U.S.S. RALPH TALBOT

DD-390 USS Ralph Talbot

USS Ralph Talbot was built at Boston Navy Yard and commissioned in October 1937. She served as a part of the Battle Force doing most of her work in the Pacific until mid-1941 when she was transferred to Pearl Harbor. She was moored at the harbor when the Japanese attacked in December, but was able to get out to sea and away from the raid before being damaged. USS Ralph Talbot operated with carrier task forces in the following months, and took part in many of the early raids in the Central Pacific.

From then, she became a shipping escort in the Pacific until June 1942 when she was sent to the South Pacific to resume her duties directly in the war effort. Involved in the Battle of Savo Island and the Guadalcanal operation, she was damaged by gunfire and forced to return to the states for repair. She also lost 12 of her crew in this incident. After repairs, she was back in the Pacific in 1943 to resume her escort duties. She returned to the U.S. in November 1945 and was designated as a target for the atomic tests done at Bikini. Deemed radioactive, she was decommissioned in August 1946 and scuttled off Kwajalein in March 1948.