USS Spence
USS "Spence" (DD-512), a "Fletcher" class destroyer, was laid down on 18 May 1942 by the Bath Iron Works, Bath, Maine; launched on 27 October 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Eben Learned; and commissioned on 8 January 1943, Lieutenant Commander H. J. Armstrong in command. The ship was named for Robert T. Spence, superintendent of the construction of USS "Ontario" (1813), and captain of USS "Cyane" (1815). "Spence" conducted her shakedown cruise out of Guantanamo Bay from 8 to 28 February. She then served as an escort in the Atlantic and Caribbean and had convoy duty in the Casablanca  area in April. She was routed to the west coast and, on 25 July, got underway from San Francisco for Pearl Harbor, to serve in the Pacific against the Japanese in World War II. History. "Spence" sailed on 25 August as a unit of Task Group (TG) 1.2 consisting of the light carriers and to support troops who took possession of Baker Island on 1 September. On the 13 September, she proceeded to Efate and arrived at Havannah Harbor on 18 September. "Spence" was attached to Destroyer Division (DesDiv) 46 of Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 23. The squadron sailed on 22  September for Tulagi, Solomon Islands. On the 28th, she set a surface craft on fire with her main batteries near Kolombangara and then patrolled between that island and Vella Lavella. On the night of 1 and 2 October, Spence was with a force off Vella Lavella to interdict Japanese shipping and helped to destroy 20 Japanese barges. The DD then made two escort runs from Tulagi to Purvis Bay during the first part of the month and ended October supporting landings on the Treasury Islands. Capt. Arleigh A. Burke assumed command of DesRon 23 on 23 October, and the squadron  became known as the "Little Beavers." On 1 November, "Spence" participated in the bombardment of Buka and Bonis airfields and of Japanese positions in the Shortland Islands to support the Landings at Cape Torokina, Bougainville. Battle of Empress Augusta Bay. In the early hours of 2 November, Task Force 39 intercepted an enemy force of two heavy and two light cruisers with six destroyers steaming towards Empress Augusta Bay. At 02:31, "Spence" made radar contact at . While closing the target, she received a hit below the water line but continued in action. The destroyer fired a spread of torpedoes at  a ship away and was rewarded with black smoke pouring from the target. As "Spence" retired to rendezvous with DesDiv 45, she spotted another Japanese force away. She opened fire, was "on target," and watched one ship stop dead in the water and burn fiercely. Since "Spence" was low on ammunition, she called upon DesDiv 45 to pour shells into the ill-fated destroyer "Hatsukaze" which sank stern first. The Japanese light cruiser "Sendai" was also sunk in the engagement. When daybreak came, so did between 70 and 80 enemy aircraft. But the Japanese lost over 20 planes while scoring  only two hits on . "Spence" retired to Purvis Bay on 3 November. The next day, she called at Tulagi and sailed with for Kula Gulf. On the afternoon of the 5th, she was operating northwest of the Treasury Islands when she was attacked by enemy aircraft. One plane dropped three bombs, but the closest fell off "Spence"s starboard beam. Battle of Cape St. George. For the next three weeks, "Spence" performed patrol and escort duty in the Port Purvis-Kula Gulf area. On 24 November, the squadron was refueling in Hathorn Sound when ordered northwest of Buka Island to intercept  Japanese shipping which American intelligence had learned would attempt to evacuate aviation personnel from the Buka-Bonis airfields. Early the next morning, the "Little Beavers" were patrolling the Buka-Rabaul route. At 01:42, in St. George Channel, Spence made surface radar contacts at . The range closed rapidly, and, at 01:56, DesDiv 45 fired torpedoes at two Japanese ships and scored several hits. Several minutes later, American radar picked up a second group of three enemy ships. "Spence" and were ordered to finish off the first group while DesDiv 45 bombarded the second group. In the first group, "Onami" exploded and  sank immediately while "Makinami" was badly damaged. "Spence" and "Converse" opened on her with their main batteries and she sank at 02:53. In the second group, DesDiv 45 sank "Yugiri". Three of five Japanese destroyers were sunk with no damage to DesRon 23. The squadron returned to Purvis Bay on 31 October. 1944. "Spence" operated out of Purvis Bay until late January 1944 when she patrolled near Green Island and Bougainville Strait. On 5 February, she participated in the bombardment of supply and bivouac areas at Hahela Plantation on the southeast coast of Buka Island. The next day, she sank  an enemy barge with shellfire near Green Island. On the night of 9 and 10 February, Spence helped to shell Tiaraka and Teopasino, Bougainville, Kavieng and Cape St. George, New Ireland. On the 18th, she made a sweep of shipping lanes between Kavieng and Truk. The American warships encountered no ships so they returned to Kavieng and shelled it again on the 22nd. On that day, Spence and DesDiv 45 sank a Japanese merchantman of about 5,000 tons with shellfire. "Spence" operated with TF 39 from 1 to 24 March to support the landings on Emirau Island. On the 27th  she sortied from Purvis Bay with TF 58 for strikes against Palau, Yap, Ulithi and Woleai, Caroline Islands. From 13 to 25 April, Spence screened the fast carriers as they struck targets on New Guinea in support of the Landing at Aitape, Tanahmerah Bay, and at Humboldt Bay, New Guinea. On the 29th and 30th, the carriers struck enemy shipping and installations at Truk, the powerful Japanese naval base in the Caroline Islands. The destroyer returned to Majuro for a period of upkeep from 4 May to 5 June. "Spence" sortied with TG 58.4, the fast carriers, on 6 June , to attack the Mariana Islands. As aircraft struck the islands, the destroyer moved in and bombarded Japanese positions on Guam and Saipan. The planes attacked Iwo Jima on the 16th and then returned to shell the Marianas. Spence participated in the "Marianas Turkey Shoot" during the Battle of the Philippine Sea on 19 and 20 June. On 23 and 24 June, aircraft bombed targets on Guam, Saipan and Tinian. The destroyer conducted shore bombardment against Rota, Saipan and Guam from 26 June through the end of the month setting fuel tanks afire and sinking two sampans on the 27th. "Spence  replenished at Eniwetok in July and, on 4 August, sailed for the California coast via Pearl Harbor and arrived at San Francisco on 18 August. She was drydocked all of September and, on 5 October, sailed for Pearl Harbor and the Marshalls. She arrived at Eniwetok on 31 October and was ordered to Ulithi in early November, where she was assigned to TG 38.1, the Support Unit for the fast carriers of TF 38. She screened the carriers in Philippine waters as they launched attacks against Luzon during November and the first part of December. Loss. On 17 December, Spence  prepared to refuel and pumped out all of the salt water ballast from her tanks; but rough seas caused the fueling operation to be cancelled. The next day, the weather worsened and the storm turned into a major typhoon. As the ships wallowed in canyon-like troughs of brine, Spence"s electrical equipment got wet from great quantities of sea water taken on board. After a 72-degree roll to port, all of the lights went out and the pumps stopped. The rudder jammed; and, after a deep roll to port about 11:00, "Spence" capsized and sank. Only 24 of her  complement survived. One of the 24 survivors was David Moore, an African American who floated at sea for two days and also was responsible for saving the lives of two other men. and were also sunk in the typhoon. "Spence" was struck from the Navy list on 19 January 1945. Honors. "Spence" received eight battle stars for World War II service.