>On 27 January, Thomas E. Fraser got underway to screen Task Group 51.11 (TG 51.11) as it proceeded via Eniwetok to the Marianas Islands. On 11 February, she reached Saipan, the final staging point for the operation. On 16 February, the force sortied for Iwo Jima. Two hours before dawn on D-day, 19 February, the ship left the convoy screen to make an antisubmarine sweep through the transport area off the southern beaches of Iwo Jima. At 06:15, she completed the patrol and proceeded to take station in the anchorage screen.
>After protecting the transports during the original landings, the minelayer proceeded in mid-afternoon to a fire support sector southeast of Mount Suribachi. At 17:37 — only 1,000 yards (910 m) from the nearest beach—she began delivering call fire under the direction of a shore fire control party. She poured in 5-inch gunfire on enemy machinegun and mortar nests on the northeast base of the formidable mountain. Shortly before sunset, she shifted her fire to positions in the caves near the base of Mount Suribachi. Japanese machinegunners on shore fired on the ship but did no damage. That evening, Thomas E. Fraser moved to a position southwest of Mount Suribachi and delivered call fire and illumination rounds throughout the night. Her star shells made it possible for Marine mortars to foil a Japanese attempt to infiltrate an American position via the sea. In the days that followed, Thomas E. Fraser alternated anchorage screening duties with fire support missions to assist Marines fighting ashore. Early on the morning of 21 February, as Thomas E. Fraser was firing on the northeast base of Mount Suribachi, a near miss by a large shell of undetermined origin caused a hole in her starboard side just below the main deck. Nevertheless, she continued firing on targets of opportunity until late in the afternoon when she returned to anchorage patrol.
>During a dusk air raid alert on 23 February, Thomas E. Fraser opened fire on a Japanese airplane as it passed down the port side of the ship, but the raider disappeared, apparently unharmed.
>Thomas E. Fraser remained off Iwo Jima through the first week in March, providing screening for the transports and fire support for the marines fighting ashore. She scored hits on enemy supply dumps, machinegun nests, and entrenchments, and knocked out numerous gun emplacements. At night, she often fired star shells or delivered harassment fire. On 8 March, with the help of a plane spotter, her 5-inch guns scored three direct hits on a Japanese blockhouse. Shortly before sunset that day, she departed that battle-torn island, escorting USS Lakewood Victory.
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It’s impressive how close they got to the coast without anything hitting them back
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>[USS Thomas E. Fraser](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Thomas_E._Fraser#Battle_of_Iwo_Jima) (DD-736/DM-24) was a Robert H. Smith-class destroyer minelayer in the United States Navy.
>On 27 January, Thomas E. Fraser got underway to screen Task Group 51.11 (TG 51.11) as it proceeded via Eniwetok to the Marianas Islands. On 11 February, she reached Saipan, the final staging point for the operation. On 16 February, the force sortied for Iwo Jima. Two hours before dawn on D-day, 19 February, the ship left the convoy screen to make an antisubmarine sweep through the transport area off the southern beaches of Iwo Jima. At 06:15, she completed the patrol and proceeded to take station in the anchorage screen.
>After protecting the transports during the original landings, the minelayer proceeded in mid-afternoon to a fire support sector southeast of Mount Suribachi. At 17:37 — only 1,000 yards (910 m) from the nearest beach—she began delivering call fire under the direction of a shore fire control party. She poured in 5-inch gunfire on enemy machinegun and mortar nests on the northeast base of the formidable mountain. Shortly before sunset, she shifted her fire to positions in the caves near the base of Mount Suribachi. Japanese machinegunners on shore fired on the ship but did no damage. That evening, Thomas E. Fraser moved to a position southwest of Mount Suribachi and delivered call fire and illumination rounds throughout the night. Her star shells made it possible for Marine mortars to foil a Japanese attempt to infiltrate an American position via the sea. In the days that followed, Thomas E. Fraser alternated anchorage screening duties with fire support missions to assist Marines fighting ashore. Early on the morning of 21 February, as Thomas E. Fraser was firing on the northeast base of Mount Suribachi, a near miss by a large shell of undetermined origin caused a hole in her starboard side just below the main deck. Nevertheless, she continued firing on targets of opportunity until late in the afternoon when she returned to anchorage patrol.
>During a dusk air raid alert on 23 February, Thomas E. Fraser opened fire on a Japanese airplane as it passed down the port side of the ship, but the raider disappeared, apparently unharmed.
>Thomas E. Fraser remained off Iwo Jima through the first week in March, providing screening for the transports and fire support for the marines fighting ashore. She scored hits on enemy supply dumps, machinegun nests, and entrenchments, and knocked out numerous gun emplacements. At night, she often fired star shells or delivered harassment fire. On 8 March, with the help of a plane spotter, her 5-inch guns scored three direct hits on a Japanese blockhouse. Shortly before sunset that day, she departed that battle-torn island, escorting USS Lakewood Victory.
It’s impressive how close they got to the coast without anything hitting them back