USS Farenholt, a 1620-ton Benson class destroyer, was built at Staten Island, New York. Commissioned in April 1942, she was soon sent to the south Pacific, where she participated in the invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in early August as part of the escort for the carrier Wasp. She operated with that task force until 15 September 1942, when Wasp was sunk by a Japanese submarine. After a brief diversion to cover the occupation of Funafuti, to the southward of the Japanese-held Gilbert Islands, Farenholt joined a surface force that intercepted and defeated a group of enemy cruisers and destroyers in the Battle of Cape Esperance on 11-12 October. She was damaged by shellfire in that action, necessitating a trip to Hawaii for repairs.
Farenholt returned to the south Pacific war zone in March 1943, after the end of the Guadalcanal campaign. As preparations were being made to move into the central Solomons, she was kept busy in escort duties and helped repel Japanese air attacks on several occasions. At the end of June and into July 1943, the destroyer supported the landings at Rendova and the associated campaign to capture New Georgia, using her guns to bombard enemy positions and to fight off hostile aircraft. For the rest of 1943 and into the first two months of 1944, Farenholt remained active in the Solomons area, escorting shipping and participating in offensive surface operations. In November, she screened aircraft carriers during raids on Rabaul and the invasion of Bougainville. She covered the Green Island landings and twice took part in surface attacks on the Rabaul area during February, receiving gunfire damage during the last Rabaul raid.
Following a west coast overhaul, Farenholt was sent to the central Pacific, where she was involved in the July-August 1944 campaign to recapture Guam. During September and October, she supported carrier raids in the western Pacific, conducted shore bombardments, took part in the Palaus invasion and covered the retirement of the damaged cruisers Houston and Canberra. Escort and patrol duties in the Marianas and Carolines area followed until May 1945, when Farenholt arrived off Okinawa to participate in the last stages of the Ryukyus campaign. She escorted logistics ships during much of the last two months of World War II and took part in occupation efforts once the fighting ended. Returning to the U.S. in late 1945, she steamed to the east coast, where she decommissioned in April 1946. After more than twenty-five years in the Reserve Fleet, USS Farenholt was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register in June 1971 and sold for scrapping in November 1972.
This page all the views we have of USS Farenholt (DD-491), plus selected views of her construction.
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: 80-G-12264 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Comes alongside USS Wasp (CV-7) to receive supplies, during operations in the south Pacific, 24 August 1942. Note her camouflage scheme. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 87KB; 740 x 550 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-45993 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Underway off Pearl Harbor, circa May 1943. This photograph was received by the Bureau of Ships in that month. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 109KB; 740 x 610 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. Note: This image is somewhat "soft". |
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Photo #: NH 51081 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Photographed circa 1945. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 65KB; 740 x 600 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-220760 Destroyer Squadron Twelve Five DesRon12 destroyers make formation "S-turns" in Iron Bottom Sound, off Guadalcanal. Savo Island is in the distance. They were returning from one of their raids on Rabaul in February 1944, and executed the high-speed turns as a salute to the three ships of the squadron that had been sunk in the vicinity of Iron Bottom Sound. This had become a custom whenever DesRon12 ships passed Savo Island after a successful raid against the Japanese. Commanded by Captain Rodger W. Simpson, the squadron raided Rabaul on 17-18 and 23-25 February 1944. His flagship was USS Farenholt (DD-491). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 74KB; 740 x 510 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 80-G-220757 Destroyer Squadron Twelve Five DesRon12 destroyers make formation "S-turns" in Iron Bottom Sound, off Guadalcanal, while passing Savo Island. They were returning from one of their raids on Rabaul in February 1944, and executed the high-speed turns as a salute to the three ships of the squadron that had been sunk in the vicinity of Iron Bottom Sound. This had become a custom whenever DesRon12 ships passed Savo Island after a successful raid against the Japanese. Commanded by Captain Rodger W. Simpson, the squadron raided Rabaul on 17-18 and 23-25 February 1944. His flagship was USS Farenholt (DD-491). Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 99KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 54075 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Launching ceremonies, at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, Staten Island, New York, 19 November 1941. Three other destroyers are under construction alongside Farenholt. The closest one is probably Bailey (DD-492). U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 124KB; 740 x 600 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 54078 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Is christened by Miss N.L. Garland, at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, Staten Island, New York, 19 November 1941. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 89KB; 740 x 605 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 54073 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Slides down the building ways, during her launching at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, Staten Island, New York, 19 November 1941. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 94KB; 690 x 630 pixels |
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Photo #: NH 54074 USS Farenholt (DD-491) Receives workmen's salute just after her launching, at the Bethlehem Steel Company shipyard, Staten Island, New York, 19 November 1941. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 77KB; 690 x 630 pixels |
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If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 12 December 2001