U.S.S. WORDEN

DD-352 USS WORDEN

USS Worden received its name in honor of Rear Admiral John L. Worden who commanded the USS Monitor during her battle with the CSS Virginia in 1862. The Navy brought her into service upon her commission in January 1935. Her first voyage took her to Central America and into the Atlantic. She returned to the Pacific where she operated for the next few years. She participated in operations and exercises all along the coast of North and South America. In October 1939, the Navy sent her to Pearl Harbor.

USS Worden was in port when the Japanese struck Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. She was underway within hours. She participated in the Wake Island relief expedition and undertook patrol and escort service for the next few months. In June, she screened for the aircraft carriers during the Battle of Midway. She screened for the USS Saratoga during the invasions of Guadalcanal and Tulagi. She also participated in the Battle of the Eastern Solomons. After an overhaul in late 1942, USS Worden reported to Alaskan waters. On 12 January, she went aground during landings at Amchitka Island. Despite efforts to pull her off, the waves battered her into a broken wreck.