USS Conner ( DD - 582 ) USS " Conner " ( DD - 582 ) was a of the United States Navy , the second Navy ship to be named in honor of Commodore David Conner ( 1792 – 1856 ) , who led U . S . Naval forces during the first part of the Mexican - American War . " Conner " was launched on 18 July 1942 by the Boston Navy Yard , sponsored by Miss T . L . Conner ; and commissioned on 8 June 1943 , Lieutenant Commander W . E . Kaitner in command . World War II . " Conner " arrived in Pearl Harbor from the east coast 19 September 1943 , and joined the task force for the raid on Wake Island of 5 and 6 October . She put to sea again from Pearl Harbor 10 November for the invasion of the Gilberts , during which she screened aircraft carrier s , and protected assault shipping as it unloaded . She bombarded Nauru Island on 8 December , and sailed to Efate , New Hebrides , from which she screened the air strikes on Kavieng , New Ireland , arriving at Funafuti 21 January 1944 to join the huge Fast Carrier Task Force ( then the 5th Fleet ' s TF 58 ) . 1944 . Between 23 January and 26 February 1944 , " Conner " operated in the Marshalls assaults . She screened carriers during air strikes on Kwajalein and Majuro and in the raids on Truk and the Marianas in February . Between 28 February and 20 March she guarded a convoy to Pearl Harbor , then rejoined the carriers for the raids on the Palaus , Yap , Ulithi , and Woleai from 30 March to 1 April . Returning to the Southwest Pacific , she joined in the shore bombardment of New Guinea as the Hollandia landings were prepared , and returned at the close of April to the carriers for the strikes on Truk , Satawan , and Ponape . During the Marianas operation , " Conner " continued screening the carriers for the preliminary air strikes on Saipan , Tinian , and Guam , and the raids in the Bonins from 12 to 16 June 1944 . As the massive air Battle of the Philippine Sea was fought on 19 and 20 June , she continued her screening , and at the close of the action acted as rescue ship for the carrier planes as they returned from their extreme range strikes on the retiring Japanese fleet . Her force then returned to strike from the air at Iwo Jima on 23 and 24 June and 3 and 4 July . After repairs at Eniwetok , " Conner " put to sea with a carrier task group from 29 August to 28 September 1944 , screening while her carriers launched strikes on the Palaus , Yap , Ulithi , Mindanao , and the Visayans , covering the landings on Morotai , and returning to the screen for air assaults on Luzon and the Visayans once again . On 2 October , she sailed from Manus to screen the carriers as they neutralized Japanese bases on Okinawa , northern Luzon , and Formosa in the final preparations for the assault on Leyte . On 13 October , in a furious attack by Japanese aircraft , was torpedo ed , and " Conner " protected the damaged cruiser as she left the action area , splashing several enemy planes which tried to finish " Canberra " off . She rejoined the carriers for strikes on Luzon and Yap , and screened them in the Battle of Surigao Strait on 25 and 26 October as they launched strikes after Japanese ships fleeing from the epic Battle for Leyte Gulf . 1945 . " Conner " remained in the Philippines , patrolling the Camote Sea and Ormoc Bay against Japanese shipping and covering the landings at Mindoro until she put in to Manus Island for replenishment 23 December . She returned to patrol the entrance to Lingayen Gulf covering the invasion landings of 9 and 10 January 1945 , and on 29 January , cleared for overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard . Returning to San Pedro Bay , Leyte , 16 May 1945 , " Conner " sailed 6 June to guard minesweeper s and underwater demolition team s at work in Brunei Bay , Borneo , in preparation for invasion . " Conner " joined in bombarding Brunei , and provided pinpoint gunfire support on call from the invading Australian troops from 10 to 17 June . From 1 to 9 July , she gave the same service in the invasion of Balikpapan . Returning to the Philippines 17 July , she joined for a patrol in the Netherlands East Indies . On 2 August they sighted a Japanese hospital ship " Tachibana Maru " , which they stopped for inspection . Discovering contraband and a large number of troops on board , they took the ship prize , and escorted her into Morotai 6 August . A week later " Conner " sailed for Okinawa , and with the war at an end , arrived at Jinsen , Korea , 8 September 1945 , Until 21 December , she served in the occupation of the Far East , cruising between Jinsen and Tsingtao and Shanghai . Returning to San Francisco 20 January 1946 , she was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Long Beach 5 July 1946 . " Conner " received 12 battle star s for World War II service . " Operation Pettycoat " . In the 1959 comedy movie , " Operation Petticoat " , " Conner " played the role of the American destroyer which attacks the USS " Sea Tiger " , following instructions to sink any " unidentified submarine , pink or otherwise . " The film was set in the initial weeks of World War II , several months before " Conner " was actually built . HNS " Aspis " ( D - 06 ) . Following more than thirteen years in " mothballs " , USS " Conner " was loaned to Greece 15 September 1959 . Renamed HNS " Aspis " ( D - 06 ) ( " Shield " ) and formally sold to Greece in 1977 , she was part of the Hellenic Navy until stricken in the early 1991 . The ship was sold for scrap in 1997 .