Farenholt (DD 491) - Naval Cruise Book

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SHIP S HISTORY Durmg war years one of the fleet s fastest and hardest punchlng hghtwerght destroyers the USS FARENHOLT IS today decommrssloned and 1n reserve at Charleston S C Hrgh on her dlrector neatly scored 1n sllhouette and hash marks are five Japanese planes three shlps five shore batterres and mne shore bombardments the palnted resume of more than three years of tedlous punlshrng warefare durrng thrrteen credrted engagements from Guadalcanal to the heart of the Japanese Emprre TIIIS trrm grey destroyer does not have one story It has hundreds one for every man and officer who hved and fought her Some pralsed her some cussed her A few dled aboard her This cannot be the story of a Shlp It 1S only a shell of a story 1nto whlch each man can fill hrs own experlenccs the real story The USS FARENHOLT was commrssloned Aprrl 2 1942, m the Brooklyn Navy Yard N Y Lt Comdr E T Seward USN commandlng After a crulse to Portland Me New port R I and Norfolk Va the untrled 1 630 ton t1n can headed for the beleaguered P80150 where a v1ctor1ous Japanese Navy held the OITGHSIVC Accompanylng shrps lncluded the USS Wasp USS Qumcv IJSS North Carohna USS San Juan USS Iang USS Terrett and USS Wllson The task group stopped brrefly at San Drego Cahf rn June 1942 was Jomed by trans ports and then shoved off for the Tonga Islands east of the FIJI Islands By th1s trme a fast burldlng US Navy and lVIar1ne Corps were ready for a gamble on Guadalcanal Just another lsland 1n Pacrflc gazetters untll August 7 1942 The men of the FARENHOLT were there that day just as they were for almost every httle sand sp1t rsland rn the Solomons The staff of COIHDCSROH Twelve headed by Captarn R G Tobln USN was also now on board The F 1ght1ng F made her debut Wltll a carrrer task force remalnlng at sea forty five days before retlrrng to Noumea New Caledonla Much needed an support for the Guadalcanal operatron was supplled Re enterrng the costly campargn the FARENHOLT agaln wlth the flat tops learned the elementary lessons of battle whlle plcklng up one hundred thuty three surv1vors from a once powerful ca1r1er the USS Wasp The Elhce Islands were next on Oct 3 1942 Thls was not as dangerous but no 1n VdS10ll IS a PICIIIC for all units lnvolved Srnce there was no such overused word as rehabrlltatlon ln 1942 on the erghth the FARENHOLT USS San Franclsco USS Helena USS Salt Lake Clty USS Bolse USS Buchanan USS Laffey and USS Duncan were ordered to lntercept the strong Nlp task forces supplylng the enemy troops on Guadalcanal Whlle engaged 1n th1s duty on the nlght of October 11 12 the FABENHOLT narrowly lnlssed belng wrltten off the records It was a helhsh forty mlnute nlghtmare of flame shrap nel and exploslon officlally named the battle of Cape Esperance The Duncan was sunk the BOISC and Salt Lake C1ty hrt and the FARENHOLT left behrnd dlsabled and barely afloat The remalnder of the task group left her behlnd th1nk1n her sunk as the result of four SIX rnch shell hlts It was the followrng afternoon before communrcatrons were re establlshed and the crew accounted for three dead and twenty five wounded Nrne Japanese shrps were sunk two heavy crulsers one hght crulser one transport and five destroyers accordlng to Admlral Nlmrtz Arded by the USS Aaron Ward the FARENHOLT slowly steamed to ESPIIIIU Santo New I'Iebr1des then to Noumea and finally to Pearl Harbor T H where battle damage repalrs were effected Seven I .9 . 9 1 . n o' 0' , 9 - ' 9 1 n u h 9 9 U .0 I 0 9 9 - 9 . ' o . . . . 9 9 a Q . 11' 1 I . . , . U I 0 ., . 9 9 . . . 0 O, O 0 0 I 9 9 0 9 l, - . . . . I. - 9 9 99 9 -9 9 9 . . . . 9 ,9 ' 9 9 1 9 9 . 9 '9 9 ' 9 - ' U 9 ' or 9 U 9 - . 9 ' 9 9 9 9 9 . GG 10- 0 ' . I s a U U - 9 . . . .g 7 Q K - ' 9 9 1 V 9 - 9 . . , . n I I Q Q 7 I 7 - l I ' 9 . . . , 9 9 9 9 9 ' 9 ' 9 . . - 9 . . 0' . L . 7 - A. . 1 0 9 9 9 n Q 1 . 1 9 , . . Of. 0- 9 5 ' . . . ,1 , . 9 9 ' 9 9 , . , . . 9 9 9 9 7 9 '9 I 0 'v

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