One of the last destroyers to return from the Iwo Jima operation, Halligan arrived Ulithi in mid-March. She was soon underway again, this time as part of Task Force 54 (TF 54), steaming for the invasion of Okinawa—gateway to the heart of the Japanese Empire. Assigned to a fire support unit, she arrived off the southwestern part of Okinawa 25 March and began patrolling between Okinawa and Kerama Retto. In addition, she covered minesweepers during sweep operations through waters which had been heavily mined with irregular patterns.Halligan continued her offshore patrols on 26 March. At about 18:35 a tremendous explosion rocked the ship, sending smoke and debris in the air. The destroyer had hit a moored mine head on, exploding the forward magazines and blowing off the forward section of the ship including the bridge, back to the forward stack. PC-1128 and USS LSM(R)-194 arrived soon after the explosion to aid survivors. Ensign Richard L. Gardner, the senior surviving officer who was uninjured, organized rescue parties and directed the evacuation of the living to waiting rescue vessels. Finally, he gave the order to abandon ship as the smoking hulk drifted helplessly. USS PC-584 was one of the rescue vessels, saving approximately 80 men from the stricken destroyer. The commander of that vessel, Cecil N. Smith, was awarded the Silver Star for his role in the rescue effort.Halligan lost half of her crew of 300 in the disaster, and only 2 of her 21 officers survived. The abandoned destroyer drifted aground on Tokashiki, a small island west of Okinawa, the following day. There the hulk was further battered by pounding surf and enemy shore batteries. Her name was struck from the Navy List 28 April 1945, and in 1957 her hulk was donated to the government of the Ryukyu Islands.Halligan'' received six battle stars for World War II service. References External links navsource.org: USS Halligan hazegray.org: USS Halligan World War II destroyers of the United States Ships sunk by mines Ships built in Boston 1943 ships Fletcher-class destroyers of the United States Navy Maritime incidents in March 1945 Naval magazine explosions