USS Picking ( DD - 685 ) USS " Picking " ( DD - 685 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Sherwood Picking ( 1890 – 1941 ) , a submarine commander during World War I . " Picking " ( DD – 685 ) was laid down 24 November 1942 by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Inc . , Staten Island , N . Y . ; launched 1 June 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . Sherwood " Picking " ; and commissioned 21 September 1943 , Commander Raymond S . Lamb in command . World War II . Following shakedown off Bermuda , " Picking " proceeded via the Panama Canal to Dutch Harbor , Alaska , where she arrived 28 December 1943 to serve with the North Pacific Fleet , Destroyer Squadron 49 . She bombarded Paramushiro , Kuriles , 4 February 1944 , Matsuwa Island , Kuriles , 13 June , and Paramushiro again 26 June . In August she steamed to San Francisco , California for upkeep , and then to Hawaii , arriving Pearl Harbor on the 31st where she joined the 3rd Fleet . Escorting attack transports , she arrived at Manus Island 3 October . Assigned to the 7th Fleet , she screened for the southern landings on Leyte 20 October . While escorting unloaded transports bound for Hollandia , New Guinea , she splashed one plane 24 October . Upon news of the Battle off Samar Island , " Picking " rushed to provide protection . She and " Hale " ( DD – 642 ) splashed one plane 25 October . After the Battle for Leyte Gulf , she escorted " Mount Olympus " ( AGC – 8 ) and " Auriga " ( AK – 98 ) to Manus Island and returned to Leyte 20 November to protect Allied convoys bringing reinforcements . Following replenishment at Manus , " Picking " provided antiaircraft protection for the beachhead at Lingayen Gulf , P . I . , 9 January 1945 . She screened landings at San Antonio , P . I . , 29 January and provided fire support and screen protection as troops went ashore on Mariveles , P . I . , 15 February , and on Corregidor 16 February . Following replenishment at Leyte , the destroyer arrived off Kerama Retto , Ryukyus , 26 March , and screened transports during landings that morning . Assigned to fire support duty 1 April , she bombarded Japanese positions on Okinawa vigorously . She splashed two enemy planes 6 April , another 9 April , and saved one Navy aviator 17 April . She rescued survivors from " Longshaw " ( DD – 559 ) , off Naha , Okinawa , 18 May . Relieved of fire support duties 7 June , she served as a radar picket until 23 June when she sailed for Saipan . Following her return to San Francisco at the end of the war , " Picking " decommissioned 20 December 1945 , and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at San Diego . 1951 – 1969 . In response to the Korean War , " Picking " recommissioned 26 January 1951 . Following duty out of Newport , R . I . , she arrived at Yokosuka , Japan , 4 May 1953 . Off Korea she operated with Task Forces 77 and 95 , conducting shore bombardment with 95 and saved one naval aviator . Upon completion of Korean duty , she departed Sasebo , Japan , 5 August , and proceeded via the Suez Canal to Boston arriving 2 October . Following stateside operations in 1954 , she sailed 5 January 1955 for European and Mediterranean duty . Operating out of Derry , Northern Ireland , she studied British convoy escort techniques , and then served with the 6th Fleet , before returning to Newport 26 May . Transferred to the Pacific Fleet , she arrived at Long Beach , California , 15 April 1956 . She departed 5 June for a tour of duty with the 7th Fleet , which included a Taiwan patrol , and returned to Long Beach 18 November . Departing Long Beach 13 August , she made another tour of the Far East , and returned 24 January 1958 . On her next WestPac deployment , 8 October 1958 to 27 March 1959 , she operated with an antisubmarine hunter - killer group led by " Yorktown " ( CVS - 10 ) . During this tour , she carried emergency supplies to the fire - damaged Japanese town of Koniya . In the fall she participated in antisubmarine exercises with Canadian forces off the west coast . From January to June 1960 , and from August 1961 to February 1962 , she made two more WestPac deployments . During the Cuban missile crisis of October 1962 , she escorted " Ranger " ( CVA - 61 ) . East coast operations and training filled 1963 . Deployed to the 7th Fleet 13 March 1964 , she performed escort duty off Vietnam in response to the Gulf of Tonkin incident before returning to Long Beach 2 October . Sailing for WestPac 10 July 1965 , she arrived at Dixie Station off Vietnam 11 September . During September and November , she bombarded enemy positions in South Vietnam . She returned to Long Beach 16 December . Following training and local operations in 1966 , she departed for WestPac 27 December . She bombarded enemy military , naval , and logistical areas in North and South Vietnam , and destroyed several logistical craft in coastal waters off North Vietnam . Training off the west coast in antisubmarine warfare and gunnery completed 1967 . In February 1968 she departed for WestPac , and arrived at Yankee Station 25 April . Following gunfire support duty off South Vietnam and a return to Yankee Station , she arrived Long Beach 17 August . Following duties with the Pacific Fleet in 1969 , " Picking " decommissioned 6 September 1969 at Long Beach , Calif . , and entered the Reserve Fleet . She was stricken from the Navy list 1 March 1975 , and sunk as a target 27 February 1997 . " Picking " received 5 battle star s for World War II service . and one battle star for Korean service .