USS Lang (DD-399)

History
United States
Namesake	John Lang
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Company
Laid down	5 April 1937
Launched	27 August 1938
Commissioned	30 March 1939
Decommissioned	16 October 1945
Fate	Scrapped, 31 October 1947
General characteristics
Class and type	Benham-class destroyer
Displacement	1,725 tons
Length	341 ft 1 in
Beam	35 ft 6 in
Draft	10 ft 9 in
Speed	38.5
Complement	184 officers and enlisted
Armament	4 21" torpedo tubes, 2 depth charge racks

The first USS Lang (DD-399) was a

, a sailor in the United States Navy.

History

Lang was laid down by the

and commissioned 30 March 1939.

Lang departed

for the remainder of 1940 and early 1941 engaged in escort duties and training.

In June 1941 she returned to the

.

1942

She sailed to

). Lang returned to Norfolk on 28 May and transferred to San Diego a month later.

As flagship for DesDiv 15, part of TF 18, Lang departed San Diego 1 July to join shore bombardment exercises off Tonga in preparation for the Guadalcanal-Tulagi landings. Three weeks later she screened Wasp as the carrier launched her aircraft in the first American land offensive of the Pacific war.

1943

Operating from the New Hebrides, Lang carried out patrol and escort missions in the effort to reconquer the Solomons. On 22 and 24 January 1943, she shelled Japanese positions near Kokumbona, Guadalcanal. In July, Lang and four other destroyers sailed for Kula Gulf escorting six APDs to the New Georgia landings. Early on the 18th, the American force sighted and attacked three Japanese destroyers forcing them to retire behind smokescreens. The ships completed their mission and sailed for Purvis Bay, located in the Nggela Islands, part of the Solomon Islands from which Lang and two other destroyers escorted five LCIs to the landings at Onaiavisi, New Georgia, on 31 July, where during an enemy air attack Lang claimed an aircraft shot down.

Lang', in company with five other destroyers, was tasked to intercept enemy forces in

.

1944

Then she joined TF 58 for the occupation of

on 17 August after the victory in the Marianas.

Lang next sailed to Wewak, New Guinea, 31 August to lay a minefield and shelled shore positions. She then escorted two reinforcement convoys bound for Morotai from 16 September to 3 October through heavy enemy air attacks. On 8 October she took the torpedoed Shelton (DE-407) in tow but she capsized and sank.

Lang departed Hollandia 10 October for the Leyte Gulf operation. Though she came under kamikaze attacks, she suffered no damage and claimed an enemy aircraft shot down. She departed the battle area for Manus on 31 October and on Christmas Day sailed with TF 78 for the Lingayen Gulf landings, where she was attacked by kamikazes and claimed another aircraft destroyed.

1945

She returned to Leyte Gulf on 16 January 1945 to escort a resupply echelon to Lingayen, patrolled the entrance to Lingayen until 28 January, then sailed to train in the Solomons for the

assault.

Departing

providing air support for the Okinawa operations and then screened other flight operations near Okinawa till 11 June.

Lang departed the Pacific area of operations in June and arrived in

, 20 December and scrapped 31 October 1947.

Honors

Lang received 11

for World War II service.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

• Photos of USS Lang