USS Heywood L. Edwards

USS Heywood L. Edwards off Boston on 5 April 1944
History
United States
Name	Heywood L. Edwards
Namesake	Heywood L. Edwards
Builder	Boston Navy Yard
Laid down	4 July 1943
Launched	6 October 1943
Sponsored by	Mrs. Louise S. Edwards
Commissioned	26 January 1944
Decommissioned	1 July 1946
Stricken	18 March 1974
Identification	Callsign: NUVG Hull number: DD-663
Honours and awards	See Awards
Fate	Transferred to Japan, 10 March 1959
Japan
Name	Ariake (ありあけ)
Namesake	Ariake (1934)
Acquired	10 March 1959
Commissioned	10 March 1959
Decommissioned	1974
Stricken	1974
Identification	Hull number: DD-183
Fate	Scrapped, 1976
General characteristics
Class and type	Fletcher-class destroyer Ariake-class destroyer
Displacement	2,050 long tons (2,083 t)
Length	376 ft 6 in (114.76 m)
Beam	39 ft 8 in (12.09 m)
Draft	13 ft 9 in (4.19 m)
Propulsion	60,000 shp (45 MW) 2 propellers
Speed	35 knots (65 km/h; 40 mph)
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km) at 15 kn (17 mph; 28 km/h)
Complement	319
Armament	5 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 caliber guns 4 × 40 mm AA guns 4 × 20 mm AA guns 10 × 21 inch (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 × depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge tracks
Service record
Part of:	United States Pacific Fleet (1944-1946) Pacific Reserve Fleet (1946-1959) Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (1959-1974)
Operations:	Battle of Saipan (1944) Battle of Tinian (1944) Battle of Peleliu (1944) Philippines campaign, 1944-45 Battle of Surigao Strait (1944) Battle of Luzon (1945) Battle of Iwo Jima (1945) Battle of Okinawa (1945)
Awards:	7 battle stars Navy Unit Commendation

USS Heywood L. Edwards (DD-663) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named after Lieutenant Commander Heywood L. Edwards (1905–1941), captain of the destroyer USS Reuben James, the first U.S. Navy ship sunk in World War II. Following the war, the ship was transferred to Japan and renamed Ariake. The ship served with the Japanese until 1974 and was scrapped in 1976.