H. Res. 1248 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 30, 2008. 
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; 
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 two 
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, during the Battle of Cape Esperance, the Farenholt 
helped to sink an enemy destroyer, despite having re-
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ceived three hits and having her torpedo tube rendered 
inoperative, which left three of the Farenholt’s crew 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 crew saved the Farenholt from sinking by shift-
ing oil, water, and topside weight to starboard, thus 
bringing the holes created by direct shell hits out of the 
water and saving the Farenholt so she could fight an-
other 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; 
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 two 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
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Farenholt was damaged on the starboard side and, once 
again, her men saved the ship; 
Whereas the men of the Farenholt accounted for two Navy 
Cross awards, two members of the crew were awarded the 
Silver Star Medal, five members of the crew were award-
ed the Bronze Star Medal, eight members of the crew re-
ceived Letters of Commendation, and approximately 46 
Purple Hearts were awarded for the members of the crew 
who were killed or wounded in action; 
Whereas the men of the Farenholt and their loving spouses, 
widows, and children celebrated their 16th reunion in 
Fort Collins, Colorado, in 2007, and will celebrate 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 
Resolved, That the United States House of Representa-
tives— 
(1) recognizes and commends the courageous and 
honorable men who served aboard the USS Farenholt in 
the South Pacific during World War II for their selfless 
service to the United States; and