USS Lardner ( DD - 487 ) USS " Lardner " ( DD - 487 ) , a , was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral James L . Lardner , who was an officer in the Navy during the American Civil War . " Lardner " was laid down 15 September 1941 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Kearny , New Jersey ; launched 20 March 1942 ; sponsored by Mrs . Sidney F . Tyler II , great - granddaughter of Rear Adm . James L . Lardner ; and commissioned 13 May 1942 , Lt . Comdr . Willard M . Sweeter in command . Her shakedown cruise off the New England coast began 28 May and lasted until 1 July 1942 . During this period , she investigated several reports of submarine s near the coast of Maine and searched for a reported U - boat off Guantánamo Bay , Cuba . $ 3 service . On 21 August 1942 , " Lardner " departed Balboa , Panama Canal Zone , for the South Pacific , arriving Tongatapu on 3 September . There the ship acted as escort and screen for convoys and fleet units , making numerous passages to Nouméa and Espiritu Santo , and screening transports landing troops on Guadalcanal , where she bombarded enemy positions . While " Lardner " was serving in the screen for Task Force 18 ( TF 18 ) steaming from the Santa Cruz Islands to Espiritu Santo , aircraft carrier was torpedo ed and sunk 15 September . " Lardner " immediately launched a depth charge attack while her boats picked up 322 survivors , debarking them at Espiritu Santo the next day . On 17 and 30 October " Lardner " headed for Guadalcanal , arriving off Lunga Point at dawn , and splashed two enemy planes during attacks shortly thereafter . She then proceeded to her bombardment position and shelled Japanese positions from Kolumbona to Cape Esperance . " Lardner " screened transports while they unloaded at Guadalcanal during November , and at dawn 28 November searched in vain for the enemy submarine which had torpedoed . On 30 November " Lardner " , as part of TF 7 ' s five cruiser s and seven destroyers , engaged the enemy off Tassafaronga Point in the Battle of Tassafaronga . At the end of the contest , the Japan ese withdrew , never again to send large naval forces into the area . After escorting damaged cruisers and to Espiritu Santo , the destroyer arrived at Nouméa , New Caledonia , 10 December and moored for overhaul alongside destroyer tender . During the first part of January 1943 , the destroyer screened battleship s and convoys between Espiritu Santo , Purvis Bay , and Guadalcanal . She visited New Zealand on 15 February and upon return sailed from Nouméa with a group of transports and tankers for Guadalcanal , fighting off attacking enemy planes 17 February and anchoring next day with her charges unscathed . The remainder of the month , " Lardner " escorted various convoys between Guadalcanal and Nouméa . During March she escorted convoys between Guadalcanal and Fiji , New Hebrides , and Espiritu Santo , and in April joined TF 15 . " Lardner " returned to Pearl Harbor on 8 May for installation of new equipment keeping up with the technological advances of the Navy . " Lardner " operated in Hawaiian waters until sailing 14 July for the United States , escorting carrier to Bremerton , Washington . She arrived San Francisco on 21 July , and sailed on the 27th for Samoa , touching at Pearl Harbor 1 August and arriving Pago Pago on 14 August . While there , " Lardner " operated with TF 37 , returning to Espiritu Santo 2 September before patrol duty off Florida Island until 18 September , when she escorted amphibious craft and transports to Vella Lavella for landings . After patrol duty early in October , " Lardner " returned to escort duty between New Caledonia and the Solomons , then screened task forces operating out of Purvis Bay in the Bougainville Campaign . She bombarded Bougainville on 29 November , and continued occasional bombardments along with escort missions through January 1944 . On 14 February , " Lardner " sailed north with TF 38 to cover initial landings on Green Island , and on the way was attacked by six Aichi D3A " Val " dive bomber s . Late in February , the destroyer bombarded Rabaul ; searched the Bismarck Sea for enemy shipping ; and then attacked Karavia Bay , sinking an enemy cargo ship of the " Heito Maru " class 25 February . Later that day she bombarded Kavieng , receiving a few shrapnel holes from extremely heavy and accurate enemy return fire . During March and April , " Lardner " operated with support forces for the Palaus raid , and with escort carriers during the landing at Hollandia , New Guinea . Central Pacific service . In June and July 1944 , " Lardner " participated in the occupation of Guam , Saipan , and Tinian ; escorted carriers on the first Bonin Islands raid ; and joined in the Battle of the Philippine Sea . " Lardner " returned to the United States for overhaul at Bremerton , and headed back toward the South Pacific 29 September . She spent most of the month of October in Hawaiian waters . From 19 November until March 1945 , the destroyer escorted convoys between Ulithi , Eniwetok , Kossol Passage , and Leyte . While on antisubmarine and air guard patrol off Peleliu and Angaur , she rescued five downed air corps flyers 27 December . While investigating an unidentified small craft , " Lardner " ran aground on a submerged shoal 29 January 1945 and proceeded to Ulithi for repairs . On 23 February she got underway escorting a convoy to Kossol Roads and took up patrol station between Pelelieu and Angaur . Throughout March and April , " Lardner " remained in the vicinity on patrolling duty with occasional visits to Kossol for refueling and replenishment . Throughout May and June , the destroyer operated with a support force of escort carrier s containing the chain of Japanese island bases from Okinawa to Formosa while Okinawa was being secured . During July and August the ship was continuously at sea operating off the east coast of Japan supplying direct logistic support to U . S . 3rd Fleet ships during their sustained attacks on the Japanese homeland . Post - war service . With the end of hostilities and Japan ' s unconditional surrender , " Lardner " escorted the crippled to Saipan 17 August 1945 , and from Saipan sailed to Okinawa to join a group of battleships preparing to sail to Japan for the Japanese surrender . " Lardner " arrived $ 3 on 27 August and entered Tokyo Bay on 29 August , escorting Fleet Admiral Chester Nimitz ' s flagship . " Lardner " next joined in evacuating several hundred prisoners - of - war from southern Honshū . " Lardner " operated with several task groups and units performing varied occupation duties until 15 October when she departed Honshu with TG 50 . 5 for home . On the homeward voyage , she touched at Singapore , Ceylon , Cape Town , and Saldanha Bay , South Africa , before arriving New York on 7 December 1945 . The veteran destroyer remained at New York until 9 February 1946 , then sailed to Charleston , South Carolina . " Lardner " decommissioned 16 May 1946 and joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet until transferred to Turkey 10 June 1949 under the Military Assistance Program . She served the Turkish Navy as TCG " Gemlik " ( D 347 ) until 1974 . On 21 November 1982 , the ship was sunk as a target in the Eastern Mediterranean by the , , , and aircraft from CVW - 6 . " Lardner " received 10 battle stars for World War II service .