This account was submitted by John Kiely of Granby MA. He also furnished pictures which have been misplaced. These photographs are from Robert McColgan of Medfield MA. The newspaper clipping and "Plan of the Day" were supplied by Don Seckel, BT3 of Florissant MO. Mr. Seckel also submitted pictures of the collision but Mr. McColgan's were larger and better.

The date--23 December 1953. The place--just south of Pusan, Korea.
Just before 2000 hours, the Haynsworth and Ault were engaged in ASW exercises with a U.S. sub as the target. Ault was the attack ship and the Haynsworth was the back-up. The Ault lost contact and pulled out. Haynsworth had contace and started an attack run. In the meantime Ault had regained contact and came around to start another attack run.

It was a clear night, with a full moon. The sea was smooth as glass. I was on the Signal Bridge for a coffee with a shipmate. We could see the Ault coming right at us, so I left. I just got to the 01 deck, next to the torpedo tube and turned to look forward. All I saw was part of a 9 and the 8. I said, "Oh! S____! grabbed the torpedo tubes then we got hit. All you could hear was the tearing of steel. The Ault slid down our starboard side, taking out part of Mt 43 back to the screw guard.

Later we were underway to Yokosuka, Japan at about 8 knots and the Ault came in stern first at about 2 knots on Christmas day.

In Memoriam

Eugene Merrill Whittington Sn     Buffalo, West Virgina

Plan Of The Day 30 March, 1954

The following is excerpted from the Plan Of The Day (we WWII types called it "morning Orders) and is relevant because of the historical recall.

Item 3. This is believed to be the HAYNSWORTH'S first return to Okinawa since 1945. It was at the battle of Okinawa that HAYNSWORTH was crashed by a Kamikaze (suicide) plane killing 12 men and injuring 45.

At this time, (April 1st is the ninth anniversary) it seems appropriate to review some of the details of the battle of Okinawa: a battle which some historians call one of the greatest of all time. The largest fleet of all time, 1450 U.S. ships manned by half a million men was assembled in this battle. U.S. Naval casualties exceeded all othere service casualties; this was unique for joint operations in World War II.

Admiral turner's Amphibious force contained 1,213 ships carrying 182,000 assault troops under General Simon Bolivar Buckner, and was poised to land on 1 April. General Buckner was to die on Okinawa (hence the name Buckner Bay) and 88 DD's and DE's as well as scores of minesweepers and auxiliary craft were to be crippled or sunk by the Japanese pilots bent on hari-kari.

After softening up bombing and shore bombardment, 75 minesweeper had combed the entire perimeter at short range off the island's south coast. Okinawa's shore guns were silent, and only scattered air attacks were experienced. But once the landings started, all hell broke loose from the air. The army landed unopposed which was quite a surprise since this was Japan's "Gibralter" and once the allied forces had this island to use as a base, Japan's doom was sealed. It became apparent that since Japan had lost her fleet (the YAMATO had been sunk exactly one month before) that she would throw every aircraft that could fly from Kyushu (Sasebo ares) at the Fleet which was supporting the Okinawa landing.

Picket stations were set up around Okinawa, each station manned by a DD with additional support from minesweepers and landing craft. Those ships were to break up the air attacks. These smaller craft became known as the "Pall bearers" for the DD's. 13 destroyers were sunk on picket station. Over a hundred other ships were hit. The following is taken from the historical book "Destroyers".

"One other "small boy" was maimed by a suicider on April 6 - HAYNSWORTH (Commander S.N. Tackney). She got it during th noon hour while she was operating in the screen of Task Group 58.3 off Okinawa. Down the sky came a "Judy", chased by two corsairs. The Jap plane headed away from the DD then winged over in an Immelmann turn, and dived at the ship. Tackney swun his ship hard left while her automatic guns raked the plane. The "Judy" afire crashed into the main radio transmitter room Up went an enormous gasoline fireball - an incandescent balloon that floated for a second, then splattered HAYNSWORTH superstructure with flame. Topside the ship became an inferno. Tight fire with water, fof, CO2, the crew quelled the conflagration in about 10 minutes. But HAYNSWORTH, her radios ruined, her CIC and plotting rooms wrecked, an a number of guns junked, was another candidate bor the repair yard.

(July 1959) The Haynsworth being towed out from Chicago after escorting the Queen of England down the St Lawrence Seaway for the official grand opening of the new access to the Atlantic Ocean. She (the Haynsworth not the queen) damaged her screws coming into Chicago and had to be towed from Chicago to Milwaukee for repairs. This was an inland cruise starting at Norfolk VA and return via Annapolis to Norfolk. Other Ports of call were Cleveland OH Chicago IL Milwaukee WI Toledo OH Montreal Canada. At that time I believe the Captain was Sidney Weed. A group of plankowneres gathered there and were granted permission to board by Captain Weed. Included were myself (Bill Morton), Robert Chamberlain, Lt. Aandahl, and Harry Beasley. If you were there, forgive me, Memories fade after 50 years.