USS Gillespie ( DD - 609 ) USS " Gillespie " ( DD - 609 ) was a " Benson " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II . She was named for Major Archibald H . Gillespie . " Gillespie " was launched 1 November 1942 by the Bethlehem Steel Corporation , San Francisco , California ; sponsored by Mrs . Hugo W . Osterhaus , wife of Rear Admiral Hugo W . Osterhaus ; and commissioned 18 September 1942 , Lieutenant Commander C . L . Clement in command . 1942 and 1943 . After shakedown , the destroyer sailed from San Francisco 28 December 1942 for the fog - shrouded Aleutian Islands and reached Sand Bay , Great Sitkin Island , 9 January 1943 . After conducting escort , ASW , and patrolling duties among the scattered Aleutians , she saw her first action 18 February when , with and , she bombarded Attu Island , without return fire . The destroyer shot over 400 rounds of 5 - inch into Japan ese installations at Holtz Bay and Chichagof Harbor , and on the evening of the same day began an anti - shipping patrol southwest of Attu with " Indianapolis " and . At 2225 , " Coglan " s lookouts spotted smoke on the horizon and " Gillespie " responded . The smoking ship was " Akagane Maru " , a 3100 - ton cargo ship bound for Attu with troops , munitions , and supplies , but she was not to close her port of call . She answered " Indianapolis " challenge in Japanese Morse code ; the American warships opened fire at 2316 and scored repeatedly . Within 3 minutes , the cargo ship was burning forward ; a salvo by " Indianapolis " set her afire from stem to stern . Malfunctioning torpedo es failed to sink the gutted " maru " , but she finally slid under at 0126 20 February in 53 - 05 N , 171 - 22 E . After further patrolling , " Gillespie " returned to San Francisco 4 March for overhaul and subsequently sailed via San Diego , California and the Panama Canal to moor at New York 11 April 1943 . Through the spring , summer , and fall of 1943 the destroyer made four round - trip transatlantic escort voyages to Casablanca , French Morocco , and return , shepherding troop and cargo ships to the North Africa n theater . 1944 . On 2 January 1944 , she departed Norfolk , Virginia for the Pacific , reaching Funafuti atoll 20 days later , and escorting troop ships thence to Milne Bay , New Guinea , where she put in 7 February . As part of the 7th Fleet the destroyer supported the consolidation of Saidor in late February and escorted LSTs from Cape Sudest , New Guinea , to Cape Gloucester , New Britain , and Los Negros in the Admiralty Islands . On 6 March , the LSTs made landings in Hayne Bay , Los Negros , while " Gillespie " patrolled from five to fifteen miles off the northeast coast . While acting as a call fire ship for Army forces in Seeadler Harbor , Manus Island , she bombarded the eastern tip of Pityilu Island on 14 March and until the 16th continued to support the Manus assault by bombarding installations and gun emplacements on Manus . On 24 – 25 March , " Gillespie " bombarded targets on Pityilu , Manus , and Rambutyo Island s , returning to Oro Bay , New Guinea , 26 March . Training exercises and patrolling occupied her until 27 May , when she lent fire support for the initial landings on Biak Island . From 31 May to 2 June 1944 , she served as a fighter director and warning picket off Biak , and bombarded that island . " Gillespie " came under repeated air attacks , but escaped damage or casualties . Duties in New Guinean waters continued ; 5 – 6 July she bombarded positions on the west coast of Noemfoor Island to speed the advance of the 6th Army toward the Namber Drone area , and 20 July her 5 - inchers attacked Insomeken Point and Arimi Island on the east coast of Noemfoor following the initial landings . Through the summer of 1944 , the destroyer continued patrolling and training exercises off New Guinea and the Solomon Islands , and was on hand from 15 September to 14 October for screening activities during the amphibious assault on Peleliu in the Palau Islands . " Gillespie " sailed 14 October 1944 for overhaul at Bremerton , Washington , mooring there 5 November , and after refresher training , sailed from San Diego 3 January 1945 . She conducted training exercises at Pearl Harbor and closed Ulithi 8 February , and subsequently as part of the Logistic Support Forces she escorted supply ships and units of the 5th Fleet during the seizure of Iwo Jima . 1945 , end of World War II and fate . From 13 March to 28 May 1945 , " Gillespie " participated in the landings and occupation of Okinawa and adjacent islands of the Nansei - Shoto group . 8 April the destroyer came under attack by two Japanese " kamikaze " s , the first of which tried to hit her . At dawn , just before 0600 , an enemy fighter swooped down and " Gillespie " s 5 - inch battery opened fire at a range of 9 , 800 yards . As the plane closed the 2 , 500 yards , her automatic weapons took up the hail of fire and the destroyer turned hard to port to keep the batteries unmasked . The smoking plane passed low over the fantail and made an abrupt wingover in an attempt to crash the ship , but the plane spun off into the sea . Minutes later , another plane came in and was quickly downed . The destroyer put in at Ulithi 31 May , and from 1 July to 15 August 1945 she screened other warships during the pre - invasion bombardment of the Japanese home islands . From 16 August to 2 September she continued her escort and patrolling duties , and anchored in Tokyo Bay 10 September 1945 . Underway once more 12 October , she sailed via Manila and Pearl Harbor to moor at San Diego 23 November , and steamed thence to close Boston , Massachusetts 11 December . Following overhaul there , she reached Charleston , South Carolina , 14 January 1946 and she decommissioned at that port 17 April 1946 . In reserve , she was assigned to the Texas Group , U . S . Atlantic Reserve Fleet , Orange , Texas . She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1971 and sunk as a target in 1973 . Awards . " Gillespie " earned nine battle star s during World War II .