USS Waller (DD-466), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was photographed off San Francisco, California, on October 17, 1944. Commissioned on October 1, 1942, she had already fought in the Solomon Islands and supported operations in the Marianas before returning to the West Coast for a refit. The photograph captures her shortly before she returned to combat in the western Pacific to face the final year of World War II.
During the war, Waller screened troop transports and other warships, bombarded enemy positions, hunted submarines, and defended Allied forces against air attacks. After rejoining the Seventh Fleet in November 1944, she operated in the Philippines, including Ormoc Bay and the invasion of Mindoro, where her crew helped repel intensive kamikaze attacks. She earned twelve battle stars for her World War II service, establishing a legendary reputation for operational reliability and technical skill.
Placed in reserve after the war, Waller returned to commission in July 1950 as an escort destroyer, going on to conduct shore bombardment and blockade duties during the Korean War, which included firing approximately 1,700 five-inch rounds during a ten-day assignment near Wonsan. Nearly two decades later, she provided gunfire support for Allied troops in Vietnam and escorted the aircraft carriers Intrepid and Ranger, earning two additional battle stars in each of those conflicts to bring her total to sixteen. Decommissioned on July 15, 1969, she ended a stellar naval career that spanned three wars and more than a quarter-century.
Image: U.S. Navy photograph 19-N-83725 via Wikimedia Commons.
