USS Harding ( DD - 91 ) USS " Harding " ( DD - 91 ) was a " Wickes " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I . She was the first ship named in honor of Seth Harding . Launched in 1918 , she undertook training exercises off the East Coast of the United States sporadically for several years . In 1919 , she escorted a major transatlantic flight of Curtiss NC seaplane . Later that year , she was selected to be converted into a seaplane tender , and was then used to support naval aviator training off Naval Air Station Pensacola . She took one trip to Veracruz with emergency medical supplies , and was also on hand during aircraft bombing tests against decommissioned German ships , including the sinking of the . She was decommissioned in 1922 and sold for scrapping in 1936 . Design and construction . " Harding " was one of 111 " Wickes " - class destroyer s built by the United States Navy between 1917 and 1919 . She , along with seven of her sisters , were constructed at Union Iron Works shipyards in San Francisco , California using specifications and detail designs drawn up by Bethlehem Steel . She had a standard displacement of an overall length of , a beam of and a draught of . On trials , " Harding " reached a speed of . She was armed with four 4 " / 50 caliber gun s , three . 30 caliber machine gun s , and twelve 21 - inch torpedo tube s . She had a regular crew complement of 122 officers and enlisted men . She was driven by two Curtis steam turbine s powered by four Yarrow boilers . Specifics on " Harding " ' s performance are not known , but she was one of the group of " Wickes " - class destroyers known unofficially as the ' Liberty Type ' to differentiate them from the destroyers constructed from detail designs drawn up by Bath Iron Works , which used Parsons or Westinghouse turbines . The ' Liberty ' type destroyers deteriorated badly in service , and in 1929 all 60 of this group were retired by the Navy . Actual performance of these ships was far below intended specifications especially in fuel economy , with most only able to make at instead of the design standard of at . The class also suffered problems with turning and weight . " Harding " was the first ship to be named for Seth Harding . The second was a " Gleaves " - class destroyer commissioned in 1943 . Service history . " Harding " was launched on 4 July 1918 from Union Iron Works . She was sponsored by the wife of George A . Armes , and embarked under the command of Commander Henry D . Cooke . On 3 February 1919 , she was assigned to the United States Atlantic Fleet and sailed for Newport , Rhode Island via Santa Cruz , California . Transiting the Panama Canal , she arrived on 18 February . Two days later she moved to Boston , Massachusetts and stood out of that harbor on 21 February , to escort which was transporting President Woodrow Wilson from the Versailles Conference . Two days later she participated in ceremonies in Boston harbor celebrating the arrival of that ship . Next , she put in for repairs at Norfolk , Virginia until 8 March , when she left for fleet exercises near Cuba . Following this , " Harding " left for New York , arriving there on 14 April . On 1 May , she departed as part of a group of destroyers acting as a guide for a flight of Navy Curtiss NC seaplane s across the Atlantic Ocean . " Harding " provided searchlight illumination by night during the first part of the flight ; NC - 1 and NC - 3 made forced landings near the Azores and " Harding " rendered assistance to NC - 1 before it sank . NC - 4 , the remaining seaplane , arrived at Ponta Delgada 20 May and as she took off for the last leg of her journey , " Harding " got underway to provide radio compass signals at sea . After the seaplanes landed at Plymouth , England , to complete the flight on 31 May 1919 , " Harding " visited Brest , France and the Azores before returning to Newport 18 June . For several months , " Harding " was based out of Newport and Norfolk on training exercises . After the end of World War I , the U . S . Navy began to convert surplus ships to support its growing seaplane tender program . Several steamers and minelayers were selected in 1919 , but " Harding " was the only destroyer , because it was determined that she would require minimal modifications . Following this success , and as aircraft carrier designs advanced , more ships were designed specifically to support naval aviation . Fourteen " Clemson " - class destroyer s were converted to seaplane tenders in 1938 when it was determined that aircraft production was outpacing the development of these ships . During the conversion of " Harding " , her three . 30 caliber machine guns were removed and her crew complement was reduced to 100 officers and enlisted men . Her torpedo tubes may also have been removed . On 13 December 1919 , she reported to the Philadelphia Navy Yard for conversion to a seaplane tender . She completed the conversion at Charleston Navy Yard and on 20 May 1920 , she sailed for duty at Pensacola Naval Air Station . Immediately after this , though , " Harding " was loaded with medical supplies from the American Red Cross and was ordered to Veracruz , Mexico , where an outbreak of bubonic plague necessitated serum and other supplies . She reached Veracruz on 9 June 1920 and unloaded her supplies . She then steamed for Pensacola , Florida , stopping at Tampico on the way , and arrived in Florida on 13 June . At Pensacola , " Harding " was assigned to a seaplane pilot training program . She remained there until 4 August 1920 , after which she operated in the Caribbean area tending seaplanes until 23 February 1921 . She stopped briefly at Philadelphia before heading to Hampton Roads to support bombing tests on surrendered German ships , leaving Norfolk on 21 June . She was present during the bombing tests on SM " U - 117 " and remained assigned to the tests until the sinking of the German battleship on 21 July 1921 . " Harding " was detached from this duty the next day . " Harding " subsequently conducted training exercises out of Newport and other East Coast ports until 27 December 1921 , when she arrived at Charleston , South Carolina . Remaining there until 3 April 1922 , she sailed to Philadelphia where she decommissioned 1 July 1922 . " Harding " was then sold for scrap on 29 September 1936 , to Schiavone - Bonomo Corporation in New York City .