USS Ludlow ( DD - 438 ) USS " Ludlow " ( DD - 438 ) , a " Gleaves " - class destroyer , was the 3rd ship of the United States Navy to bear the name . The second and third " Ludlow " ships were named for Lieutenant Augustus C . Ludlow , second in command of the USS " Chesapeake " . He was , like his captain , mortally wounded in their ship ' s engagement with HMS " Shannon " 1 June 1813 , and died at Halifax , Nova Scotia , 13 June . " Ludlow " was laid down 18 December 1939 by Bath Iron Works , Bath , Maine . She was launched 11 November 1940 , sponsored by Miss Frances Nicholson Chrystie , a descendant of Lieutenant Ludlow , and commissioned at Boston 5 March 1941 , Lieutenant Commander Claude H . Bennett , Jr . , ( eldest son of Claude Bennett , General Manager of the Bellevue - Stratford Hotel , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ) in command . History . Commissioning . " Ludlow " commissioned at a time when the North Atlantic saw daily evidence of the struggle of British ships and planes against German U - boats . At this time , too , the vital Lend - Lease Act was destined to demonstrate America ' s concern for Great Britain ' s survival . First tour . Having completed shakedown , " Ludlow " left Boston in October 1941 for Newfoundland and Iceland , convoying supplies ultimately destined for the British Isles . The 7 December attack on Pearl Harbor , and the declaration of war between Germany and the United States soon lengthened " Ludlow " ' s convoy runs to include the ports of Derry , Liverpool , Greenoch , and Freetown , South Africa . Operation Torch . Assigned to Task Force 34 ( TF 34 ) for the invasion of north Africa , " Ludlow " arrived off Cape Fedhala , French Morocco , late 7 November 1942 . Shortly after the first wave of landing craft headed tor shore , " Ludlow " found herself engaging shore batteries , bombers , and a Vichy French naval force comprising a cruiser and two destroyers in the Naval Battle of Casablanca . A 6 inch shell struck her forward and straddling shots were falling close aboard when " Augusta " and " Brooklyn " — arrived and helped to dispose of the French ships . Operation Husky . " Ludlow " returned to New York to repair battle damage , then conducted training off the coast of Maine before departing 14 January 1943 for the first of three convoy runs to Casablanca . After the third of these , in June , she remained in the Mediterranean Sea for the forthcoming invasion of Sicily . With the invasion forces on 10 July , Ludlow gave fire support off Licata and Porsa Empedocle . Daily enemy air attacks followed , and on 11 August she splashed her first airplane . Participating in the invasion of Italy on 9 September , " Ludlow " led a section of the assault wave through a known minefield to the bloody landing at Salerno . She and her sister ships were warmly commended by the commanding general ashore for their effective close range fire support . She then served on convoy duty between Naples and Oran , until 11 January 1944 . Returning to the beachheads , she covered Allied troops storming ashore at Anzio 22 January . This Joint American – British operation initially met little opposition , but later in the day the Germans struck with a fierce counterattack . Heavy air attacks marked the following days and , in less than a week , " Ludlow " splashed two bombers one fighter , and three rocket glider bomb s . A 5 inch shell crashed through the torpedo director deck and the pilothouse , causing " Ludlow " to retire , but serious damage was averted when Chief Gunners Mate James D . Johnson located the hot , unexploded shell and managed to get it topside and overboard . Antisubmarine duty . " Ludlow " repaired at New York , then trained along the Atlantic coast and returned to the Mediterranean 20 April for antisubmarine patrols . On 19 May , " Ludlow " and " Niblack " depth charged " U - 960 " to the surface , where " Ludlow " ' s main battery sank her . After convoy alignments in the western Mediterranean , " Ludlow " steamed 11 August from Palermo for the invasion of southern France . Following preinvasion bombardment and beachhead screening off Frejus , she joined " Augusta " ( CA - 31 ) from 25 to 30 August to help overcome the last resistance at Marseilles . While on coastal fire support missions around Monaco , she encountered not only floating mines and E - boat s , but also attacks by explosive - laden boats and human torpedoes . " Ludlow " captured three operators of these one man diving machines on 5 September after a series of depth charge attacks . Fire support , convoy and patrol duty continued until 23 January 1945 , when " Ludlow " sailed for a month ' s plane guard duty off the west coast of Africa , returning to Boston on 28 February . In April she sailed to England to escort a convoy of LST s stateside , then prepared for duty in the Pacific . Pacific Theater . Transiting the Panama Canal 27 June , she reached Pearl Harbor 17 July and began training for operations with the fast carriers . The surrender of Japan , however diverted her to the job of escorting ships filled with occupation troops to the home islands of the defeated Empire . She departed Pearl Harbor 7 September and arrived at Wakayama , Japan on the 27th . " Ludlow " operated in the Far East until 3 November , then sailed for the Aleutians where she saw a brief period of " Magic Carpet " duty . Decommissioning . Early in 1946 , " Ludlow " was ordered back to the east coast , and on 20 May 1946 she was placed out of commission in reserve at Charleston , South Carolina . After this she was utilized for reserve training . She was placed in commission in reserve on 6 June 1950 , and on 21 November of the same year she was placed on active status . " Ludlow " decommissioned 22 January 1951 and was transferred to the Royal Hellenic Navy where she was renamed HHMS " Doxa " ( D - 20 ) . Awards . " Ludlow " received six battle star s for World War II service .