USS Frankford ( DD - 497 ) USS " Frankford " ( DD - 497 ) , a " Gleaves " - class destroyer , was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for John Frankford , who commanded the privateer " Belvedere " during the Quasi - War with France . " Frankford " was launched 17 May 1942 by Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Co . , Seattle , Wash . ; sponsored by Mrs . William F . Gibbs ; and commissioned 31 March 1943 , Lieutenant Commander T . J . Thornhill in command . After coastal escort duty , " Frankford " made three voyages to screen convoys from the east coast to Casablanca and Northern Ireland between 27 June 1943 and 29 November . She then returned to coastal escort , antisubmarine patrols , and duty at Norfolk training prospective crews for new construction until 18 April 1944 when she sailed from New York for Plymouth , England . In preparation for the invasion of Normandy , " Frankford " escorted transports and other ships to training in Scottish waters and to the assembly points in the south of England , until 5 June , when she sortied from Plymouth for Omaha Beach . On D - Day , 6 June , " Frankford " provided fire support for the pinned down US assault , then joined the area screen . Along with rescuing survivors of mined ships and downed pilots , " Frankford " drove off enemy E - boat attacks . Aside from two one - day voyages to Plymouth for stores and fuel , " Frankford " remained on duty in the Baie de la Seine until 15 July . Three days later , " Frankford " sailed from Plymouth to screen a group of landing craft to the Mediterranean , and on 6 August 1944 , she arrived at Naples for the invasion of southern France . Her task force sortied 13 August , and " Frankford " patrolled off the invasion beaches 13 August and the days that followed . On the night of 17 / 18 August , she and another destroyer engaged a group of enemy torpedo boat s , sinking three and capturing one , which later sank . On 30 August , she put in at Naples , and after calling at several western Mediterranean ports , the destroyer arrived at New York 3 October for overhaul . Exercises , patrols , and hunts for submarine s along the east coast occupied " Frankford " until 21 January 1945 , when she sailed from Norfolk for a rendezvous off the Azores . Here she joined the screen for " Quincy " ( CA - 71 ) , carrying President Franklin D . Roosevelt to Malta . " Frankford " served on an air - sea rescue station in the eastern Mediterranean during the President ' s flight out and back , and returned to New York 27 February . The destroyer made antisubmarine patrols along the Atlantic coast and guarded aircraft carrier s in training until 10 May , when she arrived at New York . " Frankford " reached Pearl Harbor on 8 August 1945 , and after exercising in the Hawaiian Islands , sailed to the western Pacific for occupation duty . She operated with minesweepers off the coast of Japan , covered landings on Honshū , and on 25 October sailed from Tokyo Bay for the east coast . On 4 March 1946 , she was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Charleston , South Carolina . " Frankford " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1971 , and sunk as target off Puerto Rico on 4 December 1973 . " Frankford " received two battle star s for World War II .