USS Niblack
After Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor pushed America officially into the war 7 December 1941, Niblack continued to escort North Atlantic convoys to Reykjavík, Iceland, Derry, Northern Ireland, and Greenock, Scotland.The American ships drove off the E-boats by gunfire after the enemy craft had fired three torpedoes which missed and exploded near the harbor breakwater.American forces advancing after the bombardment sent back reports of the complete destruction of enemy men and material in Niblack’s target areas.On 27 October Niblack and Brooklyn bombarded enemy coastal guns far behind the front lines in the Gulf of Gaeta, Italy, to pave the way for Allied ground forces.On 11 December 1943, Niblack joined HMS Holcombe in a search for a German U-boat whose torpedoes had sunk several freighters off Bizerte the day before.During the transfer, she spotted antiaircraft fire from the submarine against a British patrol plane and directed Wainwright and HMS Calpe to the scene, where they sank U-593.The enemy driven from Sicily, North Africa, and Southern Italy intensified his submarine and air attacks on Allied shipping along the African Coast.The initial landings on 15 August 1944 met little resistance, and for several days the ship controlled the routing and dispatching of all outbound convoys, taking her place in the outer screen at night.She was frequently taken under fire by the large coast defense batteries of St. Mandrier and St. Elme and escaped damage from several near misses.During the periods 4 to 17 October and 11 to 25 December 1944, the ship completed numerous fire support missions, operating under the constant threat of explosive boats, human torpedoes, and floating mines.