USS Radford ( DD - 446 ) USS " Radford " ( DD - 446 ) , named for Rear Admiral William Radford , was a " Fletcher " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II , the Korean War and the Vietnam War . " Radford " was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company at Kearny , New Jersey on 2 October 1941 , launched on 3 May 1942 by Mrs . Francois E . Matthes and commissioned on 22 July 1942 . History . " Radford " participated in the Battle of Kolombangara and the Battle of Kula Gulf . She engaged in an offensive sweep against the Tokyo Express , and received Presidential Unit Citation for the rescue of 468 survivors from . She attacked and sank the Japanese submarine " I - 19 " on 25 November 1943 , Received damage from a Japanese mine supporting the liberation of Luzon in December , 1944 and received a Presidential Unit Citation from Philippines Government , was decommissioned on 17 January 1946 and placed in reserve at San Francisco . " Radford " was recommissioned on 17 October 1949 , and operated with the United States Seventh Fleet in support of United Nations Forces during the Korean War . Following the armistice in 1953 , she alternated operations along the west coast and in Hawaiian waters with annual deployments to the western Pacific with the Seventh Fleet . In 1960 , " Radford " underwent an extensive Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM II ) overhaul at the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard . On 3 March 1965 , " Radford " , in company with other units of Destroyer Division 252 , departed Pearl Harbor on short notice to augment destroyer forces for the rapidly expanding naval commitments in the South China Sea . In October and December Renshaw served as an alternate recovery ship in Project Gemini and participated in Sea Dragon and Market Time operations , patrolled on search and rescue duties and carried out Naval Gunfire Support missions during the Vietnam War from 1965 through 1969 . Her 11th WestPac tour began 5 July 1966 . During this period , she participated in anti - submarine operations , escorted attack carriers in the Gulf of Tonkin , had 2 tours of duty on NGFS , a turn on Taiwan patrol , served as forward picket for the Seventh Fleet units operating in the South China Sea and escorted President Johnson ' s support units to Malaysia during his tour of southeast Asia . DesDiv 252 returned to Pearl Harbor on 16 December 1966 . " Radford " was decommissioned at San Francisco just months after returning from her 1969 WestPac tour . She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 10 November 1969 , and sold for scrap in October 1970 , but not before she fought one last battle on her own . She broke away from the tug that was towing her from Valejo to the Portland scrap yard , and took them on a 34 - mile , all day chase toward the Oregon coast . " Radford " received 12 battle star s for World War II service , 5 battle stars for the Korean War , 4 for the Vietnam War , and the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal . USS Radford National Naval Museum . The USS Radford National Naval Museum is a collection of memorabilia about the ship that is located in Lake Charles , LA , aboard the USS Orleck museum . Exhibits include photos , uniforms , and displays about the ship and her service .