USS Gillespie
USS Gillespie (DD-609) was a Benson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Major Archibald H. Gillespie. Construction and commissioning Gillespie was launched 1 November 1942 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation, San Francisco, California; sponsored by Mrs. Hugo W. Osterhaus, wife of Rear Admiral Hugo W. Osterhaus; and commissioned 18 September 1942. 1942 and 1943 After shakedown, the destroyer sailed from San Francisco 28 December 1942 for the fog-shrouded Aleutian Islands and reached Sand Bay, Great Sitkin Island, 9 January 1943. After conducting escort, ASW, and patrolling duties among the scattered Aleutians, she saw her first action 18 February when, with and , she bombarded Attu Island, without return fire. The destroyer shot over 400 rounds of 5-inch into Japanese installations at Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor, and on the evening of the same day began an anti-shipping patrol southwest of Attu with Indianapolis and . At 2225, Coglans lookouts spotted smoke on the horizon and Gillespie responded. The smoking ship was Akagane Maru, a 3100-ton cargo ship bound for Attu with troops, munitions, and supplies, but she was not to close her port of call. She answered Indianapolis challenge in Japanese Morse