USS Maury ( DD - 401 ) The second USS " Maury " ( DD - 401 ) was a in the United States Navy . She was named for Matthew Maury . History . " Maury " was laid down 24 March 1936 by Union Plant , Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation , San Francisco , California ; launched 14 February 1938 ; sponsored by Miss Virginia Lee Maury Werth , granddaughter of Commander Maury ; and commissioned 5 August 1938 , Lieutenant Commander Edward M . Thompson in command . Assigned to the Pacific Fleet after commissioning , " Maury " was operating out of Pearl Harbor when the United States entered World War II . She was steaming with en route to Hawaii from TF 8 operations near Wake Island , when word of the Japan ese attack on Pearl Harbor reached her soon after 0900 , 7 December 1941 . The ship went to general quarters as the force began an unsuccessful search for the Japanese Fleet . By the time the force returned to Pearl Harbor only one enemy vessel had been sighted and sunk , by carrier aircraft , the submarine on the 10th . For the remainder of 1941 , " Maury " , in the screen of " Enterprise " , stayed in the Hawaiian area to guard against a follow - up attack by the Japanese . 1942 - 1943 . With the new year , 1942 , the Japanese advanced south and east through the islands of the southwest Pacific and " Maury " , with " Enterprise " and , headed in that direction for raids on Japanese installations on Maleolap Atoll , Taroa , and Reuters Islands . Striking on 1 February , the carrier forces and bombardment groups completed their missions despite heavy aerial resistance and were back at Pearl Harbor on the 5th . On the 15th , the force , now designated TF 16 , got underway for Wake and Marcus Islands against which they launched surprise attacks 24 February and 4 March , respectively , returning to Oahu 10 March . There through April she conducted antisubmarine and antiaircraft exercises and served with the offshore patrol . On 30 April TF 16 , with " Maury " in the screen of the heavier ships , sortied from Pearl Harbor to aid " Yorktown " and in the Battle of the Coral Sea . Reaching the scene after the battle was over , the force returned to Hawaii , arriving 26 May . Two days later they sortied again , this time for Midway Island to repulse an expected assault on that base . On 2 June , having rendezvoused with Task Force 17 ( TF 17 ) , they were in position 350 miles north east of Midway . On the 4th the Battle of Midway commenced as Japanese carrier aircraft flew against installations on the island . By the 7th the American forces had sunk four Japanese carriers and one cruiser at the cost of destroyer and carrier " Yorktown " . After Midway the force remained at Pearl Harbor for a month before departing once again for the South Pacific . Steaming via the Tonga Islands , the force headed for the Japanese - held Solomon Islands . By 7 August they were 40 miles from the target , Guadalcanal . During the ensuing Tulagi - Guadalcanal landing operations , " Maury " served as plane guard for " Enterprise " as she carried out continuous flight operations in support of the assault troops . The destroyer remained in the Solomons area through the Battle of the Eastern Solomons , 24 and 25 August . In that battle , which prevented Japanese reinforcements from reaching Guadalcanal , " Enterprise " , among others , was severely damaged and TF 16 was ordered to retire to the Tonga Islands , from which they returned to Pearl Harbor , arriving 10 September . On 26 October the force was back in the South Pacific when an enemy force , including carriers , was sighted . Battle was engaged off Santa Cruz and once again Japanese reinforcements were turned back , with one U . S . carrier damaged , " Enterprise " , and one lost , . " Maury " spent the next 10 months in the Solomons area as part of one of Arleigh A . Burke ' s Destroyer Divisions . Operating from Nouméa and Espiritu Santo , she cruised on antisubmarine patrols and escorted carriers and convoys as American forces dug in on Guadalcanal and moved on against Munda , Rendova , Russell , Vella Lavella , and New Georgia . At the end of August 1943 , she departed for San Pedro and a 6 - week availability period , returning to the combat area with TF 52 to support the invasions of Tarawa and Makin in the Gilbert Islands 20 November 1943 . 1944 . Early in 1944 " Maury " joined TF 58 , the fast carrier force . , and put out to sea 19 January to screen the carriers as their planes raided Wotje , Taroa , Eniwetok , and the Palaus . In March the force began operating from newly won Majuro and from there " Maury " guarded the carriers as they went against the Japanese on the Palaus , Yap , Ulithi , and Woleai , 30 March to 1 April ; covered the landings at Hollandia , 22 April ; and raided Ponape , Satawan , and Truk , 29 April to 1 May 1944 . After brief availability at Pearl Harbor , " Maury " rejoined TF 58 , at Majuro 4 June . Two days later the ships sortied to support operations in the Marianas Islands . First , they took part in the preinvasion bombardment of Saipan , raiding Guam and Rota during the same period , and then sailed north to strike at Iwo and Chichi Jimas and prevent Japanese reinforcements from reaching the Marianas from those islands . On 18 June they received word of a Japanese force en route from the Philippines to the Marianas . The following day the Battle of the Philippine Sea began as Japanese carrier planes attacked the 5th Fleet , then covering the Saipan operations . By the end of the 2 - day battle the Japanese had lost three carriers , 92 percent of its carrier planes and 72 percent of its float planes , a toll which left the Imperial Fleet in poor condition . After pursuing the fleet , the carriers , with " Maury " in the screen , struck again at the Bonins and then retired to Eniwetok , arriving 27 June 1944 . On 4 July the fast carriers again raided Iwo Jima . Then they retired to the Marianas where they supported the landings on Guam and Tinian , 21 and 24 July , respectively . During the next 9 weeks , with " Maury " still in the carrier screen , the force struck again at Iwo Jima and then moved on to support offensive operations against Peleliu , Ngesebu , Angaur , Yap , and Ulithi . By 10 October they were off Okinawa , moving from there to Formosa and Luzon and striking at Japanese installations in the Manila Bay area on the 15th . Eight days later , covering the forces in Leyte Gulf , they turned north again to engage a Japanese carrier force , now bereft of planes due to losses sustained in the Battle of the Philippine Sea and off Formosa . On the 25th , the Japanese were engaged off Cape Engaño and by the 27th their losses were increased by three cruisers and several destroyers , " Maury " spent most of November cruising the waters east of the Philippines in support of operations on Leyte and Samar . Then , after availability at Manus , joined TG 77 . 4 and sailed 27 December 1944 for Lingayen Gulf to support the Luzon invasion . Attached in mid - January to TG 78 . 12 for an abbreviated tour as convoy escort she rejoined TF 77 at the end of the month and until 10 February 1945 guarded Lingayen Gulf and its approaches . Returning to Ulithi 16 February " Maury " was assigned to escort the battleship back to Hawaii . Departing 22 March , she moored at Pearl Harbor 3 April 1945 . Fate . She spent the next 6 weeks conducting training exercises in Hawaiian waters and then continued on , via San Diego and the Panama Canal , to New York , arriving 14 June . There an inspection team recommended that she be disposed of and on 18 August she proceeded to Philadelphia , Pennsylvania where she decommissioned 19 October 1945 . Struck from the Naval Vessel Register 1 November 1945 , she was sold to Hugo Neu , New York , 13 June 1946 ; resold shortly thereafter to Northern Metal Co . , Philadelphia , and scrapped by them at the end of the year . Honors . " Maury " received 16 battle star s and the Presidential Unit Citation for World War II service , placing her among the highest decorated US ships of the Second World War .