge " ( DD - 357 ) and " Albert W . Grant " ( DD - 649 ) in the screen of cruiser " Birmingham " ( CL - 62 ) off the western coast of Tinian , delivering harassing fire throughout the night . At daybreak 16 June , " Robinson " resumed fire support to the Marines on the southernmost invasion beaches of Saipan . During the morning , she silenced all but one stubborn gun of an enemy artillery emplacement and her fire assisted in turning back enemy tanks . Toward noon , she began safeguarding the transports off Saipan . At nightfall , she turned to call - fire duty off " Beach Green One " . Throughout the night of 16 June and into the morning of the 17th , " Robinson " illuminated and fired upon counterattacking Japanese tank divisions twice driving them back from the beachhead . That afternoon , she took fire support station , then spent the night and the next 5 days , protecting troop transports off Saipan . Retiring to Eniwetok with empty transports 26 June , she returned to Saipan on 6 July in the escort screen of a reinforcement convoy . " Robinson " took antisubmarine patrol station northwest of Saipan that day and closed the shore at night to provide illumination fire and send salvos into enemy troops east of Marpi Point . She shifted her fire to the west , to Tanapag Harbor the following morning and during the afternoon , rescued 17 Marines from a reef north of the harbor where they had been isolated by one of the biggest banzai attack s of the war . " Robinson " served on antisubmarine patrol off Saipan , in the ocean area northwest of Maniagassa Island , until 20 July , then got underway with " Overton " ( APD - 23 ) to escort 11 LCT s which arrived off Guam the next morning . She resumed fire support off Saipan that evening . On 22 July " Robinson " shifted her fire to Tinian , hitting caves where the enemy had dug in . She bombarded the western shore of Tinian 25 and 26 July ; and , after gunfire support on the 29th , she guarded the minesweepers in Asiga Bay . Departing Tinian on 31 July , she escorted the hospital transport ship , " Tryon " ( APH - 1 ) to Eniwetok ; then steamed independently to Nouméa , New Caledonia , where she arrived 9 August . Peleliu . " Robinson " cleared Nouméa on 22 August and touched at Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides Islands , to rejoin other ships of her division , then arrived at Purvis Bay of Florida , Solomon Islands on the 26th . She stood out from Purvis Bay on 6 September , with Rear Admiral Jesse B . Oldendorf ' s bombardment group , and arrived off Peleliu Island , on the morning of the 12th for pre - invasion bombardment . During the Battle of Peleliu , " Robinson " wiped out enemy machine gun emplacements and tumbled snipers out of trees as she blasted enemy troop concentrations near " White " and " Orange " beaches . At various times , she assisted in screening cruisers " Louisville " ( CA - 28 ) and " Portland " ( CA - 33 ) and battleships " Idaho " ( BB - 42 ) and " Mississippi " ( BB - 41 ) . She also raked the beach area during the daylight hours to cover underwater demolition team s , and she carried out call fire missions on enemy troops and gun batteries . On 22 September , she knocked out all guns in her area and disabled two groups of enemy tank s . She continued to hit emplacements , troop areas and supply dumps until the early morning of 24 September 1944 when she teamed with " Heywood L . Edwards " ( DD - 663 ) in destroying enemy barges attempting to land troops and supplies on the north shore . That evening she screened cruiser " Louisville " to Kossol Passage . She spent the night of 26 September providing illumination and harassing fire on the north end of Angaur Island . She gave the same treatment to Ngesebus Island the next night and bombarded the beaches south of Ngesebus airfields during the day of the 28th . She spent the night of 28 – 29 September delivering night illumination fire on the northwest corner of Angaur and entered Seeadler Harbor , Manus , Admiralty Islands , 1 October . Philippines campaign . " Robinson " cleared Seeadler Harbor on the 12th , and headed for the Philippine Islands . On 17 October 1944 , she joined the Dinagat Attack Group . With light cruiser s " Denver " ( CL - 58 ) and " Columbia " ( CL - 56 ) , and three other destroyers , " Robinson " supported the Dinagat Attack Group and set course for Dinagat and the three smaller islands , Calicoan , Suluan , and Homonhon , which divided the two entrances to Leyte Gulf and were suspected of harboring enemy search radar . To put these enemy warning stations out of action , the attack group arrived off the islands at daybreak of 17 October . Cruiser " Denver " had the honor of firing the opening gun for the liberation of Leyte at 08 : 00 and Company D of the 6th Rangers was landed on Suluan Island some 20 minutes later — the first Americans to " return " to the Philippines . " Robinson " escorted the Ranger unit to Dinagat Island where they made an unopposed landing . She then covered minesweeper s in Leyte Gulf until their retirement on the morning of 19 October . Her guns raked the invasion beaches ahead of the troops landing on Leyte , 20 October 1944 , and she delivered illumination fire over the eastern shore of Leyte throughout the night . On 22 October , she rescued a downed American fighter pilot . On 24 October " Robinson " destroyed enemy installations on the slope of Catmon Hill , Leyte . At 17 : 10 on 24 October , " Robinson " was relieved from fire support duties and joined a screen for five cruisers on the left flank of the northern entrance to Surigao Strait . The destroyers were divided into three attack sections and severely mauled the attacking Japanese . By early morning 25 October , the enemy was limping off in retreat , having lost two battleships , two destroyers and a cruiser . " Robinson " made rendezvous with the destroyers of section 3 to the north of Hibuson Island after her torpedo attack , and vainly attempted to rescue the many Japanese survivors who refused all efforts to save them . At 07 : 58 , 25 October , " Robinson " joined other destroyers and cruisers in anticipation of meeting enemy surface and air units retiring from the fierce action with the escort carriers off the east coast of Samar . She cruised east of Leyte until 29 October to cover shipping in and near Leyte Gulf . She assisted in fighting off enemy air raids and escorted the bomb - damaged " Killen " ( DD - 593 ) to her anchorage in San Pedro Bay on 1 November . She was temporarily detached from the task group on 4 November for picket duty in Surigao Strait and rejoined the bombardment group on 13 November as it set course for Manus . She teamed with " Bryant " ( DD - 665 ) to shoot down an enemy plane which approached the formation on the 16th , and entered Seeadler Harbor on the 21st . " Robinson " stood out of Seeadler Harbor on 28 November for Leyte Gulf where on 1 December she was detached from Destroyer Division 112 ( DesDiv 112 ) of Destroyer Squadron 56 ( DesRon 56 ) and reported to Destroyer Squadron 22 for duty . The next day she got underway in the screen of battleships and cruisers for Kossol Passage , where she teamed with 14 other destroyers in the screen of six escort carrier s , seven cruisers , and three battleships , acting as distant cover for troop convoys bound for the assault on Mindoro , Philippine Islands . She assisted in driving off enemy aircraft as she guarded the escort carriers from 13 to 15 December . The troops hit the beach at Mindoro on the 15th and " Robinson " returned to Seeadler Harbor with the task group on the 23d . On 31 December " Robinson " and the five other destroyers of DesRon 22 sailed from Seeadler Harbor in the screen for Transport Group " Able " of the Lingayen Attack Force , carrying the 27th Infantry Division for the initial landings at Lingayen Gulf , Luzon , in the Philippines . " Robinson " screened northwest of the transport area on the morning of 9 January 1945 as the first waves of amphibious assault troops landed . She anchored in the transport area that night and survived a pre - dawn attack by a Japanese suicide boat . The underwater explosion s temporarily put her sonar equipment out of commission but did no other serious damage . At daybreak , " Robinson " ' s gunners fought off a diving kamikaze suicide plane and knocked it down in a spinning ball of flame . At dusk she opened fire on another suicide plane diving at a highspeed transport . That enemy missed its target and crashed into the sea . " Robinson " returned to Leyte Gulf with the empty transports on the 15th . She got underway from San Pedro Bay on 18 January to escort the attack transport " Comet " ( APA - 166 ) to Humboldt Bay , Hollandia , New Guinea , and returned on 3 February escorting " Wright " ( AG - 79 ) . After installation of fighter - director radio equipment , she cleared port with " Harmon " ( DE - 678 ) and " Greenwood " ( DE - 679 ) in the screen for amphibious command ship " Blue Ridge " ( AGC - 2 ) and three transports ; and headed for Lingayen Gulf where she performed patrol duty . She returned to San Pedro Bay with the empty troopship on 26 February , and sailed the next day with " Bancroft " ( DD - 598 ) , escorting Rear Adm . Forrest B . Royal ' s amphibious command ship , " Rocky Mount " ( AGC - 3 ) which reached Mangarin Bay , Mindoro , on 1 March . That same day , " Robinson " put to sea in the screen for Task Group 78 . 1 ( TG 78 . 1 ) . The American ships arrived off the Zamboanga Peninsula of Mindanao early in the morning of 10 March , and " Robinson " took station off Coldera Point as troops stormed ashore under the cover of a rocket barrage . During the night , she teamed with " McCalla " ( DD - 488 ) for gunfire support , knocking out an enemy gun emplacement and hitting enemy pillboxes inland . On the 16th , she bombarded Isabela City , Basilan Island , creating a diversion while Army troops landed at Kulibato Point to the east . Assisted by spotting aircraft , she shelled a wharf and the area of suspected enemy underground trenches . On the evening of 18 March , she responded to the request of shore fire - control parties by blasting a Japanese troop concentration of about 150 men in the Gumularang River Valley of Basilan Island , giving support to American Army and guerilla troops . She anchored off the Santa Cruz Bank from 20 to 24 March . " Robinson " joined Task Group 78 . 2 at Mangarin Bay on 10 April 1945 and sailed 4 days later . She rescued two Marine aviators from the sea on the 16th . The next day , the task group entered Polloc Harbor of Mindanao and Army troops were landed for the assault against the Malabang - Parang - Catobato area of Mindanao . " Robinson " returned to Mangarin Bay with the empty shipping on 24 April and sailed the next day escorting a convoy carrying reinforcements to Polloc Harbor . She cleared that port on 28 April escorting oiler " Winooski " ( AO - 38 ) via Tawi Tawi , Sulu Archipelago , Philippine Islands , to Muara Batagao , Tarakan , Borneo . She reached her destination on 2 May , the day after the initial assault on Tarakan , and bombarded an enemy - defended ridge north of the airfield and a supply road junction . She got underway from Tarakan Island on 8 May , escorting amphibious ships to the Netherlands East Indies , arriving at Morotai 2 days later . Borneo . On 4 June , " Robinson " sailed with Task Group 78 . 1 which arrived in Brunei Bay , British Northwest Borneo on 10 June . The landing was unopposed and " Robinson " joined the antisubmarine screen for " Nashville " ( CL - 43 ) and " Phoenix " ( CL - 46 ) en route to Tawi Tawi . She then sailed with " Philip " ( DD - 498 ) and arrived at Morotai , 20 June . She again stood out to sea on 26 June in the screen for amphibious ships which landed troops on the beach at Balikpapan , Borneo , on the morning of 1 July 1945 . She conducted antisubmarine and picket patrol off Balikpapan until 15 July and returned to Morotai with one echelon of the empty troopships on the 19th . Three days later she teamed with " Waller " ( DD - 466 ) to escort small craft to San Pedro Bay , arriving on the 25th . " Robinson " departed San Pedro Bay on 5 August 1945 , and arrived at Ulithi , 7 August 1945 . She took radar picket station some 50 miles from Ulithi from 10 to 13 August . Three days later she sailed escorting troopship " Admiral Benson " ( AP - 120 ) to San Pedro Bay ; then continued on alone to Subic Bay , Luzon , where she arrived on the 21st . China . On 3 September she put to sea with the Yangtze River Patrol Force under Rear Adm . C . Turner Joy , but broke off from the main body to head for Okinawa and arrived in Buckner Bay on the morning of 5 September . That same day Captain Campbell was designated commander of the newly organized Minesweeper Task Group 73 . 2 with " Robinson " as flagship . She put to sea with six minesweepers on the night of 5 September ; and , 2 days later , the task unit began minesweeping operations in the approaches to and the entrance of the Yangtze . These lasted until December . On the 12th " Robinson " sailed from Shanghai for the United States and reached San Diego on 30 December . " Robinson " , with " Waller " , " Saufley " ( DD - 465 ) , " Philip " , and " Renshaw " ( DD - 499 ) was assigned to the newly formed Destroyer Division 301 of Destroyer Squadron 30 at San Diego . She cleared San Diego on 12 January 1946 and arrived at Brooklyn , N . Y . , on the 26th . She cleared port on 4 March , and entered the Charleston Navy Yard on the 7th for inactivation overhaul , and decommissioned on 12 June 1946 . 1951 – 1954 . " Robinson " remained in reserve until recommissioned at the Charleston Naval Shipyard on 3 August 1951 . She was assigned to Destroyer Division 321 and on 9 September became the flagship of Destroyer Squadron 32 . After sea trials off Charleston , S . C . , she arrived at Norfolk , Va . on 2 December for shakedown training in the Chesapeake Bay and off the Virginia Capes . She got underway from Norfolk on 10 January 1952 for maneuvers in the Caribbean Sea and returned on 6 March for squadron tactics and plane guard exercises with " Saipan " ( CVL - 48 ) and " Midway " ( CVB - 41 ) off the Virginia Capes . She subsequently operated off the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean until getting underway from Norfolk on 29 June 1953 for 6 months in the $ 3 . The destroyer transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Yokosuka , Japan on 3 August 1953 . " Robinson " performed plane guard duty with Carrier Task Force 77 off the coast of Korea , participated in hunter - killer exercises off Kobe , Japan , escorted " Point Cruz " ( CVE - 119 ) to Inchon , Korea , patrolled off the east coast of Korea , and visited Pusan , Asau Wan and Tsushima . " Robinson " then returned home via the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean , reaching Norfolk on 6 February 1954 . After operations along the Atlantic coast , " Robinson " made a midshipman practice cruise with battleship " Missouri " ( BB - 63 ) visiting Vigo , Spain , and Le Havre , France , and Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , before returning to Norfolk on 3 August . 1955 – 1958 . After operations off the Atlantic coast and in the Caribbean , " Robinson " was again bound for the Mediterranean in company with Destroyer Squadrons 8 and 32 on 5 November 1955 . She visited such Mediterranean ports as Rhodes , Greece ; and Beirut , Lebanon ; before steaming for Greenwich , England ; Antwerp , Belgium ; Bremerhaven , Germany ; and Edinburgh , Scotland . After independent operations in waters to the north of the Shetland Islands , she arrived at Derry , Northern Ireland on 27 January for antisubmarine warfare and convoy exercises with British warships . This duty terminated 13 February 1956 and " Robinson " returned to Norfolk on the 22d for antisubmarine operations in the Virginia Capes , and shore bombardment practice at Bloodsworth Island . Early in June 1956 , " Robinson " embarked midshipmen at Annapolis and cleared Norfolk on 5 June for a midshipman cruise . After exercise " Coppersmith " with units of the Danish Navy , she visited Copenhagen until the 26th , then set course for Chatham , England . She visited Guantanamo Bay before debarking the midshipmen at Annapolis and returning to Norfolk on 1 August . " Robinson " cleared Norfolk with Destroyer Squadron 32 on 22 October 1957 and touched at Bermuda before arrival at Gibraltar on 31 October . She put to sea the next day in company with " Ross " ( DD - 563 ) for the Persian Gulf , visiting Piraeus , Greece , and touching at Port Said on 7 November before transit of the Suez Canal for visits to Aden , Arabia ; and Massawa , Eritrea . She arrived at Karachi , Pakistan , 25 November 1957 . Based at the last named port , she participated in Operation Crescent with Navy warships of Pakistan , Turkey , Great Britain , and Iran . She got underway from Karachi , Pakistan , on 11 December , steamed by way of Massawa , and transited the Suez Canal on the 19th for maneuvers with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean . She sailed from Gibraltar on the 16th and arrived at Norfolk on 5 March 1958 . 1958 – 1964 . " Robinson " departed Norfolk again on 9 June 1958 on a midshipmen training cruise to A Coruña , Galicia ( Spain ) ; Gothenburg , Sweden ; and Hamburg , Germany , before debarking the midshipmen at Annapolis on 4 and 5 August . After 7 months of operations from Norfolk , on 8 April 1959 , " Robinson " was assigned to Reserve Destroyer Squadron 4 , Destroyer Flotilla 4 , U . S . Atlantic Fleet , and began a new career training reservists . On 1 July , the destroyer sailed for Charleston , her new homeport where she operated for the next 5 years . " Robinson " decommissioned at Norfolk on 1 April 1964 and was berthed there with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 December 1974 . The ship was sunk as target off Puerto Rico 13 April 1982 . Honors . " Robinson " received eight battle star s for World War II service . In Popular Culture . The " Robinson " appeared in the movie " Away All Boats " , accurately depicting the Fletcher destroyer class ' s anit - aircraft role in the Pacific Theater .