USS Hawkins

William Deane Hawkins was born 19 April 1914 in Fort Scott, Kansas, and enlisted in the Marine Corps 5 January 1942. He accepted a battlefield commission in the Solomons 18 November 1942, and was killed 21 November 1943 in the assault on Tarawa. First Lieutenant Hawkins received the Medal of Honor for his gallantry during the bloody assault on Betio in which he gave his life. The citation reads in part: "Fearlessly leading his men on to join the forces fighting desperately to gain a beachhead, he repeatedly risked his life throughout the day and night to direct and lead attacks on pill boxes and installations with grenades and demolitions. . . . Refusing to withdraw after being seriously wounded in the chest during this skirmish, First Lieutenant Hawkins steadfastly carried the fight to the enemy, destroying three more pillboxes before he was caught in a burst of Japanese shell fire and mortally wounded. His relentless fighting spirit in the face of formidable opposition and his exceptionally daring tactics were an inspiration to his comrades during the most crucial phase of the battle and reflect the highest credit upon the United States Naval Service."

Hawkins (DD-873), originally Beatty but renamed 22 June 1944, was launched by Consolidated Steel Co., Orange, Tex., 7 October 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Clara Hawkins, mother of First Lieutenant Hawkins; and commissioned 10 February 1945, Comdr. C. Iverson in command.

Following shakedown training in the Caribbean, Hawkins arrived Norfolk 23 March 1945 to undergo conversion to a radar picket ship. Emerging 26 May, she conducted training exercises before sailing 18 June from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for San Diego and Pearl Harbor. After her arrival 8 July Hawkins prepared to enter the last phase of the Pacific War, but 3 days after her 12 August departure from Pearl Harbor for Eniwetok the Japanese surrendered. The destroyer continued from Eniwetok to Iwo Jima and Tokyo Bay, arriving 27 August, and assisted in early occupation operations. She then escorted ships to and from the Marianas, remaining in Japanese waters until 3 January 1946. Hawkins then steamed to the Philippines and Saipan, finally arriving Pearl Harbor 3 April.

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From the Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, compiled by the Naval History and Heritage Command (Hawkins (DD-873)). A work of the United States Government, in the public domain.