USS Russell ( DD - 414 ) USS " Russell " ( DD - 414 ) was a World War II - era in the service of the United States Navy , named after Rear Admiral John Henry Russell . " Russell " was laid down on 20 December 1937 by the Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Newport News , Virginia ; launched on 8 December 1938 ; sponsored by Mrs . Charles H . Marshall , granddaughter of Rear Admiral Russell ; and commissioned on 3 November 1939 , Lieutenant Commander J . C . Pollock in command . Service history . Commissioned two months after the outbreak of World War II in Europe , " Russell " cruised in the western Atlantic and in the Caribbean on neutrality patrol until the bombing of Pearl Harbor . World War II . 1942 . " Russell " was ordered to the Pacific , and she transited the Panama Canal and proceeded to San Diego , California , where on 6 January 1942 , she sailed west , screening reinforcements to Samoa . By the time of her arrival , 20 January , the Japan ese had moved into British Malaya , Borneo , the Celebes and Gilbert Islandss , and the Bismarck Archipelago . Within the week , Rabaul fell and the Japanese continued on to New Ireland and the Solomons while further west they extended their occupation of the Netherlands East Indies . On 25 January , " Russell " sailed north with Task Force 17 ( TF 17 ) , screened as her planes raided Makin , Mili , and Jaluit on 1 February , then set a course for Pearl Harbor . In midmonth , the force sailed again . Diverted from its original destination , Wake Island , it covered forces establishing an airbase on Canton Island , important on the Hawaii - Samoa - Fiji route to Australia and less than 1 , 000 miles ( 1 , 600 km ) from Makin . Raids on Rabaul and Gasmata were next ordered to cover a movement of troops to New Caledonia , but on 8 March the Japanese landed at Salamaua and Lae in New Guinea and Port Moresby was threatened . The force , again joined by the force , steamed into the Gulf of Papua , where on 10 March , planes were sent over the Owen Stanley Range to bomb the newly established Japanese bases on the Huon Gulf . Through April , " Russell " continued to screen the " Yorktown " force , operating primarily in the ANZAC area . Detached on 3 May to screen during fueling operations with TF 11 , she rejoined TF 17 early on 5 May and resumed screening duties for the force ' s heavier units . On 7 May in the Coral Sea , she engaged enemy planes closing the formation to threaten " Yorktown " and " Lexington " and to support Japanese forces in an assault on Port Moresby . " Lexington " hit and heavily damaged , but still in action , continued to recover and launch planes . Three hours later , however , she reported a serious explosion . A second followed . Her fires were no longer under control . She soon commenced abandoning ship . " Russell " joined her screen , circled the crippled ship as rescue ships evacuated personnel , and with the completion of that work , departed the scene of the Battle of the Coral Sea . Retiring to Tonga , " Russell " debarked 170 survivors from " Lexington " and sailed for Pearl Harbor . Arriving on 27 May , she headed out again on 30 May , this time toward Midway Island . On 4 June , TFs 16 and 17 again met the enemy in an air duel , through which " Russell " steamed in the screen of " Yorktown " . In the afternoon , enemy torpedo planes broke through the screen and scored successfully on the carrier . The patched - up survivor of the Battle of the Coral Sea was abandoned . " Russell " took on 492 of her crew and aviation personnel . The next day she transferred 27 to to assist in salvage operations on the carrier , but Japanese torpedoes ( from ) negated the effort and " Yorktown " and were lost . On 10 June , " Russell " covered the transferral of replacements from to and , and on 13 June , she returned to Pearl Harbor . Engaged in training exercises for the next 2 months , " Russell " again sortied with TF 17 on 17 August , took station screening " Hornet " , and headed southwest . On the 29th , TF 17 joined TF 61 , becoming Task Group 61 . 2 ( TG 61 . 2 ) . On the 31st , " Saratoga " took a torpedo and " Russell " conducted an unsuccessful submarine hunt , the first of many in the long and costly campaign for Guadalcanal . On 6 September , one of " Hornet " s planes dropped an explosive off " Russell " s starboard quarter to detonate a torpedo . Another submarine search commenced . At 1452 , she established contact and dropped six 600 - pound depth charges . At 1513 , she sighted an oil slick 1 mile by one - half mile , but contact was lost at 700 yards and never regained . Through the remainder of the year , and into the new , " Russell " continued to operate in support of the Guadalcanal campaign . On 25 – 26 October , she participated in the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands , during which she again joined in rescue operations for a sinking carrier , this time " Hornet " , from which she transferred the commander of TF 17 , Rear Admiral George D . Murray and his staff to , seriously wounded personnel to , and other survivors to Nouméa where " Russell " s superstructure , damaged during rescue work , was repaired . 1943 . In December 1942 - January 1943 , she screened convoys to Guadalcanal and Tulagi , then to Rennell . In February , she screened " Enterprise " , then in March , resumed convoy escort work , making one run to Australia and back by mid - April . On 1 May , the destroyer set a course for the west coast . At the end of July , after overhaul at Mare Island , she steamed north to join forces staging for the " invasion " of Kiska Island . Aleutian patrol duty followed , and with the arrival of autumn , she turned south to escort landing craft to Hawaii . In October , she continued on to Wellington , New Zealand ; and , in early November , she escorted transports to the New Hebrides where she joined TF 53 , then preparing to push into the Gilberts . Underway on 13 November with the Task Force , she arrived with the troop transports off Betio , Tarawa AtollTarawa , on 20 November , then screened heavier units as they shelled the shore . Remaining in the area until 25 November , she provided gunfire support and screened the transports as they filled with Marine casualties . On 27 November , she joined TG 50 . 3 and , with TG 50 . 1 , sailed for the Marshall Islands . On 4 December , carrier planes raided Kwajalein and Wotje , and on 9 December , the force returned to Pearl Harbor , whence " Russell " continued on to the west coast . 1944 . On 13 January 1944 , " Russell " , screening TG 53 . 5 , departed the California coast . Training in the Hawaiian Islands followed . On the 22nd , the force headed west . On 30 January , " Russell " joined other destroyers and heavier units in shelling Wotje . On 31 January , she rejoined the main force off Kwajalein and , after initial screening duties , added her guns to the naval gunfire support line . On 2 February , she screened Carrier Division 22 ( CarDiv 22 ) and on the 3rd , entered Kwajalein lagoon . Standing out 5 days later , she arrived at Pearl Harbor on the 15 February and was directed on to Puget Sound for repairs . Repairs completed in March , " Russell " returned to Hawaii in early April , then escorted " Willard Holbrook " to New Guinea where she rejoined DesRon 2 . Arriving at Finschhafen on 4 May , she reported to the commander of TF 76 at Sudest on 6 May and commenced 5 months of intensive and navigationally difficult escort work along the New Guinea coast . Assigned initially to escort LST s resupplying Hollandia and Aitape , she joined TF 77 on 16 May and covered LCI s and AT s to the Wakde - Sarmi area . From 17 – 20 May , she stood off Wakde , marking the approach channel on the first day of the campaigns there and providing fire support and screening services on the others . On 20 May , she returned to Humboldt Bay and 5 days later sailed with LSTs for Biak to commence Operation " Horlick . " On 27 May , she shelled Padaido Islands , patrolled between Pai and Padaidori Islands , blasted targets on Biak , and then got underway to return to Humboldt Bay . Into June , she continued to escort convoys to and provide cover for operations at Biak and Wakde . In mid - June , she participated in a bombardment of the Toem area , then resumed escort runs along the coast . In early July , Noemfoor , with its two Japanese airfields , became the target . At midmonth " Russell " gained a brief respite at Manus Island , then at the end of the month commenced Operation " Globetrotter " , the capture of Sansapor . Through August , she continued operations in support of the campaign and , in mid - September , moved forward to the Molucca Islands to cover the occupation of Morotai , the last stepping stone on the southern route to the Philippines and on the eastern route to Borneo and the Netherlands East Indies . On 13 October , " Russell " sailed with TF 78 for the Philippines and on 20 October , as the troops of the Northern Attack Force landed south of Tacloban , patrolled off Alabat Point . On 21 October , she took up fire support duties to the north of the unloading area . Until 24 October , she remained in San Pedro Bay , resumed patrol in Leyte Gulf on 25 October , and on 26 October , got underway for New Guinea , where , in November – December , she escorted reinforcements to Leyte . On 28 December , " Russell " departed Aitape for the invasion of Luzon , and steamed into the Mindoro Strait on 5 January 1945 . Two days later , she joined three other destroyers in forming an interceptor force 5 miles on the starboard of the San Fabian Attack Force to destroy any enemy ships attempting a sortie from Manila Bay against the convoy . At 2230 , was detected and fired on . " Hinoki " exploded and sank within 20 minutes . Russell was ordered to pick up survivors from the " Hinoki " . Although several swimmers were seen in the water , they refused to be rescued . 1945 . On 9 January , the force , having survived harassing attacks by planes , boats , and ships , arrived in Lingayen Gulf and " Russell " assumed screening duties off the transport area . For 9 days , she patrolled , illuminated , bombarded , and fought off kamikaze s . From 18 – 23 January , she escorted damaged ships back to Leyte and , on 27 January , sailed north again . On 31 January , she arrived off Nasugbu Bay , covered YMS s ( Motor Minesweepers ) as they cleared approach channels , then fired on enemy emplacements on Nasugbu Point . Relieved in late afternoon , she returned to Lingayen Gulf , thence , on 2 February , to Leyte , New Guinea , and the Solomons . " Russell " arrived at Guadalcanal on 15 February , rejoined the 5th Fleet and prepared for Operation " Iceberg " , the Okinawa offensive . On 1 April , she arrived off the assault beaches and commenced screening the Northern Transport area . From 3 – 5 April , she patrolled north of Ie Shima , then returned to the transport area to escort a convoy to Ulithi . Returning to the Hagushi beach es with reinforcements on 21 February , she shifted to Kerama Retto , whence she patrolled in carrier operating area " Rapier " , south of Okinawa , into May . Detached from carrier screening duty on 27 May , she proceeded to the Hagushi anchorage and got underway the following day for the United States and a yard overhaul . Still undergoing overhaul at Seattle , Washington when the war ended , " Russell " was prepared for inactivation during September , and on 15 November , she was decommissioned . Thirteen days later she was struck from the Navy List and , in September 1947 , she was sold for scrap to the National Metal and Steel Corporation , Terminal Island , Los Angeles , California . Awards . " Russell " earned 16 battle star s during World War II , placing her among the highest decorated US ships of the Second World War . References .