USS J . Douglas Blackwood ( DE - 219 ) USS " J . Douglas Blackwood " ( DE - 219 ) , a of the United States Navy , was named in honor of Commander J . Douglas Blackwood ( 1881 – 1942 ) , who was killed in action , aboard the cruiser , during the Battle of Savo Island on 9 August 1942 . " J . Douglas Blackwood " was launched on 29 May 1943 , by Philadelphia Navy Yard ; sponsored by Mrs . J . Douglas Blackwood , widow of Comdr . Blackwood ; and commissioned on 15 December 1943 , Comdr . R . V . Randolph in command . Service history . 1943 – 1946 . After shakedown off Bermuda , " J . Douglas Blackwood " rendezvoused with carrier off Hampton Roads on 14 February 1944 , to escort her to the Panama Canal . The escort ship then returned to the East Coast for duty as training ship and coastal escort until departing Norfolk , Virginia on 18 March for the Pacific . Sailing via the Panama Canal and Pearl Harbor , " J . Douglas Blackwood " , arrived at Majuro on 18 April 1944 , to begin vital convoy screening work between America ' s far - flung island bases . The ship operated mainly in the Solomons and Admiralties , returning to Pearl Harbor in October 1944 for anti - submarine training . " J . Douglas Blackwood " , steamed to Eniwetok on 2 November , and resumed convoy escort work , this time between the Solomons and the Philippines . As that great archipelago was liberated , island by island , the escort ship helped bring supplies and men from advance bases . She remained on this duty until arriving Pearl Harbor on 12 April 1945 , and for the remainder of the war operated in Hawaiian waters training with newly commissioned carriers and Pacific Fleet submarine s . The war over , " J . Douglas Blackwood " steamed into Mare Island Navy Yard on 4 September 1945 , and after repairs made the long voyage through the Canal to the East Coast . She arrived New London on 9 January 1946 , decommissioned on 20 April 1946 , and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . 1950 – 1958 . With the outbreak of fighting in Korea in 1950 , the Navy ' s need of fighting ships once again increased . " J . Douglas Blackwood " , recommissioned on 5 February 1951 , Lieutenant Commander J . R . McKee in command . Based at Norfolk , the ship alternated between duty there and the Fleet Sonar School at Key West , Florida . She also engaged in at sea training for midshipmen , cruising to the Caribbean and Brazil in the summer of 1953 . She remained on this important training duty , not only keeping herself at peak readiness but also contributing to the development of new anti - submarine tactics , until arriving at Philadelphia on 15 November 1957 . There she began her new assignment as Reserve Training Ship . " J . Douglas Blackwood " decommissioned on 1 August 1958 , and was placed " in service . " For the next three years , she acted as training ship for naval reservists in the Philadelphia area . 1961 – 1962 . However , when America ' s will was tested once again in the 1961 Berlin Crisis , the ship was again recalled to active service , commissioning on 2 October 1961 , Comdr . John Joseph Grelis III in command . After refresher training in the Caribbean , she served on escort and patrol duty in the Atlantic through the summer of 1962 . She decommissioned on 1 August 1962 , reverted to her " in - service " status , and resumed reserve training duty at Philadelphia . " J . Douglas Blackwood " remained on this important duty into 1967 , always ready to serve the Navy in time of need . " J . Douglas Blackwood " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 30 January 1970 , and was sunk as a target on 20 July 1970 . Awards . " J . Douglas Blackwood " received three battle star s for World War II service .