USS Fletcher ( DD - 445 ) USS " Fletcher " ( DD / DDE - 445 ) , named for Admiral Frank Friday Fletcher , was the lead " Fletcher " - class destroyer , and served in the Pacific during World War II . She received fifteen battle stars for World War II service , and five for Korean War service . " Fletcher " was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company , Kearny , New Jersey , on 2 October 1941 . She was launched on 3 May 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . F . F . Fletcher , widow of Admiral Fletcher ; and commissioned on 30 June 1942 , with Lieutenant Commander William M . Cole in command . Service history . World War II . 1942 . " Fletcher " arrived at Nouméa , New Caledonia on 5 October 1942 from the east coast , and at once began escort and patrol duty in the Guadalcanal operation , bombarding Lunga Point on 30 October . Sailing from Espiritu Santo 9 November to cover the landing of reinforcements on the embattled island , she joined in driving off a heavy enemy air attack on the transports 12 November , splashing several enemy aircraft . This was the opening phase of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , a 3 - day air and surface action . " Fletcher " played an important part in the surface action off Guadalcanal 13 November , firing guns and torpedoes in the general melee which sank two Japan ese destroyers and damaged the fast battleship , later sent to the bottom by carrier and Marine aircraft . " Fletcher " retired to replenish at Espiritu Santo , arriving the day after the battle , and after patrolling against submarines off Nouméa , sortied on 30 November 1942 , with a force of cruiser s and destroyers , to intercept a force of enemy transports and destroyers expected to attempt a reinforcement of Guadalcanal that night . " Fletcher " led the force through Lengo Channel , and made the first radar contact with the enemy off Tassafaronga Point just before midnight . The resulting Battle of Tassafaronga saw one Japanese destroyer sunk , and one slightly damaged , and four American cruisers badly damaged , though all but one were saved by superb damage control measures . " Fletcher " rescued survivors of , ingeniously using cork - floated cargo nets to take great groups of them from the water . 1943 . The destroyer continued to operate in the Solomon Islands , patrolling , bombarding shore targets , driving off Japanese air attacks , rescuing downed aviators , destroying Japanese landing barges , and covering new landings on the northern coast of Guadalcanal . Out on patrol on 11 February 1943 , " Fletcher " was alerted by a smoke float dropped by a plane from , and sped to attack and sink . She supported the landings on the Russell Islands on 21 February , bombarded Munda airfield on New Georgia during the night of 5 / 6 March , and then continued to guard the movement of transports in the Solomons . From 23 April to 4 May 1943 , " Fletcher " was in Sydney , Australia , for a well - earned breather and refit before another month of general duty in the Solomons . She left Espiritu Santo on 19 June for a Stateside overhaul , returning to Nouméa on 27 September to resume her former activities until 31 October . Then she sortied with an aircraft carrier task force to provide air support for the invasion of the Gilbert Islands , fighting off a Japanese counterattack from the air 26 November . Again , " Fletcher " fired on Japanese aircraft on 4 December , when the task force came under an air attack after it had made a strike on Kwajalein island . 1944 . " Fletcher " returned to Pearl Harbor on 9 December 1943 , and after a brief overhaul and training on the west coast , was ready for the attack on the Marshall Islands . She screened a force of troop transport s from San Diego to Lahaina Roads from 13 – 21 January 1944 , then joined a bombardment group to fire on Wotje Atoll 30 January . The next day , she rendezvoused with the main attack force for the landings on Kwajalein , screening the transports and patrolling off the atoll until 4 February . After escorting empty transports to Funafuti , " Fletcher " reported at Majuro 15 February for duty screening battleships in bombardments of Taroa and Wotje on 20 February and 21 February , then patrolled off Eniwetok . After joining in training exercises off Port Purvis , " Fletcher " arrived at Cape Sudest , New Guinea , 18 April 1944 . This was her base during the next month as she supported the Humboldt Bay landings , and by covering reinforcement landings on 30 April . After escorting a convoy to Nouméa , out of which she patrolled against submarines in late May , " Fletcher " arrived at $ 3 on 5 June . She made one patrol against any attempt of the Japanese to reinforce their Biak garrison , then covered and provided shore bombardment for the invasions of Noemfoor , Sansapor , and Morotai , as well as patrolling and escorting reinforcements for these various operations through the summer . " Fletcher " reached Manus on 9 October 1944 from Humboldt Bay to prepare for the invasion of Leyte , for which she sortied 12 October screening transports . She covered them while they sent their boats ashore in the initial landings 20 October , and next day departed for New Guinea , thus clearing Leyte Gulf before the great battle for its control broke out . She returned to Leyte with transports carrying reinforcements 23 November , and through the next month , continued her support of the first phase of the liberation of the Philippines , escorting convoys , firing prelanding bombardments at Ormoc Bay and Mindoro , and firing on Japanese aircraft in several attacks . 1945 . On 4 January 1945 , " Fletcher " sortied from San Pedro Bay to provide close cover for the Luzon Attack Force as it sailed toward its objective . She splashed at least one of the many Japanese aircraft which attacked on 8 January , and during the landings in Lingayen Gulf the next day , patrolled the Gulf . After supporting the landings on San Antonio Beach , Luzon , on 29 January , she entered Subic Bay to cover minesweeping , then on 31 January provided fire support to the landings in Nasugbu Bay . " Fletcher " began four days of operations in the occupation of Bataan and Corregidor on 13 February , firing a preliminary bombardment , giving fire support on call , and covering minesweepers opening Manila Bay . On 14 February , while firing on Japanese batteries at Los Cochinos Point , " Fletcher " took a hit which killed eight and wounded three of her men . She continued to fire as she controlled damage , and a half - hour later added rescue operations to her activities as she took the survivors off " YMS - 48 " , also hit by Japanese fire . Water Tender Second Class Elmer C . Bigelow was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his " conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity " while fighting the fire on board the destroyer . " Fletcher " s firing in Manila Bay continued until the 17th . " Fletcher " took part in the landings at Puerto Princesa , Palawan , and Zamboanga , covered minesweeping and landings at Tarakan , and gave local patrol and escort service in the Philippines until 13 May 1945 , when she sailed for a West Coast overhaul . After exercises off San Diego and in Hawaii , she was docked at San Diego until placed in commission in reserve 7 August 1946 , and out of commission in reserve 15 January 1947 . 1949 – 1969 . Recommissioned 3 October 1949 as a specialist in antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) after conversion to an escort destroyer ( DDE - 445 ) , " Fletcher " sailed for San Diego 1 May 1950 for a tour of duty with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific . At the outbreak of the Korean War , she lay at Hong Kong with , and on 3 July arrived off Korea with the " Valley Forge " group , augmented by , to begin launching air strikes on North Korea . Through the summer , she sailed off Korea on this duty , replenishing when necessary at Buckner Bay , Okinawa , or Sasebo , Japan . She also participated in the Battle of Inchon from 13 – 17 September , and returned to Pearl Harbor , her home port , on 11 November . On 19 November 1951 , " Fletcher " cleared Pearl Harbor for another tour of duty screening the carriers of the 7th Fleet in Korean operations . She also fired shore bombardment on two occasions , participated in antisubmarine training off Okinawa , and patrolled in the Taiwan Straits . Returning to Pearl Harbor on 20 June 1952 , she was at sea again from 5 September to 24 November for Operation Ivy , then completed another tour of Far Eastern duty from 14 May to 30 November 1953 . Annually from 1954 to 1962 , " Fletcher " sailed to the Far East for duty with the 7th Fleet , in 1955 providing antisubmarine screening for the evacuation of the Tachen Islands . In both 1957 and 1958 , she made her outward bound passage by way of Samoa and Australia . Intensive antisubmarine training was her major occupation during periods between deployment . " Fletcher " was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1969 , and sold for scrap on 22 February 1972 . Awards . " Fletcher " received fifteen battle star s for World War II service , and five for Korean War service , making her one of the most decorated ships in US service In popular Culture . " Fletcher " appears in the 1996 comedy film " Down Periscope " as the target ship the fictional USS " Stingray " ( Portrayed by USS " Pampanito " ) torpedoes and sinks , ending the war game . " Fletcher " appears in the comedy film ' The Wackiest Ship in the Army ' starring Jack Lemmon ( appears in the harbour when the Echo is first visited )