USS Hailey ( DD - 556 ) USS " Hailey " ( DD - 556 ) was a " Fletcher " - class destroyer of the United States Navy named for Captain Joshua Hailey , commander of the privateer " True Blood Yankee " during the War of 1812 . " Hailey " was launched 9 March 1943 by Seattle - Tacoma Shipbuilding Corp . , Seattle , Wash . , sponsored by Mrs . Claude S . Gillette , wife of Rear Admiral Gillette ; and commissioned 30 September 1943 , Commander Parke H . Brady in command . History . After shakedown out of San Diego , " Hailey " departed Seattle 13 December 1943 to join the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor . She sortied from Pearl Harbor 19 January 1944 screening a unit of Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner ' s Southern Attack Force for the assault and occupation of the Marshall Islands . Arriving off the southern tip of Kwajalein Atoll , " Hailey " joined the Southern Transport Screen and later stood offshore and pounded the enemy with her 5 inch guns . She sailed from Kwajalein 15 February with the Eniwetok Expeditionary Group and arrived off Eniwetok next day to screen the heavy ships ; then joined Admiral Jesse Oldendorf ' s Northern Support Group in battering strong enemy emplacements before retiring to Majuro Atoll screening Manila Hay . After patrolling the Mussau - Emirau area , " Hailey " spent most of April and May on antisubmarine paitrol , intercepting barge traffic and providing daily fire support for Army operations in the New Guinea area . Destroyer Division 94 , consisting of " Haggard " ( DD - 555 ) , " Franks " ( DD - 554 ) , " Hailey " , and " Johnston " ( DD - 557 ) was moving northwesterly up from the Solomons 16 May . About 2½ hours before midnight they were steaming in scouting line some 125 miles east by north of Green Island . " Haggard " made a sonar contact on her starboard bow at a range of 2 , 800 yards . It was 1600 - ton " I - 176 " . Five separate attacks were made and between the last two a heavy underwater ripple explosion was heard . The destroyers continued their search until the following evening without regaining contact — but they recovered souvenirs of Japan ese origin from a diesel oil slick that extended over 7 miles of ocean . During the first part of June " Hailey " took up screening and patrol duties east of Saipan in support of the Marianas operations . She sortied from Eniwetok 1 July with Admiral Weyler ' s Battleship Division 3 for the pre - invasion bombardment and softening up of Guam , then joined Admiral Conolly ' s Southern Attack Force for the capture of Guam ( 21 July – 10 August 1944 ) retiring to Eniwetok 9 August . The remainder of August and September " Hailey " screened a group of escort carrier s furnishing air support for the seizure and occupation of Peleliu , Ngesebu , and Anguar Islands in the Palaus . " Hailey " next sortied from Seeadler Harbor , Manus Island , 12 October with Admiral Felix Stump ' s " Taffy 2 " ( Task Unit 77 . 4 . 2 ) the center formation of the three escort carrier groups off the entrance to Leyte Gulf . While Admiral Oldendorf was crushing Admiral Nishumura ' s Southern Force in Surigao Strait 24 – 25 October , Admiral Takeo Kurita ' s Center Force arrived off Samar undetected in the early hours of 25 October with the aim of destroying the 7th Fleet ' s heavy concentration of amphibious ships supporting the invasion of Leyte . In the face of overwhelming odds against a much superior force Admiral Thomas L . Sprague ' s three " Taffies " gallantly drove off Kurita ' s forces and defeated his mission — thus stopping the most powerful surface fleet Japan had sent to sea since the Battle of Midway . The experienced destroyer next joined the Fast Carrier Task Force ( then TF 38 of Admiral William F . Halsey ' s 3rd Fleet ) , as a unit of Rear Admiral Gerald F . Bogan ' s Task Group 38 . 4 ( TG 38 . 4 ) launching strikes on Formosa , before joining Captain Acuff ' s fueling group for the 3d Fleet . In February 1945 " Hailey " joined Admiral Marc A . Mitscher ' s Fast Carrier Task Force 58 and until the last of June participated in bombardments and strikes , inflicting much damage to the enemy on Okinawa and the Japanese home islands where " the fleet had come to stay . " Returning to the States in July , " Hailey " decommissioned at San Diego 27 January 1946 and joined the Reserve Fleet . " Hailey " recommissioned at San Diego 27 April 1951 , Lt . Comdr . Joseph E . Reedy in command . After training in the San Diego area she transited the Panama Canal and joined units of the 6th Fleet at Newport for duty . " Hailey " departed Newport 6 September 1952 and sailed via the Panama Canal Zone to spend the next 4 months in Korean waters . Joining Fast Carrier Task Force 77 ( TF 77 ) , she took part in blockading operations and provided close fire support for ground troops in Korea . Departing Sasebo 5 February 1953 , " Hailey " returned to the East Coast once more to rejoin the 6th Fleet . Between 8 September 1954 and 14 September 1959 " Hailey " made four deployments with the 6th Fleet to the Mediterranean . When not deployed in the Mediterranean , she served as plane guard for carrier " Monterey " ( CVL - 26 ) , training aviation cadets at Pensacola . In addition , she was continuously engaged in antisubmarine training and destroyer tactics , becoming increasingly proficient as part of a fleet vital in preserving American freedom . " Hailey " decommissioned 3 November 1960 at Portsmouth , Va . , and joined the Reserve Fleet . " Pernambuco " ( D - 30 ) . " Hailey " was loaned to the government of Brazil 20 July 1961 , and served in the Marinha do Brasil as " Pernambuco " ( D - 30 ) . " Hailey " received six battle star s for World War II service and two stars for Korean War service .