List of ships in Utah Bombardment Group

Below is a list of ships responsible for bombarding targets at Utah Beach as part of the Normandy landings on June 6, 1944, the opening day of Operation Overlord. This force, code-named "Bombardment Group A", and commanded by Rear Admiral Morton Deyo, was a group of eighteen warships assigned to support the amphibious landings on Utah Beach on June 6, 1944 ("D-Day"); this was the opening day of Operation Overlord, the Allied operation that launched the successful invasion of German-occupied western Europe during World War II.

It was part of US Navy Force U, which consisted of 865 ships under Rear Admiral Don P. Moon.[1] This was in turn part of the Western Naval Task Force, under Admiral Alan G Kirk.[2]

US Navy Force U Bombardment Group
Name Type National service Captain
Nevada Battleship US Navy Captain P. M. Rhea[3]
Erebus Monitor Royal Navy Captain J. S. Colquhoun[3]
Hawkins Heavy cruiser Royal Navy Captain J. W. Josselyn[3]
Quincy Heavy cruiser US Navy Captain E. M. Senn[4]
Tuscaloosa Heavy cruiser US Navy Captain J. B. Waller; flagship of Rear Admiral Morton Deyo[3]
Black Prince Light cruiser Royal Navy Captain D. M. Lees[3]
Enterprise Light cruiser Royal Navy Captain H. T. Grant[3]
Soemba Gunboat Netherlands Lt. Cmdr. H. H. Propper[3]
Butler Destroyer US Navy Cmdr. M. Matthews[5]
Corry Destroyer US Navy Lt. Cmdr. G. Hoffman[3]
Fitch Destroyer US Navy Cmdr. K. Walpole[3]
Forrest Destroyer US Navy Cmdr. Letts[3]
Gherardi Destroyer US Navy Cmdr. M. Curtin[5]
Herndon Destroyer US Navy Cmdr. G. Moore[3]
Hobson Destroyer US Navy Lieutenant K. Loveland[3]
Shubrick Destroyer US Navy Lt. Cmdr. W. Blenman[3]
Bates Destroyer escort US Navy Lt. Cmdr. H. Wilmerding[5]
Rich Destroyer escort US Navy Lt. Cmdr. E. Michel[5]
Hotham Frigate Royal Navy A/Lt.Cdr. Sydney Ayles[6]
Tyler Frigate Royal Navy Lt. Christopher H. Rankin[7]

Citations

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  1. ^ Balkoski 2005, pp. 64–65.
  2. ^ Churchill 1951, p. 594.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Balkoski 2005, p. 344.
  4. ^ "Quincy III (CA-71)". Naval History and Heritage Command, US Navy. Retrieved 27 May 2020.
  5. ^ a b c d Balkoski 2005, p. 345.
  6. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Hotham (K 583)". U-boat.net. Retrieved 14 September 2014.
  7. ^ Helgason, Guðmundur. "HMS Tyler (K 576)". U-boat.net. Retrieved 14 September 2014.

Sources

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  • Balkoski, Joseph (2005). Utah Beach: The Amphibious Landing and Airborne Operations on D-Day, June 6, 1944. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books. ISBN 0-8117-0144-1.
  • Churchill, Winston (1951) [1948]. Closing the Ring. The Second World War. Vol. V. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. OCLC 396150.