History
The Caldwell class was made up of six destroyers constructed for the US Navy during World War I. Primarily used as convoy escorts in the Atlantic, these ships also served as the foundation for the later and more numerous Wickes and Clemson classes. USS Manley (DD-74) was laid down on August 22, 1916, launched on August 23, 1917, and officially commissioned on October 15, 1917. During the First World War, she carried out convoy escort and patrol missions across the Atlantic Ocean.
A disastrous event occurred on March 19, 1918, when an accidental explosion of Manley’s own depth charges destroyed the stern section of the ship. The incident claimed the lives of the executive officer and 33 crew members. Disabled and adrift, she was eventually towed by British vessels to Queenstown, Ireland, where she received temporary repairs before sailing back to the United States. She was taken out of active service on June 14, 1922.
Manley was recommissioned on May 1, 1930, and later converted into the Navy’s first high-speed transport, designated APD-1, on August 2, 1940. She joined the Pacific Fleet in mid-1942 and became involved in intense frontline operations. During the Guadalcanal campaign, she transported supplies and evacuated wounded Marines between August 16 and 19, 1942. For upcoming missions, she was painted in jungle green and covered with camouflage netting. Her crew also removed unnecessary equipment to lighten the ship for combat conditions.
On September 8, 1942, Manley supported a major raid by the 1st Marine Raider Battalion at Taivu Point, unloading paratroopers to aid the raiders and using her guns to bombard the nearby village of Tasimboko. The operation was a success, resulting in the destruction of enemy arms, ammunition, and other supplies. After completing her mission, Manley withdrew at full speed before larger Japanese naval forces could arrive.
She went on to participate in a variety of transport and support duties throughout the Solomon Islands, including assaults on Carter and Cecil Islands, as well as major amphibious invasions at Kwajalein Atoll, the Marshall Islands, Saipan, the Philippines, and Okinawa.
Returning to San Diego on May 23, 1945, she was reclassified back to a destroyer (DD-74) on June 25, 1945. Following the conclusion of World War II, Manley was decommissioned at Philadelphia on November 19, 1945, and was sold for scrapping a week later on November 26, 1946.
