Porter IV (DD-800)
1944-1972
The fourth U.S. navy ship named for Commodore David Porter (1780-1843) and his son, Adm. David Dixon Porter (1813-1891), see Porter I for biographies.
IV
(DD–800: displacement 2,940 (full load); length 376’5”; beam 39’7”; draft 13’9”; speed 35.0 knots; complement 329; armament 5 5-inch, 10 40 miillimeter, 7 20 millimeter, 10 21-inch torpedo tubes, 6 depth charge projectors, 2 depth charge tracks; class Fletcher)
The fourth Porter (DD–800) was laid down on 6 July 1943 at Seattle, Wash., by the Todd Pacific Shipyards, Inc.; launched on 13 March 1944; sponsored by Miss Georgiana Porter Cusachs; and commissioned on 24 June 1944; Cmdr. Howard R. Prince in command.
After shakedown off San Diego, Porter sailed for duty off Adak, Alaska, on 16 September 1944. On 21 November 1944, with Task Force (TF) 92, she made an offensive sweep against the Kurile Islands and bombarded Japanese military installations on Matsuwa. She made another offensive sweep against the naval base at Suribachi Wan, Paramushiru, on 5 January 1945, and on the night of 18 February bombarded Kurabu Zaki, Paramushiru. On 15 May, Porter participated in the first extensive sweep by surface vessels into the Japanese-controlled Sea of Okhotsk, bombarding Suribachi Wan during the retirement. Porter bombarded Matsuma again on 10 and 11 June. On 25 June, during another sweep of the Sea of Okhotsk, Porter encountered a small convoy and sank a 2,000-ton Japanese merchantman with gunfire.
When V–J Day came Porter was undergoing overhaul at Portland, Oregon, where she remained until 1 September 1945. After escorting the aircraft carrier Enterprise (CV-6) from Seattle to San Francisco, Calif., Porter underwent refresher training at San Diego, then steamed for the east coast. On 3 July 1946, Porter was placed out of commission, in reserve, attached to the U.S. Atlantic Reserve Fleet, berthed at Charleston, S.C.
Recommissioned on 9 February 1951, Lt. Cmdr. John B. Nelson, commanding, Porter served in Korean waters from 18 June to 14 September 1952 with TF 95. A member of the “Trainbusters Club,” she destroyed one North Korean train and damaged two. She was placed out of commission, in reserve, berthed at Norfolk, Va., 10 August 1953.
Ultimately, Porter was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 October 1972 and disposed-of, by Navy Sale, on 1 April 1974.
Porter earned one battle star for her World War II service and one battle star for Korean War service.
Interim update, Robert J. Cressman
10 September 2024
