USS Gherardi ( DD - 637 ) USS " Gherardi " ( DD - 637 ) ( later DMS - 30 ) , a " Gleaves " - class destroyer , is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi . " Gherardi " was launched 12 February 1942 by the Philadelphia Navy Yard , sponsored by Mrs . Christopher Robinson , granddaughter of Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi ; and commissioned 15 September 1942 , Lieutenant Commander J . W . Schmidt , USN , in command . Atlantic and Mediterranean service . In December 1942 the " Gherardi " suffered fatalities in a storm . { See 2007 link below } . After trial runs and shakedown training out of Casco Bay , Maine and Newport , Rhode Island " Gherardi " departed Philadelphia 1 January 1943 making convoy escort voyages to Guantanamo Bay , Cuba , Port Arthur and Galveston , Texas , returning to New York 7 February 1943 . She departed New York 15 February on what was to be the first of 10 transatlantic convoys . " Gherardi " returned to New York from Casablanca 14 April 1943 . After a voyage to Newfoundland in May mshe departed Hampton Roads , Virginia , 8 June " en route " to the Mediterranean to become part of Admiral Kent Hewitt ' s Western Naval Task Force for the invasion of Sicily . Assigned the duty of protecting troop transport s , she helped defeat many bombing attacks and was credited with shooting down one plane , suffering 11 near misses . " Gherardi " saw her first surface action when late in July and early August she participated in several offensive sweeps along the northern coast of Sicily , and around the port of Palermo . On the night of 3 / 4 August " Gherardi " and " Rhind " were making a night offensive sweep along the coast , when at 22 : 15 , a few miles off Cape Calava , they picked up a small convoy consisting of one of the German MFP lighters escorted by two motor torpedo boat s ( E - boats ) . At a range of 4 , 000 yards ( 3650 m ) , the destroyers illuminated the convoy with star shell and opened up with main batteries . The E - boat blew up at 22 : 25 and one of the escorting boats was sunk ; the other fired at least one torpedo , which missed . It was later found that the German lighter had been loaded with land mine s . " Gherardi " returned to New York 22 August 1943 and commenced a series of fast convoy escort voyages to Northern Ireland and England , touching at Belfast and Derry , Northern Ireland and Swansea , Wales . She returned to New York from her last voyage on 13 February 1944 . After intensive training out of Casco Bay , Maine , " Gherardi " made a voyage to Gibraltar with a large scouting force between 23 March and 22 April 1944 . On 8 May 1944 " Gherardi " departed New York en route to Northern Ireland for rehearsals for the invasion of Normandy . On the morning of D - Day , 6 June 1944 she maneuvered into the fire support area as a unit of Admiral Don P . Moon ' s Assault Force " U " for Utah Beach . She delivered calls from fire - control parties ashore clearing the way for troops by prompt and accurate fire on railroads , houses , shore batteries and other targets . This drew dangerous return fire and she had one hot duel during the afternoon . Having expended all her ammunition , " Gherardi " was forced to retire that afternoon to Plymouth , England , to replenish . Returning to Utah Beach , " Gherardi " was assigned screening duty . This lasted until 25 June when she joined Admiral Morton Deyo ' s bombardment Task Force 129 in the support of the First Army assault on Cherbourg , France . Departing the Normandy area 18 July 1944 " Gherardi " steamed to Malta where she joined a British – American escort carrier task force which trained for the invasion of Southern France on 15 August . On 9 August 1944 " Gherardi " rendezvoused with the carrier strike group and maneuvered into the launching areas . For two weeks " Gherardi " screened the carriers while strike after strike was made in support of the invasion . Southern France now secured , " Gherardi " departed for the states , reaching New York 16 September . Immediately work started to convert her to a high speed minesweeper . Pacific service . On 15 November 1944 " Gherardi " classification changed to DMS - 30 . After many tests and calibrations she joined Mine Division 60 and steamed to the Pacific , touching at San Diego , Pearl Harbor , and Eniwetok . She reached Ulithi in early March . Departing Ulithi she proceeded to Okinawa where she arrived 25 March 1945 . Here " Gherardi " participated in minesweeping operations prior to the invasion of Okinawa on 1 April under the overall command of Admiral Raymond A . Spruance , Commander Fifth Fleet . After the initial assault she screened the heavier surface fire support units and rendered assistance as needed . For three months of continuous screening duty she fought off many suicide planes . Near the end of the battle for Okinawa the versatile " Gherardi " participated in day shore bombardment and night illumination of the southern coast of the island , contributing to the advance of the troops . Early in July " Gherardi " became flagship of Commander Mine Division 60 , then took up duty as fire - support ship for a group of smaller fleet minesweepers in the China Sea . This duty lasted until 19 August 1945 when she joined the Third Fleet and went to work clearing Tokyo Bay preparatory to the final surrender and occupation of Japan . The surrender documents having been signed on board the battleship on 2 September 1945 , " Gherardi " began a series of high speed minesweeping operations to help clear the waters around southern Kyūshū and Korea . This duty continued until 5 December 1945 when she departed Sasebo , Kyūshū en route to San Diego where she arrived 23 December . 1946 – 1955 . Three days later " Gherardi " departed San Diego via the Panama Canal for Norfolk , Virginia , arriving 9 January 1946 . She now became a unit of Mine Division 6 , Atlantic Fleet and based at Norfolk until June when her home port changed to Naval Station Charleston , South Carolina . From June 1946 until October 1947 " Gherardi " operated out of Charleston when she sailed for Bermuda for towing duty . Afterward she steamed to Newfoundland for cold weather training in Placentia Bay , returning to Charleston 29 November . " Gherardi " spent the remainder of the year at Charleston . In 1948 " Gherardi " continued to base out of Charleston , keeping busy with minesweeping exercises and steaming to Newfoundland again in November for cold weather training . On 3 January 1949 " Gherardi " departed Charleston for her first tour with the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean She returned to Charleston 2 April . After a visit to Port - au - Prince , Haiti , in May and a trip to New London in June " Gherardi " went in for overhaul , then to Guantanamo Bay for type training . For the next two years " Gherardi " conducted operations up and down the eastern seaboard and in the Caribbean , participating in Atlantic Fleet Exercise Operation Observant off Vieques , Puerto Rico then on to Onslow Beach , North Carolina for amphibious exercises . On 8 January 1952 " Gherardi " got underway from Charleston for her second tour with Sixth Fleet returning to the States 26 June . Two months later , she steamed out of Charleston again , this time to take part in NATO Exercise Operation Mainbrace in the North Atlantic . With the exception of duty with the Sixth Fleet , " Gherardi " conducted type training and held exercises out of Charleston and along the eastern seaboard for the next two years . In January and February 1955 " Gherardi " took part in Operation Springboard in the Caribbean , and in March and April she participated in Atlantic Fleet Exercise " LANTMINEX " . On 15 July 1955 , " Gherardi " was redesignated DD - 637 . Shortly thereafter she went into the Charleston Naval Shipyard for preinactivation overhaul where she was decommissioned 17 December 1955 . She entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet there . " Gherardi " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1971 , and sunk as target off Puerto Rico on 3 June 1973 . " Gherardi " received five battle star s for World War II service .