that island, the coast of Italy, and Malta. On 11 August, assigned to TU 85.12.4, Rodman sailed from Taranto. Two days later French warships joined the formation; and on 15 August, the force arrived off the Delta assault area in the Baie de Bougnon. From 04:30 to 06:41, Rodman covered the minesweeping craft clearing the channels to the beaches. Two hours of shore bombardment followed. She then shifted to call fire support duties, which, with antiaircraft screening duties, she continued until retiring to Palermo on 17 August. Back off southern France on 22 August, she fired on shore batteries at Toulon on 23 August, covered minesweepers in the Golfe de Fos on 25 August, and in the Baie de Marseilles on 26 August. Engaged in screening and patrol duties through the end of the month, she sailed for Oran on 2 September and for the next month and a half escorted men and supplies into the assault area. Minesweeper conversion In late October, Destroyer Squadron 10 escorted a convoy back to the United States. From New York Rodman continued on to Boston for conversion to a destroyer minesweeper. Emerging from the yard as DMS-21 on 16 December, she sailed for Norfolk the following week. 1945 Pacific theatre On 1 January 1945, Rodman got underway for the Pacific. During the remainder of that month and into February, she conducted minesweeping and gunnery exercises off California and in Hawaiian waters, then sailed west. On 12 March she anchored at Ulithi and seven days later sailed for the Ryukyus and her last amphibious operation, "Iceberg". On 24–25 March she participated in minesweeping operations off Kerama Retto, then prepared for the assault on Okinawa. Okinawa After 1 April landings on the Hagushi beaches, she remained in the area and was caught in the air-surface action which enveloped the island on 6 April. Assigned to picket duty early that day, she later shifted to screening duties and joined Emmons in covering small minecraft sweeping the channel between Iheya Retto and Okinawa. In midafternoon a large flight of kamikazes flew over. At 15:32 their leader dived out of the clouds and crashed into Rodman port bow. His bomb exploded under her. Sixteen men were killed or missing, 20 were wounded, but Rodmans engineering plant remained intact. Emmons commenced circling Rodman to provide antiaircraft fire as other kamikazes closed in. Six were splashed. Marine Corps F4U Corsairs