USS Edwards ( DD - 619 ) USS " Edwards " ( DD - 619 ) was a " Gleaves " - class destroyer of the United States Navy . She was the second Navy ship named " Edwards " , and the first named for Lieutenant Commander Walter A . Edwards ( 1886 – 1926 ) , who as commander of in 1922 rescued nearly five hundred people from the burning French transport " Vinh - Long " . For his heroism Edwards was awarded the U . S . Medal of Honor , the French " Légion d ' honneur " , and the British Distinguished Service Order . " Edwards " was launched on 19 July 1942 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company , Kearny , New Jersey ; sponsored by Mrs . Edward Brayton , widow of Lieutenant Commander Edwards ; and commissioned on 18 September 1942 , Lieutnenat Commander W . L . Messmer in command . Service history . 1943 . After brief service escorting convoys along the east coast and in the Caribbean , " Edwards " sailed from New York on 8 November 1942 to join the Pacific Fleet . She joined Task Force 18 ( TF 18 ) at Nouméa on 4 January 1943 , to cover a large troop convoy bound for Guadalcanal . On 29 January , they were attacked by a swarm of Japanese torpedo bomber s off Rennell Island . Although most were driven off by the heavy accurate fire of the ships , enough broke through to put two torpedo es into . " Edwards " with four other destroyers was detached to screen the damaged cruiser . On the following day , as the group sailed for Espiritu Santo , attacks continued . The destroyers put up a stout defense , but " Chicago " was torpedoed again and sank . " Edwards " rescued 224 of the 1 , 049 survivors . One of the other screening destroyers , , was also torpedoed . " Edwards " saw her safely to port before rejoining her task group . " Edwards " returned to Pearl Harbor on 27 March for overhaul , then set sail for the Aleutians on 15 April . She saw action bombarding Attu on 26 April , and as antiscreen for during the landings of 11 May . The following day she teamed with for a relentless 10 - hour depth charge attack on a submarine which attempted to torpedo the battleship . was forced to the surface and badly damaged by " Edwards " guns before diving , only to be sunk finally by . " Edwards " continued to ply stormy Aleutian waters on antisubmarine patrol . In June 1943 , she joined the blockade patrol , which bombarded Kiska Island from 2 – 12 August , and covered the landings on the 15th . After overhaul , she returned to Espiritu Santo in October for training . On 8 November , " Edwards " sailed to screen aircraft carrier s in air strikes on Rabaul on the 11th . A flight of Japanese planes attacked her task group at noon that day ; " Edwards " and her companions drove off or splashed every plane before it could injure any American ship . She screened the support force at Tarawa from 19 November , then escorted transports to Pearl Harbor " en route " to the west coast for a brief overhaul . 1944 . On 3 March , she arrived at Majuro off which she patrolled as well as screening strikes on Mili Atoll in the Marshalls and in the Palaus by carriers of the 5th Fleet . In April , she guarded the flattops as they launched air attacks on New Guinea in coordination with the Hollandia landings . " Edwards " also figured in the attack on Truk of 29 – 30 April . From 12 May to 18 August , " Edwards " destroyer division formed the Eastern Marshalls Patrol Group . They patrolled off the Japanese - held atolls of Mili , Jaluit , Maloelap , and Wotje to keep the enemy from receiving assistance or evacuating . On 22 May , she joined to put several enemy batteries on Wotje out of action . Again off Wotje on 27 June , she ignored shore fire to rescue downed aviators drifting toward shore . On 27 June , while patrolling off Wotje island in the Marshall Islands , the Edwards rescued aviators from a Marine F4U Corsair that had crashed into the ocean . A Navy PBY Catalina already had been shot down by Japanese fighter aircraft while attempting to rescue the Marine Corsair aviators . In the face of fierce shore fire , a launch boat of six men from " Edwards " ( Lieutenant , junior garde Harold Mann , CPhM Emery Pensak , MoMM1c Andrew Stein Elliott , SM2c John Joseph Crane , Coxswn James Joseph Gonsalves & S1c Richard Stanley ) rescued the Marine Corsair aviators without casualty . After overhaul in Pearl Harbor in August 1944 , ' Edwards " reported arrival at San Pedro Bay , Leyte , 30 October for patrol . She joined the assault force for the landings at Ormoc on 7 December . Here she splashed several of the hard hitting air attackers as well as aiding ships they had damaged . A resupply echelon to Ormoc met similar opposition but drove off the planes and got the convoy through . On 7 December , near Ormoc Bay , Philippines , " Edwards " removed casualties from while being bombed by Japanese planes . Ten minutes later , she shot down three of the Japanese planes . One of these three Japanese planes — while attempting a suicide dive on " Edwards " — hit her fantail while crashing into the ocean after being hit and left a section of its wing on her fantail deck . On 12 December , " Edwards " took aboard casualties from , which had been set on fire by a Japanese " kamikaze " . " Edwards " commanding officer ( Lieutenant Commander S . E . Ramey USN ) received the Silver Star Medal for this action . Enlisted personnel on " Edwards " , who rendered more risky assistance of greater value in the rescue action , were neither decorated nor recognized for their heroism . On 30 December , a Japanese aircraft dropped a bomb that landed short of the ship , skipped above and over the ship between its smoke stacks , and fell into the water on the other side of the ship . 1945 . The doughty battle - hardened " Edwards " remained in the Philippines , shepherding supply convoys through to Mindoro , Lingayen Gulf , Polloc Harbor , and Davao Gulf . On 9 May 1945 , she arrived at Morotai to distinguish herself during the invasion of Borneo , returning to Subic Bay on 12 July . She made one voyage to Iwo Jima , another to Okinawa to escort convoys , then sailed on 16 September for the U . S . Post - war . On 7 January 1946 , " Edwards " arrived at Charleston , South Carolina , where she was placed out of commission in reserve on 11 April . Stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 July 1971 , " Edwards " was sold on 25 May 1973 and broken up for scrap . Awards . " Edwards " received 14 battle star s for her World War II service .