USS Murray ( DD - 576 ) The third USS " Murray " ( DD / DDE - 576 ) was a " Fletcher " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II . " Murry " was named for Capt . Alexander Murray and his grandson Rear Adm . Alexander Murray " Murray " ( DD - 576 ) was laid down 16 March 1942 by Consolidated Steel Corporation , Orange , Texas ; launched 16 August 1942 , sponsored by Mrs . Frank T . Leighton ; and commissioned 20 April 1943 , Comdr . Richard F . Stout in command . World War II Service . After shakedown in the Caribbean , " Murray " served on escort duty in the Atlantic Ocean , then sailed to join Destroyer Squadron 25 at Pearl Harbor in September 1943 . Sailing with a carrier task force , " Murray " took part in strikes on Wake Island 5 – 6 October , then voyaged to the South Pacific to support the landings on Bougainville 8 – 9 November , splashing three enemy aircraft . Two days later , while covering US 3rd Fleet aircraft carriers in a strike against Rabaul , " Murray " shot down two of a force of about 150 enemy aircraft attacking her formation . Hewing to a demanding pace of operations , " Murray " was on antisubmarine patrol in the Gilbert Islands from 20 November to 8 December during the occupation of Tarawa and Abemama , then for the next month guarded shipping into the newly acquired islands . In January 1944 " Murray " performed outstandingly in fire support missions for the capture of Kwajalein , then screened transports carrying invasion forces to Eniwetok . Two months of escort duty in the western ocean routes followed , until she joined in the bombardment of Kavieng , New Ireland , 20 March . Joining the 7th Fleet " Murray " took part in the assault on Aitape , New Guinea , 23 to 28 April , downing another enemy aircraft during an aerial torpedo attack . Rejoining the 6th Fleet in June , she screened amphibious craft during the assault on Saipan , then sailed to Guam for close - in fire support and transport screening duty 20 July to 26th . After patrol and escort duties for the consolidation of the Mariana Islands until late in August , " Murray " returned to the continuing operations around New Guinea . She bombarded Wewak 30 August to cover British minelaying operations , and in September covered the landings on Morotai . Returning to Hollandia , she prepared for the invasion of the Philippines , sortieing in escort of the transports for Leyte . On 20 – 21 October , she conducted shore bombardment , moving in as close as reefs would allow to fire over the landing force into enemy installations and at the same time aiding in repelling enemy air attacks . Departing the Philippines immediately after the landings " Murray " overhauled at San Francisco , California , then in January 1945 escorted a battleship division to Pearl Harbor while en route to join Task Force 58 . She screened the aircraft carriers and acted as picket during the first carrier raid on Tokyo 16 February and attacks on Iwo Jima and the Ryukyu Islands 26 February to 1 March , sinking a Japanese picket ship about 200 miles off the coast of Japan on 26 February . " Murray " next prepared for the Okinawa operation , during which she screened battleships from submarine attack during the initial preinvasion bombardment . Hit by a Japanese bomb 27 March , she retired to Pearl Harbor for repairs . While returning to the forward areas by way of Eniwetok , " Murray " was ordered 2 July to locate , board , and search Japanese hospital ship " Takasago Maru , " bound for Wake Island and suspected of carrying arms or supplies , contraband for a hospital ship . She located the ship the next day , but search revealed nothing in violation of international law , so the hospital ship was allowed to proceed to Wake to embark sick and wounded Japanese . Rejoining her force , now Task Force 38 , " Murray " guarded the fast carriers in the raids against Honshū , Hokkaidō , and Kyūshū through the last 2 months of the war . In one of the most daring raids of the war , " Murray " and others of her squadron penetrated Suruga Bay , Honshū , 30 July to bombard the city of Shimizu , perhaps the deepest penetration of Japanese waters by any surface craft during the war . After World War II . One of the initial occupation force , " Murray " became the first ship in empire waters to bring in a Japanese submarine when the enemy undersea fleet began to surrender . On 27 August , aircraft of TF 38 , patrolling off Honshū , located a submarine flying the black flag designated as the surrender signal , and " Murray " was ordered to intercept and take the craft into Tokyo Bay for internment . Her boarding party received the swords of " I - 14 " ' s officers that same day , and the submarine was escorted to the mouth of Sagami Bay . " Murray " was present in Tokyo Bay for the formal Japanese surrender 2 September , then 3 days later sailed for the United States . Inactivated at Philadelphia Naval Shipyard , " Murray " decommissioned 27 March 1946 , and went into reserve at Charleston , South Carolina . Korean War years . In June 1951 , " Murray " began conversion to an escort destroyer , for which she had been designated DDE - 576 on 2 January 1951 . She recommissioned at Charleston 16 October 1951 , Comdr . Frank L . Fullaway in command . Early in 1952 , " Murray " began East Coast and Caribbean training operations from her home port , Norfolk . She also served periodically as plane guard during carrier qualification of naval aviation cadet s off Pensacola , Florida . In June 1953 , she sailed for her first deployment to the Mediterranean , serving in the hunter killer force of the 6th Fleet . Her 1954 tour was marked by an extension to northern European ports . In 1956 , " Murray " operated with " Nautilus " ( SS ( N ) - 571 ) and participated in a NATO convoy escort exercise in European waters . During much of 1956 she underwent yard overhaul , then in 1957 sailed round Cape of Good Hope for patrol duty in the Persian Gulf , the usual access to which was blocked by the closing of the Suez Canal the previous autumn . With the canal free later in the spring , she joined the 6th Fleet in Mediterranean operations through August . Between March 1958 and May 1961 " Murray " formed part of Task Group Alfa , an experimental development group working in antisubmarine warfare . The group usually operated off the Virginia Capes , but in the summers of 1959 and 1960 participated in the annual summer NROTC midshipmen training cruises , voyaging to Canadian ports and Bermuda . 1960s . In late May 1961 , " Murray " was one of the rescue ships stationed along the route of President John F . Kennedy ' s flight to Paris , then participated in that summer ' s midshipmen cruise . Redesignated DD - 576 on 30 June 1962 , " Murray " rejoined TG Alfa for its development operations , which were interrupted for participation in the Cuban Quarantine in October and November 1962 that forced Russia n missiles out of Cuba and averted grave international complications . At 1633 on 27 October 1962 , the " Murray " Deck Log contains the following entry : " Sonar contact bearing 212 2 , 000 yards . " The " Murray " sonar gang classified the contact as a possible submarine After several hours of " ping time " at 2050 hours the same date the " Murray " Deck Log contains the following additional entry : " Submarine surfaced bearing 080 , 3 , 900 yards . 4 hours and 17 minutes after initial contact by this ship at LAT 27 - 36N , LONG 65 - 56 . 5W . " Thus " Murray " was the first U . S . Navy destrolyer to gain and hold contact with the first of three Soviet submarines forced to surface during the Cuban Missile Crisis . After training off New England early in 1963 , " Murray " returned to Caribbean patrols then came north for the midshipmen cruise . " Murray " sailed 29 November 1963 for her first 6th Fleet deployment in 6 years , visiting French , Spanish , and Italian ports before returning to Norfolk 23 May 1964 . She cleared Norfolk again 8 September for NATO Arctic operations , crossing the Arctic Circle 21 September , and visiting Amsterdam before returning to Norfolk 23 October . Decommissioned in May 1966 at Norfolk , " Murray " was struck from the Navy list 1 June 1966 , and sold for scrapping to Boston Metals Co . , Baltimore , Maryland , in 1966 . " Murray " received 11 battle star s for World War II service .