USS Silverstein ( DE - 534 ) USS " Silverstein " ( DE - 534 ) was a acquired by the U . S . Navy during World War II . The primary purpose of the destroyer escort was to escort and protect ships in convoy , in addition to other tasks as assigned , such as patrol or radar picket . " Silverstein " was named in honor of Lt . Max Silverstein who was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for his valiant efforts during the Battle of the Coral Sea . She was laid down on 8 October 1943 at the Boston Navy Yard , Boston , Massachusetts ; launched on 8 November 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs . Ruth B . Silverstein ; and commissioned on 14 July 1944 , Lt . Comdr . F . A . Reece , Jr . , USNR , in command . World War II Pacific Theatre operations . " Silverstein " departed Boston on 5 August 1944 for shakedown training at Bermuda and returned on 7 September for post - shakedown overhaul . On the 17th , she reported for duty at Norfolk , Virginia , to begin training prospective escort vessel crews , but , eight days later , cleared Hampton Roads for the Panama Canal en route to Hawaii . Along the way , she served as escort to " ATR - 56 " , towing " YF - 728 " and " YF - 729 " to Miami , Florida . A month after her departure from Norfolk , she entered Pearl Harbor , Hawaii . After two months training in the islands around Pearl Harbor , " Silverstein " got underway for the Western Pacific Ocean . She made overnight stops at Eniwetok and Saipan and arrived at Guam on 14 January 1945 . The next day , she and stood out of Apra Harbor , Guam , bound for Ulithi . Upon entering that harbor in the Carolines , " Silverstein " commenced upkeep . From Ulithi , she sailed for Eniwetok on 1 February , arrived four days later , and joined the logistics support group of the U . S . 5th Fleet . She remained there until the 9th when she sortied with a group of oilers to join the main replenishment group , Task Group 50 . 8 , at that time refueling and rearming the Fast Carrier Task Force which , in turn , was in the process of pounding Iwo Jima . Rescue operations . On her way to rendezvous with task group TG 50 . 8 , " Silverstein " encountered a small fishing vessel on 16 February . A boarding party found six emaciated Japanese soldiers , some enemy army manuals and various other papers . She then sank the vessel by gunfire and depth charges . On the next day , suffered an internal explosion , and " Silverstein " screened her against submarine attack while two other escorts helped fight the fires . Once the fires were out , " Silverstein " shepherded the crippled oiler to the relative safety of Saipan . By 21 February , the destroyer escort was back with the replenishment group off Iwo Jima . She remained in the screen of TG 50 . 8 until early March when she cleared the area for Ulithi . She arrived there on 7 March and began preparations for the Okinawa invasion to come in April . Okinawa operations . " Silverstein " departed Ulithi on 25 March escorting a convoy of eight LST ' s , a tanker , and an oiler to the anchorage at Kerama Retto , about 20 miles from Okinawa . On the 28th , after seeing her charges into the anchorage , she joined TG 50 . 8 , and screened it as it resupplied the Fast Carrier Task Force . She cleared Okinawa in early June for overhaul at Ulithi , from 17 June to 3 July . Philippine Islands invasion . Afterward , she sailed for San Pedro Bay in the Philippines , where she arrived on 5 July . She was then released from the U . S . 3rd Fleet , which had been so designated upon Admiral Halsey ' s assumption of command on 27 May , and reassigned to Task Force 94 for convoy escort duty . She returned to Ulithi on 13 July ; and , from then until 16 September , she protected the supply echelons on the Ulithi - Okinawa shuttle . " Silverstein " had one break in the convoy routine between 2 and 5 September when she sailed to Guam and screened back . End - of - war activity . From late September until mid - October , she participated in the supervision of the evacuation of Japanese garrison troops from Yap Island to Japan . She was overhauled at Guam between 22 October and 5 November , then she got underway to return to the United States via Eniwetok and Pearl Harbor . She arrived at San Pedro , California , on 23 November and began inactivation at the Todd Shipyard soon thereafter . She was moved to San Diego , California , on 18 April 1946 , and was placed in reserve , but still in commission , on 30 November 1946 . On 15 January 1947 , she was placed out of commission , in reserve , berthed at San Diego . Reactivated during Korean War . " Silverstein " recommissioned at San Diego on 28 February 1951 under the command of Lt . Comdr . J . R . Kittrell . By 8 July , she completed shakedown training and post - shakedown overhaul and was on her way to her new home port , Pearl Harbor . Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 14 July 1951 , she resumed training , particularly antisubmarine warfare training , until 29 October , when she headed from Pearl Harbor to Yokosuka , Japan . She made her destination on 9 November and , 10 days later , set out for the Korean coast in company with . She left " McGinty " at Wonsan Harbor , Korea , on 21 November and continued on to the bomb line where she patrolled until 24 November . Returning to Wonsan on that day , she remained until the 27th , bombarding enemy positions in that harbor ; then got underway for Mororan , Japan . She provisioned at Mororan on 29 and 30 November , then departed on 1 December for Inchon , Korea , and barrier patrol duty . After two days at Inchon , she returned to Japan , visiting Otaru on 11 and 12 December , Atami on 14 December and then putting to sea for four days of antisubmarine warfare ( ASW ) training . On 18 December 1951 , " Silverstein " put into Yokosuka for 10 days of repair and upkeep . ASW training at Okinawa . She resumed ASW training on the 28th while in transit to the Okinawa operating area . After a brief period at Buckner Bay , she assumed patrol duty in the Taiwan Strait on 5 January 1952 . " Silverstein " came off patrol duty on 17 February and returned to Okinawa to resume ASW training , then to act as plane guard for . On 29 February , she returned to Japan at Sasebo . On 6 March , she stood out of Sasebo and headed back to patrol duty off Wonsan and on the bomb line . Later , the escort joined a task group of the United Nations blockading and escort force and participated in the siege of Hungnam . Her duties were divided between bombardments , anti - mining duty , and patrolling against enemy fishing activities . Destroying a Korean shore battery . On 20 March 1952 , she reentered Sasebo for upkeep . Eleven days later , she departed again for Korea . She arrived at Wonsan on 1 April and was again directed to patrol the bomb - line . During one of her bombardments , " Silverstein " destroyed a shore battery . On the 4th , she headed back to Wonsan ; then continued south to guard against enemy submarines and mining activity . On the 6th , she was again in the Wonsan - Hungnam area . She dueled with a shore battery on the 26th and rescued South Korean troops operating against it from sampans . She arrived at Sasebo on 30 April , sailed for Yokosuka on 10 May , and arrived there on the 12th . On 15 May , she departed Yokosuka for Pearl Harbor , arriving at that port on 24 May . Another Korean tour of duty . For the next 12 months , " Silverstein " operated out of Pearl Harbor , was overhauled twice and visited San Francisco , California . On 9 May 1953 , she headed back to the Far East for another tour of duty along the Korean coast . She sailed into Sasebo on 21 May and stood out again the next day . After screening a replenishment group and escorting to Sasebo , she reported for patrol duty at Pusan , Korea . Relieved from patrol duty in the Southern Defense Zone , she put into Sasebo on 26 June and , by 8 July , was back off Korea at Cheju Do . After this and another routine patrol off Korea , " Silverstein " headed east for Pearl Harbor on 1 December . The destroyer escort arrived in Hawaii 10 days later . While at Pearl , she participated in more ASW exercises , took part in an unsuccessful search for a Royal New Zealand Air Force bomber lost in the vicinity of Kwajalein , and was overhauled . Following overhaul , she conducted refresher training in preparation for another deployment to the Western Pacific . On 17 November 1954 , she exited Pearl Harbor and set course for Yokosuka . Additional Korean operations . She escorted to Sasebo , arriving on 29 November . On 7 December , she sailed for Pohang , Korea , and arrived the following day . While on this deployment , she patrolled the waters off the Korean coast , assisted in the evacuation of Nationalist Chinese forces from the Tachen Islands , and conducted training exercises . Pacific nuclear testing . " Silverstein " returned to Pearl Harbor on 24 May 1955 ; and , after almost a year of normal operations out of that port , she departed in April for the Marshall Islands . There she participated in the nuclear tests of Operation Redwing . Upon returning to Pearl Harbor , she began an overhaul which lasted until 7 January 1957 . Overhaul completed , she conducted refresher training and other exercises until 17 June 1957 , when she sailed once more for the Far East . Visit by CNO to Republic of Korea . " Silverstein " entered Yokosuka on 27 June and remained until 15 July . From there she sailed , via Sasebo , to Chinhae , Korea . At Chinhae , the Republic of Korea ' s principal naval base , she was visited by the Chief of Naval Operations of the Republic of Korea ( ROK ) and trained with several ROK Navy ships . By 5 August , she had moved south to the Republic of the Philippines and trained sailors from that nation ' s navy until the 19th . Returning to Japan via Hong Kong , she made Yokosuka on 30 August and Kobe on 1 September . She put to sea again on 4 September to evade a typhoon and entered Yokosuka again on the 5th . Striking a reef in the Marianas . After six days of convoy screening exercises and 12 days in Yokosuka , the destroyer escort departed Japan for two months ' duty in the Marianas Islands . During the latter part of this tour , she struck a reef off Olimarao Island and had to put into Apra Harbor , Guam , for repairs on 20 October . On 9 November at the completion of repairs , she sailed for Pearl Harbor , via Midway Island . On 16 November , she entered homeport and commenced a period of repairs , upkeep , and holiday leave . Collision and sinking of submarine Stickleback . In early 1958 , " Silverstein " resumed ASW training in the Hawaiian Islands . In May , she suffered an explosion in the depth charge impulse charge locker ; and , on the 28th , she collided with during exercises . " Silverstein " , , and joined in the successful rescue of all 82 men in the submarine ' s crew . However , all efforts to save the submarine itself came to naught ; and , at 1957 , she made her last dive . South Pacific tour of duty . In August , " Silverstein " sailed to the South Pacific . During this cruise , she visited Tahiti , Pago Pago , and Swains Island . From the South Pacific , she moved north to the Central Pacific visiting Eniwetok Atoll and Guam . Returning to Pearl Harbor , via Eniwetok , she reentered her homeport on 18 September 1958 . A little over a month later , " Silverstein " sailed east to San Francisco . She arrived on 1 November and immediately entered the Bethlehem Pacific Coast Steel Shipyard for inactivation overhaul . Final decommissioning . On 22 January 1959 , she moved to the San Francisco Naval Shipyard where , on 30 January 1959 , she decommissioned . " Silverstein " remained at San Francisco , berthed as a unit of the Pacific Reserve Fleet until 1 December 1972 when her name was struck from the Navy List . A year later , on 3 December 1973 , her hulk was sold to Levin Metals Corp . of San Jose , California , for scrapping . Military awards and honors . " Silverstein " earned two battle star s for World War II and three battle stars for the Korean War .