USS Litchfield ( DD - 336 ) USS " Litchfield " ( DD - 336 / AG - 95 ) was a " Clemson " - class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I . She was named for John Litchfield . History . " Litchfield " was laid down 15 January 1919 by Mare Island Navy Yard ; launched 12 August 1919 ; sponsored by Mrs . Martha D . Litchfield , mother of Pharmacist ’ s Mate Litchfield ; and commissioned 12 May 1920 , Lieutenant Commander J . F . McClain in command . " Litchfield " , a flush - decker , sailed to Bremerton , Washington , on her shakedown cruise but her initial tour on the west coast was brief . Before the end of 1921 she had departed San Diego , California and arrived in Charleston , South Carolina . Following the annual fleet maneuvers , " Litchfield " steamed to Newport , Rhode Island , to join Division 39 for duty in the eastern Mediterranean , arriving Constantinople 28 June 1922 . The division served under the direct command of Rear Admiral Mark L . Bristol , U . S . High Commissioner for Turkey . The Allied Commissioners were attempting to end a war between this former ally of Germany and Greece . " Litchfield " served in humanitarian causes and as an instrument of American foreign policy as Admiral Bristol ’ s destroyers evacuated 262 , 000 Greek and Armenia n refugees from Smyrna , Turkey , 13 September . The destroyers also assisted civilian relief agencies attempting to feed and evacuate additional thousands suffering from famine and war . The following fall " Litchfield " returned to the United States , her cargo including the remains of World War I hero George Dilboy which were being returned to the US for reburial after his original grave was desecrated as part of the Greco - Turkish conflict . " Litchfield " entered the New York Navy Yard on 30 October 1923 for overhaul . " Litchfield " joined Destroyer Squadron 12 based at San Diego 24 May 1924 . During maneuvers and tactical exercises with the battle fleet in October , she was awarded prize money for her competitive short - range firing . Annual competition and monthly maneuvers were supplemented in 1925 by a training cruise to Australia and New Zealand . On 4 June 1927 she participated in her first presidential review off Newport , Rhode Island . Returning to the Pacific , " Litchfield " spent most of July off the coast of politically disturbed Nicaragua . She survived both the cutback in naval tonnage agreed upon at the 1930 London Naval Conference and the economy measures of the early years of the great depression . In April 1937 , " Litchfield " , as part of the Battle Fleet , changed her permanent base from the west coast to Pearl Harbor . On 20 May she became flagship of Submarine Squadron 4 , Submarine Force , Pearl Harbor , and continued to operate with submarine s as war approached and training drills intensified during 1941 . In company with , she departed her base 6 December and returned the 9th to the destruction wrought by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor . With the outbreak of war in the Pacific , " Litchfield ' s " duties involved the escort of U . S . submarines both in and out of port and antisubmarine patrol off the entrance to Pearl Harbor . Several times she made depth charge runs but no kills were confirmed prior to her departure 6 November 1943 for overhaul at Bremerton , Wash . Fate . Upon her return to Pearl Harbor 14 January 1944 , she escorted a series of convoys to Midway and Eniwetok . Twice near Midway , she rescued crews of downed patrol planes and she salvaged a PBM 8 August . " Litchfield " also conducted submarine training exercises in the vicinity of each of these two bases . On 17 March 1944 an escort mission brought her to Guam , her furthest wartime penetration of the western Pacific . While performing escort and training duties with U . S . submarines at Guam on 31 March , she was redesignated AG - 95 , a miscellaneous auxiliary . Ending these duties 21 July , she arrived in San Diego 9 August . The next week the Board of Inspectors recommended " Litchfield " be scrapped . Arriving Philadelphia , Pennsylvania in October , she decommissioned 5 November 1944 and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 28 November . Scrapping was completed by the Philadelphia Navy Yard 29 March 1946 .