IV 
110TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 1248 
Recognizing the service of the USS Farenholt and her men who served 
our Nation with valor and bravery in the South Pacific during World 
War II. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JUNE 5, 2008 
Mr. ELLSWORTH (for himself, Mrs. MUSGRAVE, Mr. CHANDLER, Mr. HALL 
of New York, Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. KENNEDY, Mr. BERRY, Mr. LINCOLN 
DAVIS of Tennessee, Mrs. CUBIN, Mr. SALAZAR, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mr. 
LAHOOD, Mr. REHBERG, Mr. RENZI, Mrs. TAUSCHER, Mr. VISCLOSKY, 
Mr. GOHMERT, Mr. SMITH of Washington, Mr. VAN HOLLEN, Mr. DAVIS 
of Kentucky, Mr. TIAHRT, Mr. SHIMKUS, Mr. THOMPSON of California, 
Mr. MCCARTHY of California, Mr. STUPAK, Mr. FLAKE, Mr. ROSS, Mr. 
TANCREDO, Mr. TERRY, Mr. MCINTYRE, Mr. LATTA, Mr. SHULER, Mr. 
DONNELLY, Mr. SULLIVAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Mr. HONDA) submitted 
the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Armed 
Services 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the service of the USS Farenholt and her men 
who served our Nation with valor and bravery in the 
South Pacific during World War II. 
Whereas the USS Farenholt (DD 491) was launched on No-
vember 19, 1941, by Bethlehem Steel Company in Staten 
Island, New York, and commissioned on April 2, 1942, 
at the Brooklyn Navy Yard; 
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•HRES 1248 IH 
Whereas the Farenholt, a 1620-ton Benson-class destroyer, 
sailed from San Diego on July 1, 1942, for the Pacific; 
Whereas the Farenholt, known as the ‘‘Fightin’ F’’, partici-
pated in the invasion of Guadalcanal on August 7, 1942, 
which marked the first American land offensive of the 
war; 
Whereas the Farenholt, a flagship for Destroyer Squadron 
12, served as an escort for the carrier, the USS Wasp, 
which on September 15, 1942, was attacked by 2 enemy 
submarines; 
Whereas as the Wasp sunk, the Farenholt rescued 143 sur-
vivors; 
Whereas the Farenholt, during the Battle of Cape Esperance 
on the night of October 11, 1942, exhibited tactical 
might by joining an American force that successfully 
intercepted and defeated enemy destroyers and cruisers; 
Whereas the Farenholt sunk an enemy destroyer despite re-
ceiving three hits and having her torpedo tube rendered 
inoperative, leaving 4 of her men dead and 43 wounded; 
Whereas during the Battle of Cape Esperance, the Farenholt 
remained afloat despite the amount of water that flooded 
aboard the ship due to the severe damage inflicted by the 
three hits; 
Whereas the men aboard the ship saved the Farenholt from 
sinking by shifting topside weights to starboard, thus 
bringing the holes created by direct shell hits out of the 
water saving the Farenholt so she could fight another 
day; 
Whereas on the night of February 17, 1944, the Farenholt 
steamed up the St. George Channel and bombarded Ra-
baul, Solomon Islands, a stronghold of the enemy; 
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•HRES 1248 IH 
Whereas Rabaul was heavily fortified and hosted approxi-
mately 100,000 enemy troops; 
Whereas during the Rabaul raid, the Farenholt fired 214 sal-
vos and inflicted heavy damage on shore installations at 
Rabaul and sunk 2 merchant ships; 
Whereas General MacArthur said of the February Rabaul 
raid, ‘‘Heartiest congratulations to you and all concerned 
in Rabaul air strikes. The relentlessness of the attacks 
and their effectiveness have aroused admiration and en-
thusiasm everywhere. The daring and successful de-
stroyer raids were also splendid in every way and were 
conceived and accomplished in the best Farragut man-
ner’’; 
Whereas one week later, on February 25, 1944, the 
Farenholt participated in a similar raid, this time at 
Kavieng which drew heavy fire from the shore, and the 
Farenholt was damaged on the starboard side and, once 
again, her men saved the ship; 
Whereas the men of the Farenholt accounted for 2 Navy 
Cross awards, 2 were awarded the Silver Star Medal, 5 
were awarded the Bronze Star Medal, 8 received Letters 
of Commendation, and approximately 46 Purple Hearts 
were awarded for those killed or wounded in action; 
Whereas the men of the USS Farenholt and their loving 
spouses, widows, and children celebrated their 16th re-
union in Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2007, and will cele-
brate their 17th reunion in Santa Clara, California, on 
September 17, 2008 through September 21, 2008; and 
Whereas the men of the Farenholt represent the bravery and 
selfless sacrifice of the greatest generation: Now, there-
fore, be it 
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•HRES 1248 IH 
Resolved, That the United States House of Rep-
resentatives— 
(1) recognizes the courageous men who served 
aboard the USS Farenholt in the South Pacific dur-
ing World War II who protected America and its 
freedom; and 
(2) recognizes the contributions of the USS 
Farenholt and commends the honorable men who 
served aboard the USS Farenholt, for their selfless 
service to the Nation. 
Æ 
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