Fred M. Gebhart, Gunner's Mate 2/c
A History of DD 724
1944
| Feb 8: Commission | Oct 30: Arrived Eniwetok 16:30 |
| Feb 27: Start on shakedown | Nov 5: Arrived Ulithi 0700, left |
| Feb 28-Mar 1: Washington | 1830 with 17 DDs, four cruisers, |
| Mar 3-31: Bermuda | and 3 carriers |
| April 2-5: Boston | Nov 11: One Jap splashed at |
| May 6-9: Norfolk | 1130, one splashed by fighters at |
| May 10: New London | 1630, picked up Jap pilot at 1800 |
| May 11: Nearly rammed by merchant ship | Nov 12: Jap to Enterprise, our |
| merchant ship | planes sunk cruiser and three DDs |
| May 12-14: New York | Nov 19: First air raid at sunset, |
| May 24: Grener, Scotland | splash 2 Japs |
| May 24: Convoy of 12 troop | Nov 22: Back to Ulithi |
| transports to England | Nov 27: Left for Leyte with 5 DDs |
| May 27-June 3: Ashore with Karr | Dec 7: Shell Ormac Beach |
| June 3: Underway for Normandy | Dec 14: Val hits Nashville |
| invasion; invasion delayed 24 | Dec 15: Mindanao |
| hours, returned to Weymouth | Dec 18: Back to Leyte |
| June 5: Invasion, escort 136 LCI's; | |
| YMS sunk by mine | |
| June 6: Arrive at Normandy beach | 1945 |
| head, D Day H hour 0600 | |
| June 6-7: Uneventful, lay in harbor | Jan 2: Headed for Luzon |
| June 8: Bombarded, air raid and | Jan 6-8: Bombarded |
| Meridith hit | Jan 9: Invasion |
| June 9: Bombarded, Glennen hits | Jan 20-22: Lingayen |
| mine, DE hits two mines and | Feb 10: Underway with Task |
| sinks, mine sweeper hits mine. | Force 58 |
| June 10: Bomb hits off fantail | Feb 16-17:Off coast of Japan for |
| June 11: Return to Plymouth, E | attack on Tokyo |
| boat attack | Feb 18: Screened carriers for |
| June 15: Unexplained air raid, hit | cover of landing on Iwo Jima |
| off fantail by 14mm flare | Feb 25: Second raid on Tokyo |
| June 17-20: Air raids | March 20: Back to Ulithi |
| June 24: Received first mail | March 25: Arrived in Ryuku |
| June 25: Cherbourg to shell beach | Islands |
| positions. Took 210mm shell in | March 26: Landed troops on |
| forecastle. O'Brien hit on bridge. | Rura Jima |
| Barton hit in after diesel. | April 1: Easter Sunday, invasion |
| Nevada, Quincy, Tusculoosa, | of Okinawa, shelling of beaches. |
| Arkansas, and Texas also at | Harassing duty! |
| Cherbourg | April 13: Death of President |
| June 26-28: Return to Wemouth | Roosevelt, assigned to picket duty |
| for repairs, liberty at Plymouth & | April 14: Picket duty on Station 1 |
| Weymouth | April 15: Investigate Jap |
| June 30: Arrived at Belfast | wreckage |
| July 2: Started home, three day | April 16: Big day! First Jap at |
| storm on the way | 0850 at 3500 yards. Concentrated |
| Aug 11-12: Boston to Norfolk | attack. Tugs took in tow at 1600 at |
| Aug 13-17: Anchored off North | Okinawa. |
| Beach, Maryland | April 17-21: Clean and patch up |
| Aug 17-20: Patrolled off Cape | ship for sea |
| May | April 22: Underway for Saipan |
| Aug 21-24: Operated with subs | April 27: Arrive Saipan |
| off Long Island | May 1: Underway for Eniwetok |
| Aug 26-Sep 1: Escort LCD to | Atoll |
| Canal Zone | May 4: Arrived at Eniwetok |
| Sept 1: Tied up in Balboa at 22:15 | May 12: Arrived at Pearl 0800 |
| Sept 2: Left for San Diego | May 14: Left Pearl for USA |
| Sept 12: Target practice into Pearl | May 23: 1838 dropped hook off |
| Sept 18: Arrived Pearl Harbor | Indian Island, Puget Sound |
| 14:00, second shake down | May 24: Pier 91, Seattle |
| Oct 23: Left for Marshall Islands | |
| with North Carolina and 5 DDs | |