USS Richard B . Anderson ( DD - 786 ) USS " Richard B . Anderson " ( DD - 786 ) was a " Gearing " - class destroyer of the United States Navy , named for USMC Private First Class Richard B . Anderson ( 1921 – 1944 ) , who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for heroism during the Battle of Kwajalein . " Richard B . Anderson " was laid down on 1 December 1944 by Todd Pacific Shipyards , Inc . , Seattle , Washington ; launched on 7 July 1945 ; sponsored by Mrs . Oscar A . Anderson , mother of PFC Anderson ; and commissioned on 26 October 1945 , Commander Hugh H . Murray in command . Among the " Anderson " ' s plank owner s was Motor Machinists Mate Robert L . Anderson ( Richard ' s brother ) . 1945 – 1961 . After shakedown , " Richard B . Anderson " , homeported at San Diego , California , served as plane guard for " Essex " - class carriers operating off southern California . Immobilized by a shortage of personnel in the fall of 1946 , she was fully active by January 1947 and in February she participated in fleet exercises off Hawaii . Search and rescue ( SAR ) operations , local exercises off California and an overhaul took up the remainder of 1947 and early 1948 . On 9 March 1948 , she sailed for Pearl Harbor ; conducted two weeks of anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) exercises there ; then continued across the Pacific for duty with the 7th Fleet . In April , she arrived at Tsingtao , China , then shifted to Buckner Bay , Okinawa , for further exercises . In mid - May she was back in Chinese waters . Duty at Tsingtao and Shanghai was followed by visits to Hong Kong and Manila and during late August and early September a return to China . On 12 November she sailed for California , arriving on the 26th . In March 1949 , the destroyer took part in Aerobee guided missile tests at the magnetic equator . Five months later , she again sailed west for duty with the 7th Fleet . Operating primarily in the Philippines during that tour , she visited Saigon , Indochina , 16 – 23 March 1950 , and witnessed operations of Viet Minh forces against French authorities . " Richard B . Anderson " returned to the United States in June . Hostilities broke out in Korea soon thereafter and on 19 February 1951 she sailed west again with Destroyer Division 12 ( DesDiv 12 ) . On 12 March , she arrived at Sasebo , Japan , and two days later joined Task Force 77 ( TF 77 ) off the east coast of the embattled peninsula . Into April she served as escort and plane guard for the aircraft carrier s launching strikes against North Korean and Chinese forces , power sources and supply , industrial , and transport centers . At Yokosuka in mid - April , she was back off Korea for an amphibious feint against the mining and transport center of Tanchon at the end of the month . In May , she conducted ASW exercises off Japan and Okinawa , and in June , she operated as a unit of the Taiwan Strait Patrol . During July she conducted hunter - killer ( HUK ) exercises ; then , in August , she resumed operations with TF 77 and spent the last weeks of her deployment off Korea . The destroyer arrived at San Diego on 30 September . Seven months later she headed back across the Pacific , again stopping in Hawaii . On 12 June 1952 she rejoined TF 77 and , with an interruption for a railway interdiction mission on the 25th , remained with the carriers into July . On 9 July she returned to Japan ; conducted ASW exercises south of there until the 31st ; then steamed for Keelung and another tour of patrol duty in the Taiwan Strait . On 21 August she was back off Korea , as a unit of TF 95 , the U . N . Blockade and Escort Force . On the 23rd she shifted from Wonsan to Songjin and on the 27th she rejoined TF 77 . Detached on the 30th , she participated in support operations along the bombline until the 2nd , then , on the 3rd , headed back to Yokosuka . At mid - month she moved to Hakodate , Hokkaido , for HUK operations and at the end of the month she rejoined TF 77 . With two interruptions for harassment and interdiction missions , she remained with TF 77 until the 18th , then joined TF 70 for operations south of Japan . In November , she resumed operations with the carriers of TF 77 . On 24 November 1952 , " Richard B . Anderson " departed Korea for Yokosuka . SAR duty followed and on 6 December she headed for Guam and the United States . In January 1953 , " Anderson " was selected for a cameo appearance in " The Caine Mutiny " : at the end of the movie , she steams out of San Francisco as now - LTJG Willie Keith ' s new ship , skippered by now - CDR DeVrees , his original commanding officer aboard the " Caine " . After Korea , " Richard B . Anderson " alternated between duty with the 7th Fleet in the western Pacific ( WestPac ) and training operations and regular overhauls on the west coast . In July 1960 , she put into the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM I ) overhaul and emerged in May 1961 with ASROC , DASH , modernized communications equipment , and improved berthing and messing areas . Trials , refresher training and fleet exercise Operation " Sea Shell " occupied the remainder of 1961 . 1962 – 1975 . In May 1962 , the " new " destroyer participated in Operation Swordfish , part of Operation Dominic , the series of nuclear tests carried out at Christmas Island and elsewhere . " Swordfish " was the open - ocean , live - firing test of a Nuclear Anti - Submarine Rocket ( ASROC ) weapon . On her return , she shifted from Destroyer Division 12 ( DesDiv 12 ) to DesDiv 51 . Operations with her new squadron , Destroyer Squadron 5 ( DesRon 5 ) , a good will visit to Portland , Oregon , and local exercises followed . In November she resumed her annual WestPac deployment schedule . Through the 1950s and during her 1962 – 63 deployment , " Richard B . Anderson " participated in ASW / HUK exercises , SEATO operations , and joint United States - Japanese exercises and served on Taiwan patrol duty . On 5 August 1964 , however , she headed west for a combat zone , Vietnam . On the 28th she arrived at Subic Bay , Philippine Islands , and in early September took up station in Tonkin Gulf in support of the carriers of TF 77 . At the end of the month she returned to Subic Bay , then steamed to Hong Kong where she served as station ship during October . In mid - November she returned to Vietnam and for almost 2 months she screened ready amphibious groups off southern South Vietnam and carrier striking groups in Tonkin Gulf ; conducted surveys of hostile islands ; and served on picket station . In mid - January , she steamed into Yokosuka Harbor and on the 19th she sailed for home . Arriving at San Diego on 1 February 1965 , " Richard B . Anderson " , resumed duties with the 1st Fleet . For the rest of 1965 , she remained in the eastern Pacific — conducting training exercises , including a midshipman cruise ; serving as electronics school ship ; and participating in division and fleet exercises . On 7 January 1966 , she headed west again . In early February she joined TG 77 . 5 off the coast of South Vietnam . Detached briefly for surveillance duty , she remained with TG 77 . 5 until the 11th , then took up picket station duty south of Hainan Island . On the 17th she headed for Japan and on 3 March she returned to the Philippines . At mid - month she was back off Vietnam for gunfire support duty near Huế . In early April she briefly visited Hong Kong , then resumed operations in Tonkin Gulf . At the end of the month she underwent availability at Kaohsiung and on her return to Vietnam alternated between plane guard duty with and shore bombardment missions in the Mekong Delta . On 15 June she steamed north for a last visit to Japan prior to returning to the United States . " Richard B . Anderson " arrived back at San Diego on 10 July . Overhaul , school ship duty , and local and fleet exercises followed . On 25 April 1967 , she again sailed west . During June , July , part of August , and most of September , she performed plane guard and search and rescue ( SAR ) duties off the coast of Vietnam . By the end of October , she was back in San Diego . Varied assignments — " quickstart " ship , schoolship , an overhaul , and midshipman training cruise ship — occupied the winter , spring , and summer . At the end of September 1968 she again deployed to WestPac . Two weeks of exercises off Hawaii followed her departure from California and on the 27th she arrived at Yokosuka . Three days later she steamed for Vietnam . Gunfire support duty south of the demilitarized zone ( DMZ ) and off Da Nang took her well into November . SEATO exercises followed , and at the end of the month she returned to the combat zone for operations with the fast carriers . In mid - December she steamed to Japan , but was back off Vietnam for further gunfire support duty in early January 1969 . From Da Nang to the DMZ , she shelled Vietcong and North Vietnamese Army concentrations , and provided night harassment and interdiction fire at known enemy positions . Detached on the 20th , she participated in another SEATO exercise , visited Hong Kong , and on 6 February took up escort and plane - guard duty in the Tonkin Gulf . In March she resumed gunfire support duty north of Nha Trang . On the 21st , she proceeded to Kaohsiung for repair and maintenance work , then returned to Tonkin Gulf for plane - guard duty . In mid - April she was ordered to the Sea of Japan for brief duty with a carrier task group , newly organized to protect surveillance flights , and , at the end of the month she sailed for home . Arriving on 11 May she underwent overhaul during the late summer and early fall , then resumed a schedule of training exercises , schoolship duty , and in March 1970 , operations with . She then prepared for another WestPac deployment . On 27 May she got underway but the ship was forced to turn back due to crew sabotage of an engine . Apparently nuts , bolts and chains were dropped down the main gear shaft . Several sailors were charged with causing the damage , but the case was later dismissed . Repairs were completed at Long Beach and in August she was once again en route to WestPac and another tour with the 7th Fleet which she completed in January 1971 . " Richard B . Anderson " arrived at San Diego 10 February 1971 and operated out of that port until 20 October , when embarked upon an extended deployment in the Far East . She arrived in Yokosuka , Japan , her new home port , 11 November 1971 . She conducted various support duties off the coast of Vietnam including duty on the gunline and plane - guard duty with aircraft carrier s . During the period 11 December 1971 – 10 January 1972 , she was deployed to the Indian Ocean because of the Indo - Pakistani war . In March 1972 , " Anderson " was again engaged in gunfire support operations off the coast of Vietnam . In April 1975 , she participated in " Operation Frequent Wind " in which many South Vietnamese refugees were rescued as they were fleeing the conquest of Saigon by North Vietnamese communists . ROCS " Kai Yang " ( DDG - 924 ) . The destroyer remained in service until decommissioned on 20 December 1975 and officially transferred to the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) through the Security Assistance Program on 1 June 1977 . The warship served as ROCS " Kai Yang " ( DDG - 924 ) in the Republic of China Navy until retired on 16 November 1999 . Awards . " Richard B . Anderson " earned four battle star s for service during the Korean War and eleven during tours off Vietnam . She was awarded the Secretary of the Navy ' s Meritorious Unit Commendation three times , in addition to the Humanitarian Service Medal , and her personnel earned the Combat Action Ribbon five times .