USS KIDD Destroyer DD661 - Pirate of the Pacific in World War II
USS KIDD DD 661 – Baton Rouge,
Louisiana
“It is the
function of the Navy to carry the war to the enemy so that it is not fought on
US Soil”
Fleet Admiral Chester
W. Nimitz
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| USS Kidd DD661 - Fletcher Class World War II Destroyer - Baton Rouge, Louisiana JDJ Photo |
Scattered across the 50 States are some incredible treasures that pay tribute to the Patriots and warriors who through extreme bravery and sacrifice, ensured the freedom of future generations of Americans. One of these treasures is the USS Kidd – Destroyer DD 661 that is preserved as a memorial on the east bank of the Mississippi River in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The ship was named after Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd. During the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Admiral Kidd was aboard his flagship, the USS Arizona serving as Commander of Battleship Division One. When the attack began on the morning of December 7th, 1941, Kidd rushed from his quarters up to the ship’s bridge and manned his post directing the ships defenses as the senior officer aboard until a bomb crashed through the deck and penetrated the ship’s magazine causing an explosion so violent that it lifted the massive Battleship out of the water, destroying the ship killing 1,177 Sailors and Marines. Admiral Kidd was posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Purple Heart for his actions that day. His body was never found and he is still listed as “missing in action” on a memorial panel in the Punchbowl
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| Admiral Isaac C. Kidd - Killed in action aboard the USS Arizona Battleship at Pearl Harbor, 07 December 1941. Posthumously awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for heroism U.S. Naval Historical Center: Kidd, Isaac C., Public Domain, |
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| These twin 20 mm guns would have been blasting at Kamikazes off of Okinawa in 1945 JDJ Photo |
bombardment, and escorts to provide protection for larger ships. She was capable of fast attack with her torpedo tubes and main guns and she was often assigned the task of picking up downed pilots. The crew of KIDD decided to take on the persona of the Pirate “Captain Kidd” but did not want to disrespect Rear Admiral KIDD so they contacted Mrs. Kidd and asked her if it would be ok to paint a large image of the Pirate on the ship stack. Not only did she support the idea, she petitioned the Navy to allow it and for the ship to be authorized to fly the Jolly Roger Pirate Flag. The Navy concurred making the KIDD the only ship in the history of the US Navy granted leave to fly the Pirate Flag. During WWII she earned 8 Battle Stars while participating in combat operations at Wake Island, Raubal, Tarawa, The Gilbert and Marshall Islands, Bouganville, Guam, and the Invasion of the Leyte Island in the Philippines. To demonstrate a day in the life of this ship during World War II consider the following incident. During the attack on Raubal, KIDD slowed to pick up the crew of a plane from the Aircraft Carrier USS Essex and became separated from the rest of the fleet. 8 Japanese Dive bombers seized upon the opportunity to attack the lone ship. In the face of near certain obliteration, KIDD continued rescue operations while frantically maneuvering to avoid bombs and torpedoes with all of her deck guns blazing anti-aircraft fire at the enemy planes. In the end, three of the enemy planes were shot down and the pilots were successfully rescued. For this action, the ships Commander, Allan B. Roby, was awarded the Silver Star
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| 5 inch turrets on USS Kidd. The ship had 5 of these big guns JDJ Photo |
for gallantry. As the US marched closer to the Japanese Main Islands with the Navy controlling the seas and the Army and Marines Island hopping, the Japanese changed tactics and initiated a new and desperate but very deadly kind of warfare called Kamikaze which when translated means “Divine Wind”. Kamikaze warfare consisted of pilots of Japanese aircraft getting as close as possible to US ships and then crashing into them in a spectacular suicidal fireball explosion. On 11 April 1945, USS Kidd was on picket duty on the edge of the gigantic US Fleet off of the Island of Okinawa when she became the target of the Kamikaze. Lieutenant Brooks C. Garrett Jr. was standing on the main deck leaning over the rail taking 8 mm movies of the attacking Kamikazes when one struck the ship causing catastrophic damage – killing 38 crew members and injuring 55 others. When he was 72 years old, Garrett provided the following description of the events that happened that day. "As he came spiraling down in a 'falling leaf' descent, he looked like he was going to splash. However, as he got right down to the water he suddenly leveled off— heading straight for us. I kept taking movies. He was smoking. Looking through the viewfinder made it appear like he was further out than he actually was, but when I heard the big 20mm gun shooting then you knew it was close. When I moved the camera aside, I suddenly saw just how close he was. It was too late to move or duck, though. Then there was a terrific blast and I felt myself being hurled through the air and suddenly found myself on the far side of the passageway, laying on my back, with no clothes on except my belt—which had a few shreds of cloth hanging on it. And blood all over me. I looked down and saw my left femur protruding from my leg and said OH MY GOD, LOOK WHAT HAPPENED! I felt my left eye hanging down on my cheek. When I later saw my steel helmet with a bullet hole in it, then I realized that the bullet had punctured the steel part, glanced down, creasing my eyebrow, apparently pulling my eye out." Somehow the ship stayed
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| Memorial Plaque on USS Kidd that honors the Sailors who lost their lives in combat off Okinawa - JDJ Photo |
afloat and limped under escort back to the US base at Ulithi Atoll for temporary repairs and then continued on to San Francisco for a major overhaul. While enroute to Ulithi, her dead were buried at sea. At Ulithi, the crew of the Destroyer Tender USS HAMUL cast a brass plaque with the names of KIDD’s thirty-eight fallen crewmen. The plaque was mounted on KIDD’s quarter deck in their memory and can still be seen there today. Two aluminum rivet heads, sheared from the ship's decking by the blast, are also on display. These were surgically removed from Garrett's abdomen, and one of the rivets amazingly still retains portions from Garrett's uniform. The museum also has an exhibit in memory of those men killed in the kamikaze attack with a photograph of each man above his name and rank. I visited this wonderful old warship on the bank of the Mississippi River at Baton Rouge, LA that has been painstakingly restored right down to the fine China and silver service of the Officers mess. The
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| Depth Charge used for anti submarine warfare on USS Kidd. JDJ Photo |
sick bay, radio room and bridge are all full of authentic artifacts from the ship’s wartime service. It is hard to describe what I felt as I walked the deck and through the passageways of the old ship. A mixture of awe, gratitude, astonishment at the incredible armaments of the ship and chills when I read the names of the fallen on the brass plaque. I imagined the large round depth charges rolling off of the rails of the back of the ship during anti-submarine combat, the 5-inch guns pounding enemy island fortifications, and torpedoes being launched at enemy ships. I walked up to a 20 mm dual anti-aircraft gun and looked
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| Torpedo Tubes on USS Kidd. This ship and the other Fletcher Class Destroyers were heavily armed! - JDJ Photo |
For more information on visiting the USS Kidd - visit their website at:
https://www.usskidd.com/
***Note***at the time of this posting the USS Kidd is away from its mooring in dry dock at Houma, Louisiana for scheduled repairs. Check with the museum for ship return schedule.
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| USS Kidd moored along the riverfront in Baton Rouge, Louisiana JDJ Photo |
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| USS Kidd and the Mississippi River with the I-10 Bridge in the background at sunset. JDJ Photo |
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