USS Colahan ( DD - 658 ) USS " Colahan " ( DD - 658 ) was a " Fletcher " - class destroyer of the United States Navy , named for Commander Charles E . Colahan ( 1849 – 1904 ) . " Colahan " was launched on 3 May 1943 by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Staten Island , N . Y . , sponsored by Mrs . P . C . Hinkamp , adopted granddaughter of Commander Colahan ; and commissioned on 23 August 1943 , Lieutenant Commander D . T . Wilber in command . Service history . World War II . " Colahan " arrived at Pearl Harbor on 11 December 1943 to join the Pacific Fleet . She sortied with Task Force 52 ( TF 52 ) for the invasion of the Marshall Islands on 19 January 1944 , and screened during her bombardment of Enubuj and Kwajalein Islands on 31 January . After repairs and training at Pearl Harbor , " Colahan " sailed on 31 May 1944 to rejoin the 5th Fleet , operated on radar picket , shore bombardment and fire support duty during the bombardment , capture , and occupation of Guam from 12 July to 15 August and screened air strikes in support of the invasion of the southern Palaus from 29 August to 28 September . " Colahan " screened the Fast Carrier Task Force ( then 3rd Fleet ' s TF 38 , later 5th Fleet ' s TF 58 ) as it prepared for the Leyte assault with air strikes on the Nansei Shoto and Formosa from 10 – 14 October , then began strikes in the Philippines until 20 October , day of the landings . Carriers she guarded struck the retiring Japanese forces after the Battle of Surigao Strait phase of the massive Battle for Leyte Gulf of 24 – 26 October . Continued air operations in the Philippines claimed her services until she put in to Ulithi for repairs late in December after riding out " Halsey ' s Typhoon " . From 30 December 1944 to 22 January 1945 , " Colahan " resumed duty as advanced radar picket for the 3rd Fleet raids on Formosa , Luzon , Camranh Bay in Indo - China , Hong Kong , and Hainan Island which were coordinated with the Lingayen assault . On 10 February , she put to sea to serve on the scouting line as TF 58 swept close to Japan for air strikes in the Tokyo area . " Colahan " served on radar picket duty off Iwo Jima as it was invaded on 19 February , and for 5 days afterward , returning to Ulithi for repairs and replenishment . " Colahan " operated with TF 58 in preparations for the Okinawa operation , from 14 March to 1 April , screening during air strikes on Kyūshū and Okinawa . Continuing carrier task force operations after the initial assault , she went to the aid of on 29 April , rescuing some 140 survivors of the " kamikaze " victim . After replenishing at San Pedro Bay , Leyte , " Colahan " rejoined TF 38 on 13 June for the last great series of air raids against the Japan ese home islands . Entering Sagami Wan on 27 August , the destroyer became harbor entrance control vessel for Tokyo Bay until 3 September . On 8 October , she aided the Japanese MV " Kiri Marti " , which had gone aground on Miyake Shima , and transferred the survivors to Okubo . Clearing Tokyo Bay on 31 October 1945 , " Colahan " returned to San Diego where she was placed out of commission in reserve on 14 June 1946 , and assigned to the 12th Naval District for use in training Naval Reservists . 1950 - 1966 . Recommissioned on 16 December 1950 , " Colahan " had training from her home port at San Diego until 20 August 1951 , when she cleared San Francisco for service in the Korean War with the 7th Fleet . Conducting shore bombardment and fire support to aid forces ashore , she also had antisubmarine training off Okinawa before returning to the west coast on 10 March 1952 . On 1 November 1952 , she sailed again from San Diego to bombard Korean targets and screen carriers , as well as serve on the Taiwan Patrol and train off Okinawa . She returned to the west coast 1 June 1953 , and in 1954 - 1957 , returned to the Far East for service with the 7th Fleet . From 1958 to 1963 , her operations have been along the west coast , training members of the Naval Reserve . In August 1961 , she and her Naval Reservists were called back to the active fleet as part of President Kennedy ' s response to the Berlin wall crisis . After several months of training , she was deployed to the Western Pacific on 2 February 1962 . On 15 April 1962 she escorted the USS Princeton , LPH - 5 to South Vietnam so it could deliver helicopters and advisors to Soc Trang . She returned from the WestPac cruise on 17 July 1962 . " Colahan " was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1966 . She was sunk as target off California on 18 December 1966 . Awards . " Colahan " received eight battle star s for World War II service , and five for Korean War service .