USS Conway ( DD - 507 ) USS " Conway " ( DD / DDE - 507 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for William Conway , who distinguished himself during the Civil War . " Conway " was laid down 5 November 1941 , launched 16 August 1942 by Bath Iron Works , Bath , Maine ; sponsored by Mrs . F . E . Beatty ; and commissioned 9 October 1942 , Commander N . S . Prime in command . Service history . World War II . 1943 . " Conway " cleared Norfolk 5 December 1942 for Nouméa , and Efate and arrived 13 January . She put to sea 27 January as her force sailed to meet Japanese ships evacuating troops from Guadalcanal . On 29 and 30 January , her force came under heavy enemy air attack in the Battle of Rennell Island . " Conway " splashed several enemy planes , and rescued survivors of . Throughout February , she patrolled between Espiritu Santo and Guadalcanal , and between 4 and 6 March , participated in the bombardment of Vila Stanmore and a shipping sweep of Kula Gulf . From 10 March 1943 " Conway " had patrol duty and conducted training from Efate . She sailed from Efate 15 June in support of the Rendova landings , escorting supply ships , then had the same duty for the New Georgia operations , and conducted bombardments of Kolombangara and Munda . Between 26 July and 12 August , she operated out of Purvis Bay , escorting fueling units and making night raids on Japanese shipping " up the Slot " . She sailed from Purvis Bay 13 August to take part in the Vella Lavella operation , escorted LSTs and supply ships in to the beach , and then took up patrol north and west of the island . She returned to Guadalcanal 30 August escorting transports carrying the First Marine Raiders , and until 12 September conducted night raids on enemy barges off Guadalcanal . After overhaul in the Fiji Islands and at Sydney , Australia , " Conway " returned to Southwest Pacific operations in October 1943 . On 27 October she participated in the initial landings in the Treasury Islands , and then in landings on Choiseul . She supported the landings at Bougainville on 29 October , and until 10 February 1944 , she continued operations in support of troops ashore on Bougainville , escorting reinforcement convoys and firing on shore targets . Between 11 and 17 February , she participated in the landings on Green Island , then returned to her Bougainville operations . 1944 . Between 28 February 1944 and 17 March , " Conway " bombarded targets in New Britain and New Ireland by day , and conducted searches for enemy shipping by night in the waters off these islands , and until 4 May , continued operations in the Solomons on escort duty , patrol , and in exercises with cruiser s . On 8 May , at Majuro , " Conway " joined the 5th Fleet . She sailed from Majuro 14 May for Pearl Harbor and Kwajalein , where she loaded troops for the Saipan operation , landed them 15 June under heavy gunfire , and served as close fire support and screening vessel off the island . After replenishing at Eniwetok , " Conway " joined in the preassault bombardment of Guam and Tinian , remaining to cover the landings at Tinian . She continued to operate in the Mariana Islands campaign until 12 August , when she cleared for San Francisco and overhaul . " Conway " returned to Ulithi 21 November 1944 to join the 7th Fleet . She put to sea at once to patrol in Leyte Gulf , join in an antishipping sweep in Camotes Sea , and fire in the bombardment of Plompon and Ormoc Bay . After replenishing at Kossol Roads , " Conway " covered the Mindoro landings , then patrolled west of Mindoro in the Sulu Sea until 23 December , when she put in to Manus . 1945 . " Conway " sailed again 31 December for the initial landings on Lingayen , Corregidor , and Parang , and continued operating in Philippine waters until June 1945 . On 7 June , " Conway " sailed from Subic Bay in the distant covering group for the Brunei Bay operation . She covered minesweeping and fired in preassault bombardment at Balikpapan , guarded an underwater demolition team as it prepared the beach , and conducted bombardment during the actual landings . She rested briefly at Leyte . and then took part in the landings at Saragani Bay , Mindanao . With the close of the war , " Conway " began patrolling east of Leyte Gulf , and supported minesweeping operations in the Yellow Sea , visiting Okinawa and Tsingtao . She put in to Jinsen , Korea , from 20 to 24 September 1945 , and then sailed in the South and East China Seas as flagship of the forces lifting Chinese troops from Indo - China to Formosa and Manchuria until 29 December , when she sailed from Shanghai for San Diego , New York , and Charleston , arriving 13 March . " Conway " was placed out of commission in reserve 25 June 1946 , berthed at Charleston . Post war . " Conway " was recommissioned at Boston 8 November 1950 , following her conversion to an escort destroyer ( DDE - 507 ) . After training , she departed Norfolk 14 May 1951 for Sasebo , arriving 15 June . She escorted a convoy from Shantung to Manchuria , participated in hunter - killer exercises off Okinawa , and screened Task Force 77 ( TF 77 ) off the coast of Korea . Between 14 and 28 October , " Conway " fired in bombardments at Kolgochi - Ri , Hodo Pando , Hungnam , and Wonsan , and patrolled in these areas . She departed Sasebo 31 October for the Suez Canal , crossed the Mediterranean and the Atlantic , and returned to Norfolk 20 December . " Conway " operated from her home port at Norfolk on coastwise and Caribbean training operations and on 16 September 1953 sailed for her first North Atlantic Treaty Organisation ( NATO ) exercise , in the North Atlantic , continuing to a tour of duty in the Mediterranean with the 6th Fleet , returning to Norfolk 8 February 1954 . Her training concentrated on antisubmarine warfare , and in 1955 and 1957 she returned to the Mediterranean , in 1957 patrolling the eastern Mediterranean and the Dardanelles during the crisis in Jordan . In the early fall of 1957 , she visited ports of northern Europe while joining in NATO exercises , and from January to March 1958 , tested new antisubmarine weapons off Key West . In April 1958 , " Conway " put to sea with TF Alfa , a group experimenting with antisubmarine tactics , and through the remainder of 1958 , 1959 , and 1960 spent most of her time at sea with this force . In June 1960 , she visited Quebec City , Canada , and in December of that year participated in the rescue of survivors of a merchant tanker which had broken in two off Cape Hatteras . " Conway " reverted to DD - 507 30 June 1962 . " Conway " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register 15 November 1969 . She was sunk as a target 26 June 1970 . Awards . " Conway " was awarded 13 battle star s for her World War II service and two for Korean War service .