USS Kidd ( DD - 661 ) USS " Kidd " ( DD - 661 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named after Rear Admiral Isaac C . Kidd , who died on the bridge of his flagship USS " Arizona " during the attack on Pearl Harbor . Admiral Kidd was the first US flag officer to die during World War II , and the first American admiral ever to be killed in action . World War II . " Kidd " ( DD - 661 ) was launched 28 February 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . , Kearny , New Jersey ; sponsored by Mrs . Isaac C . Kidd , widow of Rear Admiral Kidd , and commissioned 23 April 1943 , Commander Allan Roby in command . During her initial cruise to the Brooklyn Naval Shipyards , she sailed across New York Harbor the Jolly Roger on the foremast . Subsequently , during outfitting , her crew adopted the pirate captain William Kidd as their mascot , and commissioned a local artist to paint a pirate figure on the forward smokestack . After shakedown out of Casco Bay , Maine in June , " Kidd " cruised in the Atlantic and Caribbean escorting large combatant vessels until she departed for the Pacific in August 1943 in company with " Alabama " and " South Dakota " . Arriving Pearl Harbor 17 September 1943 , she got underway 29 September escorting aircraft carriers toward Wake Island for the heavy air attacks 6 October and returned to Pearl Harbor 11 October 1943 . Mid - October " Kidd " was underway with a task force to strike Rabaul and support the Bougainville landings . Upon reaching a strike position south of Rabaul on the morning of 11 November , the task force struck at Japanese positions on the island . " Kidd " was ordered to rescue the crew of an aircraft from " Essex " which had ditched astern of the formation . During this rescue , a group of Japanese aircraft attacked the destroyer , " Kidd " shot down three attacking aircraft and completed the rescue while manoeuvring to dodge torpedo es and bombs . Cmdr . Roby , her commanding officer , received the Silver Star for gallantry during this action . The destroyer returned to Espiritu Santo 13 November . " Kidd " next screened carriers making air attacks on Tarawa during the Gilbert Islands invasion from 19 to 23 November . On the 24th , she spotted 15 low flying enemy bombers heading toward the heavy ships , gave warning , and shot down two Aichi D3A " Val " dive bomber s . After Tarawa was secure , " Kidd " remained in the Gilbert Islands to support cleanup operations before returning to Pearl Harbor 9 December . On 11 January 1944 " Kidd " sailed for the forward area at Espiritu Santo , then sailed the next day for Funafuti , arriving 19 January . During the invasion of the Marshall Islands 29 January to 8 February , " Kidd " screened heavy ships and bombarded Roi and Wotje , then anchored at Kwajalein 26 February . From 20 March to 14 April , " Kidd " guarded an airstrip under construction on Emirau and supported the occupation of Aitape and Hollandia in New Guinea 16 April to 7 May . She fought in the Marianas campaign 10 June to 8 July , and performed shore bombardment at Guam between the 8 July and 10 August . In need of repairs , " Kidd " sailed for Pearl Harbor , arriving 26 August 1944 . On 15 September , she departed Pearl , reached Eniwetok 26 September , and arrived at Manus on 3 October . There she became part of the giant Philippines invasion fleet and entered Leyte Gulf 20 October . Here , she screened the initial landings and provided fire support for soldiers who fought to reconquer the island until she sailed 14 November for Humboldt Bay , New Guinea , arriving 19 November . On 9 December " Kidd " headed toward Mare Island Navy Yard for overhaul and moored at Mare Island on Christmas Day . " Kidd " sailed 19 February 1945 , to join Task Force 58 ( TF 58 ) for the invasion of Okinawa . Trained and battle wise , " Kidd " played a key role during the first days of the Okinawa campaign , screening battleships , bombarding shore targets , rescuing downed pilots , sinking floating mines , providing early warning of raids , guarding heavily damaged " Franklin " ( CV - 13 ) , and helping to shoot down kamikaze s . While on picket station 11 April 1945 , " Kidd " and her division mates , USS " Black " , USS " Bullard " , and USS " Chauncey " , with the help of Combat Air Patrol , repelled three air raids . That afternoon , a single enemy plane crashed into " Kidd " , killing 38 men and wounding 55 . As the destroyer headed south to rejoin the task group , her fire drove off further enemy planes that were trying to finish her off . Stopping at Ulithi for temporary repairs , she got underway 2 May for the West Coast , arriving Hunter ' s Point Naval Shipyard 25 May . The " Kidd " saw heavy action in World War II , participating in nearly every important naval campaign in the Pacific , as she fought gallantly during the invasion of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands , the Philippines at Leyte Gulf , and Okinawa . On 1 August 1945 , " Kidd " sailed to Pearl Harbor and returned to San Diego , California 24 September 1945 for inactivation . She decommissioned 10 December 1946 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet . Korean War . When North Korea attacked South Korea , the United States called up a portion of its reserve fleet . The " Kidd " was a part of that call and was recommissioned 28 March 1951 , Lt . Cmdr . Robert E . Jeffery in command ; sailed to the Western Pacific 18 June ; and arrived Yokosuka , Japan 15 July . She joined Task Force 77 and patrolled off the Korean coast until 21 September when she sailed for the East Coast of Korea . From 21 October to 22 January 1952 , " Kidd " bombarded targets of opportunity from Wan - Do Island to below Koesong . She then sailed with Destroyer Division 152 to San Diego , arriving 6 February 1952 . " Kidd " again got underway for Korea 8 September 1952 ; joined the screen of a hunter - killer group near Kojo ; and , in November , was back on bombardment missions off North Korea . Shortly thereafter , truce talks began . " Kidd " continued to patrol the Korean coast during negotiations . She departed the Far East 3 March 1953 via Midway and Pearl Harbor and arrived San Diego for overhaul 20 March . Post - Korean War . Once the overhaul was completed , " Kidd " proceeded to Long Beach , California on the 20 April 1953 . The next day , the Swedish freighter " Hainan " collided with " Kidd " in Long Beach harbor requiring repairs that lasted until 11 May 1953 . From late 1953 to late 1959 " Kidd " alternated West Pacific cruises with operations on the West Coast making stops at Pearl Harbor and various ports in Japan , Okinawa , Hong Kong , and the Philippines . She visited Sydney , Australia , 29 March 1958 and later that year patrolled the Taiwan Strait . " Kidd " got underway 5 January 1960 for the East Coast via the Panama Canal , arriving Philadelphia , Pennsylvania 25 January . From there she made Naval Reserve training cruises to various East Coast ports . She joined fleet operating forces during the Berlin Crisis in 1961 . December 1961 found " Kidd " patrolling off the Dominican Republic in a " show of force " patrol to provide an element of security in the troubled Caribbean . " Kidd " arrived Norfolk , VA 5 February 1962 and joined Task Force Alfa for Antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) exercises . On 24 April she was assigned to the Naval Destroyer School at Newport , R . I . . After a cruise to the Caribbean , on 1 July 1962 she resumed Naval Reserve training . " Kidd " decommissioned 19 June 1964 , entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet , and berthed at the Philadelphia Shipyard . The Navy set aside three " Fletcher " - class ships for use as memorials ; " The Sullivans " ( DD - 537 ) , " Cassin Young " ( DD - 793 ) , and " Kidd " . Louisiana congressman William Henson Moore selected " Kidd " to serve as a memorial for Louisiana World War II veterans . " Kidd " was towed from Philadelphia and arrived in Baton Rouge on 23 May 1982 , where she was transferred to the Louisiana Naval War Memorial Commission . She is now on public view there as a museum vessel , and she conducts youth group overnight encampments . The USS " Kidd " was never modernized and is the only destroyer to retain its World War II appearance ; over the years , " Kidd " has been restored to her August 1945 configuration and armament , culminating on 3 July 1997 , when her torpedo tubes were reloaded . The " Kidd " ' s special mooring in the Mississippi River is designed to cope with the annual change in river depth , which can be up to forty feet ; for half the year she floats in the river , the other half of the year she is dry - docked out of the water . " The Sullivans " in Buffalo , New York , " Cassin Young " in Boston , Massachusetts , and in Faliron , Greece the HNS " Velos " ( D - 16 ) former " Charrette " ( DD - 581 ) are the other " Fletcher " - class museum ships . Awards . " Kidd " received eight battle star s for World War II service and four battle stars for Korean War service .