USS Mayo DD422

Anzio
Resort town of Anzio seen from deck of MAYO.

The Speed and Accuracy of her fire kept the Germans from counter attacking across Canale Mussolini.

Rear Admiral F. J. Lowry , Commander Central Attack Force, commenting about MAYO.

Battle of Anzio, Italy
British General Sir Henry Maitland Wilson was designated to take active command in the Mediterranean, with one key responsibility to push the German armies rapidly up the Italian peninsula. It was not to be. The U.S. Fifth Army bogged down at Monte Cassino north of Naples. On the Adriatic, the British Eighth Army met unpenetrable resistance at the Sangro River. Most of the Allied leadership were against another landing in Italy but desired to keep intense pressure on the Germans. However, Prime Minister Churchill wanted a landing at Anzio to break Kesselring's hold on northern Italy.

Amphibious Task Force 81, commanded by Rear Admiral F.J. Lowry, became the central unit of the American naval assault forces. Captain Harry Sanders, as ComDesRon 13 in the USS Woolsey, brought Wainwright, Trippe, Niblack, Gleaves, Edison, Ludlow and Mayo along for D-Day. The Plunkett, carrying the flag of Captain J.P. Clay, was another essential addition to this all destroyer force. U.S. Destroyer Escorts Herbert C. Jones and Frederick C. Davis were involved right from D-Day.

Amphibious exercises were conducted in the Salerno-Naples area to ready Task Force 81 for a SHINGLE assault at Anzio. The operation was scheduled for January 22, 1944. The landing beaches laid out in the plans ran from a point below the Tiber Estuary on the Tyrrhenean Sea, south to Nettuno, a resort town just over 30 miles south of Rome. The port of Anzio centered the targeted beaches. Success, it was hoped, would outflank the German forces at Cassino and open the way for the Allies to be over 50 miles behind the so-called "Gustav" line defined by Kesselring, and be but a few miles from Rome itself. Surely the Germans would have to fall back to a new line.

Anzio Annie
"Anzio Annie"
MAYO fired at the tunnel that hid this gun every 5 minutes or so at the peak of battle to keep the Germans from using it to pummel the troops.

The British 1st Infantry Division would land to the north, supported by two British cruisers and a small destroyer force under Rear Admiral Mansfield, RN. Col. Darby's U.S. Rangers would land near Anzio, followed by the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division, which would land on beaches to the south of Anzio. These forces were supported by the U.S. cruiser Brooklyn and the British cruiser Penelope, supplemented by a contingent of DesRon Thirteen destroyers, Woolsey with Captain Harry Sander's flag, Mayo, Trippe, Ludlow and Edison. The followup supply landing craft would receive AA and ASW support from Captain Clay's DesRon Seven, with Clay's flag on Plunkett, plus Gleaves, Niblack, two British destroyers, two U.S. destroyer escorts, and two U.S. minecraft. A stout force of U.S. sweepers, AM and YMS type, would start work before H-Hour.

Now it is best to explain the Mayo's action right from her WW2 cruise book :

"Early in the morning of 22 January well before daylight we were nosing our way in toward the Italian coast, thru countless landing craft, to our fire support station two miles off the beach. Many times we passed within a few feet of these craft loaded with soldiers, who would call over a word of greeting to be answered by one of the men aboard, and then we would silently slide off into the dark stillness of the night. Dawn broke, a beautiful clear morning with no excitement whatsoever. As we lay drifting on the blue Mediterranean- not a thing was stirring to break the monotomy except the numerous mines that were being exploded all around us by the sweepers and with rifle fire.

"The reports from the beach were encouraging; wave after wave landed without incident. It was said that one could have driven a jeep to Rome that morning some 40 miles away. Everything was going according to schedule; we answered a few calls for fire support from our beach spotter with a few well placed salvos, and were beginning to wonder if perhaps the Germans hadn't gotten the word. Our wonder soon stopped by the appearance of a flight of Focke-Wolfes over the area, which made things mighty interesting for the next few minutes. Late in the evening we pulled out to give all hands a little well-earned rest, but the night was broken by numerous calls to General Quarters, threading back thru the narrow swept channel to our former station."

As revealed by dispatch from VI Corps Commander to Commander Task Force 81, prisoners of war reported that Naval gunfire... was very effective and demoralizing to German troops... Probably the most important type of fire delivered by Naval support was in the form of interdiction fire on road junctions, highways, crossroads, and bridges. By denying the use of certain strategic points to the enemy, our forces were able to organize their position before enemy reserves could be assembled to challenge the beachhead.

Rear Admiral F.J. Lowry

"During the next day air raids were numerous and calls for fire support more frequent; the heaviest attacks taking place at dusk. It seemed as though the area was continually illuminated by aircraft flares; one plane which had singled us out was driven off by the alertness of the Gunnery Officer shortly after 8PM, and we settled down to a restless night. It was impossible to make high speed in this limited area to avoid attacking planes as the place was completely cluttered with small landing craft and the limits of the swept area in this solidly mined stretch of water were very small. The result was that we moved slowly sometimes under the cover of a smoke screen."

"We answered calls for fire support all during the night, and dawn found us shooting in dead earnest, for it appeared that the Germans had at last succeeded in bringing up their reinforcements, and were doing their utmost to drive our ground forces back and hinder our shipping by bombing at the same time. Our responsibility lay with the right flank, which was to the south. Time after time we fired at bridges on the Mussolini Canal to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. Many times we fired at crossroads and intersections that were over 7 miles from the sea. Tired as the men were, the results of our shooting as relayed by radio were encouraging and exactly what we needed to keep us going. Our ground forces were holding their gains and we were helping them. In the gathering dusk the air raids increased; there were several near misses, and we knew we were in for another night. We needed something to keep us awake, and it was not long in coming, for at one minute past 8PM, as we were stopped, quietly waiting for the last air raid to subside, there was a large explosion in the midships section of the ship, and we knew that our luck had at last run out."

Mayo hit
Mayo seen in Naples drydock after being hit at Anzio.

"For thirty seconds no one breathed; the ship took a deep lurch to port and straightened up again; shortly thereafter it became apparent that she would not immediately sink, as was the case with so many destroyers. All hands remained at their battle stations, while the First Lieutenant made a quick summary of the situation all electrical power was lost on the ship, but quickly regained and the radars were in full operation. It soon became apparent that the after engine room and after fire room were completely out of commission, and that neither shaft would turn the propellers; this was extremely unfortunate as we were drifting out of the swept area into mined water."

"The night sky was still full of flares so that no lights could be used. A hurried inspection of the after section of the ship showed the main deck aft had sunk to the waters edge as a result of the after engine room and fireroom being flooded. The Ass't. First Lieutenant at this time was busy wading around in a foot and a half of fuel oil and saltwater which was flooding the first living compartment aft; with the aid of Delashaw, Carpenter's mate 3/c, who was commended for his performance of duty, he succeeded in plugging the leaky seems thus preventing further flooding."

"In the meantime, Chief Bos'n Mate, Bonnell, under orders from the Commanding Officer had to let go the anchor, fully expecting it to be blown right back up in his face; but it held and for the time being we were safe, if we escaped detection by planes. At 11PM we were taken in tow by the British tug Prosperous and slowly proceeded out of the area; at dawn we were a good twenty miles on our way towards Naples, and as luck would have it, the weather held fair, and we were not molested by the enemy in any manner."

The Battle of Anzio was by far not over as the stalemate would last until May of 1944 with other destroyers protecting the troops in courageous efforts such as Plunkett DD431 which was also hit at Anzio by German aircraft and lost some 40 crewmembers. By then the Invasion of Western Europe would be the priority but for Mayo, she would be out of the fight until August, 1944.

That old girl was well built or we would have lost her before we got back to Naples. One shipmate says that when he saw me, I was scared as hell! He was right! I had come too close to being a casualty of war. I was really shook for awhile."

Dave Stewart, MM1/c, only survivor from Aft Engineroom

In Memoriam to shipmates lost at Anzio:
Ernest G. Richmond, Machinist, US Navy
Logan T Womack, Chief Machinist, US Navy
James A. Dunn Jr., First Class Machinist, US Navy
Charles W. LeGarde, Electrician Mate First Class, US Naval Reserve
Bruce W. MacDonald, Machinist Mate First Class, US Navy
Clarence Ash, Fireman Second Class, US Navy
Roland L. Seno, Seaman Second Class, US Naval Reserve

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