USS Morrison ( DD - 560 ) USS " Morrison " ( DD - 560 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was a ship of the United States Navy , named for Coxswain John G . Morrison ( 1838 – 1897 ) , who received the Medal of Honor for exceptional bravery during the Civil War . " Morrison " was laid down by Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp . , Seattle , Wash . , 30 June 1942 ; launched 4 July 1943 , sponsored by Miss Margaret M . Morrison , daughter of Coxswain Morrison ; and commissioned 18 December 1943 , Commander Walter H . Price in command . After shakedown off San Diego , California , " Morrison " departed Seattle 25 February 1944 for the South Pacific , via Pearl Harbor and the Marshalls . In mid - April the destroyer joined TG 50 . 17 for screening operations off Seeadler Harbor , Manus , Admiralties , during the fueling of carriers then striking Japanese installations in the Carolines . Central Pacific campaigns . " Morrison " returned to Pearl Harbor 9 May to train for the giant amphibious leap into the Marianas . Departing Pearl 31 May via Roi , Marshalls , she arrived east of Saipan 13 June for a busy month . Her accurate gunfire supported the initial landings on Saipan the 15th and provided close fire support thereafter . With little aid the crew fought off night air attacks 17 through 19 June . Of 40 enemy planes that approached at dusk the 17th , only 15 got by the attacks of the Navy ' s carrier interceptor planes ; and " Morrison " shot down three of those . On 2 August the destroyer rendezvoused off Guam with Task Group 58 . 4 ( TG 58 . 4 ) for flight operations following the landings on Guam 21 July . Eight days later " Morrison " departed Guam for Eniwetok , Marshalls , where she remained from the 13th until she got underway 29 August for the Philippines , arriving off Mindanao the morning of 9 September . That same day , the beginning of a 2 - day strike on Mindanao , a Japanese convoy of 50 sampans and freighters was sighted heading north . " Morrison " led the intercepting force which destroyed the 10 to 15 sampans that survived the strafing by planes . She pushed on for airstrike operations on Peleliu , Palau ; the Carolines ; and Luzon , Manila , and Samar Island , Philippines , through September . On 2 October " Morrison " sailed with TG 38 . 3 for picket duty off Okinawa , during the airstrikes there and on other Islands in the Ryukyus 10 October . She continued on screen and plane guard operations off Formosa and northern Luzon during a 5 - day attack beginning the 12th . On 16 October she screened " Houston " ( CL - 81 ) and " Canberra " ( CA - 70 ) as they retired to Ulithi . Philippines campaign . During the Battle for Leyte Gulf , 23 to 26 October , " Morrison " operated off Luzon . On the 24th , she came to the aid of " Princeton " ( CVL - 23 ) , badly damaged by a Japanese bomb , and picked up approximately 400 survivors in an hour and a half . The destroyer then pulled alongside " Princeton " to assist in fighting fire ; she had just reached her position when the small aircraft carrier , drifting and rolling , wedged " Morrison " ' s mast and forward stack between her uptakes . " Morrison " managed to get clear and " Birmingham " ( CL - 62 ) took her place . Ten minutes later the after third of " Princeton " blew off . Not only did " Birmingham " suffer topside damage and heavy casualties , but " Princeton " was then so badly damaged she had to be sunk by torpedo es . " Morrison " debarked the " Princeton " survivors at Ulithi 27 October and got underway for the West Coast , via Pearl Harbor , in company with " Irwin " ( DD - 794 ) and " Birmingham " , arriving San Francisco , California , 17 November . On 9 February 1945 the destroyer steamed back to the South Pacific , stopping at Pearl Harbor on the 15th . Battle of Okinawa . After shore bombardment exercises in the Hawaiian Islands , " Morrison " departed for Ulithi 3 March . By 21 March she had joined TF 54 underway to support the invasion of Okinawa . The destroyer arrived off the southern shores of Okinawa on the 25th , 7 days before the landings 1 April , and joined in the preparations of bombardment . In the early morning of 31 March she sunk Japanese submarine I - 8 . After " Stockton " ( DD - 646 ) made a positive sound contact off Okinawa and expended her depth charge s in the attack , " Morrison " arrived on the scene to see the submarine surface , then immediately submerge . She dropped a pattern of charges which seconds later forced the sub to the surface where it was sunk by gunfire . At daylight " Morrison " ' s small boats rescued the lone survivor . The ship continued shore bombardment , night illumination , and screen operations off Ōshima Beach . On the night of 11 April " Morrison " assisted " Anthony " ( DD - 515 ) in illuminating and sinking enemy landing craft heading north along the beach . Three days later " Morrison " began radar picket duty . Her first two stations , southwest of Okinawa , were occasionally raided at night . She replaced " Daly " ( DD - 519 ) at the third station 28 April after the other destroyer was hit by a kamikaze . On 30 April " Morrison " was shifted to the most critical station on the picket line . After 3 days of bad weather had prevented air raids , the dawn of 4 May was bright , clear , and ominous . At 07 : 15 the combat air patrol was called on to stop a force of about 25 planes headed toward " Morrison " , but some got through . The first attack on " Morrison " , a main target as fighter - director ship , was a suicide run by a " Zeke " . The plane broke through heavy flak to drop a bomb which splashed off the starboard beam and exploded harmlessly . Next a " Val " and another " Zeke " followed with unsuccessful suicide runs . About 08 : 25 a " Zeke " approached through intense antiaircraft fire to crash into a stack and the bridge . The blow inflicted heavy casualties and knocked out most of the electrical equipment . The next three planes , all old twin - float biplanes , maneuvered , despite heavy attack , to crash into the damaged ship . With the fourth hit , " Morrison " , heavily damaged , began to list sharply to starboard . Few communication circuits remained intact enough to transmit the order to abandon ship . Two explosions occurred almost simultaneously , the bow lifted into the air , and by 08 : 40 " Morrison " had plunged beneath the surface . The ship sank so quickly that most men below decks were lost , a total of 152 . In July 1957 the sunken hull of " Morrison " was donated , along with those of some 26 other ships sunk in the Ryukyus area to the Government of the Ryukyu Islands for salvage . " Morrison " received eight battle star s for World War II service .