Norfolk Navy Yard, Portsmouth, Virginia, on 7 June 1938; launched on 1 June 1939, sponsored by Mrs. Charles R. Nutter, great-granddaughter of Commodore Morris; and commissioned on 5 March 1940, with CommanderHarry B. Jarrett
in command.
Service history
Morris, flagship of Destroyer Squadron 2 (DesRon 2), followed her shakedown with routine training schedules until the summer of 1941 when she joined the
Charleston Navy Yard, where she was equipped with the first fire control radar for a destroyer. By 3 January 1942, she was underway for Pearl Harbor
, rejoining her squadron there at the end of February.
Attached to
Tulagi Harbor and in the Louisiade Archipelago. From 4–8 May, she splashed one enemy plane and damaged two while screening Yorktown and Lexington, and when the latter was heavily damaged, pulled alongside to rescue some 500 survivors. Damage received during the rescue forced her back to Pearl Harbor where hurried repairs put her back into condition for the Battle of Midway
a month later. In that action she again pulled alongside Yorktown to rescue over 500 survivors.
Morris's next action came in late August, when she joined TF 61 in support of the
Guadalcanal Campaign. For the next 2 months, she screened carriers and patrolled among the Solomon Islands. On 25 October, following a 3-day independent sweep through the Gilbert Islands, she rejoined TF 17 and took part in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands. During the action, she destroyed six aircraft and once more came to the rescue of Hornet, from which she took on 550 survivors. As in other rescue operations her superstructure was damaged, but, after repairs at Espiritu Santo, she was back in the Guadalcanal area, first operating with Enterprise and then as supply unit escort to Russell
.
In May 1943, Morris departed the southern Pacific and sailed north to support the capture and occupation of
Eniwetok
. Arriving on 17 February, she continued carrier operations until 24 February, when she sailed for Pearl Harbor.
Morris returned to combat in April 1944, when as a unit of the
Noemfoor Island and then at Cape Sansapor. In August, she participated in operations against Halmahera and Morotai and then began preparations for the initial invasion of the Philippines
.
On 16 October, with TG 8.6, she got underway for
Leyte. With the dawn of the new year, 1945, she was en route north for the Luzon operations. Arriving within the week she participated in pre-invasion bombardment and then provided fire support during the landings on 9 January. For 18 days she patrolled, bombarded shore positions, and fought off kamikazes
.
Detached from the 7th Fleet after Luzon, Morris rejoined the
bow and subsequent draft of 18 feet 3 inches, her large protrusion of plating on the starboard side, and her damaged steering. The ship suffered 13 dead, 45 wounded.[1]
On 22 May, she started out across the Pacific, and on 18 June entered the
_in_October_1943.jpg)
United States
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
