USS Laws ( DD - 558 ) USS " Laws " ( DD - 558 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was a ship of the United States Navy named for Alexander Laws , who served in the Navy during the Quasi - War and First Barbary War in the early 19th century . " Laws " was laid down on 19 May 1942 by Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp . , Seattle , Washington ; launched on 22 April 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . Mary A . Farwell ; and commissioned on 18 November 1943 , Commander Lester O . Wood in command . 1944 . After shakedown , " Laws " departed San Francisco on 11 February 1944 , joining the advance forces at Kwajalein on 4 March . Following two weeks of antisubmarine training , the destroyer sailed on the 20th to screen a refueling group supporting the raids on Palau , Yap , and Ulithi . " Laws " continued screening operations for the next month , accompanying tankers as they replenished units during the Hollandia operation . After a brief respite at Pearl Harbor , " Laws " arrived at Roi Island 8 June , to join a carrier group en route to Saipan . Reaching her destination on the 15th , she screened the carriers as they hurled heavy air strikes against the Mariana Islands . Two days later , enemy planes made a vain attempt to penetrate the screen and find the carriers . " Laws " 5 inch guns threw up a deadly barrage of antiaircraft fire , splashing two enemy planes and assisting in the downing of another . The destroyer remained in the Saipan area on patrol and screening duty until mid - August . Additional bases were needed as staging areas for ships and aircraft during the planned Leyte invasion ; and the Palau Island group was selected . Sailing with the carrier group on 29 August , " Laws " stood by as the mighty force softened up the beaches for the upcoming assault . On 9 September the force turned its attention to the Philippines , launching air strikes against Mindanao . While en route to their target , friendly planes reported a Japanese force of 40 small craft off Sanco Point ; two cruiser s , " Laws " , and three other destroyers were sent to intercept the group . The carrier aircraft had already started to attack when the cruiser - destroyer force arrived on the scene . The enemy proved no match for the Americans , as " Laws " and her sister ships launched a coordinated attack , wiping out the convoy . " Laws " continued screening carriers until arriving at Ulithi on 1 October . At sea again on 6 October , she joined the carriers as they struck Formosa and Okinawa before arriving off Leyte two weeks later . " Laws " remained offshore giving close support to the 20 October invasion of Leyte . Since American occupation of the Philippines would cut squarely across enemy supply lines from the East Indies to the home islands , the Japanese could be expected to strike back at the invasion with their entire fleet . Planes from Carrier Task Force 38 ( TF 38 ) , to which " Laws " was attached , located the Japanese Center Force on 24 October as the enemy steamed toward San Bernardino Strait ; strikes from the carriers sank the battleship in the ensuing Battle of the Sibuyan Sea . As American bomber s and torpedo plane s punished other enemy ships of the Center Force , Admiral William F . Halsey , Jr . ' s search planes scouted the seas in quest of enemy carriers . When they spotted Admiral Jisaburo Ozawa ' s force toward mid - afternoon , " Laws " raced north with the carriers to intercept . Reaching striking range during the early hours next morning and shortly after dawn , the carriers launched planes to begin a day - long pounding that sank four carriers and a destroyer . Meanwhile , the Japanese suffered other crippling defeats at Surigao Strait and off Samar . When the last smoke from these momentous engagements — collectively known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf — had cleared , Japan had all but lost its Imperial Navy , the Philippines , and all hope of winning the war . As the Japanese Navy Minister , Admiral Mitsumasa Yonai , reflected after the close of hostilities " . . . defeat at Leyte was tantamount to the loss of the Philippines . When you took the Philippines , that was the end of our resources . " 1945 . " Laws " continued to screen the carriers as they conducted strikes against Japanese forces on Leyte and Luzon for the rest of the year . Sailing with the carriers late in December , she supported the amphibious assault on Luzon on 6 January 1945 . Bringing destruction closer to Tokyo , her task group next concentrated raids on the China coast and Formosa before replenishing at Ulithi . Departing 10 February , " Laws " joined a destroyer radar picket unit set up to give the carrier forces early warning of enemy attacks . On the 19th , she screened the flattops as they struck Iwo Jima , a volcanic island fortress needed for a B - 29 airstrip . After supporting the invasion campaign until success was assured , " Laws " retired to Ulithi on 12 March . Preparations for the invasion of Okinawa , the last remaining barrier on the road to Japan , were now complete . " Laws " departed Ulithi on 21 March to take up patrol station in advance of the planned 1 April invasion . Providing support for mine sweeping operations and underwater demolition team s , the veteran destroyer proved her value . The Allies , sweeping down on the enemy , planted a garrison in Japan ' s backyard , as " Laws " stood by on patrol and shore bombardment . On 6 April she splashed a Zeke as it made its way toward the fleet . The destroyer remained off Okinawa until the island was declared secure , and continued operations in its vicinity for the rest of the war . With the cessation of hostilities with Japan ' s surrender , " Laws " departed Ulithi on 7 September , and arrived Bremerton , Washington , on 15 September . Later that year she steamed to San Diego , California , where she remained until decommissioning on 10 December 1946 . 1951 – 1964 . When the need arose for additional ships to support the Koren War , " Laws " was recommissioned on 2 November 1951 at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard , Commander Willard Y . Howell in command . After a year of modernization and hunter - killer training operations , the destroyer departed San Diego on 13 November 1952 for service in the Far East . Arriving at Yokosuka , Japan , three days before Christmas of 1952 , " Laws " joined TF 77 four days later , and headed for the east coast of Korea . During January 1953 the destroyer remained off the coast to screen carriers engaged in raids on the embattled peninsula . On 19 February , " Laws " proceeded independently to Nando Island , where she bombarded the shore , supporting the ROK 15th Division by silencing two enemy shore emplacements on 6 March . She continued operations in support of American forces in Korea until late May when she sailed to patrol off Formosa . " Laws " completed her Far East tour early in July and arrived at San Diego on 20 July . Operating on a tactical training schedule for the next seven months , the destroyer departed on her second $ 3 ( WestPac ) cruise on 3 March 1954 . She joined the Seventh Fleet in peacekeeping operations and during the summer remained on alert to support the Chinese Nationalist positions in the Tachen Islands . " Laws " returned to San Diego on 12 September and resumed training operations off the west coast for the rest of the year . From 1955 through 1957 " Laws " made annual cruises to the Far East to operate with the Seventh Fleet , including Taiwan patrol and training exercises . On 1 July 1958 , " Laws " was assigned to Reserve Escort Division 12 and commenced service as a training ship . She continued reserve cruises along the coast from Mazatlán , Mexico , to Canada until 2 February 1962 when she sailed on another WestPac cruise . While in the Far East , " Laws " exercised with the Korean and Nationalist Chinese Navy and remained on the alert during the Laotian crisis . Fate . Returning San Francisco on 17 July 1962 , the destroyer resumed operations as a Naval Reserve training ship and continued in this capacity until she was decommissioned at Mare Island Naval Shipyard , Vallejo , California , on 30 March 1964 . She was assigned to Reserve Destroyer Division 271 , Mare Island Group , on 1 April 1964 . " Laws " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 15 April 1973 , and was sold to American Ship Dismantlers , Inc . , of Portland , Oregon , on 3 December 1973 . She was transferred to the buyer on 28 December 1973 to be broken up for scrap . Honors . " Laws " received nine battle star s for World War II service and two stars for Korean War service . USS " Laws " can be seen briefly in TV ' s Kraft Suspense Theatre episode : " Streetcar , do you Read Me ? " as position ship alpha .