28th. During the first phase of the invasion of Okinawa, Aylwin operated between Kerama Retto and Ulithi. In early April, she endured her second typhoon on 5 June 1945. Aylwin rendezvoused with the storm-damaged which had lost her bow in the storm. She subsequently searched unsuccessfully for the damaged warship's severed bow before putting into Apra Harbor, Guam, on 10 June for repairs. On 6 July, she got underway to return to the Carolines and reached Ulithi on the next. She sortied on the 10th as an escort for Convoy UOK-39 and safely saw her 41 charges to Okinawa. After returning to Ulithi with another convoy, Aylwin began steaming off the anchorage on picket station B-6 at 16:40 on 3 August. The next morning, she received orders to search for survivors of the torpedoed Indianapolis. The destroyer located and examined three bodies, removing all identification materials and fingerprinting them before burying them at sea. Underway again on 13 August, Aylwin escorted a convoy of troopships to the Marianas, reaching Apra Harbor on 14 August. When Japan surrendered the following day, Aylwin was at Apra Harbor. Three days later, the destroyers got underway for the Hawaiian Islands, in company with MacDonough and , and reached Pearl Harbor soon thereafter. On 27 August, Aylwin embarked passengers and, the following day, sailed for the California coast. The veteran destroyer disembarked her passengers at San Diego and, after tarrying there from 3 to 11 September, got underway for Panama and the east coast of the United States. Decommissioning Transiting the canal for the last time on 20 September, Aylwin reached New York City on 25 September. Decommissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 16 October 1945, Aylwin was struck from the Navy List on 1 November 1945. Stripped for disposal, her hull was sold and delivered to George N. Nutman, Inc., of Brooklyn, N.Y. on 20 December 1946 and cut up for scrap by 2 September 1948. Aylwin received 13 battle stars for her World War II service. References External links history.navy.mil: USS Aylwin navsource.org: USS Aylwin hazegray.org: USS Aylwin historynet.com: Interview with Burdick Brittin Farragut-class destroyers (1934) World War II destroyers of the United States Ships built in Philadelphia Ships present during the attack on Pearl Harbor Ships of the Aleutian Islands campaign 1934 ships