USS Bagley (DD-386), a , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named for Ensign Worth Bagley, officer during the Spanish–American War, distinguished as the only U.S. naval officer killed in action during that war.
Bagley (DD-386) was laid down on 31 July 1935 at the Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia; launched on 3 September 1936; sponsored by Miss Bella Worth Bagley, sister of Ensign Bagley; and commissioned on 12 June 1937.
Service history
Inter-War Period Bagley worked extensively in the Atlantic before being sent to Pearl Harbor in 1940. She rotated occasionally between there and the Californian coast. By December 1941, Bagley was operating locally out of Pearl Harbor. Frequent exercises with DesDiv 7 were interspersed with carrier task force evolutions centered around and . The pace of these operations intensified as American economic sanctions, instituted in response to Japanese actions in China and French Indochina, provoked Japanese protests. On 3 December during an antiaircraft practice at sea with DesDiv 8, Bagleys starboard side bilge keel tore loose. The destroyer slowed to and changed course for Oahu, mooring at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard the following morning. On 6 December, the warship shifted berths starboard side to berth B-22 in Southeast Loch. By this time, Bagley had gone cold iron, receiving electricity, steam, and fresh water from the dock.
World War II Pearl Harbor At 0755 on 7 December, shortly before morning colors, Japanese aircraft from six fleet carriers struck the Pacific Fleet as it lay in port at Pearl Harbor. Onboard Bagley, Radio Seaman Recruit Robert P. Coles from Machias, Maine exited the port side mess decks and saw the Japanese planes attacking Hickam Field. He was relieved by Chief Gunners Mate Skinner who, as noted in official records, fired at the third plane to attack.
The crew first saw dive bombers in action over nearby Hickam Field and then witnessed a Nakajima B5N "Kate" torpedo planes pass down Southeast Loch and torpedo moored off Ford Island. The destroyer immediately went to general quarters, firing her .50-caliber machine guns at the torpedo-carrying Nakajimas passing down the port side to attack the American battleships. Shortly after 0800, a second "Kate"'s torpedo exploded in the bank about thirty feet ahead of Bagley.
During the second phase of the attack, which began about 0840, Bagleys crew fired on Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers attacking Ford Island and the navy yard dry docks. Her gunners claimed to have splashed at least six aircraft that morning; but, given the intensity of antiaircraft fire from all ships, her "kills" cannot be conclusively proven. At 0940, the warship headed for the channel and the open sea, leaving her commanding officer, executive officer, and gunnery officer ashore. Bagley, under the temporary command of Lieutenant Philip W. Cann, paused only long enough to pick up the skipper of destroyer , who was subsequently transferred to his own ship at sea.
1942 Bagley covered the arrival of TF 14 at Pearl Harbor four days after Christmas. The next day, the destroyer sailed with to patrol west of Oahu, covering the islands while two carrier groups escorted reinforcements to Samoa. On 11 January 1942, however, a single torpedo from hit and damaged the aircraft carrier. Bagley returned to Pearl Harbor with the injured Saratoga and, taking advantage of the opportunity, underwent a restricted availability at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard between 23 January and 3 February, adding four 20-millimeter machine guns to her antiaircraft battery.
Departing Oahu on the last day of January, Bagley joined TF 11, comprising Lexington, four cruisers and nine destroyers, to cover transports delivering reinforcements to Christmas Island, Canton Island in the Phoenix Islands, and New Caledonia. Worried about Japanese intentions in the Fiji-New Caledonia area, TF 11 joined the ANZAC cruiser force, , , HMNZS Leander with and two destroyers, on 16 February. Shortly thereafter, the task force turned to the northwest and headed for Bougainville in the Solomon Islands.
On 20 February, at 1707, the destroyer opened fire on a second wave of nine bombers with her 20-millimeter battery, joining the barrage of antiaircraft fire around Lexington. Minutes after that, one bomber attempted to crash Bagley's stern, but fire from helped splash the "Betty" some distant on the starboard quarter.
Upkeep and repair, punctuated by a dry dock period, kept the destroyer's crew busy for the next month. Bagley took departure from Pearl Harbor on 30 April, carrying mail and passengers to Palmyra Island, Christmas Island, and the Society Islands. Off Bora Bora on 9 May, she rendezvoused with and escorted her to the Fiji Islands, arriving at Nukualofa Bay, Tongatapu, on 15 May. The destroyer then spent a week patrolling outside the harbor, protecting departing convoys from enemy submarines, before continuing on alone to Brisbane, Australia, arriving there on 30 May.
Assigned to the Southwest Pacific Force (TF 44), Bagley protected convoys in the approaches to Australia, searched for submarine contacts during two patrol sweeps with , and conducted night battle practice and other exercises with the cruisers of TF 44 through mid-July. On the 17th, she departed Brisbane for New Zealand, arriving in Auckland on 20 July. There, she joined TF 62 and began preparations for Operation Watchtower, the invasion of Guadalcanal.
Bagley steamed to the Fiji Islands, in company with cruisers Chicago, , Australia, , , eight other destroyers, and 12 transports. Joined by other convoy elements on the 26th, including three more cargo ships, Bagley guarded the transports as they conducted rehearsal landings at Koro Island. The task force then proceeded to the Solomon Islands, arriving in the transport area off Lunga Point, Guadalcanal, on 7 August.
Assigned to "Southern Force", one of three picket patrols, Bagley and Patterson accompanied Australia, Canberra, and Chicago in protecting the transports south of Tulagi.
Australia, with Rear Admiral Victor Alexander Charles Crutchley, RN, on board, left formation for a command conference at Lunga Roads at 2130. Just over two hours later, with visibility low owing to overcast sky and rain showers, unidentified ships loomed into view about distant on the port bow. These were seven Japanese cruisers and a destroyer under Rear Admiral Gunichi Mikawa sent from Rabaul to attack the American transports. At that moment, 0144 according to Bagleys log, float planes from the Japanese cruisers dropped flares that lit up the American warships.
Bagley turned sharply to the left to bring the starboard torpedo tubes to bear on the Japanese warships looming out of the darkness but, either due to the torpedoes not being armed in time or because the ship turned too quickly for the torpedo tubes to be aimed properly,Loxton, Shame of Savo, p. 192. she continued her turn and fired four torpedoes to the northwest from number two port mount. Although the torpedomen claimed hits a few minutes later, no Japanese ships were damaged by torpedoes in that area. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that one or two of Bagley's torpedoes may have hit Canberra on her starboard side.Loxton, Shame of Savo, p. 191–205. Loxton presents a comprehensive case for why he believes Bagley took out Canberra with torpedoes. See Battle of Savo Island for more information. Bagley then turned left again and her gunners scanned the passage between Guadalcanal and Savo Island; but, as the Japanese cruiser force had already passed by to the north, they saw no enemy ships. She then steamed to the northwest, toward the designated destroyer rendezvous point, and at about 0300 came across the heavily damaged and burning . That warship, along with and , had been mortally wounded in the short, but violent, Battle of Savo Island before the Japanese force retired to Rabaul.
Bagley came alongside Astoria and rescued about 400 survivors—including 185 wounded—from the stricken warship, out of the water or from nearby rafts. With daylight, Bagley delivered a salvage party of 325 men to Astoria to fight fires, plug holes and raise steam. The effort ultimately failed, and the cruiser sank that afternoon. Meanwhile, Bagley's medical officer and pharmacist's mates treated shell-fragment lacerations and second-degree burns before the wounded were transferred to that afternoon. Bagley then withdrew to Nouméa with TF 62, mooring there on 13 August.
1943 On 15 March 1943, Bagley executed orders reassigning her to TF 74 as the newly created 7th Fleet readied itself for offensive operations in New Guinea. Underway from Townsville on 27 June, Bagley, in company with Henley and SC-749, escorted six LSTs carrying 2,600 Army troops and airfield equipment to Woodlark Island. While the destroyers patrolled south of the island, the landing proceeded without Japanese interference on the night of 30 June and 1 July. Bagley escorted three more echelons of LSTs from Townsville to Woodlark between 9 July and 7 August; all arrived safely, and the fighter airstrip became operational on 23 July. The destroyer then escorted between Milne Bay, Cairns, and Brisbane, arriving at the last port on 15 August.
Bagley steamed back to New Guinea late in the month, delivering a convoy to Milne Bay on 1 October. She quickly returned to Townsville to pick up another convoy, escorting it safely into Milne Bay on the 8th. Sailing again to Australia, this time to Brisbane, the destroyer shepherded a third convoy from Townsville to Milne Bay between 25 and 29 October. After moving to Buna on 8 November, Bagley helped escort a convoy of three LSTs to Finschhafen, delivering supplies to the Australian 20th Brigade on the 11th. Over the next four weeks, the destroyer escorted six more reinforcement convoys out of Buna; three to Finschhafen, one to Lae, one to Woodlark Island, and the last to Cape Cretin on 12 December.
After steaming to Buna on 23 December, Bagley joined the seven LSTs of TU 76.1.41, carrying the 7th echelon of 1st Marine Division's engineers, artillery, and stores for the Cape Gloucester operation. The crew watched the heavy cruisers bombard the beach at 0600 on 26 December, and then Bagley screened the LSTs as they landed troops and equipment. That afternoon, around 1430, a large Japanese air raid attacked the task force, sinking and damaging . Later that evening, Bagley's crew saw friendly fighters splash three "Betty" bombers over the beachhead. Returning to Buna on 28 December, Bagley then helped leapfrog elements of the 32nd Infantry Division to Saidor, New Guinea, bypassing a strong Japanese garrison at Sio. The third echelon convoy landed troops and equipment without incident on 2 January 1944.
1944 Ordered "to act as stand-by escort for supply echelons", the destroyer delivered a convoy of LSTs to Saidor on 5 February and the next day, in company with and two LSTs, steamed for Cape Gloucester. She departed the region on 10 February, steaming east for the west coast of the United States.
Arriving in San Francisco on 27 February, after stops at Florida Island, Guadalcanal, Palmyra, and Pearl Harbor, Bagley entered the Mare Island Navy Yard for a major overhaul on the 28th. Over the next eight weeks, she added two more 20 mm guns (for a total of six) and an improved fire control radar while a twin 40 mm gun tub was placed forward of the two after guns.
Underway for Hawaii on 5 May, Bagley began training at sea for Operation "Forager", the planned invasion of the Marianas. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on the 10th, the destroyer conducted screen, antiaircraft, and shore bombardment drills before sailing for the Marshall Islands on 29 May. Anchoring in Majuro Atoll on 3 June, Bagley joined one of the four fast carrier task groups, putting out to sea with and TG 58.2 on the 8th.
Saipan