U.S.S. STERETT

DD-407 USS Sterett

USS Sterett was built in South Carolina as a 1500-ton Benham class destroyer. Commissioned in August of 1939, she was sent to the Western Atlantic and the Caribbean through May 1940. At that time, USS Sterett was transferred to the Panama Canal and then went on to Hawaii where she remained until June 1941. Sterett was sent back to the Atlantic for neutrality patrols and other events until December when she was a part of the U.S.’s formal entrance into WWII. Through June 1942, she was responsible for escorting convoys, and training exercises in the Atlantic.

USS Sterett was then sent back to the Pacific and went on to Fiji, taking part in initial engagements with the Japanese. She maintained this role of support and bombardment through late 1942 when she was sent for repairs. In 1943, Sterett was back in the Pacific on escort duty, and also participated in invasions and battles through 1945, including the Marshalls campaign and seizure of the Marianas. In April 1945 off Okinawa, USS Sterett was hit by a suicide plane. She was sent for repairs and then for training missions before being decommissioned in November 1945. She was sold for scrap in August 1947.