USS James E. Kyes
1945 Gearing-class destroyer
USS James E. Kyes (DD-787) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named for Commander James E. Kyes (1906–1943).
Construction and career
James E. Kyes was laid down on 27 December 1944 by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc., Seattle, Washington; launched on 4 August 1945; sponsored by Mrs. James E. Kyes; and commissioned on 8 February 1946.
Service in the United States Navy
After shakedown along the West Coast, James E. Kyes steamed from Seattle on 12 June for Pearl Harbor to embark troops for transportation to the United States. Arriving San Diego, California on 12 July, she operated along the California coast until departing on 9 November for the western Pacific. Joining the 7th Fleet at Shanghai on 30 November, she operated along the Chinese Coast supporting Chiang Kai-shek's struggle with the Chinese Communists for control of the mainland.
Departing Tsingtao, China, on 28 January 1947, she steamed to Japan for four months of operations off southeastern Japan, in the Tsushima Strait, and along the Korean coast. She cleared Yokosuka on 8 June for home and arrived San Diego on 22 June.
Following operations out of San Diego and San Francisco, California, and Bremerton, Washington, she departed San Pedro, Los Angeles, 2 September 1948 for duty in the Far East. Arriving Yokosuka, Japan, on 30 September, she conducted surveillance patrols in the East China Sea and the Tsushima Strait.
“USS James E. Kyes” enters the record as 1945 Gearing-class destroyer. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what James, Kyes and Gearing-class can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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