USS Roe ( DD - 418 ) USS " Roe " ( DD - 418 ) was a World War II - era " Sims " - class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy , named after Rear Admiral Francis Asbury Roe . " Roe " was laid down on 23 April 1938 by the Charleston Navy Yard ; launched on 21 June 1939 ; sponsored by Mrs . Eleanor " Roe " Hilton ; and commissioned on 5 January 1940 , Lieutenant Commander R . M . Scruggs in command . Service history . Inter - War Period . Following shakedown , " Roe " conducted exercises along the east coast and in the Pacific . In the spring of 1941 , she returned to the east coast and , during the summer remained primarily in the mid - Atlantic seaboard area . In the fall , she moved northward , to Naval Station Argentia , to escort merchant convoys between Newfoundland and Iceland . World War II . On that duty when the United States entered World War II , " Roe " headed south in January 1942 , patrolled the approaches to Bermuda and to Norfolk , Virginia , and in mid - February entered New York harbor , where she resumed North Atlantic convoy runs . Arriving off Iceland on 3 March , she remained until midmonth , in port and on patrol off that island and in the Denmark Strait . Toward the end of the month , " Roe " returned to New York . In April , she escorted ships to Panama , then spent May in New England waters . In June , she completed another North Atlantic run , this time to the United Kingdom , and in July , she screened larger ships in coastal and Caribbean Sea training operations . In mid - August the destroyer again pointed her bow south . Into October she operated between Trinidad and ports in Brazil , then returned to Norfolk to prepare for Operation Torch , the landings in North Africa . Assigned to the Northern Attack Group , " Roe " screened the transports to Mehedia , then provided gunfire support for the troops as they pushed to take Port Lyautey in the Sebou River and the Salé airfield . She arrived off the assault area on the night of 7 / 8 November , ahead of the main group , and with her SG radar , attempted to locate the beacon submarine , . Unsuccessful , she fixed her own position relative to the jetties and beaches of the landing area , and returned to the main force to help guide it to the transport area . During the early morning landings , she acted as control destroyer off Blue and Yellow beaches , then shifted to gunfire support duties . Shortly after sunrise she assisted in temporarily silencing hostile fire from the Kasba , an old citadel situated on a cliff commanding the mouth of the Sebou . Until 15 November , " Roe " remained in the area to provide gunfire support and screen the larger ships . She then turned westward , arriving back at Hampton Roads , Virginia on 26 November . In the winter and the following spring , 1943 , " Roe " again performed escort work with tanker runs to Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean oil ports and resupply and reinforcement convoys to Casablanca . On 10 June , she departed New York for the Mediterranean and her second assault , the Allied invasion of Sicily . Arriving at Oran toward the end of the month , she continued on to Bizerte , whence she steamed north with the JOSS force for Licata on 8 July . On 9 July , she took up her position in the fire support area off beach Red , near the Torre di Gaffe . Early on 10 July , she and moved toward Porto Empedocle , an Italian motor torpedo boat base guarded by a minefield 24 miles west of Licata , to investigate small pips which had registered on their radar screens . As both destroyers prepared to open fire on the " enemy " boats , " Roe " swerved to avoid the minefield and , at the same time , to fall in astern of Swanson . Her speed , however , exceeded " Swanson " s and , just before 0300 , " Roe " hit " Swanson " at right angles on the port side shearing off a portion of her own bow and causing " Swanson " s fireroom to flood . Both ships went dead in the water . Fortunately , by 0500 , both were mobile . As daylight increased , the " Luftwaffe " attempted to finish the damaged ships . The destroyers defended themselves and in the process shot down one Junkers Ju 88 with 13 rounds of proximity - influence - fused 5 inch fire to prove the worth of the new fuse in antiaircraft fighting . Following temporary patching at Oran , " Roe " returned to New York for permanent repairs . In mid - September , she resumed transatlantic convoy duty and completed two runs to North Africa before the end of the year . Pacific theatre . With the new year , 1944 , " Roe " was transferred to the Pacific . Departing New York on 26 January , she transited the Panama Canal and traversed the Pacific to report to Commander , TF 76 at Cape Sudest on 12 March . From there , and other New Guinea ports and anchorages , she escorted 7th Phib Force ships transporting Allied troops up the coast and through neighboring islands , and provided gunfire support in target areas . From 16 – 21 March , she supported operations on Manus Island . In early April , she transported Army personnel from Manus to Rambutyo Island , then prepared for the landings at Humboldt Bay , which she supported on 22 April . In mid - May , she assisted the offensive in the Toem - Wakde area ; then , at the end of the month , screened LST s to Biak . Fire support duty and escort of reinforcements and supplies to Biak continued into June . On 29 April , she provided call - fire support for Army units fighting northeast of the Driniumor River . Then , in July , the destroyer shifted to Noemfoor to conduct a prelanding bombardment and to give postlanding support fire . Relieved at midmonth , " Roe " departed the Admiralties and steamed for Majuro , where she joined the 5th Fleet . For the next 6 weeks , she served as an aircraft rescue ship in areas off Maloelap , Wotje , Mili , and Jaluit . Patrol , picket , and escort duties then kept her shuttling between and amongst the Marshall and Mariana Islands , primarily the latter , until early December when she joined TG 94 . 9 for a bombardment of Iwo Jima . Completing the assignment on 8 December , the force returned to Saipan , whence " Roe " conducted two search and rescue missions and one mercy run , carrying a doctor to a convoy bound for Saipan , before heading out for further strikes against Iwo Jima on 24 December and 27 December . On 24 December , " Roe " sank a small trawler and , with , sent to the bottom another ship , believed to have been a destroyer converted for fast transport service . On 27 December , she destroyed several small craft and damaged buildings and antiaircraft installations in and near the island ' s west boat basin . Another strike on the Volcano and Bonin Islands during the first week in January 1945 , was followed by availability at Ulithi and resumption of patrol and escort work from Guam . In late April , she returned to the Volcano - Bonin area for radar picket and search and rescue operations during air strikes against the Japanese home islands . At the end of May she resumed operations in the Marianas and in June she received orders to the west coast . " Roe " arrived in San Francisco Bay on 29 July , and was undergoing a yard overhaul when the war ended on 14 August . Then designated for inactivation , " Roe " was decommissioned on 30 October 1945 and was struck from the Navy list on 16 November . She was sold in August 1947 . Awards . " Roe " earned six battle stars during World War II .