USS Gatling ( DD - 671 ) USS " Gatling " ( DD - 671 ) was a of the United States Navy , named for Dr . Richard Jordan Gatling , the inventor of the Gatling gun . " Gatling " was laid down 3 March 1943 by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Kearny , N . J . ; launched 20 June 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . John W . Gatling , wife of the inventor ' s grandson ; and commissioned 19 August 1943 at New York Navy Yard , Lieutenant Commander Alvin H . Richardson in command . World War II . After shakedown out of Bermuda and alteration at New York early November , the new destroyer called at Norfolk , Virginia , to conduct training cruises for crews of destroyers still under construction . On 19 November 1943 " Gatling " proceeded to Trinidad , British West Indies , to escort aircraft carrier to Norfolk . " Gatling " stood out from Norfolk 3 December , escorting through the Panama Canal to San Francisco , California , arriving 22 December . The next day she sailed for Pearl Harbor . 1944 . On 16 January 1944 " Gatling " sortied with the Fast Carrier Task Force ( then Fifth Fleet ' s TF 58 , also known as Third Fleet ' s TF 38 ) to support the forthcoming invasion of the Marshall Islands ; thereafter , " Gatling " was continuously with the carrier task forces as they struck Japanese outposts and finally hit the heart of Japan itself . In February the first carrier strikes against Truk occurred . " Gatling " provided fire support during the raid and screened the flattops during raids on the Marianas a few days later . In March she joined in the attack on Emirau Island and at the beginning of April in the air strikes against the Palau Archipelago . Steaming south to strike Hollandia , Wakde , Sawar , and Same , New Guinea , the task force supported Army landings at Aitape , Tanahmerah Bay , and $ 3 from 21 to 26 April . During this action , " Gatling " stood radar picket duty and directed fighter planes . After new attacks on Truk late April 1944 , " Gatling " supported the invasion and occupation of the Marianas from 10 June to 5 July . In the Battle of the Philippine Sea , 19 and 20 July , " Gatling " was credited with shooting down or aiding in the destruction of six Japanese planes . Late that month , carrier task forces again struck the Palaus and blasted Yap and Ulithi . In early August the Bonin Islands became targets for " Gatling " guns , and in September the carriers she guarded repeatedly struck Japanese targets in the Philippines . October saw attacks against Okinawa on the 10th and against Formosa , Luzon , and the Visayas from the llth to the 23d . On 24 October , after enemy bombs had sunk the in the Battle of the Sibuyan Sea , " Gatling " rescued over 300 of the light carrier ' s survivors . For heroism in saving these men , four " Gatling " crewmen were awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal , and 16 others received the Bronze Star . " Gatling " landed the survivors at Ulithi and rejoined the carrier task force for November and December strikes against the Philippines . After powerful Typhoon Cobra , in which three destroyers capsized , " Gatling " searched for survivors and helped to save over 100 men from the sea . 1945 . At Christmas 1944 , the destroyer returned to Ulithi . The task force sortied 29 December to strike Formosa and Luzon during January 1945 . Hoping to locate and destroy a Japanese fleet in that area , Admiral William Halsey took the task force into the South China Sea 10 January and hit targets in Indochina and on the China coast . In the middle of February , the carriers launched initial attacks against Honshū with Tokyo as their main target . As part of a picket line over 30 miles in advance of the main forces , " Gatling " was once within 40 miles ( 75 km ) of Honshū . On 19 and 20 February , as part of Destroyer Division 99 ( DesDiv 99 ) , she escorted and to Iwo Jima to support the gallant Marines who were fighting to wrest that volcanic fortress from Japan to become a base for B - 29 s damaged over the home islands . Rejoining the carrier task force , " Gatling " aided in new strikes against Honshū and Okinawa in late February and early March . She returned to Iwo Jima independently and throughout March blasted Japanese shore batteries to support the invasion . During this duty , the versatile and busy destroyer saved the entire crew of a B - 29 forced down while returning from a mission against Nagoya . On 29 March 1945 , she stood out from Iwo Jima , escorting transports carrying victorious marines to Guam . The destroyer then sailed to the United States for well - earned overhaul and repairs , arriving San Francisco 18 April . After repairs and refresher training , " Gatling " escorted and to Eniwetok , bombarding Wake Island en route . Continuing to escort " New Jersey " , she arrived at Guam 9 August . There the news came that Japan had accepted the provisions of the Potsdam Declaration and agreed to surrender . " Gatling " now headed for Japan escorting transports bearing the 4th Marine Division as the 3d Fleet rendezvoused off Japan . On 3 September 1945 , " Gatling " steamed into Tokyo Bay as a unit of the Allied Naval Occupation Forces of Japan . During her aggressive career in World War II , " Gatling " traveled over 175 , 000 miles ( 320 , 000 km ) and fired 77 tons of high explosives from her guns . She sank two enemy ships and splashed eight Japanese planes , either as kills or assists . In addition to her other rescue missions , preserving the lives of over 400 sailors , she saved 37 aviators forced to ditch at sea . Finally , these heroic exploits through two busy battle - filled years were accomplished without the loss of a single man from enemy action , sickness , or accident . " Gatling " decommissioned 16 July 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Charleston , South Carolina 1951 – 1960 . After Communist aggression erupted in Korea , the veteran destroyer recommissioned 4 June 1951 at Charleston , South Carolina , Commander W . J . Keating in command . Until August 1952 , she operated off the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies before proceeding to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for modernization . In the fall of 1952 , " Gatling " ( as a unit of the NATO forces ) stood out of Newport , R . I . , bound for Europe ; she visited Scotland , Norway , and Belgium in Operation Mainbrace . Later she was active in Operation Springboard , calling at St . Thomas , Virgin Islands and San Juan , Puerto Rico , in the Caribbean Sea . Returning to the Far Eastern waters she knew so well , " Gatling " arrived at Tokyo 3 June 1953 , and joined Task Force 77 . supporting United Nations forces in Korea . Then , following the sun , she steamed to Manila , Saigon , Singapore , Colombo , and , passing through the Suez Canal , called at France and Portugal . She returned to Philadelphia in late summer 1953 . After repairs and training in New England waters , " Gatling " sailed to Portugal , France , and Italy . Recrossing the Atlantic and transiting the Panama Canal , the destroyer arrived Guayaquil , Ecuador , 7 October 1955 . The following year she visited France and Cuba as a part of her varied operating schedule . In 1957 " Gatling " again took part in NATO exercises , calling at Spain , Greece , Turkey , and Lebanon . Further operations brought her to England , to Spain again , and in 1958 to San Juan and Cuba . Her last major operations took her to Mediterranean ports of call , Pakistan and Iran , after which " Gatling " returned to her home base at Rhode Island 11 October 1959 . " Gatling " , after distinguished service in war and peace , again decommissioned 2 May 1960 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at Norfolk . She was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 1 December 1974 , sold 22 February 1977 and broken up for scrap . Awards . " Gatling " received eight battle star s for World War II service and one battle star for Korean War service .