USS John D. Henley

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USS John D. Henley (DD-553) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the U.S. Navy, named for Captain John D. Henley. Built in Chickasaw, Alabama, by Gulf Shipbuilding, she was laid down on July 21, 1941, launched November 15, 1942, and commissioned February 2, 1944.

After shakedown training, she sailed to the Pacific, arriving at Pearl Harbor on April 23, 1944. She escorted fleet oilers and served as flagship of a refueling group, supporting the Saipan and Tinian campaigns and broader Marianas operations. Based at Ulithi, she helped with carrier task force operations and the Peleliu campaign, continuing refueling duties into November 1944. In December she moved to Guam for escort and patrol duties in the Marshall and Mariana Islands. In February 1945 she joined the Iwo Jima operation, providing pre-invasion bombardment, fire support, screening, and radar picket duties.

Henley then prepared for Okinawa, which began in March 1945. She screened the light carrier group during the Okinawa operation, facing periodic air attacks and making logistics stops at Kerama Retto until June. She moved to Leyte Gulf on June 27 and then operated north of Okinawa to cover minesweeping. She was at Buckner Bay when Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945, and afterward served in air-sea rescue duties off Japan. On September 2 she began the voyage home and arrived in San Francisco on September 24.

She was overhauled and decommissioned at San Diego on April 30, 1946, and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Bremerton. Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on May 1, 1968, she was sold for scrap in May 1970. John D. Henley earned six battle stars for her World War II service.