USS Cascade (AD-16)

Cascade cleared San Francisco on 12 June 1943 for Pearl Harbor, where she began her war time duty of tending destroyers. As the war moved westward, Cascade followed, bringing her support close to the action areas. From November 1943, she was stationed successively at Kwajalein, Eniwetok, and Ulithi, while the ships she served ranged the Pacific, escorting convoys, screening carrier task forces, supporting invasions, and carrying out many other tasks with typical destroyer versatility. Cascade was part of Service Squadron 10.

In June 1945, Cascade sailed to Okinawa, where she endured the suicide raids and typhoon weather. She left Okinawan waters in September to serve in Wakayama, Japan and later at Tokyo, Japan, supporting the occupation until March 1946, when she sailed for the East Coast. Cascade was decommissioned and placed in service in reserve at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on 12 February 1947.

In the autumn of 1943 Admiral Nimitz ordered the creation of two service squadrons. These two squadrons would provide mobile service to the fleet as it moved across the Pacific — with one service as fleet base while the second remained to the rear. As the fleet captured new sites the rear squadron would move to the front and act as fleet base.

Service Squadron 4 was commissioned on 1 November 1943. The squadron was made up of 24 vessels and would be based in Funafuti Atoll. The USS Cascade, Captain Samuel Ogden, was the flagship for the squadron and Captain Ogden was also chief staff officer for the squadron. The repair ships Phaon (ARB-3) and Vestal (AR-4) and 21 other ships comprised the squadron. On 21 November 1943 the Cascade arrived at Funafuti, where she remained until February 1944. During the stay at Funafuti the Cascade serviced numerous fleet vessels — including 10 destroyers and eight destroyer escorts.

During this period Captain Worrall Reed Carter (USNA 1908), was organizing the second service squadron. Service Squadron 10 was commissioned on 15 January 1944 at Pearl Harbor.

After the capture of Kwajalein in February 1944 the Cascade moved from Funafuti to Kwajalein. On 17 March 1944 Squadron 4 was absorbed into Squadron 10. Captain Herbert Meyer Scull (USNA 1919,) was reassigned as chief of staff for Rear Admiral Hoover, Commander Forward Area, Central Pacific. Captain Samuel Ogden in the Cascade became representative "A" of Commander Service Squadron 10 in command of Kwajalein and Roi.

The Cascade remained at Kwajalein until May 1944 when she moved to Eniwetok. On 5 June Commodore Carter joined SERVRON 10 at Eniwetok. His flagship was the Prairie (AD-15). The following ships were also present in July 1944: destroyer tenders Cascade, Piedmont (AD-17), and Markab (AD-21); repair ship Hector (AR-7); repair ship landing craft Egeria (ARL-8); floating dry-docks ARD-13, ARD-15; mobile floating dry-dock AFD-15; and floating workshop YR-30. During July 1944 there were a large number of vessels present at Eniwetok. The daily average of ships present during the first half of July was 488; during the second half of July the daily average number of ships at Eniwetok was 283. By the end of July Commodore Carter flew to Pearl Harbor to participate in planning the move of Servron 10 facilities from Eniwetok to Ulithi.

On 4 October 1944 Service Squadron 10 began leaving Eniwetok for Ulithi. On 8 October 1944 Commodore Worrall R. Carter's flagship the Prairie, the merchant ammunition ship Plymouth Victory and the Cascade, Captain Herbert Kenneth Gates (USNA 1924), sailed for Ulithi. The Markab initially remained at Eniwetok, leaving for Ulithi on 18 October 1944 and arriving on 22 October. Service Squadron 10's conversion of the lagoon at Ulithi to a major naval resupply and staging area was one of the most remarkable feats of the war.

On 20 November 1944 the Ulithi harbor was attacked by Japanese kaiten human torpedoes launched from two nearby submarines. The destroyer Case (DD-370) rammed one in the early morning hours. At 5:47 the fleet oiler Mississinewa (AO-59), at anchor in the harbor, was struck and sunk. Destroyers began dropping depth charges throughout the anchorage. At 6:25 the cruiser Mobile (CL-63) reported that a torpedo had passed under its bow. The destroyer escorts Rall (DE-304), Halloran (DE-305), and Weaver (DE-741) performed an anti-submarine attack in response to the torpedo attack and reported that an enemy submarine was sunk. Another enemy submarine was sunk by an air attack some 15 miles east of Ulithi. There were two explosions on the reef which indicated the presence of additional kaiten. After the war Japanese naval officers said that two tender submarines each carrying four manned torpedoes had been sent to attack the fleet at Ulithi. Three of the suicide torpedoes were unable to launch due to mechanical problems and another ran aground on the reef. Two did make it into the lagoon, one of which sank the Mississinewa.

Following operations at Leyte, Task Force 38 arrived at Ulithi on 24 December. Damaged ships from the force had preceded the main fleet by a few days. The repair ship Ajax (AR-6) had begun work on the Altamaha (CVE-18) and Jicarilla (ATF-104); the Hector was repairing the San Jacinto (CVL-30); the destroyer Dewey (DD-349) was tied up to the Prairie for repairs; the Cascade had the Buchanan (DD-484) alongside; the Dixie (AD-14) was repairing the Dyson (DD-572).

On 4 March 1945 the destroyers Ringgold (DD-500) and Yarnall (DD-541) collided while conducting night battle drills while en route to Ulithi as part of Task Group 58.1. Ringgold's bow was sheared off to frame 22 and she was extensively damaged to frame 26 port and 38 starboard. Yarnall's bow was bent to the right and upward; her bow broke off and sank during towing. Upon arrival at Ulithi the Ringgold went alongside the Cascade for installation of a temporary bow. In early April the Ringgold departed for Pearl Harbor for permanent repairs and the Yarnall left for Mare Island Navy Yard.

On 13 March 1945 there were 647 ships at anchor at Ulithi and with the arrival of amphibious forces staging at Ulithi for the invasion of Okinawa the number of ships at anchor peaked at 722. During the preparations for the Okinawa invasion the service load on Squadron 10 was extremely heavy.

On 8 March 1944 the Commander Service Squadron 10 created the Mobile Fleet Motion Picture Sub-Exchange No. 1. The Prairie operated the north exchange and the Cascade operated a branch exchange to service ships in the southern anchorage of Ulithi. The program issued 100 35-mm films and 652 16-mm films per day during December 1944.

In December 1944 a court of inquiry was held in the wardroom of the Cascade, at Ulithi, regarding the loss of three ships and over 800 men from the US Third Fleet during a typhoon. The Third Fleet was under the command of William F. (Bull) Halsey, Jr. during the typhoon in mid-December 1944. Admiral Chester A. Nimitz, CINCPAC, was in attendance at the court. Forty-three-year-old Captain Herbert K. Gates, of the Cascade, was the judge advocate for the court. Gates was an expert in mechanical and marine engineering.

Recommissioned on 5 April 1951, Cascade was based in Newport, Rhode Island, as tender for the many destroyers home-ported there. From Newport she cruised to the Caribbean and the Mediterranean to support the destroyers deployed there. During this time Cascade served as flagship, and carried the flag of commander, Service Force, 6th Fleet, and the flag of commander, Destroyer Flotilla 6. She also served as flagship for commander, Destroyer Force, Atlantic. She served in this role as flagship and tender up through 1963. From 1970 to 1974, the Cascade was forward deployed to the Mediterranean, homeported in Naples Italy. When was in the port of Naples Cascade was used even like a set for a scene of Italian Movie Polvere di stelle in 1973 with Alberto Sordi, Monica Vitti and John Phillip Law.

The Cascade was decommissioned on 22 November 1974 and struck from the Naval Register on 23 November 1974. She was subsequently sold for scrap to Luria Brother of Brooklyn, New York, and dismantled at the Gulmar Yard in Brownsville, Texas starting September 1975. The anchor, along with mooring cleats at the front entrance of the school, ended up at Danville High School in Danville, KY. The anchor has become a symbol of stability and security to all Danville Admirals. It keeps school spirit from drifting and stands as a constant reminder of admiral tradition. The anchor has been on loan from the Navy to DHS since it was placed. [1]