History of the USS Fletcher DD-445USS Fletcher DD-445 (1942-1969) was the lead ship of the most famous class of destroyers in the history of the United States Navy and the birthplace of CIC. Named after Medal of Honor winner Frank Friday Fletcher, the sleek hull of a Fletcher-class destroyer slicing through the sea with a bone in her teeth is one of the most recognizable images of the Pacific War. Baptized in the fires of the vicious night battles around Guadalcanal in November 1942, she earned her first nickname, Lucky 13. Fletcher served with honor for the remainder of the War making a name for herself independent of her status as First in Class. Whether it was the monotony of patrol duty, a flank-speed night battle slugging it out with enemy destroyers, or a pitched battle with shore batteries, Fletcher took her licks and gave back more than she got. Even when death and destruction visited her on Valentine’s Day 1945 she remained on station for several weeks continuing to perform her duties until properly relieved thus earning her next nickname, The Fighting Fletcher.
After World War Two, Fletcher was retired to the inactive fleet. Recommissioned in October 1949 as DDE-445, Fletcher was one of the first American destroyers on the scene after hostilities broke out in Korea the following summer. Once again her familiar and comforting profile graced the war torn waters of the Western Pacific. Home-ported in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii she remained a frequent visitor to the Far East and the South Pacific long after fighting ceased. The Cold War next occupied much of Fletcher’s time as she continued to show the American flag throughout the Pacific Ocean. Later redesignated as DD-445 she soon found herself fighting in Vietnam where again she served with distinction doing a myriad of tasks ranging from aircraft carrier plane-guard duty to gunfire support for our troops and allies ashore, and coastal shipping interdiction. Fletcher made four six-month WestPac deployments to Vietnam from 1965 until 1969. Fletcher was decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1969, and sold for scrap on 22 February 1972. |
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