View source for USS English

{{More citations needed|date=April 2024}}{{Short description|Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}{{WikidataCoord}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=File:USS English (DD-696) underway in October 1962.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''English'' underway in October 1962.
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Ship country=United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1973}}
|Ship name= ''English''
|Ship namesake=[[Robert Henry English]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company]]
|Ship laid down=19 October 1943
|Ship launched=27 February 1944
|Ship sponsor=Mrs. Eloise W English
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=4 May 1944
|Ship decommissioned=15 May 1970
|Ship identification=*[[Maritime call sign|Callsign]]: NHEE
*{{ICS|November}}{{ICS|Hotel}}{{ICS|Echo}}{{ICS|Echo}}
*[[Hull number]]: DD-696
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=15 May 1970
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=[[#Awards|See ''Awards'']]
|Ship fate= Transferred to [[Taiwan]], 11 August 1970
|Ship notes=
|Ship badge=[[File:USS English (DD-696) insignia.png|150px]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=title
|Ship country=Taiwan
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Republic of China|naval}}
|Ship name= *''Hui Yang''
*(惠陽)
|Ship namesake= [[Huiyang District|Hui Yang]]
|Ship acquired=11 August 1970
|Ship commissioned=14 February 1971
|Ship identification=[[Hull number]]: DD-6
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=yes
|Ship reclassified=*DD-972, 1980
*DDG-906, mid-1980s
|Ship decommissioned=16 August 1999
|Ship in service=
|Ship out of service=
|Ship struck=
|Ship reinstated=
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=[[Target ship|Sunk as target]], 14 October 2003
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=2,200 tons
|Ship length={{convert|376|ft|6|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|40|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft={{convert|15|ft|8|in|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion=*{{convert|60000|shp|kW|abbr=on}}
*2 propellers
|Ship speed={{convert|34|kn}}
|Ship range={{convert|6500|nmi}} at {{convert|15|kn}}
|Ship complement=336
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=*6 × [[5"/38 caliber gun|5-inch 38 caliber]],
*12 × [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm]] AA guns,
*11 × [[Oerlikon 20 mm cannon|20 mm]] AA guns,
*10 × [[American 21 inch torpedo|21 inch (533 mm)]] [[torpedo tube]]s,
*6 × [[depth charge]] projectors,
*2 × depth charge tracks
|Ship armour=
|Ship armor=
|Ship aircraft=
|Ship aircraft facilities=
|Ship notes=
}}
|}

'''USS ''English'' (DD-696)''' was an {{sclass|Allen M. Sumner|destroyer}}. She was named for [[Rear admiral (United States)|Rear Admiral]] [[Robert Henry English]], a submariner who commanded the [[light cruiser]] {{USS|Helena|CL-50|2}} and had been awarded the [[Navy Cross (United States)|Navy Cross]] and the [[Navy Distinguished Service Medal]]. English died in the crash of [[Pan Am Flight 1104]] on 21 January 1943.

USS ''English'' saw combat in [[World War II]] and the [[Korean War]] and later participated in the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]] during the [[Cold War]]. She was transferred to the [[Republic of China Navy]] in 1970 and renamed '''''Huei Yang''''', serving until she was decommissioned in 1999. She was sunk as a [[Target ship|target]] in 2003.

== Construction and career ==
''English'' was [[Ceremonial ship launching|launched]] on 27 February 1944 by [[Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Co.]] at [[Kearny, New Jersey]]. She was [[Ship sponsor|sponsored]] by English's daughter, [[Ensign (rank)|Ensign]] Eloise W English, [[USNR]](W) and [[Ship commissioning|commissioned]] on 4 May 1944 by [[James Thomas Smith]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=English (DD-696) |url=http://public1.nhhcaws.local/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/english.html |access-date=15 June 2024 |website=Naval History and Heritage Command |language=en-US}}</ref>

===Service in the United States Navy===
''English'' arrived in the Hawaiian Islands on 3 September 1944 for final training and service as [[plane guard]] during the qualification of aviators in carrier operations. On 17 December, she sailed from [[Pearl Harbor]] for [[Ulithi]], where on 28 December she joined the screen for the [[aircraft carrier]]s of [[Task Force 38]] (TF) 38. She put to sea on 30 December for airstrikes to neutralize Japanese bases on [[Formosa]], [[Luzon]], [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]], and the coast of Japanese-occupied [[French Indochina]] in support of the [[invasion of Lingayen Gulf]]. On 12 January 1945, she mistook the U.S. Navy [[submarine]] {{USS|Rock|SS-274}} for a Japanese [[sailboat]] while ''Rock'' was on the surface in the [[South China Sea]] off French Indochina and opened gunfire on her at a range of {{convert|9,200|yd|sigfig=2}}.<ref name=hinmanpp185188>Hinman & Campbell, pp. 185–188.</ref> ''Rock'' [[Crash dive|crash-dived]] to {{convert|300|ft|0}} and sustained no damage.<ref name=hinmanpp185188/>
[[File:USS English (DD-696).jpg|left|thumb|''English'' underway in the 1940s]]
''English'' returned to Ulithi to replenish between 26 January 1945 and 8 February, then sailed to [[Saipan]] to meet the cruiser {{USS|Indianapolis|CA-35|2}} and escort her to a rendezvous with newly designated TF 58. She screened the carriers as they launched airstrikes accompanying the [[Iwo Jima]] operation, hitting Tokyo before and after the assault on Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

After taking on fuel and stores at Ulithi from 4 March 1945 to 14 March, ''English'' sortied with TF 58 for strikes on [[Kyushu]] heralding the Okinawa operation. When {{USS|Franklin|CV-13|2}} was damaged by bombing on 19 March off Kyushu, ''English'' screened the carrier's retirement from the area, then rejoined the screen for strikes on Okinawa and nearby islands in the days preceding the assault. On 1 April, she closed Okinawa to provide [[Naval gunfire support]] for the invading troops, returning to the carrier screen for strikes against shore targets and shipping. She left the task force to bombard Minami Daito Shima on the night of 10 May. The next day, ''English'' went close alongside {{USS|Bunker Hill|CV-17|2}}, damaged by a ''[[kamikaze]]'', to help fight fires and to evacuate [[Vice Admiral]] [[Marc Mitscher]] and his staff, who she transferred to another carrier.

''English'' put into [[San Pedro Bay (Philippines)|San Pedro Bay]], Philippines, from 1 June to 1 July for repairs and exercises, then sailed again with TF 38 for the final series of airstrikes on the Japanese homeland. She closed the coast of [[Honshū]] on 18 July to search for Japanese shipping in [[Sagami Bay|Sagami Wan]] and shell targets on Nojima Saki.

====Post-World War II====
In Tokyo Bay from 10 to 19 September, ''English'' voyaged to escort occupation shipping from the [[Mariana Islands|Marianas]], then after 2 months of [[Occupation of Japan|occupation duty]] cleared [[Sasebo]] passage to [[Boston]], Massachusetts where she arrived 26 April 1946.

''English'' operated out of Boston, later [[Charleston, South Carolina|Charleston]] and [[New Orleans]], for exercises and to train members of the [[United States Navy Reserve|Naval Reserve]], cruising along the east coast and the Caribbean. From 23 April 1949, she was [[home port]]ed at [[Norfolk, Massachusetts]], from which she sailed 6 September for her first tour of duty with the [[United States Sixth Fleet|6th Fleet]] in the Mediterranean. She returned to Norfolk on 26 January 1950 for exercises off the [[Virginia Capes]] and the Caribbean.

====Korean War====
[[File:40 mm guns on USS English (DD-696) off Korea c1950.jpg|left|thumb|[[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm gun]] crew aboard the ''English'' prepares to bombard enemy installations along the Korean coast, circa October 1950 - February 1951]]
Alerted for distant deployment upon the outbreak of the [[Korean War]], ''English'' departed Norfolk 6 September 1950 for the Panama Canal, San Diego, Pearl Harbor, [[Midway Atoll|Midway]] and Yokosuka, where she arrived 5 October. She supported the withdrawal from Hungnam, then proceeded with two [[corvette]]s of the [[Royal Thai Navy]] to shell Communist positions at Choderi and [[Chongjin]]. On 7 January 1951, one of the corvettes, {{ship|HMTS|Prase}}, was grounded in a heavy snowstorm. After unsuccessful attempts to salvage her, ''English'' destroyed the corvette with gunfire.

On 20 January 1951 ''English'' began duty as the direct fire-support ship for a division of the Korean army, shelling positions at Kanson, Kosong and Kangnung, supporting the Korean advance. She served on blockade at Chongjin and [[Wonsan]], and in 20 consecutive days on the firing line she helped disrupt attacks by Communist shore batteries. After a final period of service screening carriers on both coasts of Korea, she sailed from Yokosuka on 11 May eastbound for Norfolk.

From her return to Norfolk on 9 June 1951, ''English'' resumed local training operations and in the winter of 1952 joined in cold-weather exercises off [[Newfoundland and Labrador|Newfoundland]] and [[Nova Scotia]]. On 26 August 1952 she departed for [[North Atlantic Treaty Organization]] (NATO) operations in which she visited Britain and a tour of duty in the Mediterranean, returning to Norfolk 5 February 1953. In the fall of 1954 she visited [[Lisbon, Portugal|Lisbon]], [[Portugal]]. On 31 October 1954, while at sea for a major fleet exercise, she collided with the destroyer {{USS|Wallace L. Lind|DD-703|2}}, lost {{convert|50|ft|m}} of her [[Bow (ship)|bow]] but suffered no casualties, sailing into port under her own power and was repaired by early in 1955.

==== Suez Crisis ====
From May to August 1955, ''English'' made a goodwill cruise to ports of northern Europe and between 28 July 1956 and 4 December 1956 served again in the Mediterranean, visiting [[Bahrain]] in the [[Persian Gulf]]. During the [[Suez Crisis]] in October–November 1956, she aided in evacuating American citizens from the area and patrolled the eastern Mediterranean to serve with the Sixth Fleet. Returning to Norfolk in April she spent the remainder of 1959 and all of 1960 in conducting an intensive program of [[antisubmarine warfare]] exercises.

''English'' sailed for the Mediterranean and the Sixth Fleet in September 1961, calling at [[Naples]], [[Livorno]] and [[La Spezia]], Italy; [[Barcelona]], Spain; and [[Toulon]], France.[[File:USS English (DD-696) refueling from USS Independence (CVA-62) in October 1962.jpg|thumb|''English'' refuels from {{USS|Independence|CVA-62|6}} during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], in October 1962]]

==== Cuban Missile Crisis ====
In October 1962, ''English'' served duty during the [[Cuban Missile Crisis]], primarily acting as plane guard for the [[aircraft carrier]]s {{USS|Independence|CVA-62|2}} and {{USS|Enterprise|CVAN-65|2}}, operating for over 30 days, without replenishment.

{{expand section|the ship's history from 1962 to 1970|date=October 2013}}

The English also served as a Reserve Training ship in the late '60s in Mayport, Florida.

====Decommissioning====
''English'' was [[Ship decommissioning|decommissioned]] and stricken from the [[Navy List]] on 15 May 1970.

===Service in the Republic of China Navy===
On 11 August 1970, ''English'' was transferred to the [[Republic of China]] and commissioned on 14 February 1971. She served in the [[Republic of China Navy]] as '''ROCS ''Hui Yang'' (DD-6)'''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=惠陽軍艦|url=http://homepage.ntu.edu.tw/~yingshao/dd906hueiyang.htm|access-date=2021-09-10|website=homepage.ntu.edu.tw}}</ref>

During 1980, her number was changed to DD-972.<ref name=":0" />

In 1984, the Ship participated in the [[Han Kuang Exercise|Han Kuang II exercise]] and served as the [[flagship]] of the firepower display. The [[ROCS Lo Yang (DD-14) (Allen M. Sumner class)|Lo Yang]], [[ROCS Nan Yang (DD-17) (Allen M. Sumner class)|Nan Yang]] and [[ROCS Kwei Yang|Kwei Yang]] too participated in the exercise and made hits on a target ship, and then launched the [[White phosphorus munitions|white phosphorus]] more accurately and hit the designated target on [[Gupo Island]] in [[Penghu]].<ref name=":0" />
[[File:ROCS Hui Yang (DDG-906).jpg|thumb|''Hui Yang'' underway after her Wu-Chin I modernization program]]
In mid-1980s, her number was again changed to DDG-906.<ref name=":0" />

On 1 September 1988, ''Hui Yang'' was training in the open sea of [[Zuoying District|Zuoying]], and her shells on board the ship jammed. She was advised not enter the [[Zuoying District|Zuoying Naval Base]] as her jammed shells pose a danger to the dangerous goods but she did moored in the base despite the warning. On the next day, 2 September, there was a non-commissioned officer whom fired her gun by mistake, and the shell directly penetrated the bridge of the destroyer ''[[Shao Yang]]'', killing two non-commissioned officers on the spot. The shells finally landed in the storage room of a family member's village. After these two deaths, the weapon commander, gunners, and sergeants of the ship were sent to [[court martial]], and an award from [[Colonel]] Lei Guangshu was also stripped.<ref name=":0" />

In 1991, the ship was modernized under the ''Wu-Chin I'' programme, with one 5-inch gun mount replaced by an [[OTO Melara 76 mm]] rapid-fire gun, while adding five [[Hsiung Feng I]] anti-ship missiles and a quadruple [[MIM-72 Chaparral|Sea Chaparral]] surface-to-air missile launcher.<ref name="conways47 p456">{{Harvnb|Gardiner|Chumbley|1995|p=456}}</ref><ref name="cf90 p511-2">{{Harvnb|Prézelin|Baker III|1990|pp=511–512}}</ref>

She served until she was decommissioned on 16 August 1999.<ref name=":0" />

The Republic of China Navy expended ''Huei Yang'' as a [[Target ship|target]] on 14 October 2003, off [[Hualien County|Hualien]].

==Awards==
''English'' received four [[battle star]]s for World War II service and four for Korean war service.

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/e/english.html}}
===Bibliography===
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Gardiner|editor1-first=Robert|editor2-last=Chumbley|editor2-first=Stephen|title=Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995|year=1995|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland, USA|isbn=1-55750-132-7}}
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=hkupDwAAQBAJ&dq=LApon+raton&pg=PA181 Hinman, Charles R., and Douglas E. Campbell. ''The Submarine Has No Friends: Friendly Fire Incidents Involving U.S. Submarines During World War II''. Syneca Research Group, Inc., 2019.] {{ISBN|978-0-359-76906-3}}.
*{{cite book|editor1-last=Prézelin|editor1-first=Bernard|editor-first2=A.D. |editor-last2=Baker III|title=The Naval Institute Guide to Combined Fleets of the World 1990/1991|year=1990|publisher=Naval Institute Press|location=Annapolis, Maryland, US|isbn=0-87021-250-8}}

==External links==
*{{navsource|05/696}}

{{Allen M. Sumner class destroyer|others}}
{{January 1945 shipwrecks}}
{{1954 shipwrecks}}
{{1988 shipwrecks}}
{{2003 shipwrecks}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:English (Dd-696)}}
[[Category:Allen M. Sumner-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]
[[Category:Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey]]
[[Category:1944 ships]]
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Lo Yang-class destroyers]]
[[Category:Friendly fire incidents of World War II]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in January 1945]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1954]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 1988]]
[[Category:Maritime incidents in 2003]]
[[Category:Ships sunk as targets]]
[[Category:Shipwrecks in the Pacific Ocean]]