View source for USS O'Bannon (DD-450)

{{short description|Fletcher-class destroyer}}
{{other ships|USS O'Bannon}}
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{|{{Infobox ship begin}}
{{Infobox ship image
|Ship image=USS O'Bannon (DDE-450) off the Mare Island Navy Yard in 1951.jpg
|Ship caption=USS ''O'Bannon'' (DD-450) in 1951
}}
{{Infobox ship career
|Hide header=
|Ship country= United States
|Ship flag={{USN flag|1970}}
|Ship name=''O'Bannon''
|Ship namesake=First lieutenant [[Presley O'Bannon]]
|Ship ordered=
|Ship builder=[[Bath Iron Works]]
|Ship laid down=3 March 1941
|Ship launched=19 February 1942
|Ship acquired=
|Ship commissioned=26 June 1942
|Ship decommissioned=30 January 1970
|Ship struck=30 January 1970
|Ship honours=
|Ship fate=Sold for scrap, 6 June 1970
|Ship notes=
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
|Hide header=
|Header caption=
|Ship class={{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer}}
|Ship displacement=2,050&nbsp;tons
|Ship length=376&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in (114.7&nbsp;m)
|Ship beam=39&nbsp;ft 8&nbsp;in (12.1&nbsp;m)
|Ship draught=
|Ship draft=17&nbsp;ft 9&nbsp;in (5.4&nbsp;m)
|Ship propulsion=60,000&nbsp;shp (45&nbsp;MW); 2 propellers
|Ship speed= {{convert|35|kn|lk=in}}
|Ship range=6500 [[nautical mile|nmi.]] (12,000&nbsp;km) at 15&nbsp;kt
|Ship complement=329
|Ship sensors=
|Ship EW=
|Ship armament=
* July 1942-October 1943
** 5 x [[5"/38 caliber guns]] (5x1)
** 1 x [[1.1"/75 caliber gun]] (1x4)
** 10 x 21-inch torpedo tubes for [[Mark 15 torpedo]]es
* February 1944-
** 5 x [[5"/38 caliber guns]] (5x1)
** 10 x [[Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun]] (5x2)
** 10 x 21-inch torpedo tubes for [[Mark 15 torpedo]]es
|Ship notes=
}}
|}
'''USS ''O'Bannon'' (DD/DDE-450)''', a {{sclass|Fletcher|destroyer}}, was the second ship of the [[United States Navy]] to be named after Lieutenant [[Presley O'Bannon]] (1784–1850), the [[United States Marine Corps|Marine Corps's]] "hero of [[Battle of Derna (1805)|Derna]]".
''O'Bannon'' was the US Navy's [[Most decorated US ships of World War II|most decorated destroyer]] during [[World War II]], earning 17 [[Service star#Navy warships|battle stars]] and a [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]].
==Construction and commissioning==
''O'Bannon'' was laid down by [[Bath Iron Works]] Corp. in [[Bath, Maine]] on 3&nbsp;March 1941, and  launched 19&nbsp;February 1942, sponsored by Mrs. E.&nbsp;F. Kennedy, descendant of Lieutenant O'Bannon. ''O'Bannon'' and her [[sister ship]] {{USS|Nicholas|DD-449|3}} were the first two ''Fletcher''s to be launched. ''O'Bannon'' was commissioned at [[Boston Navy Yard|Boston]] on 26&nbsp;June 1942.<ref name=DANFS>{{cite DANFS |url= http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/o/o-bannon-dd-450-ii.html |title= O'Bannon II (DD-450)}}</ref>
== 1942 ==
''O'Bannon'' briefly trained for war in the [[Caribbean Sea|Caribbean]] and sailed from Boston on 29&nbsp;August 1942 for the [[South West Pacific Theater|Southwest Pacific]], where the long and arduous [[Guadalcanal campaign]] had just begun. For over a year, the Navy—stretched thin to cover its worldwide commitments at a period when new ships were just beginning to join the fleet in any number—was to fight and fight again in the [[Solomon Islands]] in one of the most bitterly contested campaigns of history, wresting air and sea control from the [[Japan]]ese and providing the Marine Corps and the [[United States Army|Army]] with every possible support as they gained ground inch by inch on the myriad islands. Assigned the [[Destroyer Squadron 21]] (DesRon&nbsp;21), ''O'Bannon'' played a valiant part in these endeavors, winning a [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]].<ref name=DANFS />
Based at [[Nouméa]], [[New Caledonia]], ''O'Bannon'' first escorted the [[escort carrier]] {{USS|Copahee|CVE-12|2}} on a run to [[Guadalcanal]], where on 9&nbsp;October, twenty Marines flew their [[Grumman F4F Wildcat]]s off ''Copahee''{{'}}s decks, desperately needed as reinforcements at beleaguered [[Henderson Field (Guadalcanal)|Henderson Field]]. Through the remainder of the month, ''O'Bannon'' sailed the [[New Hebrides]] and southern Solomons on escort duty. On 7&nbsp;November at Nouméa, she joined [[Rear Admiral]] [[Daniel J. Callaghan]]'s Support Group, ready to sail with a [[convoy]] carrying critical reinforcements, replacements, food, ammunition, and aviation material.<ref name=DANFS />
On the approach to Guadalcanal, ''O'Bannon'' sighted and fired on a surfaced enemy [[submarine]], holding it down while the convoy passed safely. On the afternoon of 12&nbsp;November, the partially unladen transports were attacked by sixteen enemy [[torpedo bomber]]s; eleven were shot down. ''O'Bannon'' fired on four of the enemy planes.<ref name=DANFS />
Now came word that the Japanese were moving south in force. Two [[battleship]]s, a light [[cruiser]], and 14&nbsp;destroyers were bound to destroy Henderson Field by bombardment, to break up the American reinforcement mission, and to cover reinforcement movements of their own. ''O'Bannon'' and the other ships of the Support Force, two [[heavy cruiser|heavy]] and three [[light cruiser]]s and eight destroyers, confronted the greatly superior enemy early on 13&nbsp;November in [[Ironbottom Sound]], so named for the number of ships on both sides sunk there during the Guadalcanal campaign. ''O'Bannon'' boldly attacked the {{ship|Japanese battleship|Hiei||2|up=yes}}, closing so near, the battleship could not depress her main battery far enough to fire on the destroyer. ''O'Bannon''{{'}}s gunfire, in combination with the attacks of the rest of the force, damaged ''Hiei'' and set her ablaze.<ref name=DANFS /> Of greater importance, ''O’Bannon'' was the first US destroyer to successfully hit ''Hiei'' with torpedoes, striking the Japanese battleship with two torpedoes starboard amidships, leaving her badly damaged.<ref>Lundgren(2023)</ref>
This first engagement of the [[Naval Battle of Guadalcanal]] was short but furious; two American light cruisers, in one of which Rear Admiral [[Norman Scott (admiral)|Norman Scott]] lost his life, and four destroyers were lost, while two Japanese destroyers were sunk, and ''Hiei'' prepared for her doom. Above all, the Japanese were turned back, and Henderson Field was saved from destruction. The importance of this success is illustrated by the fact that the next day, Henderson aviators sank seven enemy troop transports attempting to reinforce the island and turned back four more transports that were destroyed soon after.<ref name=DANFS />
Through October 1942, ''O'Bannon'' protected landings, carried out escort duties from Nouméa and [[Espiritu Santo]] to Guadalcanal and [[Tulagi]], joined in bombardments at Guadalcanal, [[Munda (Solomon Islands)|Munda]], and [[Kolombangara]], and shouldered her share of the nightly patrols up "[[New Georgia Sound#WWII—The Slot|the Slot]]", guarding against Japanese reinforcements.<ref name=DANFS />
== 1943 ==
[[File:USS O'Bannon;PotatoPlaque.gif|thumb|right|Plaque commemorating the Potato incident]]
A Navy legend holds that in April ''O'Bannon'' sighted a Japanese submarine on the surface and opened fire. The submarine pulled alongside the destroyer close enough that the destroyer's guns could not hit it. Several different versions of the story say that the sailors on the destroyer pelted the submarine crew with potatoes.<ref name="potato">{{cite news|last1=Lion|first1=Ed|title=It's too weird to have been made up|url=http://www.upi.com/Archives/1984/01/12/Its-too-weird-to-have-been-made-up/3929442731600/|access-date=20 June 2017|agency=[[UPI]]|date=12 January 1984}}</ref> Commander Donald MacDonald only said that the submarine was so close, the destroyer's cook believed that he could throw a potato at it. Although MacDonald has repeatedly claimed that no potatoes were actually thrown, the story of an American destroyer sinking a Japanese submarine with potatoes was picked up by the media and was so quickly spread throughout navy lore that many still believe it to this day.<ref>{{cite book|title=Tin Can Titans: The Heroic Men and Ships of World War II's Most Decorated Navy Destroyer Squadron|author=John Wukovits|date=14 March 2017|page=133|isbn=978-0306824302|publisher=Da Capo Press}}</ref> A plaque commemorating the incident was on display at the [[Maine Maritime Museum]] until the 1970s but then went missing.<ref name="potato"/>
War duty was tense and demanded the best of men and their ships. In-port time was minimal; a few hours to fuel and reprovision, and the ships were off again. ''O'Bannon'' fought in many surface actions. The [[Battle of Kula Gulf]] (6&nbsp;July), in which ''O'Bannon'' fought with three cruisers and three other destroyers against ten Japanese destroyers, swept the enemy from the area, though an [[USS Helena (CL-50)|American cruiser]] was lost. A week later, the [[Battle of Kolombangara]] had to be fought in the same waters against a Japanese cruiser, five destroyers and four [[destroyer escort]]s. The same American force sank the {{ship|Japanese cruiser|Jintsu||2|up=yes}} and turned the smaller ships away,<ref name=DANFS /> losing one destroyer themselves and having three cruisers damaged.<ref name="Morison2001">{{cite book|author=Samuel Eliot Morison|title=History of United States Naval Operations in World War II: Breaking the Bismarcks barrier, 22 July 1942-1 May 1944|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7_SaOwAACAAJ|volume= 6 |year=2001|publisher=Castle Books|isbn=978-0-7858-1307-1|pages=186, 189}}</ref>
[[File:USS Selfridge and OBannon damaged Oct 1943.JPG|thumb|upright|''O'Bannon'' (right) and {{USS|Selfridge|DD-357|2}} after the [[Naval Battle of Vella Lavella|Battle of Vella Lavella]], 1943]]
For the next two months, ''O'Bannon'' spent most of her time in [[Vella Gulf]], guarding landings, intercepting Japanese troop convoys and their covering escorts, and fighting off air attacks. With the aid of sister destroyers, she sank a number of [[barge]]s, two [[submarine chaser]]s ([[Japanese submarine chaser Cha-5|''Cha-5'']] and [[Japanese submarine chaser Cha-12|''Cha-12'']]), an armed boat, and a gunboat on various patrols. The climax of operations in the area was the [[Naval Battle of Vella Lavella|Battle of Vella Lavella]] on 6&nbsp;October, brought on by Japanese attempts to evacuate their troops from that island. With the destroyers {{USS|Selfridge|DD-357|2}} and {{USS|Chevalier|DD-451|2}}, ''O'Bannon'' made the first attack on the evacuation force, a group of nine or ten destroyers and smaller armed craft. The three American ships contacted six enemy destroyers, shrugged at the odds, and raced at 33&nbsp;knots (61&nbsp;km/h) to launch [[torpedo]]es and open gunfire. The {{ship|Japanese destroyer|Yūgumo|1941|2|up=yes}} was turned into a blazing hulk, but both ''Selfridge'' and ''Chevalier'' took torpedo hits. ''O'Bannon'' was close on ''Chevalier''{{'}}s stern when the latter was struck, and the most radical maneuvers could not keep her from swinging into her sister's side. The enemy retired with three newly arrived American destroyers in pursuit, while ''O'Bannon'' guarded her stricken sisters, rescuing the survivors of ''Chevalier''.<ref name=DANFS />
== 1944 ==
''O'Bannon'' made battle repairs at Tulagi, then sailed to the west coast for overhaul. By 18&nbsp;March 1944, she was back in the Solomons, ready for her part in the series of westward-moving amphibious assaults that won [[New Guinea]]. Again, it was escort and bombardment repeatedly until 18&nbsp;October, when ''O'Bannon'' cleared [[Jayapura|Hollandia]] to escort reinforcements for the [[battle of Leyte|invasion of Leyte]]. The convoy was brought in safely on 24&nbsp;October, the eve of the [[Battle for Leyte Gulf]]. ''O'Bannon'' guarded the Northern Transport area and patrolled the entrances to [[Leyte Gulf]] during the battle, coming under air attack. Thus, she played her part in the definitive destruction of the [[Imperial Japanese Navy|Japanese Navy]].<ref name=DANFS />
== 1945 ==
Through June 1945 ''O'Bannon'' operated primarily in the [[Philippines]], serving in the escort or assault force for the long roll call of invasions: [[Battle of Ormoc Bay|Ormoc Bay]], [[Battle of Mindoro|Mindoro]], [[Invasion of Lingayen Gulf|Lingayen Gulf]], [[Battle of Bataan (1945)|Bataan]], [[Battle of Corregidor (1945)|Corregidor]], [[Invasion of Palawan|Palawan]], [[Zamboanga City|Zamboanga]], [[Cebu Island|Cebu]], and [[Caraboa]]. Air attacks were frequent in the early period, and ''O'Bannon'' splashed several raiders. During the Lingayen offensive on 31&nbsp;January 1945, ''O'Bannon'', with three other destroyers, attacked and sank an enemy submarine; Japanese records studied after the war indicate it was most likely {{Jsub|Ro-115||2}}. At the end of April and early in May, ''O'Bannon'' interrupted her Philippine operations to give fire support at [[Battle of Tarakan (1945)|Tarakan]], [[Borneo]], and cover [[Minesweeper (ship)|minesweeping]] operations there.<ref name=DANFS />
''O'Bannon'' rendezvoused with a group of [[escort carrier]]s off [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] on 17&nbsp;June and guarded them as they struck against [[Sakishima Gunto]]. In July, she protected the large [[aircraft carrier|carriers]] as they flew strikes on northern [[Honshū]] and [[Hokkaidō]]. With the close of the war, ''O'Bannon'' patrolled the coast of Honshū until 27&nbsp;August, when she joined the destroyers {{USS|Nicholas|DD-449|2}} and {{USS|Taylor|DD-468|2}} to escort the battleship {{USS|Missouri|BB-63|2}} into [[Tokyo Bay]], by order of [[Admiral]] [[William Halsey]], "because of their valorous fight up the long road from the South Pacific to the very end." There, she patrolled until 1&nbsp;September. She then sailed to [[San Francisco]] and [[San Diego]], where she was decommissioned after overhaul on 21&nbsp;May 1946.<ref name=DANFS />
== 1949–1962 ==
[[File:Desron21Solomons.jpg|thumb|''O'Bannon'' leads {{USS|Chevalier|DD-451|2}} and {{USS|Taylor|DD-468|2}}, August 1943]]
Between 17 January 1949 and 10 February 1950, ''O'Bannon'' was converted to an [[escort destroyer]] at [[Long Beach Naval Shipyard]]. She was redesignated '''DDE-450''' on 26&nbsp;March 1949.<ref name=DANFS />
''O'Bannon'' was recommissioned on 19 February 1951 to serve out of [[Pearl Harbor]]. She sailed for her first tour of duty with the [[United Nations]] forces repelling [[Communist]] aggression in [[Korea]] on 19&nbsp;November, and, during the next seven months, she guarded carriers at sea as their air groups struck targets in Korea; served as [[flagship]] for the [[Wonsan]] Element, East Coast Blockade and Escort Group; fired on enemy gun emplacements, road and rail supply routes, ammunition depots, and troop concentrations; and protected convoys moving between Korea and Japan.<ref name=DANFS />
A training period out of Pearl Harbor began upon her return home on 20&nbsp;June 1952, and she took part in [[United States Atomic Energy Commission|U.S. Atomic Energy Commission]] operations off [[Eniwetok]]. ''O'Bannon'' cleared Pearl Harbor late in April 1953 for the Far East, where her primary mission was screening carriers. Thereafter, she served on the [[Taiwan Patrol]] and in exercises off Japan and Okinawa.<ref name=DANFS />
Between the [[Korean War]] and the [[Vietnam War]], ''O'Bannon'' took her part in the intricately planned schedule that assured the United States that its [[United States Seventh Fleet|7th&nbsp;Fleet]] was always composed of ships and men whose readiness for any emergency was at its keenest. For ''O'Bannon'', this meant an alternation of roughly six-month deployments to the Far East and periods spent in training operations and necessary overhauls at Pearl Harbor. While in the Far East, she visited ports in [[Japan]], the Philippines, [[Taiwan]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]], with brief, welcome recreation calls at [[Hong Kong]]. She was often in either New Zealand or Australia for the annual commemoration of the [[Battle of the Coral Sea]], a time of national rejoicing in those countries at which Americans are particularly welcome. She conducted combined operations training with the [[SEATO]] allies as well as exercising with Marines at Okinawa and taking part in exercises preparing for any conceivable demand that might be made on the 7th&nbsp;Fleet. While at Pearl Harbor, she often aided in training reservists in addition to her own training and, at various times, sailed down-range for space orbits and missile shots. In the summer and fall of 1962, she took part in atomic tests at [[Johnston Island]].<ref name=DANFS />
== 1964–1970 ==
In 1964, ''O'Bannon'' took part in the 1965 film ''[[In Harm's Way]]''.  At 9:00 into the film, as Kirk Douglas' character is welcoming a new transport, ''O'Bannon'' is seen full length in the background.  Its hull number 450 can be seen somewhat obscured on the starboard bow.
''O'Bannon'' first closed the coast of [[Vietnam]] during her 1964–65 deployment, when, on 26&nbsp;December, she left Hong Kong to patrol and conduct hydrographic surveys. Much of her 1966 tour was spent as plane guard for the aircraft carrier {{USS|Kitty Hawk|CVA-63|2}}, while the carrier's jets struck targets in [[South Vietnam|South]] and [[North Vietnam]] to lessen Communist ability to wage war in the South. For a week each in May and June, ''O'Bannon'' fired shore bombardments, destroying [[Vietcong]] base camps, troop concentrations, and small craft.<ref name=DANFS />
The veteran destroyer returned via [[U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka|Yokosuka]] to Pearl Harbor on 30&nbsp;July. During operations out of home port, she trained for [[Project Apollo|Apollo]] [[space craft]] recovery operations in August and was a member of the contingency recovery force for the [[Gemini 11]] space flight early in September. She visited [[Guam]] in the spring of 1967 and returned home early in July to prepare for another Far Eastern deployment.<ref name=DANFS />
[[File:US Amphibious Ready Group TG 76-5 underway 1965.jpg|thumb|''O'Bannon'' (right) as part of TG 76.5 off Vietnam in March 1965]]
''O'Bannon'' got under way for Japan on 28 September and reached Yokosuka on 7&nbsp;October and [[Subic Bay]] on the 15th. She returned to the war zone with the carrier {{USS|Constellation|CVA-64|2}} and operated as plane guard on [[Yankee Station]] through 4&nbsp;November. After a fortnight's respite at Subic Bay and Hong Kong, ''O'Bannon'' sailed to [[Da Nang]] for shore bombardment. She visited Taiwan early in December but returned to the fighting on the 15th to provide gunfire support just south of the [[Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone|DMZ]]. Two days later, she helped to rescue the crew of an American plane that had been hit over the DMZ and had managed to crash just off shore. An enemy battery shelled the destroyer during the operation but failed to score. As 1967 ended, ''O'Bannon'' was still on the gun line supporting allied ground forces.<ref name=DANFS />
On 30&nbsp;January 1970, ''O'Bannon'' was decommissioned in a ceremony at Pearl Harbor (side-by-side with her sister ''Nicholas'', as at their launching){{citation needed|date=October 2015|reason=Needs footnote for Pearl and side by side decomm.}} and stricken from the [[Navy List]]. She was sold for scrap on 6&nbsp;June 1970 and broken up two years later.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/450.htm |title= O'Bannon (DD-450) |website=Navsource.org }}</ref>
''O'Bannon'' received the [[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]] and 17 [[battle star]]s for World War II service, placing her among the [[most decorated US ships of World War II]]. She also received three more battle stars for service during the [[Korean War]].<ref name=DANFS /> Nicknamed the "''Lucky&nbsp;O''", none of her crew was awarded the [[Purple Heart]].{{citation needed|date=October 2015|reason=Not supported by DANFS, purple heart item needs footnote.}}
== Quotes ==
{{blockquote|The history of the Pacific war can never be written without telling the story of the U.S.S. ''O'Bannon''. Time after time the ''O'Bannon'' and her gallant little sisters were called upon to turn back the enemy. They never disappointed me.|Admiral [[William F. Halsey]]<ref>foreword to James D. Horan’s ''Action Tonight'' (1945) {{cite web
| url= http://www.destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/ussobannon/dd450.html
| title= USS ''O'Bannon''
| year= 2008 | publisher= [[Destroyer History Foundation]]
| access-date= 2009-02-25 }}</ref>}}
==Awards==
{| style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=award-star|ribbon=Combat Action Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=United States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=American Campaign Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=17|type=service-star|ribbon=Asiatic-Pacific Campaign ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=World War II Victory Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Army of Occupation ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=1|type=service-star|ribbon=National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=3|type=service-star|ribbon=Korean_Service_Medal_-_Ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Service Medal ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Presidential Unit Citation (Philippines).svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=award-star|ribbon=Presidential Unit Citation (Korea).svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam gallantry cross unit award-3d.svg|width=106}}
|-
|{{ribbon devices|number=2|type=service-star|ribbon=Phliber rib.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=United Nations Service Medal Korea ribbon.svg|width=106}}
|{{ribbon devices|number=0|type=service-star|ribbon=Vietnam Campaign Medal ribbon with 60- clasp.svg|width=106}}
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|[[Combat Action Ribbon]] <br />with 2 [[award star|star]]
|[[Presidential Unit Citation (United States)|Presidential Unit Citation]]
|[[American Campaign Medal]]
|-
|[[Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal]] <br />with 17 [[battle star]]s
|[[World War II Victory Medal (United States)|World War II Victory Medal]]
|[[Navy Occupation Service Medal]]
|-
|[[National Defense Service Medal]] <br />with 1 star
|[[Korean Service Medal]] <br />with 3 [[battle star]]s
|[[Vietnam Service Medal]]<br /> with 2 stars
|-
|[[Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation|Philippine Presidential Unit Citation]]
|[[Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation|Korean Presidential Unit Citation]]
|[[Gallantry Cross (Vietnam)|Vietnam Cross of Gallantry]]
|-
|[[Philippine Liberation Medal]] <br />with 2 stars
|[[United Nations Korea Medal]]
|[[Vietnam Campaign Medal]]
|}
== See also ==
*CDR [[George Philip Jr.]], served on ''O'Bannon'' (1942–43), as the [[Executive officer]], [[Navigator]] and Combat Intelligence Officer. Received the [[Silver Star]] for service 10&nbsp;January 1943 to 6&nbsp;April 1943 aboard ''O'Bannon''.
== References ==
*{{DANFS|http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/o/o-bannon-dd-450-ii.html}}
{{reflist}}
* {{citation |last1=Lundgren|first1=Robert|last2=Sposato|first2=Frank|last3=DiGuilian|first3=Tony |url= http://www.navweaps.com/index_lundgren/The_Naval_Battle_for_Henderson_Airfield.pdf |title= The Naval Battle for Henderson Airfield, First Night |date=2023|name-list-style=amp}} The Robert Lundgren Historical Resource, Navweaps.com. Retrieved 24 July 2023.
== External links ==
{{Commons category|USS O'Bannon (DD-450)}}
*[http://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/ussobannon/ USS ''O'Bannon'' website] at [http://destroyerhistory.org/ Destroyer History Foundation]
*[http://destroyerhistory.org/fletcherclass/ussobannon/index.asp?r=45000&pid=45007 "''The Maine Potato Episode''"]
*[http://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/o/o-bannon-dd-450-ii.html   history.navy.mil: USS ''O'Bannon'']
*[http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/450.htm   navsource.org: USS ''O'Bannon'']
*[http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/destroy/dd450txt.htm    hazegray.org: USS ''O'Bannon'']
{{Fletcher class destroyer}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:OBannon (DD-450)}}
[[Category:World War II destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Cold War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Korean War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Vietnam War destroyers of the United States]]
[[Category:Ships built in Bath, Maine]]
[[Category:1942 ships]]
[[Category:Fletcher-class destroyers of the United States Navy]]