Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign
Beginning in late 1943, DesRon 2 participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Islands campaign, where "Anderson" was hit by shore battery fire. Invasions of the Marianas, western New Guinea, Palau and the Philippines followed. In 1945, the Okinawa campaign saw "Anderson", "Hughes", "Morris", "Sterett" and "Wilson" suffering kamikaze damage, with the squadron's historical files being lost in flagship "Morris" when she was hit by a kamikaze. The combined record of the ships of DesRon 2 included 145 battle stars (some earned while attached to other units) including ten or more stars for all ships that survived the war. More than 450 of the squadron's men had died, however, and 175 had been wounded.