USS Alfred A . Cunningham ( DD - 752 ) USS " Alfred A . Cunningham " ( DD - 752 ) , an , is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Alfred Austell Cunningham , a USMC officer and aviator . " Alfred A . Cunningham " ( DD - 752 ) was laid down on 23 February 1944 at Staten Island , New York , by the Bethlehem Steel Co . ; launched on 3 August 1944 ; sponsored by Mrs . Alfred A . Cunningham , the widow of Lieutenant Colonel Cunningham ; and commissioned on 23 November 1944 , Commander Floyd B . T . Myhre in command . Service history . World War II . Following shakedown training out of Bermuda , " Alfred A . Cunningham " returned to New York on 17 January 1945 for post - shakedown availability . Proceeding to Norfolk soon thereafter , the destroyer spent the next three months operating in the Chesapeake Bay area as a training ship for prospective destroyer crews . Here the ship introduced hundreds of trainees to life on board a destroyer , engaging in gunnery exercises , damage control drills , and maneuvering practice . Following a brief availability for repairs and alterations at the Norfolk Navy Yard , " Cunningham " got underway on 7 May , and rendezvoused with the new heavy cruiser USS Chicago ( CA - 136 ) off Brown Shoals , Delaware Bay , and proceeded with that ship to Chesapeake Bay for gunnery exercises . The two warships then steamed to Guantanamo Bay , then Panama , transiting the canal on 18 May , and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 31 May . Over the next two weeks , " Cunningham " remained in Hawaiian waters , undergoing an availability alongside the USS Black Hawk ( AD - 9 ) and carrying out training . On 13 June , the destroyer joined Task Group ( TG ) 12 . 4 and sailed for the western Pacific . A week later , while en route , " Cunningham " screened carriers launching air strikes on Japanese - held Wake Island . The group arrived at Leyte on 26 June . " Cunningham " got underway the following day for Okinawa , and while en route to her destination conducted a depth charge attack on what she evaluated as a " good " submarine contact , but with negative results . Shortly after arriving at Okinawa on 29 June , she served on radar picket duty off the island ' s southwest coast . From 1 July until the end of hostilities she served on patrol , escort , and screening duty in waters surrounding the Ryukyus . Following Japan ' s capitulation , " Cunningham " remained in the Far East , operating off the coast of China between the Yellow Sea and the South China Sea . She performed escort services and served on an antismuggling patrol between Korea and Japan . The destroyer returned to the United States on 28 March 1946 , went into reserve at San Diego on 12 May 1947 , and was decommissioned in August 1949 . Korea . During the build up of the fleet in the wake of the North Korean invasion of South Korea in late June 1950 , " Alfred A . Cunningham " was recommissioned on 5 October 1950 , Commander L . P . Spear in command , and joined the Pacific Fleet . Following training exercises , the destroyer got underway for the western Pacific ( WestPac ) on 2 January 1951 . " Cunningham " was involved in a variety of operations , principally serving with Task Force ( TF ) 77 , the fast carrier task force , off the coast of Korea . Early in this deployment , on 18 February 1951 , the ship was released from her " Bird Dog " station ( plane guard ) with TF 77 to carry out a night shore bombardment mission on " targets of opportunity " near Tanchon , on the east coast of Korea . " Cunningham " arrived on station at 2130 and opened fire , conducting harassing and interdictory fire ; her targets included railroad tracks , two grade crossings , a tunnel , and lights on the road leading south . After expending 90 rounds of 5 - inch , the destroyer ceased fire at 0605 on the 19th . Returning to San Diego on 4 September 1951 , " Cunningham " again sailed for the Far East in March 1952 . As before , she steamed with the fast carrier task force off Korea and performed shore bombardment missions . On 19 September , the destroyer was operating in Task Element 95 . 22 ( the " Songjin Element " ) to prevent the movement of trains along the railroad at that point by preventing clearance of the roadbed and repair during the day , and destroying trains at night . Patrolling some 6 , 000 yards off the beach at about 1340 , " Cunningham " fired on workers she had seen in that vicinity . A little over an hour later , detecting workmen at a tunnel , the destroyer stood in toward the shoreline , turning slowly to starboard to take a northeasterly course to fire on the workmen at the tunnel mouth . At that point , at least three enemy guns opened fire on the ship . The first salvo was a direct hit , on the main deck , starboard side ; several pieces of shrapnel penetrated the shield of mount 51 and wounded three of the mount ' s crew . Two air bursts followed in quick succession , one on either side of the bridge . Within two minutes time , the North Korean guns had registered four more direct hits and at least seven air bursts near the ship . One shell penetrated into the forward fire room , destroying a forced - draft blower ; shrapnel holed a nearby bulkhead . Another shell struck a depth charge on the forward K - gun , blowing the charge apart and scattering burning TNT as far aft as the fantail ; shrapnel from this hit set another depth charge afire , and ruptured four others . The fourth hit on the starboard side , two feet below the main deck ; shrapnel from this hit caused extensive damage to the motor whaleboat . The last shell to hit struck about two feet below the waterline , but did not penetrate . The air bursts near the bridge rendered the SG radar inoperative . Immediately , one of the ship ' s 3 - inch mounts opened up to return the shore battery ' s fire , expending both hoppers full ( ten rounds ) ; these rounds landed in the target area but did not slow the enemy ' s rate of fire . With " Cunningham " under fire , Lieutenant Frederick F . Palmer , USNR , the officer of the deck , sounded the general alarm , ordered the rudder shifted to left full , rang up the port engine back emergency full , starboard engine ahead flank , in order to come left and open the range . Although mount 53 had reported a fire on the starboard K - guns , the blast from the guns of that mount and the nearby 3 - inch mount , 34 , prevented a repair party from approaching the blaze from that angle . Men from another damage control party got to the fire and battled the blaze , while as the ship sped to seaward , weaving but keeping at least one main battery mount bearing on the target guns at all times . As the ship opened the range to 9 , 000 yards and worked up to 26 . 5 knots , Ensign Charles E . Dennis , USNR ; Chief Torpedoman William J . Bohrman ; and Electrician ' s Mate 2nd Class Victor J . Leonard manhandled one burning depth charge over the side , performing this task at great personal risk while the fire on the K - guns was being brought under control . All three men were later recommended for the award of the Bronze Star . Having suffered 13 men wounded , principally to shrapnel , " Cunningham " pulled out of range and stood down from general quarters , steering toward Yang Do Island to receive medical assistance from . After emergency repairs , " Cunningham " was able to continue her combat operations . " Cunningham " ultimately returned to the United States and reached her new home port , Long Beach , California , on 6 November . " Cunningham " operated in the southern California area through the first five months of 1953 before getting underway on 13 June for another WestPac deployment . During her five months in the Far East , " Cunningham " operated twice with TF 77 . The first of these periods saw her escorting the heavy cruiser . On 29 and 30 July 1953 , " Cunningham " participated , with " Bremerton " and other United States Navy ships , in the search and rescue effort to recover the crew of a Boeing RB - 50 that had crashed in the Sea of Japan . The searching ships managed to recover only the co - pilot . The destroyer also participated in intensive antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) exercises with TG 96 . 7 and joined in operations near Taiwan with other ships of Destroyer Division ( DesDiv ) 131 . She returned to Long Beach on 20 December 1953 . A regular overhaul kept her at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard from February through April 1954 . Then , after two months of training , " Cunningham " got underway for WestPac on 10 August . En route , she stopped at Pearl Harbor for gunnery and antisubmarine exercises and then continued on to Yokosuka , Japan . " Cunningham " joined TG 70 . 2 for maneuvers and division exercises and made two brief port visits to Manila . Next she operated with TF 72 as a part of a patrol in the Taiwan Strait . " Cunningham " then escorted to Hong Kong and on to Manila , where she spent the holiday season . " Cunningham " continued her work as plane guard for " Yorktown " into 1955 , and returned to Long Beach on 6 February . After a leave and upkeep period , she resumed operations off the California coast . On 11 May , the destroyer took part in Operation " WigWam . " Following five months of preparation , " Cunningham " departed the west coast on 11 October , bound for Japan . She made fuel stops at Pearl Harbor and Midway en route to Yokosuka . Upon completion of voyage repairs , the destroyer joined TF 77 for three weeks of duty , broken once by a port call at Kobe , Japan . " Cunningham " spent the Christmas holidays at Yokosuka . 1956 - 1965 . Antisubmarine exercises were her first assignment of 1956 before she proceeded , via Subic Bay , to join the Taiwan Strait patrol for a fortnight . Then the destroyer visited Hong Kong and stopped briefly in Yokosuka for repairs before sailing for home . After arriving at Long Beach on 31 March , she entered the San Francisco Naval Shipyard in May for an overhaul which was followed by two months of underway training out of San Diego . On 6 November , " Alfred A . Cunningham " got underway to escort Bremerton to Melbourne , Australia , where the ships participated in festivities surrounding the XVI Olympic Games . After 10 days in that port , the destroyer sailed for Yokosuka . In January 1957 , " Cunningham " took part in exercises near Chinhae , Korea , with ships of the Republic of Korea Navy ( ROK ) . She then joined TF 77 in the South China Sea for plane - guard duty . This work was followed by another stint with the Taiwan Strait patrol . " Cunningham " made stops at Subic Bay , Hong Kong , and Yokosuka before sailing for the United States . She arrived at Long Beach on 12 May and devoted the next few months to air defense , hunter / killer operations , and shore bombardment exercises along the California coast . In December , the destroyer entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an availability . On 13 January 1958 , " Cunningham " sailed for another Far East tour . Following stops at Pearl Harbor ; Pago Pago , American Samoa ; and Wellington , New Zealand , the destroyer arrived at Hobart , Tasmania , on 7 February . There , the members of her crew were graciously entertained by officials of the Royal Hobart Regatta . On 12 February , " Cunningham " got underway for Guam , where she received two weeks of repair work . The destroyer then shifted to Yokosuka , arriving on 1 April . During the following months , the ship took part in numerous exercises , escorting and screening and other warships . During the cruise , she visited Hong Kong ; Subic Bay ; and Buckner Bay , Okinawa , before arriving back at Long Beach on 21 July . In early September , she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for overhaul . She left drydock in early December and spent the holidays in leave and upkeep . The destroyer held refresher training during the first three months of 1959 , departed Long Beach on 28 March , and steamed to Yokosuka . On 15 April , she left that port in company with to take part in Exercise " Sea Turtle " , off the coast of Korea . Late in May , " Cunningham " assisted in Exercise " Granite Creek . " After a visit to Hong Kong , she returned to Yokosuka for an availability to prepare for the voyage home where she arrived on 27 August . The ship spent the rest of the year participating in gunnery exercises , ASW exercises , and acting as a school ship for Fleet Training Group , Pacific . In January 1960 , " Cunningham " , took part in STRIKEX 30 - 60 . On 1 February , she became a unit of DesDiv 132 and was assigned to TG 14 . 7 , a hunter / killer group . From 1 February to 7 May , the destroyer trained with that unit in the eastern Pacific . Leaving Long Beach on 17 May with Destroyer Squadron 13 and , " Cunningham " proceeded to Pearl Harbor where she arrived on 23 May . The force remained in Hawaiian waters conducting ASW exercises until their departure on 5 July . The destroyer reached Kobe , Japan , on 16 July and began an upkeep period . She next sailed for ASW operations in the area off Okinawa , conducting these until 29 August , when the ship entered Subic Bay . Except for two brief visits to Hong Kong , she remained in the Subic Bay area until 3 December , when she sailed for Yokosuka . After a brief upkeep period , the ship left on a return voyage to the west coast , arriving at Long Beach on 18 December . In late January 1961 , the ship entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a fleet rehabilitation and modernization ( FRAM ) overhaul . She held sea trials in July and August and resumed operations on 22 September . On 9 October , she sailed for Seattle . The ship conducted sound trials in Puget Sound from 12 to 20 October and then returned to Long Beach , whence she held refresher training in San Diego waters with the fleet training group from 30 October through 8 December . Throughout the first five months of 1962 , " Cunningham " alternated periods at sea with upkeep in her home port . On 7 June , she departed the west coast for a six - month WestPac cruise . Upon her arrival at Pearl Harbor on 13 June , the destroyer conducted ASW operations off Oahu before proceeding on to Yokosuka . In August , the destroyer took part in combined operations with the Japanese Maritime Self - Defense Force and made port calls at Kure , Kobe , and Sasebo , before returning to Yokosuka on 31 October . She got underway again on 3 November for patrol duty in the Strait of Tsushima and , after completing this task on 14 November , sailed via Hong Kong to Subic Bay . On 2 December , the ship participated in a weapons demonstration , then began her voyage back to the United States , arriving at Long Beach on 21 December . The destroyer spent the first three months of 1963 in local operations . On 1 April , she became a part of DesDiv 232 and spent April and May in availability at San Diego . Putting to sea in early June , she began a series of intensive ASW training exercises . In August , " Cunningham " sailed north with Carrier Division 19 on a goodwill and training cruise to Seattle , and the Alaskan ports of Skagway and Dutch Harbor . After a month back at Long Beach , the destroyer got underway for Pearl Harbor and several weeks of ASW operations . She returned to Long Beach in December for leave and upkeep . On 20 February 1964 , the ship left Long Beach in company with the other ships of DesDiv 232 for a six - month WestPac tour . Reaching Pearl Harbor on 28 February , " Cunningham " operated locally until sailing for the Far East on 23 March . Soon after leaving Hawaii , the destroyer took part in Operation " Crazy Horse " , off the coast of Okinawa . On 7 April , the ship began a week of upkeep in Yokosuka . Other ports of call during this deployment included Kure , Sasebo , and Hong Kong . From 9 June to 4 July , the ship operated out of Kaohsiung , Taiwan , on the Taiwan Strait patrol . Alfred A . Cunningham . then steamed to the Sea of Japan for Operation " Crossed Tee " , a joint operation with ships of the Japanese Maritime Self - Defense Force . Then , following stops at Hakodate and Yokosuka , Japan , the destroyer arrived back in Long Beach on 11 August for leave , upkeep , and local operations . On 15 November , she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for an overhaul . Trivia : Featured in the 1964 Warner Brothers movie " The Incredible Mr . Limpet " with Don Knotts , Jack Weston and Andrew Duggan . Upon completion of this renewal effort on 15 March 1965 , the ship departed Long Beach for seven weeks of refresher training in San Diego waters . Early in June , she embarked 30 midshipmen for a two - week training cruise in the Puget Sound area . On 12 August , " Cunningham " got underway for her 13th WestPac cruise . The ship stopped at Pearl Harbor for a two - week ASW operation held southwest of Molokai . A fortnight ' s upkeep at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard ensued before the destroyer continued on to Yokosuka . Vietnam . In October , " Alfred A . Cunningham " joined TF 77 for patrol and surveillance duties off the coast of North Vietnam and in the Gulf of Tonkin . Following a week of recreation in Hong Kong , the destroyer got underway on 10 November to steam to Kaohsiung , and operated out of that port on patrol in the Taiwan Strait . On 5 December , she proceeded through the Tsushima Strait into the Sea of Japan for a joint ASW exercise with ships of the Republic of Korea ( ROK ) Navy before returning to Sasebo for the Christmas holidays . In January 1966 , " Cunningham " again patrolled off the Vietnamese coast and provided naval gunfire support in the area of Quang Ngai , South Vietnam . The final weeks of her patrol were spent on radar picket station south of Hainan Island . After a brief respite at Yokosuka , the ship sailed back to the United States , reaching Long Beach on 3 March . For the next seven months , she held numerous training operations and availability periods but was underway west again on 4 November , bound for Oahu on the first leg of her deployment . Once in Hawaiian waters , the destroyer held exercises with combined American and Canadian forces and then continued on to Yokosuka for a brief upkeep period before sailing to the Taiwan Strait for patrol duty . " Cunningham " proceeded to the Gulf of Tonkin early in January 1967 to serve as a plane guard for to assist in recovering downed aviators . In February , the ship was assigned to Operation " Sea Dragon " , a logistics interdiction effort in the coastal waters of North Vietnam , and continued this duty into April . Another stint of service in the Taiwan Strait followed , lasting from 6 to 12 April . On the 28th of that month , the destroyer sailed for home where she spent one and a half months preparing for an overhaul . She entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard on 14 July and underwent extensive repairs and alterations . Upon completion of the yard work in November , " Cunningham " spent a month in independent steaming and undergoing tender availability . The destroyer began 1968 with refresher training in San Diego and then was deployed once more to southeast Asian waters . She repeated her former pattern of plane guard and search and rescue operations off the Vietnamese coast . On 23 October , the ship set course for home , made fueling stops at Midway and Pearl Harbor , and arrived back in Long Beach on 9 November . On 2 January 1969 , " Cunningham " took part in Operation " Quickstart " , and plane guarded for . The destroyer maintained a full schedule of exercises and availability periods until 1 July , when a shaft bearing casualty caused her to enter the Todd Shipyard at San Pedro , California , for repairs . Emerging from drydock on 6 September , " Cunningham " began an intensive one - month period of preparations for deployment . The destroyer left Long Beach in early October and sailed to Pearl Harbor for refueling ; she then conducted port calls at Yokosuka , Buckner Bay , and Subic Bay . On 14 November , the destroyer stood out of Subic Bay for duty off Vietnam . From 19 November until 4 December , she supported forces ashore with fire from her 5 - inch guns . On 5 December , she joined " Hancock " on " Yankee Station " and remained there until the 20th when she headed for Sasebo for the holidays . " Cunningham " began the year of 1970 with ASW and flight operations in Okinawan waters which were followed by a five - day visit to Hong Kong . On 17 January , she sailed to join " Constellation " on " Yankee Station " and remained on this assignment until 21 February when the ship paid a brief visit to Kaohsiung . The destroyer sailed on 21 March to return to Long Beach . Upon her arrival on 9 April , she began a leave and upkeep period and then resumed operations in the southern California area in May . She spent the early summer months in training exercises and a midshipman training cruise . On 7 August , slated for inactivation , " Cunningham " unloaded all her ammunition at Seal Beach , California ( USA ) . Fate and Awards . Decommissioned on 24 February 1971 , " Alfred A . Cunningham " was placed in reserve . Her name was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 February 1974 . Utilized as a target for weapons tests off the coast of southern California , she was sunk after being hit with five laser - guided bombs on 19 September 1979 . " Cunningham " earned one battle star for World War II service , six for Korea , and seven for Vietnam . In 2007 , World War II crewman Walter Hart was awarded Eagle Scout , which he had completed before joining the Navy and serving on " Cunningham " .