USS Sands ( DD - 243 ) The first USS " Sands " ( DD - 243 / APD - 13 ) was a " Clemson " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II . She was the first ship named for Benjamin F . Sands and his son , James H . Sands . " Sands " was laid down on 22 March 1919 by the New York Shipbuilding Corporation , Camden , New Jersey ; launched on 28 October 1919 ; sponsored by Miss Jane McCue Sands ; and commissioned on 10 November 1920 , Ensign William D . Leahy in temporary command . Service history . 1920s . Following commissioning , " Sands " remained at Philadelphia , Pennsylvania to fit out for European duty . On 22 November , Lieutenant M . L . Sperry , Jr . , relieved Ens . Leahy as temporary commanding officer ; and , on 13 December , Commander Robert L . Ghormley assumed command . The next day , the destroyer departed from Philadelphia ; steamed to Melville , Rhode Island , for torpedo outfit ; then proceeded to New York . On 3 January 1921 , she sailed for Europe . She arrived at Brest on the 16th and , for the next seven months , conducted runs between French and British ports . In mid - August , she steamed for the Baltic ; called at various ports on that sea , despite the still present danger of mines , and returned to Cherbourg on 27 September . Three weeks later , she cleared the French coast and headed for the eastern Mediterranean - Black Sea area . There , fighting between Greeks and Turks in coastal Asia Minor ; between Turks and Armenians on the Anatolian plateau ; and between Red and White forces in Russia had created problems including disease , poverty , and famine . Assigned to provide dispatch service to support American Relief Committee efforts , and to protect American nationals and interests , " Sands " arrived at Allied - occupied Constantinople on 11 November . Nine days later , she fueled at the Standard Oil docks at Selvi Bournu , then commenced her first cruise . Into late December , she steamed off Samsun and Trebizond , observing as Greeks were deported from those areas . After returning briefly to Constantinople , she steamed to Alexandretta , whence she continued on to Cilicia . There she called at Mersin , site of an American mission and relief distribution center , and remained through most of January 1922 . On 3 February , she was back at Constantinople ; and , on the 8th , she got underway for Novorossiysk . From the 8th to the 19th , she supported relief work in that city , then proceeded to Samsun where , with one interruption to retrieve a drifting barge near Inebole , she remained until 8 March . Two days later , she returned to Constantinople ; and , on the 18th , she shifted to Selvi Bournu to assist in firefighting efforts in the oil storage area . With the fires under control , she put back into Constantinople and , on the 22d , got underway to again call at Mersin . By 7 April , she had retransited the Dardanelles and the Sea of Marmora . On 8 May , she passed through the Bosporus . From the 9th to the 22d , she was at Odessa , whence she shifted to Theodosia and then continued to Novorossisk . In early June , she was at Trebizond ; and , on the 4th , she arrived at Samsun where , for several days , she steamed off the harbor entrance as Greek and Turkish forces exchanged fire . " Sands " returned to Constantinople on 9 July and soon afterward sailed for Gibraltar and the United States . From August into November , she underwent overhaul at Philadelphia . By late December , she had joined the Scouting Fleet at New York ; and , on 3 January 1923 , she departed from that city for winter maneuvers in the Caribbean . In February , she participated in Fleet Problem I , an exercise designed to test the defenses of the Panama Canal . During March and April , she conducted operations in the Greater Antilles ; and , in May , she moved back to the east coast . In July , after overhaul , she headed north to the New England coast . In the autumn , she commenced operations off the mid - Atlantic seaboard ; and , in January 1924 , she again sailed south for winter maneuvers . 1930s . Through the decade and into the 1930s , " Sands " maintained a similar schedule . On 10 November 1930 , however , after completing exercises off southern New England , she proceeded to Philadelphia , where she began inactivation . She was decommissioned on 13 February 1931 and was berthed at League Island until ordered activated in the summer of 1932 . Recommissioned on 21 July , the destroyer moved to Norfolk , Virginia ; and , in August , she sailed for the west coast . On 8 September , she arrived at her new base , San Diego , California , and commenced operations off the southern California coast . With the new year , 1933 , she steamed to Hawaii for fleet exercises , and , in mid - February , returned to California . During the spring , she operated off the coast of Washington ; and , in July , she resumed exercises out of San Diego . Three months later , she joined Rotating Destroyer Squadron 20 and remained in reserve through the winter . Activated in April 1934 , she joined Destroyer Division 9 and got underway for the Caribbean and fleet exercises . By mid - November , she was back in southern California , where she remained , with one interruption - Fleet Problem XVI in the North Pacific ( May 1935 ) - until April 1936 . She then returned to the east coast ; participated in exercises in the Caribbean and off New England ; and steamed back to San Diego in October . For the next two years , she operated primarily in the southern California area , with exercises in the Hawaiian Islands during the spring and autumn of 1937 and the spring of 1938 . On her return in April 1938 , she operated locally into the summer , then prepared for inactivation . " Sands " was decommissioned at San Diego on 15 September 1938 . Within a year , however , war broke out in Europe and the destroyer was ordered activated for Neutrality Patrol duty . Recommissioned on 26 September 1939 , " Sands " departed the west coast on 13 November and , a little over a month later , took up patrol duty in the Caribbean . She remained there into the spring of 1940 , then moved north for patrol and escort duty off the eastern seaboard from the Virginia Capes to the Maritime Provinces . Before the end of the year , she returned to the Pacific and resumed operations off California . World War II . With the entry of the United States into World War II , " Sands " commenced coastal escort work , which continued into the spring of 1942 . Then , as the Japanese moved into the western Aleutian Islands , she shifted to Alaska and , through the summer , escorted convoys and conducted patrols from the mainland to ports in the eastern Aleutians . By fall , the Allies were taking the offensive , and " Sands " was needed for a different mission . On 28 October , she sailed south . Two days later , she was redesignated APD - 13 ; and , on 5 November , she arrived at San Francisco for conversion to a high speed transport . 1943 . " Sands " departed from San Francisco on 21 December . Steaming west , she reached Pearl Harbor at the end of the year ; conducted exercises into January 1943 ; and , on the 8th , resumed her Pacific crossing . On the 22d , she arrived at Espiritu Santo and , as a transport and as an escort , began moving reinforcements and supplies into the Guadalcanal - Tulagi area . On the 29th , she was detached from duties at Tulagi and ordered to accompany , toward Rennell Island to assist . Rendezvousing the next morning , the tug took the damaged cruiser in tow , and " Sands " joined " Chicago " s escort of five destroyers in a circular screen . The eight ships then began making their way to Tulagi . At 1620 , the formation was attacked by Japanese torpedo planes . " Navajo " began evasive maneuvers . Antiaircraft guns on " Sands " and the destroyers were fired at the intruders , but " Chicago " was hit by another torpedo and , 20 minutes later , sank . " Sands " , with nine wounded by the explosion of a 20 millimeter shell , picked up over 300 survivors and steamed for Espiritu Santo . Arriving on 1 February , she conducted amphibious exercises from the 4th to the 10th ; completed another escort run to Guadalcanal and back by the 14th ; and , on the 15th , with more marines embarked , steamed back to the Solomon Islands . Five days later , she departed Tulagi ; crossed over to Koli Point ; and , on the 21st , moved on to the Russell Islands ; that night , she landed her assault troops unopposed ; then returned to Tulagi , from where she made two more transport runs to the assault area before the 26th . After the occupation of the Russells , " Sands " continued to carry troops and supplies and to escort convoys in the New Caledonia - New Hebrides - Solomons area . With spring , she was transferred to the 7th Amphibious Force . On 14 May , she departed the New Hebrides ; and , on the 20th , she arrived at Townsville , Australia , with an LST convoy . Through the summer , she performed escort and patrol missions along the Queensland coast and completed numerous transport missions to move Allied forces up to , and along , the northern coast of the Papua n peninsula . By September , the forces were ready to move against Japanese positions on the Huon Peninsula and contest control of $ 3 and Dampier Strait s . On 2 September , " Sands " embarked units of the 9th Australian Division , veterans of the North African desert and , two days later , landed them east of Lae . On the 5th , she retired , returning a few days later to shell the Japanese garrison at Lae as Allied forces closed on that village from the jungle and from mangrove swamps . At mid - month , she resumed transport and escort duties along the coast ; and , on the 22d , she landed troops just north of Finschhafen . Reinforcement - escort runs and amphibious exercises along the coast , from Port Moresby to the Huon Peninsula and between Papua and offshore islands , occupied October and November . In early December , at Goodenough Island , she loaded units of the 112th Cavalry Regiment for the assault on New Britain . On the 15th , she offloaded the troops into rubber landing boats which were to take them onto the Amalut Peninsula . The Japanese , however , opened fire before the boats reached the beach . Covering units , not knowing if the troops had landed , held their fire for fear of hitting the cavalrymen . Twelve of the 15 boats , riddled by Japanese fire , sank . Most surviving troops swam seaward . " Sands " and the escorting destroyer opened fire , silencing the coastal guns . The search for survivors began , and all but 16 were rescued . Eleven days later , " Sands " returned to New Britain for another assault landing . On the 26th , she landed marines on Cape Gloucester , provided gunfire support as they moved off the beaches , then retired to stage for her next target , Saidor . 1944 . On 1 January 1944 , the APD again departed Good - enough Island with assault troops embarked . A unit of Task Group 76 . 1 , she transited Vitiaz Strait that night and , at 0735 on the 2nd , landed the troops on the beach at Saidor , 115 miles west of Finschhafen . By 0800 , she was out of the transport area . In the afternoon , she returned to Buna roads and , until mid - month , made runs between there and Capes Cretin and Sudest . On the 18th , " Sands " arrived at Sydney for a brief respite . On the 28th , she got underway to return to New Guinea with cargo and personnel for Milne Bay , Buna , and Cape Sudest . From 6 to 24 February , she completed another run to Sydney ; then , on the 27th , loaded troops at Cape Sudest for transport to the assault beaches at Los Negros Island , Admiralties . Sailing on the 29th , she crossed the Bismarck Sea ; arrived off the assault area shortly after 0730 the next day ; dispatched her loaded LCP ( R ) s to the departure line by 0742 ; then , as the first waves reached the shore , commenced gunfire support operations . At 0835 , " Sands " s boats hit the beach with the 3rd assault wave . The intense crossfire which had caught earlier waves continued as they approached . Poor organization on the beach slowed offloading and assisted the accuracy of the Japanese defenders . " Sands " suffered two casualties , one killed , one seriously injured , from her boat crews and lost her no . 1 boat . In mid - afternoon , the APD departed the Los Negros - Manus area . Returning to Cape Sudest , she loaded much - needed reinforcements on 3 March and , the next day , disembarked them on the contested island and took on casualties . On the 5th , she was back at Cape Sudest , from where she resumed escort duty along the coast . In early April , " Sands " trained army units in amphibious exercises . On the 18th , she embarked units of the 162nd Infantry and got underway for Humboldt Bay . Steaming with TG 77 . 2 , the Central Attack Group for the Hollandia operation , she arrived in the transport area early on the morning of the 22nd . At 0600 , her boats were lowered and loaded . Five minutes later , they were en route to the departure line . At 0735 , they returned and were hoisted on board . The APD then took up gunfire support duties . On the 24th , " Sands " returned to Cape Cretin , and from there proceeded to Cape Sudest for availability . In May , she resumed escort and transport runs but , at mid - month , interrupted them to return to California . After an overhaul at Alameda , " Sands " carried passengers to Pearl Harbor ; embarked 126 men of the 81st Division Reconnaissance Company there , and arrived in the Solomons on 24 August to rehearse the Palau operation . Two weeks later , she steamed northwest , arriving in the transport area off Anguar Island on the 15th . Acting as reserve for the Peleliu Island assault , she remained off Anguar during the initial landings on the former island . At mid - morning , she shifted to Peleliu to support the forces ashore . On the 17th , she returned to Anguar and , on the 18th , landed the reconnaissance company on Red Beach . On the 19th , she went alongside ; embarked the 323nd Reconnaissance Company and then , with , proceeded to Ulithi . There until the 25th , she landed her troops without opposition , then got underway to return to Hollandia . Arriving on the 28th , she shifted to Manus on the 29th ; equipped her boats with mine - sweeping gear , embarked minesweeping personnel , and , on 10 October , steamed for Leyte with units of Mine Squadron 2 . Despite poor weather and two appendectomies which were performed aboard ship , " Sands " arrived in the approaches to Leyte Gulf on the 17th . On the 18th , she closed Suluan Island , took off reconnaissance troops landed previously by and transferred them to that ship . On the 19th , she moved up to the assault area and lowered her LCP ( R ) s to conduct shallow water minesweeping operations . From 1155 to 1410 , she covered her boats as they swept the approaches to Red and White beaches near Tacloban . Straddled , but not hit , by Japanese batteries , the boats completed their mission and returned to the APD . " Sands " then shifted to the Dulag beaches , where her boats conducted further shallow water sweeps . During the night , " Sands " patrolled in Leyte Gulf . In the morning , she returned to the Tacloban area to provide gunfire support there . In the afternoon , she shifted to the Dulag area for the same purpose ; and , on the 21st , she got underway to return to New Guinea . 1945 . During November , the APD conducted a resupply and reinforcement run to Leyte and back , then prepared for the invasion of Luzon . On 27 December , she departed Hollandia for the Palaus and Leyte . On 2 January 1945 , she cleared San Pedro Bay . On the 4th , Japanese aerial resistance began . The next day , her task group , 77 . 2 , steamed up the Luzon coast . Land - based Japanese aircraft again attacked . On the 6th , the force arrived off Lingayen Gulf and , despite " kamikaze " accuracy ; the ships entered the gulf and took up their stations . " Sands " , with other APDs , bombarded Santiago Island . On the 7th , she covered the YMSs as they conducted sweeps , and then closed Orange and Green beaches to cover underwater demolition teams as they removed obstacles from the landing area . On the 8th , she moved to the transport area where she remained , on patrol , until the 13th . She then got underway for Leyte and Ulithi . The APD arrived in the Western Carolines on the 24th and remained through February . On 1 March , she joined a convoy for Iwo Jima , arrived on the 3rd , patrolled through the 5th , and sailed for Saipan on the 6th , escorting retiring transports . From the Marianas , she sailed to the Solomons , New Caledonia , and the Admiralties , from where she returned to Ulithi to escort reinforcements to the Ryukyus . By mid - June , she had completed three runs to the Okinawa area and had begun her last Pacific crossing . On the 30th , she arrived at Pearl Harbor , and , on 11 July , she returned to San Diego . " Sands " remained on the west coast through the end of hostilities . On 29 August , she got underway for Philadelphia , Pennsylvania where she was decommissioned on 10 October 1945 . Struck from the Navy list on 1 November , she was sold for scrapping to the Boston Metals Company the following spring . Awards . " Sands " earned nine battle star s for her World War II service .