USS Agerholm ( DD - 826 ) USS " Agerholm " ( DD - 826 ) was a " Gearing " class destroyer in the United States Navy . She was the only ship named for Harold Crist Agerholm ( 29 January 1925 , – 7 July 1944 ) , a Private First Class in the 2nd Marine Division of the United States Marine Corps . He was killed during the assault on Saipan , and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor . Construction and testing . " Agerholm " was laid down on 10 September 1945 at Bath , Maine , by the Bath Iron Works , launched on 30 March 1946 , sponsored by Mrs . Rose Agerholm , mother of Pfc . Agerholm ; commissioned on 20 June 1946 , Comdr . Frank D . Schwartz in command . After commissioning and fitting out , the destroyer conducted shakedown training at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base , Cuba , and underwent post - shakedown repairs at the Boston Naval Shipyard before receiving orders to duty with the Pacific Fleet . Proceeding to the Pacific by way of the Panama Canal , she reached her new home port of San Diego on 21 January 1947 . First operations . " Agerholm " was assigned to Destroyer Division ( DesDiv ) 12 and settled into a routine of local training operations in the waters off southern California . On 10 March , the warship sailed from San Diego on her first extended cruise to the western Pacific . While operating with the 7th Fleet , " Agerholm " visited the Chinese ports of Tsingtao , Shanghai , and Amoy , before they were closed to American traffic . She also visited Kwajalein , Okinawa , Hong Kong , and several ports in Japan . The destroyer returned to San Diego on 26 November and remained there for the holiday season . Between January 1948 and June 1950 , Agerholm alternated two WestPac deployments with operations out of San Diego . Upon her return to San Diego in June 1950 , she commenced overhaul at Mare Island , California , while other ships steamed to Korea as part of the United Nations task force defending South Korea from the aggression of her northern counterpart . Completing her overhaul in late 1950 , " Agerholm " trained for war and set a course for the Far East . She entered the combat zone on 19 February 1951 and was assigned to Task Force 77 as screening ship and plane guard . The destroyer also aided in shore bombardment , training her guns on Wonsan on 28 April and 1 May to 4 May , and on Kojo on 29 April . " Agerholm " returned to San Diego on 20 September for upkeep and local operations . In May 1952 , the warship left San Diego for her second tour with TF 77 in Korea . In addition to screening and planeguard duties , " Agerholm " conducted naval gunfire support as required . During one exchange of gunfire with a communist shore battery a single enemy shell struck the destroyer in the after part of the ship , starting a small fire in the crew ' s after berthing compartment but causing only minor damage to the weatherdeck . Agerholm continued on assigned duties until December , when she set a course for San Diego , arriving there on 21 December . On 2 February 1953 , the destroyer commenced another overhaul at Mare Island , followed by refresher training in May . After several months of preparation and fulfilling local training commitments , " Agerholm " got underway on 8 September for her sixth WestPac cruise . Although the Korean War had ended the 7th Fleet conducted various operations to ensure the continuation of peace in the Far East . " Agerholm " steamed many miles in support of the Formosa patrol , designed to deter both the Chinese Nationalists and the Chinese communists from invading each other , before she returned to her home port on 16 April . Further operations . The destroyer made her seventh WestPac cruise from November 1954 to April 1955 . While operating with TF 77 , she again found herself involved in peacekeeping operations . Task Force 77 covered the evacuation of the Chinese Nationalist forces from the Tachen Islands in Operation Pullback . Following this mission the destroyer returned to the United States and commenced an overhaul at Mare Island on 29 April . During the next five years , " Agerholm " deployed to the western Pacific four more times , and briefly stopped in Australia during the summer of 1958 to participate in ceremonies commemorating the Battle of the Coral Sea . In May 1960 , the destroyer reported to Mare Island for extensive modification and changes under the Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization ( FRAM ) program . Agerholm left the shipyard in March 1961 equipped with the latest antisubmarine rockets ( ASROC ) , torpedo es , helicopter facilities , radar and sonar . During 1961 , the destroyer devised and tested new techniques and tactics for use of her new capabilities . On 11 May 1962 , " Agerholm " participated in nuclear weapon testing in the Pacific in the " Swordfish " test , part of Operation Dominic . During this exercise the destroyer became the first surface ship to fire an antisubmarine nuclear weapon ; the nuclear explosion occurring only about 4 , 000 yards from the ship . USS Razorback ( SS - 394 ) participated in the test , at the same distance as " Agerholm " . A video of this test is available from the Department of Energy . In November , following continued training in the San Diego area , " Agerholm " sailed to the western Pacific on her 12th deployment . She returned to her home port in June 1963 and commenced overhaul at the Naval Repair Facility , San Diego , to update and improve the electronic and weapons systems on board . Following completion of the overhaul in January 1964 , " Agerholm " continued her routine of local operations and preparations for deployment . Vietnam . In August , the destroyer got underway for the western Pacific where she spent six months patrolling off the coast of Vietnam and in the Taiwan Strait . Upon her return to her home port early in 1965 , " Agerholm " underwent a brief overhaul and in August embarked midshipmen for a cruise to Hawaii . With the escalation of American involvement in Vietnam , the destroyer prepared for another cruise to that area . " Agerholm " began her next deployment in January 1966 when she departed San Diego for Vietnam . There , her assigned duties included Naval Gunfire Support ( NGFS ) , anti - submarine warfare ( ASW ) , carrier escort , and search and rescue ( SAR ) . In May during NGFS off the South Vietnam ese coast , " Agerholm " provided call fire for a Marine Corps air spotter who was drawing heavy gunfire . The destroyer silenced the Viet Cong machinegun nest with just four rounds from her 5 inch ( 127 mm ) guns . On 17 June " Agerholm " aided a South Vietnamese patrol boat and took off 12 badly wounded men while on a SAR mission in the Gulf of Tonkin . The ship visited Subic Bay , Yokosuka , Kaohsiung , Hong Kong and Pearl Harbor before returning to San Diego in July . " Agerholm " began another modernization overhaul at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard in August . She received new 5 inch gun mounts , and advanced radar and sonar gear , as well as communications systems and engineering plant alterations . The destroyer left the shipyard in December to spend the holiday season in her home port . With the advent of 1967 , " Agerholm " once again prepared for deployment to the Far East . On 15 May , she departed for the Gulf of Tonkin , joining at Subic Bay . The ships sailed to " Yankee Station " where they arrived on 20 June . For the next four months , " Agerholm " provided plane guard assistance for Intrepid , , and . When a major fire broke out on on 29 July all ships in the area , including " Agerholm " , aided in the rescue operations and stood by until the damaged carrier was able to steam under her own power for Subic Bay . The destroyer departed " Yankee Station " on 1 October and arrived in San Diego on 25 October . " Agerholm " spent most of 1968 on training cruises for United States Naval Academy and ROTC midshipmen . In May , she participated in tests conducted off San Clemente Island by the China Lake Naval Weapons Testing Center , and fired the new rocket - assisted projectile ( RAP ) . Two days before the year was out , " Agerholm " sailed from San Diego on her 16th WestPac cruise . During the transit to the Gulf of Tonkin via Pearl Harbor and Subic Bay , the destroyer escorted , and subsequently served as plane guard for that carrier ' s first combat launch from " Yankee Station " during the new year 1969 . From 28 January to 10 February , " Agerholm " served as escort for in the positive identification radar advisory zone ( PIRAZ ) . She then proceeded to the Southern SAR station to ride shotgun for . The destroyer shifted to the gunline on 23 March , and provided naval gunfire support to troops in the Viet Cong - dominated Rung Sat Special Zone ( RSSZ ) . Anchored in the shallow restricted water with the Viet Cong less than 6000 yards ( 5 . 5 km ) away , " Agerholm " was vulnerable to enemy fire , underwater swimmers , and mines . On 25 March the destroyer first fired both RAP and conventional ammunition into the RSSZ with great accuracy . On 13 April , she retired from NGFS to visit Singapore , Hong Kong , and Kaohsiang . " Agerholm " returned to the gunline on 15 May , conducting shore bombardments off Phan Thiet until 23 May . She then reported to on PIRAZ station in the Gulf of Tonkin for her last assignment . On 10 June , the warship was relieved and ordered to Subic Bay to prepare for her return voyage . After port visits to Brisbane , Australia , and Auckland , New Zealand " Agerholm " set a course for San Diego , where she arrived on 24 July . Further cruises . The destroyer entered Hunters Point Naval Shipyard on 11 September for overhaul , which was completed on 19 December . " Agerholm " returned to San Diego the next day for the Christmas holidays . " Agerholm " got underway on 26 January 1970 for type training , followed by eight weeks of refresher training . On 15 April , the destroyer completed the exhausting round of drills and commenced preparations for overseas deployment . " Agerholm " departed San Diego on 6 July and steamed via Pearl Harbor , Midway , and Guam , to Subic Bay , arriving on 28 July . From there , the destroyer served on the gunline , on the northern SAR station , as PIRAZ escort , and as plane guard . On 14 October , " Agerholm " was detached for independent transit to Hong Kong . En route , the destroyer passed within 60 miles ( 100 km ) of the center of Soper Typhoon Joan in the South China Sea . For two tense days , the crew was uncertain of surviving the 60 knot ( 100 km / h ) winds and 40 foot ( 12 m ) seas , but the destroyer began to open the typhoon center late on 16 October . The remainder of her deployment was spent at PIRAZ station until 4 December when " Agerholm " cleared the area for Guam , Midway , and Pearl Harbor . The ship arrived back in San Diego on 20 December and spent the remainder of the year in her home port . " Agerholm " spent the first six months of 1971 in port at San Diego or operating off the California coast . On 29 June , the destroyer began another WestPac cruise , taking up gunline duties near Binh Thuy , South Vietnam , on 6 August . In addition to NGFS , " Agerholm " served as planeguard and SAR ship before departing the area on 4 December . She returned to San Diego for the holidays , and closed out the year with post - deployment standdown . Local exercises and inspections occupied " Agerholm " until 24 July 1972 when she entered the Long Beach Naval Shipyard for a five - month overhaul . The destroyer departed the shipyard on 21 December and steamed to San Diego , where she began preparations , both at sea and in port , for refresher training on 7 February 1973 . After seven weeks of continuous drills , " Agerholm " successfully completed refresher training and qualified in NGFS at San Clemente Island . On 26 April , " Agerholm " set sail in company with for the western Pacific . She arrived off the coast of Vietnam at " Yankee Station " on 28 May to serve as plane guard for Constellation . The destroyer then underwent a two - week availability alongside in Sasebo , Japan commencing 8 June . Upon completion of those repairs , she put to sea for radar picket duty in the Gulf of Tonkin . Another two weeks at " Yankee Station " followed by two weeks on PIRAZ station brought her Vietnam service to an end . On 30 August , " Agerholm " departed the Gulf of Tonkin en route to MacKay , Australia , for liberty . After that port visit , the destroyer sailed to Auckland , New Zealand to join the other ships participating in Operation Longex 73 , a joint surface , air , and submarine warfare exercise . From 25 September to 3 October " Agerholm " drilled in ASW and anti - aircraft warfare ( AAW ) exercises — including night surface attacks on the task groups . Upon completion of the drill , she steamed to Sydney , Australia ; Suva , Fiji ; and Pearl Harbor , before arriving back in San Diego on 1 November . Upon arrival , " Agerholm " commenced a post - deployment readiness improvement program of schools , on board training , and a repair availability . On 25 February 1974 , the warship got underway for readiness exercises in the southern California area until 17 September , when she departed San Diego on her 20th WestPac cruise . Remaining primarily in the Subic Bay operating area , " Agerholm " participated in gunnery , ASW , AAW , and ship handling drills until 13 December , when she shaped a course for Apra Harbor , Guam . She ended the year at the ship repair facility there . The destroyer visited Hong Kong and Singapore for liberty , but received orders on 8 February 1975 to join Operation Eagle Pull , the evacuation of the American embassy in Phnom Penh , Cambodia . " Agerholm " arrived in San Diego on 8 April and spent the rest of 1975 and 1976 on the west coast participating in local operations and midshipman training cruises , and eventually landing a role in the movie " Airport ' 77 " . The year 1977 began the same way with only a drydock period at Todd Pacific Shipyards in San Pedro from May to July to interrupt the routine . On 6 September , the destroyer made her 21st and last WestPac cruise . " Agerholm " conducted NGFS training , ASROC test firings , and participated in Exercise Fortress Lightning , a full - scale amphibious landing on Mindoro Island in the Philippines . She stopped for liberty calls at Suva , Auckland , Whangarei , and Nelson , New Zealand , Newcastle and Devonport , Australia , before returning : to San Diego early in 1978 to resume a local operation schedule . Disposal . From 10 to 13 October 1978 , the Board of Inspection and Survey conducted a survey of " Agerholm " to determine her material condition and the feasibility of keeping her in active service . The board found that her age and lack of modern capabilities could not be corrected economically . " Agerholm " was decommissioned on 1 December 1978 , and her name was struck from the Navy List on the same day . She was sunk as a target on 18 July 1982 . The wreck lies in 400 fathoms ( 730 m ) of water , at approximately . Agerholm earned four battle stars for Korean War service and eight for tours off Vietnam .