USS Hamilton ( DD - 141 ) The second USS " Hamilton " ( DD – 141 ) was a " Wickes " class destroyer in the United States Navy following World War I , later reclassified DMS - 18 for service in World War II . She was the first ship named for Lieutenant Archibald Hamilton . " Hamilton " was launched 15 January 1919 by the Mare Island Naval Shipyard ; sponsored by Miss Dolly Hamilton Hawkins , great - grand - niece of Archibald Hamilton ; and commissioned 7 November 1919 , Lieutenant Commander R . G . Coman in command . Service history . Based at San Diego , " Hamilton " participated in battle practice and maneuvers along the California coast with Destroyer Squadron 17 . In the summer of 1920 she also took part in torpedo and smoke screen operations in Hawaii . Battle practice and other readiness operations ranging across the Pacific to Hawaii continued until " Hamilton " decommissioned at San Diego 20 July 1922 . " Hamilton " recommissioned 20 January 1930 and , after shakedown , reached her new home port , Norfolk , 26 November . She served with the Scouting Force , operating along the East Coast throughout 1931 , and then returned to San Diego in January 1932 . After a year of plane guard duty and battle exercises along the California coast , " Hamilton " again shifted to the East Coast , reaching Norfolk 29 January 1933 . Based at Newport , Rhode Island , she served with the Scouting Force in local operations and exercises . In 1938 an activated - tank stabilization system designed by Nicolas Minorsky was tested in the " Hamilton " but exhibited control stability problems . Outbreak of World War II in Europe in the fall of 1939 interrupted further development as the " Hamilton " was called to active duty . " Hamilton " joined other four - stackers on the Grand Banks Patrol , which sent American ships as far north as Iceland and Greenland to protect their own and neutral shipping . " Hamilton " continued this duty until converted to a fast minesweeper in June 1941 . Reclassified DMS - 18 on 17 October 1941 , she resumed patrol duty along the East Coast and into the North Atlantic . World War II . When America was catapulted into the war 7 December 1941 , " Hamilton ' s " pace accelerated greatly . Wartime duties now took the old flush - decker on coastal convoys from New York through German U - boat infested waters as far south as the Panama Canal Zone . The Caribbean and the waters off Cape Hatteras were particularly rich ground for U - boats , and " Hamilton " more than once attacked U - boats sighted on the surface or detected by sound contacts . On 9 June 1942 " Hamilton " rescued 39 survivors of , torpedoed just north of Bermuda . The shifting tide of war drew " Hamilton " from the coastal convoy route in the fall of 1942 as she became part of " Operation Torch , " the Allied invasion of North Africa . " Hamilton " sailed for North Africa 24 October with Rear Admiral H . K . Hewitt ' s Task Force 34 , a part of America ' s giant overseas amphibious thrust . Two weeks later , she cruised off the Moroccan coast providing antisubmarine protection and fire support for the first waves of invasion barges as the Allies landed at Casablanca , Oran , and Algiers 8 November 1942 . " Hamilton " remained along the North African shore on minesweeping and escort duty out of Casablanca until December when she sailed for the Brooklyn Navy Yard , arriving 26 December . The following year saw " Hamilton " engaged primarily in coastal convoy duty , guiding and protecting merchantmen as they threaded their perilous way through German submarine packs from Iceland to the Caribbean . Departing Norfolk 3 December 1943 , " Hamilton " transited the Panama Canal 5 days later and reached San Diego 16 December . From San Diego she steamed to Pearl Harbor and , after a brief training period , sailed for Kwajalein Atoll , a key target in the Marshalls . As the Marines stormed ashore there 31 January 1944 , " Hamilton " steamed in the area to screen transports and provide the fire support that made it possible to land and stay . After the successful conclusion of that invasion , " Hamilton " retired to Noumea , New Caledonia , to prepare for the invasion of the Admiralty Islands . At Nouméa , " Hamilton " joined forces with three other flush - deckers converted to fast minesweepers - , , and — to form an important preliminary sweep unit . It was the mission of these ships to enter enemy harbors three to five days before D - day to clear out mines and provide safe anchorage for the invasion force . The toll of these operations , conducted before enemy shore batteries had been taken out , was high . Of her original unit only " Hamilton " survived the war . Under unceasing enemy fire , " Hamilton " and her group entered Seeadler Harbor , Admiralty Islands , 2 March 1944 to begin sweeping operations . After the invasion was launched , she remained in the area screening transports and patrolling on ASW duty until early April when she returned to Nouméa to prepare for the invasion of Aitape . After sweeping operations there before the 22 April invasion , " Hamilton " served on general sweeping duty in the Solomons and then readied for the Mariana campaign . Entering Saipan Harbor 13 June , " Hamilton " helped clear the way for the invasion . The struggle for Saipan was important not only in itself , but also in that it precipitated the Battle of the Philippine Sea , as known as the " Marianas Turkey Shoot " because of the number of Japan ese planes shot down during the intensive engagement fought on 19 June and 20 June . American carrier planes and ships under the command of the famous Admiral s Raymond A . Spruance and Marc A . Mitscher decimated Japan ' s air arm , downing 395 carrier planes , and 31 float planes . In addition , and sank , and , while carrier - based planes chalked up a third , Hiyō . The conquest of Saipan was followed by an equally hard - fought struggle for Guam . The day organized enemy resistance on Saipan ended , " Hamilton " sailed from Eniwetok 9 July to take part in the preliminary bombardment and sweeping activities at Guam . This time a long period on the firing line preceded " Hamilton ' s " entrance into the harbor . Then 3 days before D - day , 21 July , she started to sweep the harbor . After screening transports in the retirement area , " Hamilton " sailed to Pearl Harbor for repairs . " Hamilton ' s " next tour of mine sweeping duty fell at Peleliu Island . Arriving off the Palaus 12 September 1944 , " Hamilton " joined her unit and proceeded through several heavily mined channels . In Kossol Passage , the converted destroyers exploded 116 mines . For destroying three extensive mine fields , which the Japanese had hoped would ward off or severely damage the invasion force , " Hamilton " and the other minesweepers received the Navy Unit Commendation . Then , after duty in the transport screen , she escorted convoys from the staging areas to the Palaus to prepare for the assault on the Philippine Islands . She departed Manus on 10 October and entered Leyte Gulf on the 17th . Three days before Army divisions came ashore , " Hamilton " swept the channels around Diriagat Island and Looc Bay to clear the way to the invasion beaches . To add to the usual turmoil of battle , the fleet as a whole was under almost constant air attack . In the Battle of Leyte Gulf , the Imperial Japanese Navy was virtually annihilated . As the battle raged 23 October to 26 October , American submarines , planes and surface ships sank three battleships , four carriers , six heavy and four light cruisers , and nine destroyers . American losses were two escort carriers , a light carrier , and three destroyers . This battle marked the end of Japanese sea power as an important threat . The fleet had cleared the way for the final assaults leading into Japan . Arriving at Manus , Admiralty Islands , 31 October , " Hamilton " underwent availability and repairs and , once more ready for battle , sailed 23 December to prepare the way for the invasion of Lingayen Gulf . As the minesweepers steamed through the channel 6 January 1945 , wave after wave of " kamikaze s " attacked . " Hamilton " emerged from the " kamikaze " attacks unscathed . After the invasion forces landed at Lingayen Gulf 9 January , " Hamilton " remained as a transport screen and escort until 1 February when she sailed for Saipan . From Saipan , the veteran ship again steamed into battle , this time appearing off Iwo Jima . " Hamilton " recorded no casualties during sweeping operations which began 16 February , but she had to aid , left powerless by a direct bomb hit on the 18th . In addition to helping the wounded ship fight myriad fires , " Hamilton " took on board and care for the more seriously injured sailors . After marines stormed ashore on Iwo Jima 19 February , " Hamilton " patrolled off the island until 27 February . The four - stacker then returned to Iwo Jima as a convoy escort 7 March . Three days later " Hamilton " sailed from the battle and from the Pacific War . Steaming for Eniwetok , she changed course to rescue 11 men from a downed B - 29 11 March . " Hamilton " reached Pearl Harbor via Eniwetok 25 March 1945 and , after a brief period of training , headed home . As she sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge 8 April , the destroyer ended over 100 , 000 hard miles of steaming in the Pacific struggle . Scheduled for overhaul and modernization , she went into drydock at Richmond , California ; but she was subsequently reclassified AG - 111 ( miscellaneous auxiliary ) 6 May 1945 and taken out of dry - dock . The faithful four - stacker spent the few remaining months of the war participating in experimental mine - sweeping work along the California coast out of Santa Barbara . Two weeks before the Japanese surrender , " Hamilton " sailed to the destroyer base at San Diego , where she decommissioned 16 October 1945 . Her hulk was sold to Hugo Neu of New York City for scrapping 21 November 1946 . Awards . " Hamilton " earned nine battle star s for World War II service .