USS Sigourney ( DD - 643 ) USS " Sigourney " ( DD - 643 ) was a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for James Sigourney , an officer during the War of 1812 . " Sigourney " was laid down on 7 December 1942 by Bath Iron Works Corp . , Bath , Maine , launched on 24 April 1943 , sponsored by Miss Amy C . Olney ; and commissioned on 29 June 1943 , Commander W . L . Dyer in command . World War II . The destroyer underwent shakedown training in Casco Bay , Maine , and in the Bermuda operating area . After post - shakedown repairs , " Sigourney " sailed , on 14 September 1943 , from Norfolk with cruiser " Baltimore " ( CA - 68 ) en route to the west coast . They arrived at San Diego on 3 October , and the DD departed the next day for Pearl Harbor . She was routed onward to Espiritu Santo , New Hebrides . The ship arrived on 24 October and was assigned to Destroyer Squadron 22 ( DesRon 22 ) , Destroyer Division 44 ( DesDiv 44 ) . Southwest Pacific campaigns . Staging was then in progress for the invasion of Cape Torokina , Bougainville , Solomon Islands . " Sigourney " escorted the transports of the assault phase to the landing area and then participated in the preliminary bombardment of the landing beaches on 1 November 1943 . The ship was under air attack but suffered no damage while splashing two enemy planes . " Sigourney " then participated in resupply operations , with Task Force 31 ( TF 31 ) , from Tulagi to the beachhead . On the morning of 17 November , the destroyer was escorting a convoy to Empress Augusta Bay when it was attacked by Japan ese planes . The convoy was illuminated by flares and torpedo planes began their runs . The high speed transport , " McKean " ( APD - 5 ) , was struck by a torpedo and began to burn furiously . " Sigourney " and " Talbot " ( DD - 114 ) were alongside for approximately two hours trying to rescue survivors . " Sigourney " rescued 34 but as the two destroyers were illuminated by the burning transport , they were under constant air attack . Fortunately , neither was damaged , and " Sigourney " splashed two of the planes . On 10 December , " Sigourney " was damaged when she ran aground near Koiare , Bougainville . " Sigourney " and her squadron continued operations with TF 31 until 6 May 1944 . The destroyer participated in anti submarine sweeps , barge hunts , and in combined operations with PT boat s and supporting aircraft . In February 1944 , the destroyer was a unit in the Green Islands Attack Group which landed New Zealand troops there on the 15th . On the night of 29 February – 1 March , " Sigourney " , with DesRon 22 , engaged in an antishipping sweep of Simpson Harbor and then bombarded Rabaul and the airfield on Duke of York Island in the Bismarck Archipelago . During March , " Sigourney " and her destroyer division operated under the direction of the Commanding General , U . S . XVI Corps , in support of forces on Bougainville . They provided counter - battery fire , bombarded enemy troops and installations ashore , and performed fire support as requested . " Sigourney " engaged in daily bombardments in the Jaba River and Motapena Point area and supported PT boat operations at night . On 12 March alone , " Sigourney " and " Eaton " ( DD - 510 ) fired 400 rounds of call fire in support of the 37th Infantry Division perimeter . In mid - March , " Sigourney " was called upon to support the landing of the 4th Marine Regiment at Emirau , St . Matthias Group . She then returned to bombard pill boxes and entrenchments east of the Torokina River , Bougainville , until 12 April . " Sigourney " then made escort trips between Guadalcanal , Cape Gloucester , Purvis Bay , Majuro , Eniwetok and Kwajalein . On 11 May , the destroyer sortied from Kwajalein with Task Group 51 . 18 ( TG 51 . 18 ) , the Joint Expeditionary Force , Reserve , for the amphibious assault on Saipan and Tinian in the Mariana Islands . " Sigourney " arrived off Saipan , on 16 June , and participated in operations there and on Tinian until she withdrew from the operations area on 20 August . During her time on station , she bombarded beaches on both islands , supplied call - fire support for the forces ashore , and served as a picket ship and as an antisubmarine screen . When " Sigourney " was released from the Mariana Islands campaign , she sailed for Purvis Bay , Solomon Islands , arriving on 25 August . There , she was attached to TF 32 which sortied on 8 September for the Palau Islands operation . From 15 to 30 September , the destroyer worked in conjunction with the aircraft carrier s which launched attacks in support of the amphibious assault on Peleliu . " Sigourney " was in Seeadler Harbor , Admiralty Islands , from 3 to 12 October . Then she got underway for Leyte , Philippines , with TG 77 . 2 , the Bombardment and Fire Support Group . Philippines campaigns . On the 19 October 1944 , " Sigourney " shelled Red and White Beaches to cover underwater demolition team s reconnoitering the landing sites near Dulag and Tacloban . She and " Cony " ( DD - 508 ) remained in the area while the remainder of TG 77 . 2 withdrew to the south to cover the approaches to the Leyte Gulf through Surigao Strait . The two destroyers fired night harassing and interdiction fire on beaches , roads , and installations . On the 20th , they bombarded the beaches until H - hour and then provided call - fire support until the 24th when word was received from the Commander , 7th Fleet , to prepare for a night engagement . " Sigourney " , " Aulick " ( DD - 569 ) , and " Welles " ( DD - 628 ) were in the van as Attack Section 2 of DesDiv " X - Ray " which would screen the battle line consisting of six battleship s . In the screening position , they did not take part in the torpedo attacks on the Japanese fleet launched by other American destroyers . On 29 October , " Sigourney " withdrew from Leyte and returned to Seeadler Harbor , arriving on 3 November . Nine days later , the destroyer was en route back to Leyte Gulf . She performed screening assignments and radar picket duties at the entrance to the gulf off Dinagat Island from 6 to 30 November . On the night of 1 – 2 December , DesDiv 44 made a sweep of the Camotes Sea . At 02 : 38 on 2 December , " Sigourney " and " Conway " ( DD - 507 ) opened fire on a Japanese freighter which sank six minutes later . The destroyers then steamed for the Palau Islands to join the covering force for the invasion of Mindoro . The task group of four battleships , four cruisers , six escort carrier s , and 18 destroyers sailed on the 10th . Three days later , the carriers began launching air attacks which continued until 17 December . During the time in the area , the task group was under constant enemy air attack . " Sigourney " next joined TG 79 . 2 ( Attack Group Baker ) which was formed at Manus Island and sortied from there on 31 December 1944 en route to the Philippine Islands . On 9 January 1945 , the task group landed elements of the U . S . 6th Army in the Lingayen area of Luzon Island . On the 20th , " Sigourney " and " Saufley " ( DD - 465 ) left to screen Australian Transport Division 21 to Morotai , N . E . I . The destroyer escorted convoys between Leyte and Lingayen Gulfs until 27 February when she sailed with Task Unit 78 . 2 . 12 ( TU 78 . 2 . 12 ) for Puerto Princesa , Palawan Island , to support the landings there on the 28th by United States Army troops . Still conducting operations in the Philippine Islands during April , " Sigourney " operated with TG 74 . 2 prior to , and during the army assault on the Malabang , Parong , and Cotabato areas of Mindanao on 17 April . On 6 May , the destroyer sailed from the Philippine Islands for the United States via the Marshall Islands and Pearl Harbor . " Sigourney " arrived at San Pedro , Calif . , on 31 May and entered the Bethlehem Steel Co . Shipyard for an overhaul , remaining there until 3 September . She moved to San Diego the next day and , a month later was underway , for New York City via the Panama Canal , arriving there on 20 October . In October , the destroyer was ordered to Charleston , S . C . , to prepare for inactivation . On 20 March 1946 , she was placed out of commission , in reserve , with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . 1951 – 1960 . " Sigourney " was placed in full commission again on 7 September 1951 at Charleston , S . C . She underwent shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay in early 1952 and , in April , joined DesRon 322 with Norfolk as her home port . She conducted local operations from there until October when she entered the Norfolk Naval Shipyard for an overhaul which lasted until January 1953 . She returned to Guantanamo Bay for refresher training until March , after which she operated out of her home port . On 29 June , " Sigourney " began a combined seven - month Far East tour and round - the - world cruise . While in Korean waters , the destroyer was attached to TF 77 , the Fast Carrier Force , and TF 95 , the United Nations Blockading and Escort Force . On 10 December 1953 , " Sigourney " began her goodwill cruise which took her to Hong Kong , Singapore , Naples , Cannes , Gibraltar , and Lisbon before returning to Norfolk on 6 February 1954 . In June , she took a Midshipman cruise to France and Spain before returning to her home port in August . The destroyer was overhauled from October 1954 until January 1955 . " Sigourney " made a cruise to Europe with DesDiv 322 in 1955 , Midshipman cruises to Europe in 1956 and 1958 , and was deployed with the 6th Fleet in 1957 . On 1 January 1959 , her home port was changed to Philadelphia , and she became part of the Reserve Training Fleet . On 1 May 1960 , she was placed in reserve out of commission , with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet and berthed at Philadelphia . " Sigourney " was stricken 1 December 1974 , sold 31 July 1975 and broken up for scrap . Awards . " Sigourney " received nine battle star s for World War II service . In popular culture . The " Sigourney " appeared in the movie " Away All Boats " , accurately depicting the Fletcher destroyer class ' s anit - aircraft role in the Pacific Theater .