USS Izard ( DD - 589 ) USS " Izard " ( DD - 589 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Lieutenant Ralph Izard ( 1785 – 1822 ) , " Izard " was launched 8 August 1942 by the Charleston Navy Yard ; sponsored by Mrs . Robert E . Lee III , great - granddaughter of Lt . Ralph Izard ; and commissioned 15 May 1943 , Commander Earl K . Van Swearingen in command . History . After shakedown interrupted by a search for a German U - boat off the coast of The Carolinas , " Izard " departed Norfolk 14 September 1943 and sailed for Pearl Harbor via the Panama Canal Zone and San Diego . Arriving Pearl Harbor 4 October she spent the next 6 weeks training and standing plane guard duty . As the Pacific Fleet started its mighty sweep across Micronesia " Izard " sortied 10 November 1943 from Pearl Harbor with Rear Admiral Charles Alan Pownall ' s Carrier Force ( TF - 50 ) for the Gilbert Islands operations , and for the next month provided air , surface and anti submarine protection for Makin Island . After taking part in the bombardment of Nauru Island 8 December 1943 " Izard " retired to Havannah Harbor , Efate . Here she trained and rehearsed for the fleet ' s next target — the Marshall Islands . " Izard " sortied from Funafuti Harbor , Ellice Island , 23 January 1944 with Rear Admiral Forrest Sherman ' s Carrier Task Group to provide air cover for the assault and capture of Kwajalein . At 04 : 40 29 January the carriers launched their first strikes toward Kwajalein . By that afternoon the fleet had delivered many devastating blows on the enemy . By 4 February " Izard " had entered Majuro Atoll , recently captured from the Japanese , and dropped anchor . Here she joined Admiral Raymond Spruance ' s Truk Striking Force and Admiral Marc Mitscher ' s Fast Carrier Task Force ( TF 58 / 38 ) for strikes on Truk ( 17 – 18 February 1944 ) . The first strike was launched at 06 : 42 17 February and after 2 days the carrier planes had destroyed auxiliary cruiser s " Aikoku Maru " and " Eiyosumi Maru " ; destroyer " Fumizuki " ; submarine tender s " Rio de Janeiro Maru " and " Heian Maru " ; aircraft ferry " Fujikawa Maru " , 6 tankers and 17 more marus ; total tonnage about 200 , 000 . Planes from " Enterprise " ( CV - 6 ) also sunk destroyers " Oite " and " Agano " . On the first day of the strikes while Admiral Mitscher ' s planes were at work , Admiral Spruance ' s group , including " Izard " , conducted a round - the - atoll search to catch escaping vessels . They sunk light cruiser " Katori " , destroyer " Maikaze " , and sub chaser " SC - 24 " . After 18 February Truk lost its usefulness as a fleet anchorage or advanced naval base for the Japanese . In addition , the 250 to 275 planes destroyed or damaged was a severe blow to the Japanese air force . " Izard " screened the carriers launching strikes in the Tinian - Saipan area 22 February , retiring to Majuro the 26th and Pearl in mid - March . From March through August she operated in support of the 5th Fleet operations in New Guinea and the Marianas . " Izard " was part of the screen for Admiral J . J . " Jocko " Clark ' s Carrier Task Group TG 58 . 1 during the Battle of the Philippine Sea ( 19 – 20 June 1944 ) which broke the enemy ' s once - mighty naval air arm . " Izard " continued in support of fast carriers launching strike after strike against the enemy . On 4 July 1944 it was in a group of three cruisers and four destroyers that bombarded the airfield at Iwo Jima . During the first part of October she joined Admiral John S . McCain ' s task group for strikes on Okinawa and Formosa . During the following months she supported the Leyte operation and participated in the Battle of Lingayen Gulf . There she was next to the " Columbia " ( CL - 56 ) when the " Columbia " was hit by a kamikaze . At one point , she sailed through the eyewall of a Pacific storm that had 50 knot winds . In February 1945 she was supposed to head for refitting , but another ship needed replacement as part of the Iwo Jima attack . She sailed with one other ship to Iwo Jima , arrived on the second day of the invasion , and was assigned duty during the Battle of Iwo Jima rendering fire support , screening , and radar picket duty until 27 March . She fired 3 , 600 five inch rounds at Iwo Jima during the battle , firing from South of the island . " Izard " steamed for Eniwetok 28 March arriving 2 April . Joining a convoy she steamed east , reaching Pearl Harbor on the day of FDR ' s death , hearing the news as she was sailing in the channel at Pearl on her arrival . She then quickly resumed sailing and arrived at Bremerton for refitting on 20 April 1945 . " Izard " sailed for Pearl Harbor 30 June and in August joined the Northern Pacific Force at Adak , Alaska . The last of August , the " Izard " sailed for Honshū , Japan , and after the war continued to operate in northern Japan , liberating prisoners - of - war and demobilizing Japanese army and navy units until 15 November . " Izard " returned to Seattle the last of November and 2 April 1946 steamed to San Diego . " Izard " decommissioned there 31 May 1946 and joined the Reserve Fleet . She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 May 1968 , was sold 2 April 1970 and broken up for scrap . Awards . " Izard " received 10 battle star s for World War II service .