USS Lardner (DD-487)

	USS Lardner
History
United States
Name	Lardner
Namesake	James Lawrence Lardner
Builder	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down	15 September 1941
Launched	20 March 1942
Commissioned	13 May 1942
Decommissioned	16 May 1946
Fate	To Turkey 10 June 1949
Stricken	15 August 1949
Turkey
Name	Gemlik
Acquired	10 June 1949
Stricken	1974
Fate	Sunk as a target 21 November 1982
General characteristics
Class and type	Gleaves-class destroyer
Displacement	1,630 tons
Length	348 ft 3 in (106.15 m)
Beam	36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft	11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
Propulsion	50,000 shp (37,000 kW);; 4 boilers;; 2 propellers;
Speed	37.4 knots (69 km/h)
Range	6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 12 kn (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement	16 officers, 260 enlisted
Armament	5 × DP guns,; 6 × 0.50 in (12.7 mm) guns,; 6 × 20 mm AA guns,; 10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes,; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USS Lardner (DD-487), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the second United States Navy ship to be named for Rear Admiral James L. Lardner, a Naval officer during the American Civil War. Lardner received 10 battle stars for World War II service.

The ship was

launched on 20 March 1942 (sponsored by Mrs. Sidney F. Tyler II, Lardner's great-granddaughter), and was commissioned

13 May 1942.

Service history

The Lardner's shakedown cruise off the New England coast began 28 May and lasted until 1 July 1942. During this period, she investigated several reports of submarines near the coast of Maine and searched for a reported U-boat off Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

South Pacific service

On 21 August 1942, Lardner departed

South Pacific, arriving in Tongatapu on 3 September. There the ship acted as escort and screen for convoys and fleet units, making numerous passages to Nouméa and Espiritu Santo, and screening transports landing troops on Guadalcanal

, where she bombarded enemy positions.

While Lardner was serving in the screen for

debarking

them at Espiritu Santo the next day.

On 17 and 30 October Lardner headed for Guadalcanal, arriving off Lunga Point at dawn, and splashed two enemy planes during attacks shortly thereafter. She then proceeded to her bombardment position and shelled Japanese positions from Kolumbona to Cape Esperance.

Lardner screened transports while they unloaded at Guadalcanal during November, and at dawn 28 November searched in vain for the enemy submarine which had torpedoed Alchiba. On 30 November Lardner, as part of TF 7's five cruisers and seven destroyers, engaged the enemy off Tassafaronga Point in the Battle of Tassafaronga. At the end of the contest, the Japanese withdrew, never again to send large naval forces into the area. After escorting damaged cruisers Honolulu and Pensacola to Espiritu Santo, the destroyer arrived at Nouméa, New Caledonia, 10 December and moored for overhaul alongside destroyer tender Dixie.

During the first part of January 1943, the destroyer screened battleships and convoys between Espiritu Santo, Purvis Bay, and Guadalcanal. She visited New Zealand on 15 February and upon return sailed from Nouméa with a group of transports and tankers for Guadalcanal, fighting off attacking enemy planes 17 February and anchoring next day with her charges unscathed. The remainder of the month, Lardner escorted various convoys between Guadalcanal and Nouméa. During March she escorted convoys between Guadalcanal and Fiji, New Hebrides, and Espiritu Santo, and in April joined Task Force 15. Lardner returned to Pearl Harbor on 8 May for installation of new equipment.

Lardner operated in

amphibious craft and transports to Vella Lavella

for landings.

After patrol duty early in October, Lardner returned to escort duty between

Bougainville Campaign. She bombarded Bougainville on 29 November, and continued occasional bombardments along with escort missions through January 1944. On 14 February, Lardner sailed north with TF 38 to cover initial landings on Green Island, and on the way was attacked by six Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers. Late in February, the destroyer bombarded Rabaul; searched the Bismarck Sea for enemy shipping; and then attacked Karavia Bay, sinking an enemy cargo ship of the ''Heito Maru'' class 25 February. Later that day she bombarded Kavieng, receiving a few shrapnel holes from extremely heavy and accurate enemy return fire. During March and April, Lardner operated with support forces for the Palaus raid, and with escort carriers during the landing at Hollandia, New Guinea

.

Central Pacific service

In June and July 1944, Lardner participated in the occupation of Guam, Saipan, and Tinian; escorted carriers on the first Bonin Islands raid; and joined in the Battle of the Philippine Sea.

Lardner returned to the United States for overhaul at Bremerton, and headed back toward the South Pacific 29 September. She spent most of the month of October in Hawaiian waters. From 19 November until March 1945, the destroyer escorted convoys between

Leyte. While on antisubmarine and air guard patrol off Peleliu and Angaur, she rescued five downed air corps

flyers on 27 December. While investigating an unidentified small craft, Lardner ran aground on a submerged shoal on 9 January 1945 and proceeded to Ulithi for repairs.

On 23 February she got underway escorting a convoy to

Kossol for refueling and replenishment. Throughout May and June, the destroyer operated with a support force of escort carriers containing the chain of Japanese island bases from Okinawa to Formosa while Okinawa was being secured. During July and August the ship was continuously at sea operating off the east coast of Japan supplying direct logistic support to U.S. 3rd Fleet

ships during their sustained attacks on the Japanese homeland.

Post-war service

With the end of hostilities and

Honshū. Lardner operated with several task groups and units performing varied occupation duties until 15 October when she departed Honshu with TG 50.5 for home. On the homeward voyage, she touched at Singapore, Ceylon, Cape Town, and Saldanha Bay, South Africa, before arriving New York

on 7 December 1945.

The veteran destroyer remained at

Turkish Navy

as TCG Gemlik (D 347) until 1974.

On 21 November 1982, the ship was sunk as a target in the Eastern Mediterranean by the cruiser Biddle, frigates Julius A. Furer, Truett, and aircraft from CVW-6.

References

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

Service history

South Pacific service

Central Pacific service

Post-war service

References

External links