USS Mannert L . Abele ( DD - 733 ) USS " Mannert L . Abele " ( DD - 733 ) , an " Allen M . Sumner " - class destroyer , is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Mannert Lincoln Abele , a World War II submarine commander who posthumously received the Navy Cross for his heroism in the Pacific Theater . The destroyer was the first US warship sunk by a Yokosuka MXY - 7 Ohka . History . " Mannert L . Abele " was laid down by Bath Iron Works , Bath , Maine , on 9 December 1943 ; launched on 23 April 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Mannert L . Abele ; and commissioned at Boston , Massachusetts on 4 July 1944 , Commander Alton E . Parker in command . After shakedown off Bermuda , " Abele " served as a training ship for destroyer crews in Chesapeake Bay before departing Norfolk on 16 October for duty in the Pacific . Steaming " via " San Diego , she reached Pearl Harbor on 17 November for two weeks of intensive training . She sailed in convoy for the western Pacific on 3 December , but returned two weeks later for conversion to a fighter director ship . She received special radio and radar equipment and completed radar picket training before departing on 27 January 1945 for the invasion of Iwo Jima . Assigned to the transport screen of Vice Admiral Richmond K . Turner ' s Task Force 51 ( TF 51 ) , she steamed " via " Eniwetok and Saipan and screened ships of the assault force during amphibious landings on 19 February . The next day , she joined the fire support group for shore bombardment and close support gunfire operations . During the next 28 hours , she blasted numerous enemy gun emplacements , blockhouses , and caves . In addition , she provided night illumination and harassing fire in support of ground operations by the 5th Marine Division . She resumed screening and radar picket duty at dusk 21 February . On 3 – 4 March and again from 8 – 10 March , " Abele " served on the bombardment line as effective naval firepower provided valuable support for the marines ' ground campaign . On 10 March , she steamed to Ulithi , arriving on the 12th . " Abele " departed on 20 March for radar picket duty off Ulithi and the next day she joined TF 54 , Rear Admiral Milton L . Deyo ’ s Gunfire and Covering Force , for the invasion of Okinawa . She reached the Ryukyus on 24 March , and during the next week she screened heavy shore bombardment ships during preinvasion operations from Kerama Retto to le Shima . In addition , she pounded enemy positions and supported UDT operations at proposed assault beaches on Okinawa . As American troops stormed the beaches on 1 April , " Abele " provided close fire support before beginning radar picket patrols northeast of Okinawa later that day . On 3 April , three Japanese planes attacked her , but the destroyer shot down two of the raiders . Released from picket duty on 5 April , she resumed screen patrols off the beaches . On 6 April , she helped shoot down an attacking twin ‑ engined bomber . The next day , " Mannert L . Abele " joined TF 54 to protect the transports off Okinawa from ships of the Surface Special Attack Force , including the Japanese battleship , steaming south from Japan in a last desperate effort to destroy superior American seapower . However , hard - hitting planes of the Fast Carrier Task Force wiped out the enemy ’ s thrust with furious bomb and torpedo strikes , sinking six Japanese ships and damaging the four surviving destroyers . " Abele " resumed radar picket duty on 8 April , patrolling station No . 14 about northwest of Okinawa , accompanied by " LSM ( R ) - 189 " and " LSM ( R ) - 190 " . Midway through the afternoon watch on 12 April , " Abele " caught the full fury of the " kamikaze " . Three " Vals " attacked at 13 : 45 , but lethal gunfire drove off two and set fire to the third which failed in an attempt to crash into " LSM ( R ) - 189 " . By 14 : 00 , between 15 and 25 additional planes “ had come down from the North and the ship was completely surrounded . ” Except for one light bomber which challenged and was damaged by the destroyer ’ s fire , the enemy kept outside her gun range for more than half an hour . At about 14 : 40 , three Zeroes broke orbit and closed to attack . " Abele " drove off one and shot down another about out . Despite numerous hits from 5 ‑ inch and light anti - aircraft fire , and spewing smoke and flame , the third " kamikaze " crashed into the starboard side and penetrated the after engine room where it exploded . " LSM ( R ) - 189 " } s captain , James M . Stewart , reported , " It is difficult to say what it was that hit the DD 733 . This officer personally saw what appeared to be two ( 2 ) planes orbiting in a northerly direction from the DD 733 , and then suddenly , what appeared to be , one plane , accelerated at a terrific rate , too fast for us to fire at . This plane dove at an angle of approximately 30 degrees , starting at about four miles [ 7 . 5 km ] away . Since we had no air search radar , the above statements are merely my own conclusions . " ( This may have been one of the earliest intelligence reports of the " Ohka " " kamikaze " aircraft ) . Immediately , " Mannert L . Abele " began to lose headway . The downward force of the blast , which had wiped out the after engineering spaces , broke the destroyer ’ s keel midships , abaft No . 2 stack . The bridge lost control and all guns and directors lost power . A minute later , at about 14 : 46 , " Abele " took a second and fatal hit from a " Ohka " that struck the starboard waterline abreast the forward fireroom . Its warhead exploded , buckling the ship , and “ cutting out all power , lights , and communications . ” Almost immediately , " Abele " broke in two , her midship section obliterated . Her bow and stern sections sank rapidly . As survivors clustered in the churning waters enemy planes bombed and strafed them . However , " LSM ( R ) - 189 " and " LSM ( R ) - 190 " , praised by Commander Parker as “ worth their weight in gold as support vessels ” , shot down two of the remaining attackers , repulsed further attacks , and rescued the survivors . " Mannert L . Abele " was the first of three radar pickets hit by an " Ohka " , but the only ship sunk by one during the Okinawa campaign . Despite the enemy ’ s desperate efforts , the radar pickets successfully completed their mission , thus insuring the success of the campaign . Capt . Frederick Moosbrugger , picket force commander , acclaimed their hazardous duty , “ . . . a symbol of supreme achievement in our naval traditions . ” And , paraphrasing Sir Winston Churchill , he wrote : “ Never in the annals of our glorious naval history have naval forces done so much with so little against such odds for so long a period . ” Awards . " Mannert L . Abele " received two battle stars for World War II service .