The destroyers remained a critical element of U.S. naval power following World War II. Demonstrating their continuing contributions with the onset of the Korean War, on June 26, 1950, destroyers USS De Haven (DD 727) and USS Mansfield (DD 728) evacuated 700 American and foreign nationals from Inchon, South Korea.
The Coontz-class guided missile destroyer USS Preble (DDG 46) underway in 1986. 5648 tons full-load, the class was armed with a 5-inch gun and ASROC launcher forward, a Mk. 10 launcher for Terrier missiles aft, six anti-submarine torpedo tubes, and later Harpoon anti-ship missiles. U.S. Navy photo
Three months later, destroyers would return to Inchon to contribute to the “turning of the tide” in that conflict. As noted in the Department of Defense’s 50th Anniversary of the Korean War:
“In mid-September 1950, Commander Seventh Fleet and Commander Task Force 7 Vice Admiral Arthur D. Struble led an armada of 230 amphibious and other ships in a surprise amphibious assault on the port of Inchon on Korea’s west coast. Named Operation CHROMITE, the 1st and 5th Marine Regiments of the 1st Marine Division spearheaded the attack. Enemy and allied leaders alike had doubted that a major amphibious operation could be successful at Inchon, where the high tide ranged between 23 and 35 feet. At low tide, attacking ships faced the risk of being stuck in the mud. Furthermore, two fortified islands blocked access to the port of Inchon. Following days of bombardment by carrier planes and shelling by cruisers, destroyers and other naval gunfire support ships, elements of the 5th Marines, part of X Corps, initiated the assault at 6:33 a.m., Sept. 15. By the early morning hours of Sept. 16, their objectives had been secured.”
The Charles F. Adams-class USS Benjamin Stoddert (DDG 22) underway. The first class of Navy destroyers designed from the start as DDGs and the last class of steam-powered destroyers, they were armed with two 5-inch guns, a Mk. 11 or Mk. 13 missile launcher for Tartar and later Standard and Harpoon missiles, as well as ASROC and six torpedo tubes on a Forrest Sherman-derived hull displacing 4500 tons full-load. Design speed was 33 knots. U.S. Navy photo
During the Korean War, destroyers acted as plane guards and escorted carriers, went close inshore to shell enemy positions, and helped blockade the peninsula to prevent reinforcement and supply to the enemy.
Another significant destroyer-related milestone occurred on Aug. 17, 1955, when Adm. Arleigh A. (“31-knot”) Burke became the 15th Chief of Naval Operations, a position he would serve in for three terms. In addition to a continuation of combat proven roles and missions, his tenure also coincided with a period of transition and technological innovation for U.S. destroyers.
In terms of roles and missions during the Cuban Crisis of October 22–28, 1962, USS Gearing (DD 710), USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr. (DD 850), and USS John R. Pierce (DD 753) were among the numerous ships that “quarantined” Cuba to prevent further construction of Soviet nuclear missile on the Cuban mainland. The Cuban Missile Crisis ended with Russia removing all missiles, bombers, and equipment out of Cuba on October 28.
The Spruance-class destroyer USS John Rodgers (DD 983) shown in 1985, with Tomahawk box launchers either side of the ASROC launcher. Originally criticized for lacking armament ( two 5-inch guns, ASROC, Sea Sparrow SAMs, two triple torpedo tubes) on such a large hull (563 feet overall, 8040 tons full-load), the class’s primary ASW mission was supplemented in the 1990s by the addition aboard two dozen ships of Mk. 41 vertical launch systems for the Tomahawk cruise missile. The first gas-turbine destroyers for the Navy, they served for nearly three decades until what some considered an early retirement. DOD Photo
Service histories highlight a range of combat operations that these “greyhounds of the sea” also conducted during the Vietnam War. Perhaps the best known of these occurred on Aug. 2, 1964, when the destroyer USS Maddox (DD 731) was attacked by three North Vietnamese patrol boats in international waters of the Tonkin Gulf about 30 miles off the coast of North Vietnam. Maddox eluded two torpedoes and sank one of the enemy boats.