USS Lardner (DD-487)

USS Lardner (DD-487) was a Gleaves class destroyer that fought off Guadalcanal and the Solomons, at Bougainville, supported the fast carriers during raids in 1944, took part in the landings at Hollandia, Guam, Saipan and Tinian and was present during the battle of the Philippine Sea, supported the battle of Okinawa and escorted the Third Fleet during its raids on Japan.

The Lardner was named after James L. Lardner, who served in the US Navy during the American Civil War, fighting at Port Royal, Fort Walker and Fort Beauregard and commanding the East Gulf Blockading Suqadron and then the West India Squadron.

The Lardner was laid down by the Dry Dock Co. of Kearney, N.J on 15 September 1941, launched on 20 March 1942 when she was sponsored by Lardner’s great-granddaughter Mrrs Sidney F. Tyler II and commissioned on 13 May 1942.

The Lardner was originally classified as a Bristol class ship, which were built with four 5in guns instead of the five installed on the Livermore/ Gleaves class. However after the fifth gun was removed from the those ships all of the Bristol class ships joined the Livermore/ Gleaves class.

1942

The Lardner’s shakedown cruise lasted from 28 May-1 July 1942 and took her along the New England coast and down to Cuba. During her shakedown cruise she investigated several possible U-boats along the coast of Maine and served for a U-boat reported to be operating off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

USS Lardner (DD-487), New York, 1942

On 9 August the Americans suffered heavy losses at the battle of Savo Island and Admiral King ordered reinforcements to move to the Pacific, including the Lardner. She passed through the Panama Canal, and departed from Balboa on 21 August, heading for Tonga, arriving on 3 September.

After arriving at Tonga she was used to escort convoys heading between Noumea and Espiritu Santo, to screen transports landing troops on Guadalcanal and took part in shore bombardments.

In September the Lardner was part of TF 18, built around the Wasp. On 15 September the Wasp was torpedoed, suffering damage that eventually proved to be fatal. In the aftermath of the attack the Lardner made a sonar contact and dropped depth charges but without success. Her boats picked up 322 survivors, and she landed them at Espiritu Santo on 16 September.

On 17 September the Lardner left Espiritu Santo with the Juneau, San Francisco and three other destroyers, joining the Hornet’s TF 18 at sea. She then formed part of the screen as the Hornet operated off New Caledonia and the New Hebrides.

On 30 October the Lardner took part in a bombardment of Japanese positions west of the Tenarus River on Guadalcanl, along with the Atlanta, Aaron Ward (DD-483), Fletcher (DD-445) and Benham.

For much of November she was used to screen transports unloading at Guadalcanal.

On 9 November she left Espiritu Santo as part of the escort for the convoy carrying the 1st Marine Aviation Engineer Battalion, marine replacements, aviation engineering and operating materials, ammo and food to Guadalcanal. They reached Lunga point on 11 November where they came under repeated air attacks but the transports were able to unload their materials.

On 16 November she left Dumbea Bay with the Lamson, reaching Tulagi on 26 November.

At dawn on 28 November she searched for a Japanese submarine that had just torpedoed the Alchiba (AK-23).

The Lardner and Lamson (DD-367) joined Admiral Wright’s TF 7 just before the battle of Tassafaronga (30 November 1942) and as a result played little part in the battle. This saw Wright’s force of cruisers and destroyers clash with a force of Japanese destroyers under Admiral Tanaka that were attempting to bring supplies to Guadalcanal. During the battle one of the four American cruisers was sunk and three damaged, but despite this success the Japanese retreated without landing the supplies. The Lardner’s main role in the battle was to aid the damaged cruisers.

After the battle she escorted the damaged cruisers Honolulu (CL-48) and Pensacola (CA-24) to Espiritu Santo. She then moved to Noumea in New Caledonia, arriving on 10 December. There she was given an overhaul by the tender Dixie.

1943

In January 1943 she was used to screen battleships and convoys moving between Espiritu Santo, Purvis Bay and Guadalcanal.

She visited New Zealand and was then used to escort a group of transports and tankers moving from Noumea to Guadalcanal. On 17 February she helped fight off a Japanese air attack and on 18 February the convoy reached Guadalcanal intact. For the rest of February she escorted convoys moving between Guadalcanal and Noumea.

In March she escorted convoys moving between Guadalcanal and Fiji, New Hebrides, and Espiritu Santo.

In April she served with TF 15.

On 8 May she returned to Pearl Harbor to receive more modern equipment. She then remained in Hawaiian waters until 14 July when she departed for the US as part of the escort of the Enterprise. She reached San Francisco on 21 July, but wasn’t there for long – on 27 July she departed for Samoa, reaching Pago Pago on 14 August.

For the rest of August she served with TF 37 based at Samoa. She returned to Espiritu Santo on 2 September and spent the next two weeks on patrol duties off Florida Island.

On 18 September she departed to escort amphibious craft and transports taking part in the landings at Vella Lavella.

In early October she carried out some patrols, before taking part in large scale exercises involving TF 38 and TF 39 that started on 7 October. She then carried out escort duties between New Caledonia and the Solomons.

After that she screened task forces based at Purvis Bay in support of the fighting on Bougainville. She bombarded Bougainville on 29 November and mixed bombardment and escort missions into January 1944.  

1944

On 14 February 1944 the Lardner sailed with TF 38 to cover the invasion of Green Island. During the trip she was attacked by six Val dive bombers but without suffering damage.

In late February she took part in a bombardment of Rabaul, then searched the Bismarck Sea for Japanese shipping. On 25 February she sank a cargo ship of the Heito Maru class in Karavia Bay, then later on the same day bombarded Kavieng, where she was hit by shrapnel.

In March and April she was part of the support forces for the carrier raids on the Palau Islands. She also screened the escort carriers during the landings at Hollandia on New Guinea.

In June and July she took part in the invasion of the Marianas, taking part in the occupations of Guam, Saipan and Tinian and the battle of the Philippine Sea. She also escorted carriers during the first raid on the Bonin Islands.

After this she returned to the US for an overhaul at Bremereton, Washington, before departing for the Pacific on 29 September. She spent most of October in Hawaiian waters.

From 19 November until March 1945 she was used to escort convoys between Ulithi, Eniwetok, Kossol Passage, and Leyte

On 27 December she was serving on anti-submarine and air guard patrols off Pelelieu and Angaur and rescued five USAAF aircrew from the water.

1945

On 29 January 1945 she was investigating an unidentified small craft when she ran aground on a submerged shoal. She was forced back to Ulithi for repairs.

On 23 February she left to escort a convoy to Kossol Roads in the northern Palau Islands. During March and April she patrolled in the Palau Islands.

In May and June she was part of the screen for a force of escort carriers that operated against the Japanese island bases between Okinawa and Formosa during the invasion of Okinawa.

In July and August she was part of the logistical support for the Third Fleet as it attacked the Japanese Home Islands.

After the Japanese surrender the Lard

USS Lardner (DD-487) as Turkish Gemlik , 1956-57

ner escorted the damaged Borie (DD-704) to Saipan, arriving on 17 August. She then moved to Okinawa to join a group of battleships that was about to move to Japan for the surrender ceremonies. She reached Sagami Wan on 27 August and entered Tokyo Bay on 29 August as part of the secort for Admiral Nimitz’s flagship South Dakota (BB-57).

The Lardner was present in Toyko Bay during the Japanese surrender on 2 September 1945.

After the surrender she was used to help evacuate POWs from souther Honshu. She took part in occupation duties until 15 October when she departed for the US with TG 50.5, heading west via Singapore, Ceylon, Capetown and Saldanha (South Africa). She reached New York on 7 December 1945.

Post-War

On 9 February 1946 she left New York heading for Charleston, where she was decommissioned on 16 May 1946. She joined the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.

On 10 June 1949 the Lardner was transferred to Turkey as part of the Military Assistance Program. She served as the Gemlik (D-347) until 1974.

She was then returned to US control, and was sunk as a target in the Eastern Mediterranean on 21 November 1982.

The Lardner was awarded ten battle stars, for the capture and defence of Guadalcanal, the battle of Tassafaronga, the consolidation of the Solomons, Treasury-Bougainville operations, the Bismarck Archipelago, Asiatic-Pacific Raids 1944, the Marianas, Tinian, Okinawa and Third Fleet operations against Japan.

Anyone who served on her between 2 September and 24 October qualified for the Navy Occupation Service Medal (Asia).

U.S. Destroyers: An Illustrated Design History, Norman Friedmann . The standard history of the development of American destroyers, from the earliest torpedo boat destroyers to the post-war fleet, and covering the massive classes of destroyers built for both World Wars. Gives the reader a good understanding of the debates that surrounded each class of destroyer and led to their individual features.

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