DD-348 - Tin Can Sailors

Hull Number: DD-348

Launch Date: 03/15/1934

Commissioned Date: 06/18/1934

Decommissioned Date: 10/23/1945

Class: FARRAGUT (1934)

FARRAGUT (1934) Class

Data for USS Farragut (DD-348) as of 1945

Length Overall: 341' 3"

Beam: 34' 3"

Draft: 12' 4"

Standard Displacement: 1,365 tons

Full Load Displacement: 2,255 tons

Fuel capacity: 4,061 barrels

Armament:

Four 5″/38 caliber guns
Two 40mm twin anti-aircraft mounts
Two 21″ quadruple torpedo tubes

Complement:

16 Officers
235 Enlisted

Propulsion:

4 Boilers
2 Curtis Turbines: 42,800 horsepower

Highest speed on trials: 37.0 knots

Namesake: DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT

DAVID GLASGOW FARRAGUT

Wikipedia (as of 2024)

David Glasgow Farragut (/ˈfærəɡət/; also spelled Glascoe;^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] July 5, 1801 – August 14, 1870) was a flag officer of the United States Navy during the American Civil War. He was the first rear admiral, vice admiral, and admiral in the United States Navy.^[5]^[6] He is remembered for his order at the Battle of Mobile Bay, usually paraphrased as “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” in U.S. Navy tradition.^[7]^[8]

Born near Knoxville, Tennessee, Farragut was fostered by naval officer David Porter after the death of his mother. When he was 11 years old, Farragut served in the War of 1812 under the command of his adoptive father. He received his first command in 1823, at the age of 22, and went on to participate in anti-piracy operations in the Caribbean Sea. He then served in the Mexican–American War under the command of Matthew C. Perry, participating in the blockade of Tuxpan. After the war, he oversaw the construction of the Mare Island Navy Yard (now Mare Island Naval Shipyard), which was the first U.S. Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean.

Though Farragut resided in Norfolk, Virginia, prior to the Civil War, he was a Southern Unionist who strongly opposed Southern secession and remained loyal to the Union after the outbreak of the Civil War. Despite some doubts about Farragut’s loyalty, Farragut was assigned command of an attack on the important Confederate port city of New Orleans. After defeating the Confederates at the Battle of Forts Jackson and St. Philip, Farragut captured New Orleans in April 1862. He was promoted to rear admiral after the battle and helped extend Union control up along the Mississippi River, participating in the siege of Port Hudson. With the Union in control of the Mississippi, Farragut led a successful attack on Mobile Bay, home to the last major Confederate port on the Gulf of Mexico. Farragut was promoted to admiral following the end of the Civil War and remained on active duty until his death in 1870.

James Glasgow Farragut was born in 1801 to George Farragut (born Jordi Farragut Mesquida, 1755–1817), a Spanish Balearic merchant captain from the Mediterranean island of Menorca, and his wife Elizabeth (née Shine, 1765–1808), of North Carolina Scotch-Irish American descent, at Lowe’s Ferry on the Holston River in Tennessee.^[9] It was a few miles southeast of Campbell’s Station, near Knoxville.^[10]

After serving in the Spanish merchant marine, George Farragut immigrated to North America in 1776 and served as a naval officer during the American Revolutionary War. He was first with the South Carolina Navy, then with the Continental Navy. George and Elizabeth moved west to Tennessee after his service in the Revolution, where he operated Lowe’s Ferry and served as a cavalry officer in the Tennessee militia.^[6]

In 1805, George accepted a position at the U.S. port of New Orleans. He traveled there first and his family followed in a 1,700-mile (2,700 km) flatboat guided by hired rivermen. It was four-year-old James’s first voyage. The family was still living in New Orleans when Elizabeth died of yellow fever. George Farragut made plans to place the young children with friends and family who could better care for them.

In 1808, after his mother’s death, James agreed to live with United States Navy officer David Porter, whose father had served with George Farragut during the Revolution.^[11] In 1812, he adopted the name “David” in honor of his foster father, with whom he went to sea late in 1810. David Farragut grew up in a naval family, with foster brothers David Dixon Porter, a future Civil War admiral, and William D. Porter, who became a Commodore.

Farragut’s naval career began as a midshipman when he was nine years old, and continued for 60 years until his death at the age of 69. This included service in several wars, most notably during the American Civil War, where he gained fame for winning several decisive naval battles.

Farragut’s naval career began when he was added to the U.S. Navy’s rolls with the rank of “boy” in the spring of 1810.^[12] Through the influence of his foster father, Farragut was warranted a midshipman in the U.S. Navy on December 17, 1810, at the age of nine.^[13]^{[note 1]} A prize master by the age of 11, Farragut fought in the War of 1812, serving under Captain Porter, his foster father. While serving aboard the frigate USS Essex, Farragut participated in the capture of HMS Alert on August 13, 1812,^[14]^[15] He helped to establish America’s first naval base and colony in the Pacific, named Fort Madison, during the ill-fated Nuku Hiva Campaign in the Marquesas Islands. At the same time, the Americans battled the hostile tribes on the islands with the help of their Te I’i allies.

Farragut was 11 years old when, during the War of 1812, he was given the assignment to bring a ship captured by the Essex safely to port.^[16] He was wounded and captured while serving on the Essex during the engagement at Valparaíso Bay, Chile, against the British on March 28, 1814.^[17]

In 1823, Farragut was placed in command of USS Ferret, which was his first command of a U.S. naval vessel.^[18]^[19] He served in the Mosquito Fleet, a fleet of ships fitted out to fight pirates in the Caribbean Sea. After learning his old captain, Commodore Porter, would be commander of the fleet, he asked for, and received, orders to serve aboard Greyhound, one of the smaller vessels, commanded by John Porter, brother of David Porter. On February 14, 1823, the fleet set sail for the West Indies where, for the next six months, they would drive the pirates off the sea, and rout them from their hiding places in among the islands.^[20] He was executive officer aboard the Experiment during its campaign in the West Indies fighting pirates.^[21] Farragut was promoted to lieutenant in 1825.^[19]

In 1847, Farragut, now a commander, took command of the sloop-of-war USS Saratoga when she was recommissioned at Norfolk Navy Yard in Norfolk, Virginia. Assigned to the Home Squadron for service in the Mexican–American War, Saratoga departed Norfolk on March 29, 1847, bound for the Gulf of Mexico under Farragut’s command and upon arriving off Veracruz, Mexico, on April 26, 1847, reported to the squadron’s commander, Commodore Matthew C. Perry, for duty. On April 29, Perry ordered Farragut to sail Saratoga 150 nautical miles (170 mi; 280 km) to the north to blockade Tuxpan, where she operated from April 30 to July 12 before Farragut returned to Veracruz. About two weeks later, Farragut began a round-trip voyage to carry dispatches to Tabasco, returning to Veracruz on August 11, 1847. On September 1, 1847, Farragut and Saratoga returned to blockade duty off Tuxpan, remaining there for two months despite a yellow fever outbreak on board. Farragut then brought the ship back to Veracruz and, after a month there, got underway for the Pensacola Navy Yard in Pensacola, Florida, where Saratoga arrived on January 6, 1848, disembarked all of her seriously sick patients at the base hospital, and replenished her stores. On January 31, 1848, Farragut took the ship out of Pensacola bound for New York City, arriving there on February 19. Saratoga was decommissioned there on February 26, 1848.^[22]

In 1853, Secretary of the Navy James C. Dobbin selected Commander David G. Farragut to create Mare Island Navy Yard near San Francisco in San Pablo Bay. In August 1854, Farragut was called to Washington from his post as assistant inspector of ordnance at Norfolk, Virginia. President Franklin Pierce congratulated Farragut on his naval career and the task he was to undertake. On September 16, 1854, Commander Farragut arrived to oversee the building of the Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo, California, which became the port for ship repairs on the West Coast. Captain Farragut commissioned Mare Island on July 16, 1858. Farragut returned to a hero’s welcome at Mare Island on August 11, 1859.^[23]^[24]

Though living in the south, prior to the American Civil War, Farragut made it clear to all who knew him that he regarded secession as treason. Just before the war’s outbreak, Farragut moved with his Virginian-born wife to Hastings-on-Hudson, a small town just outside New York City.^[9]^[25]

He offered his services to the Union, and was initially given a seat on the Naval Retirement Board. Offered a command by his foster brother, David Dixon Porter, for a special assignment, he hesitated upon learning the target might be Norfolk. As he had friends and relatives living there, he was relieved to learn the target was changed to his former childhood home of New Orleans.^[25]

Farragut was appointed under secret instructions on February 3, 1862, to command the Gulf Blockading Squadron, sailing from Hampton Roads on the screw steamer USS Hartford, bearing 25 guns, which he made his flagship, accompanied by a fleet of 17 ships. He reached the mouth of the Mississippi River, near Confederate forts St. Philip and Jackson, situated opposite one another along the banks of the river, with a combined armament of more than 100 heavy guns and a complement of 700 men. Now aware of Farragut’s approach, the Confederates had amassed a fleet of 16 gunboats just outside New Orleans.^[26]

On April 18, Farragut ordered the mortar boats, under the command of Porter, to commence bombardment on the two forts, inflicting considerable damage, but not enough to compel the Confederates to surrender. After two days of heavy bombardment, Farragut ran past forts Jackson and St. Philip and the Chalmette batteries to take the city and port of New Orleans on April 29, a decisive event in the war.^[27]

Congress honored him by creating the rank of rear admiral on July 16, 1862, a rank never before used in the U.S. Navy. Before this time, the American Navy had resisted the rank of admiral, preferring the term “flag officer”, to distinguish the rank from the traditions of the European navies. Farragut was promoted to rear admiral along with 13 other officers – three others on the active list and ten on the retired list.

Later that year, Farragut passed the batteries defending Vicksburg, Mississippi, but had no success there. A makeshift Confederate ironclad forced his flotilla of 38 ships to withdraw in July 1862.

While an aggressive commander, Farragut was not always cooperative. At the siege of Port Hudson, the plan was that Farragut’s flotilla would pass by the guns of the Confederate stronghold with the help of a diversionary land attack by the Army of the Gulf, commanded by General Nathaniel Banks, to commence at 8:00 a.m. on March 15, 1863. Farragut unilaterally decided to move the timetable up to 9:00 p.m. on March 14, and initiated his run past the guns before Union ground forces were in position. The consequently uncoordinated attack allowed the Confederates to concentrate on Farragut’s flotilla and inflict heavy damage to his warships.

Farragut’s flotilla was forced to retreat with only two ships able to pass the heavy cannon of the Confederate bastion. After surviving the gauntlet, Farragut played no further part in the battle for Port Hudson, and General Banks was left to continue the siege without the advantage of naval support. The Union Army made two major attacks on the fort; both were repulsed with heavy losses. Farragut’s flotilla was splintered, yet was able to blockade the mouth of the Red River with the two remaining warships; he could not efficiently patrol the section of the Mississippi between Port Hudson and Vicksburg. Farragut’s decision proved costly to the Union Navy and the Union Army, which suffered its highest casualty rate of the war at Port Hudson.

Vicksburg surrendered on July 4, 1863, leaving Port Hudson as the last remaining Confederate stronghold on the Mississippi River. General Banks accepted the surrender of the Confederate garrison at Port Hudson on July 9, ending the longest siege in U.S. military history. Control of the Mississippi River was the centerpiece of the Union strategy to win the war, and, with the surrender of Port Hudson, the Confederacy was now cut in two.

On August 5, 1864, Farragut won a great victory in the Battle of Mobile Bay. Mobile, Alabama, was then the Confederacy’s last major open port on the Gulf of Mexico. The bay was heavily mined (tethered naval mines were then known as “torpedoes”).^[28] Farragut ordered his fleet to charge the bay. As the battle progressed, smoke blocked Farragut’s view from his position on the USS Hartford. In a detailed account of the episode, Robert M. Browning reveals that, in order to see better, Farragut climbed the ship’s rigging until he reached the futtock shrouds under the main top. Fearing for his safety, the crew lashed him to the mast and rigging.^[29]

When the monitor USS Tecumseh struck a mine and sank, the others began to pull back. “What’s the trouble?” he shouted through a trumpet to USS Brooklyn. “Torpedoes”, was the shouted reply. “Damn the torpedoes.”, said Farragut, “Four bells, Captain Drayton, go ahead. Jouett, full speed.”^[30]^[31] The bulk of the fleet succeeded in entering the bay. Farragut triumphed over the opposition of heavy batteries in Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines to defeat the squadron of Admiral Franklin Buchanan.

On December 21, 1864, Lincoln promoted Farragut to vice admiral, which made him the senior ranking officer in the United States Navy.

After the Civil War, Farragut was elected a companion of the first class of the New York Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States on March 18, 1866, and assigned insignia number 231. He served as the commander of the Commandery of New York from May 1866 until his death.

Farragut was promoted to full admiral on July 25, 1866, becoming the first U.S. Navy officer to hold that rank.^[6]

His last active service was in command of the European Squadron, from 1867 to 1868, with the screw frigate USS Franklin as his flagship. Farragut remained on active duty for life, an honor accorded to only seven other U.S. Navy officers after the Civil War.^[32]

Farragut died from a heart attack at the age of 69 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, while on vacation in the late summer of 1870. He had served almost sixty years in the navy. He is interred at Woodlawn Cemetery, in The Bronx, New York City.^[33] His gravesite is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, as is Woodlawn Cemetery itself.

After appointment and an initial cruise as acting lieutenant commanding USS Ferret, Farragut married Susan Caroline Marchant on September 2, 1824.^[34] After years of ill health, Susan Farragut died on December 27, 1840. Farragut was noted for his kindly treatment of his wife during her illness.^[35]

After the death of his first wife, Farragut married Virginia Dorcas Loyall, on December 26, 1843, with whom he had one surviving son, named Loyall Farragut, born October 12, 1844. Loyall Farragut graduated from West Point in 1868, and served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army before resigning in 1872. He spent most of the remainder of his career as an executive with the Central Railroad Company of New Jersey. He was a hereditary member of the Military Society of the War of 1812 and a companion of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Loyall died on October 1, 1916, as noted on one side of the family monument that he and his mother erected to the memory of his father in Woodlawn Cemetery.^[36]

Farragut had a brother named William A. C. Farragut. William was also in the Navy but had a far less distinguished career. He was warranted as a midshipman on January 16, 1809 (a year before David Farragut would begin his career) and was promoted to lieutenant on December 9, 1814. William remained at that rank until he was transferred to the Reserve List on December 15, 1855. He died on December 20, 1859.

David Farragut was initiated to the Scottish Rite Masonry.^[37]^[38]^[39]

Disposition:

Sold on 08/14/1947 and scrapped.

TCS Ship History

A Tin Can Sailors Destroyer History

USS FARRAGUT DD-348

The Tin Can Sailors, July 1996

The contract to build the class leader of the newly-designed FARRAGUTs was awarded to Bethlehem Steel’s Quincy (MA) shipyard and USS FARRAGUT (DD 348) was launched on March 15, 1934, sponsored by the President’s daughter- in-law, Mrs. James Roosevelt.

DD-348 was the third naval vessel to bear the name of the famous Civil War Admiral, David Glasgow Farragut, whose historic order, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead” conveyed the destroyer philosophy so well.

FARRAGUT was commissioned three months after her launching, and immediately became the showpiece of the Atlantic destroyer force as the newest destroyer available. She was often visited by foreign dignitaries and twice conveyed President Franklin D. Roosevelt on his many cruises in the Caribbean area.

The destroyer’s assignment to the Pacific in the spring of 1935 marked the beginning of a long career with the Pacific fleet. A variety of maneuvers busied destroyers in the pre-War period, the FARRAGUT served as DesRon 20’s flagship during training cruises both in the Aleutians and in the Caribbean. By 1941, DD-348 was almost constantly at sea, honing her skills as a screen for America’s meager carrier force.

On December 7, 1941, FARRAGUT was moored in East Loch, Pearl Harbor. Her engineering officer, the senior officer aboard at the time of the attack, succeeded in getting underway. Attacked by more than a dozen raiders, she successfully fought all off, while receiving slight damage from a strafing attack.

FARRAGUT served with distinction in a litany of battle throughout the Pacific. In 1942, she supported carrier forces in the momentous battle of the Coral Sea, she screened forces landing at Guadalcanal, and defended carrier strikes into the Eastern Solomons. She transited to Kiska and Attu in the Aleutian chain in 1943, where her accurate gunfire supported troops establishing a foothold in the western Alaskan archipelago.

By mid-year, the much-traveled tin can was back in the central Pacific, this time to guard carriers softening up Tarawa, Kwajalein and Eniwetok. Then, it was back to the South Pacific for engagements in the Hollandia area.

FARRAGUT returned to the central Pacific in 1944, where she served off Saipan and Guam, again adding her gunfire support to the invasion of one atoll after another. As a radar picket, she helped to locate enemy forces in the Battle of the Philippine Sea. She was seen off the beach in Guam, supporting demolition teams in preparation for the invasion; her accurate gunfire smashed Rota later in July.

After an all-too-brief overhaul at the Puget Sound Navy Yard, she returned to the conflict, serving as a screen for the oilers replenishing the fast carrier task forces operating in the Western Pacific. She even served her turn on the radar picket line off Okinawa in the closing weeks of the war. FARRAGUT was finally rotated home by the end of August 1945 and arrived at the Brooklyn Navy Yard on September 25, 1945. She was decommissioned in October 1945, and sold for scrapping on August 14, 1947, having earned fourteen battle stars for her service in World War II.

Ship History

USS FARRAGUT DD-348 Ship History

Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships, May 2017

The third Farragut (DD-348) was laid down on 20 September 1932 at Quincy, Mass., by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp.; renamed Smith on 15 July 1933; renamed Farragut on 12 August 1933; sponsored by Mrs. James [Betsey C.] Roosevelt, the wife of one of the three sons of President Franklin D. Roosevelt; launched on 15 March 1934; and commissioned on 18 June 1934, Cmdr. Elliott Buckmaster in command.

Since the United States had curtailed destroyer construction because of the international treaties limiting naval armament following World War I, Farragut devoted much of her early service to developmental operations. The ship visited Newport, R.I. (1 September 1934), and then moored to Pier 32 at New York City (2–5 September). She completed her final acceptance trials at Hampton Roads, Va. (11–14 October). The ship sailed from Norfolk, Va., on 4 January 1935, briefly put into Boston, Mass. (11 January), and then set course for the Caribbean.

Farragut served as a plane guard during aircraft carrier operations at Rosalind Bank in the Caribbean (15 and 16 January 1935), reached Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on 18 January, and conducted gunnery practice off Guantánamo and the Gulf of Gonaives, Haiti, until 2 February. Farragut then carried out antiaircraft drills and experimental firing off Pensacola, Fla. (4–14 February), and returned to Norfolk on 18 February. The ship completed repairs at Norfolk Navy Yard, and then visited the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md. (16–18 March 1935).

Farragut departed Annapolis, paused briefly at Norfolk, and reached Jacksonville, Fla., on 22 March 1935. At 1547 on 26 March, the ship embarked President Franklin D. Roosevelt at Jacksonville. The next day, she rendezvoused with William V. Astor and his yacht Nourmahal off North Cat Island, Great Bahama Bank, and transferred the chief executive. Farragut escorted the yacht on a cruise to the Bahamas, and lay to off Lobos Cay (28 March); Great Inagua Island (29–30 March); Crooked Island (30–31 March); Long Island (1–3 April); Conception Island (3–4 April); Little San Salvador (5–6 April); and Great Stirrup Cay (6–7 April). President Roosevelt re-embarked on board the destroyer at 1740 on 7 April, and the following day, she returned him to Jacksonville, where Governor David Sholtz of Florida and Mayor John T. Alsop, Jr., of Jacksonville called on the President. All of the passengers disembarked at 1225 on 8 April.

After Farragut transited the Panama Canal, she set course for San Diego, Calif., arriving there on 19 April 1935. She then participated in fleet maneuvers on the west coast, training operations in the Hawaiian Islands, and cruises in the summer months to train men of the Naval Reserve in Alaskan waters.

The annual fleet problems concentrated the Navy’s power to conduct maneuvers on the largest scale and under the most realistic conditions attainable. The five phases of Fleet Problem XVI covered a vast area from the Aleutian Islands to Midway, Territory of Hawaii, and the Eastern Pacific (29 April–10 June 1935). Patrol and Marine planes took the major aerial role during landing exercises when combined forces launched a strategic offensive against the enemy. Severe weather hampered the operations in Alaskan waters. During her first fleet problem, aircraft carrier Ranger (CV-4) joined Langley (CV-1), Lexington (CV-2), and Saratoga (CV-3) in the main body of the White fleet. Farragut sailed from San Diego for the problem on 28 April, briefly accomplished work at Puget Sound Navy Yard (2–3 May), and steamed via Dutch Harbor (8–10 May) and Kulak Bay (11–14 May), Alaska, to Pearl Harbor, arriving on 26 May. She concluded her participation in the problem on 30 May, and returned to San Diego on 11 June.

The ship sailed for a summer cruise to Alaska on 29 June 1935. She trained in fleet tactics en route, and celebrated Independence Day at Grays Harbor, Wash. (3–8 July), followed by a visit to Port Angeles, Wash. (12–17 July). Farragut reached Alaskan waters and anchored at Dewey Anchorage (20–23 July); Karta Bay (23–24 July); Rudyard Bay (24–26 July); Yes Bay (26–27 July); and Ketchikan Bay (27–29 July). She came about, and reached Port Angeles on 1 August, Seattle the following day, and returned to San Diego on 9 August. Farragut completed repairs in auxiliary repair dock (non-self-propelled) ARD-1.

Fleet Problem XVII consisted of a five phase exercise to meet a surprise offensive by an enemy fleet at a time when the U.S. fleet had divided (20 April–6 June 1936). The forces involved included two carriers to either side and ranged from the West Coast to Panama, and the western coast of Central America. The participants included Langley, Lexington, Saratoga, and Ranger. Farragut participated in the problem in southern Californian waters (20–27 April), and continued to Panama, where she operated with the fleet (9–16 May). She sailed for a goodwill tour to Peru on 16 May, visiting Callao (28 May–2 June), and returned to Balboa, Panama Canal Zone (6–8 June), and San Diego on 16 June. Cmdr. Edward P. Sauer relieved Cmdr. Buckmaster as the commanding officer on 20 June.

Following upkeep and a tender overhaul, Farragut steamed for a summer cruiser to Alaska on 6 July 1936. She visited Seward (13–14 July) and Kodiak (15–17 July), Alaska, and then accomplished upkeep at Port Angeles and sound work at Port Townsend (21–31 July). She visited Portland, Ore. (5–10 August) and returned to San Diego on 13 August. Farragut trained with the Scouting Force and then completed an overhaul (18 October–22 December). The ship carried out additional upkeep alongside destroyer tender Dobbin (AD-3) at San Diego (15 February–14 March 1937). Farragut shifted to Destroyer Division (DesDiv 2), Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 1, on 1 April. Cmdr. Peter K. Fischler relieved Cmdr. Sauer as the commanding officer in May.

During the nine phases of Fleet Problem XVIII (4–9 May 1937), an enemy fleet attempted to establish an advance base in the Hawaiian Islands. The problem included a simulated attack on facilities on Oahu. Lexington of the Northern Force launched a strike against Wheeler Field (USAAC). Saratoga of the Oahu Bombardment Force sent her planes against coastal guns between Pearl Harbor and Diamond Head. Ranger of the Hilo Force sent her aircraft against the Pearl Harbor Navy Yard. In addition, Black carriers Lexington and Saratoga and White Ranger launched strikes against each other. Farragut sailed for Fleet Problem XVIII on 16 April, and moored at Pearl Harbor on 25 April. She operated at sea during the main phases of the exercise (5–8 May), put into Pearl Harbor following the problem, and sailed on 19 May, returning to San Diego on 28 May. The ship took part in Independence Day festivities at Manhattan Beach, Calif. (2–7 July), and carried out an overhaul at Mare Island Navy Yard, Vallejo, Calif., through 7 September.

Severe weather hampered the 12 phases of Fleet Problem XIX across the Northern Pacific between Alaska and the Hawaiian Islands (16 March–27 April 1938). During Phase 5, the Blue fleet attacked the Hawaiian Islands, which were defended by the Red fleet and mined approaches. An epidemic of tonsillitis on board Lexington prevented her from participating, and Saratoga fulfilled the role of Lexington. Saratoga attacked at 0450 on 29 March from a position about 100 miles to the northward of Oahu, having masked her approach by sailing on the easterly side of a weather front. Saratoga’s reconnaissance planes spotted light cruiser Richmond (CL-9) north of Lahaina Roads, and her attack group bombed the Fleet Air Base, Wailupe Radio Station, and Hickam and Wheeler Fields (USAAC), recovering on board by 0835. The carrier launched a second strike that morning against the ships and facilities at Lahaina, but the defenders retaliated and lightly damaged Saratoga. Farragut sailed for the problem on 14 March, fought through the various scenarios, anchored at Lahaina (31 March–4 April), and completed upkeep at Pearl Harbor (8–14 April), before returning to San Diego on 28 April.

Farragut made for Alaskan waters on 21 June 1938, visiting Port Angeles (25 June–1 July); Ketchikan (3–5 July); Yes Bay (5–6 July); Taku Inlet (6–9 July); Yakutat Bay (10–12 July); and Sitka (13 July), before completing upkeep at Seattle (16–21 July). She visited Portland (22 July–1 August), San Francisco (3–9 August), and returned to San Diego on 12 August. The ship completed upkeep alongside destroyer tender Whitney (AD-4) at San Diego, followed by a Fleet Review and then an overhaul at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard (2 October–6 December).

She sailed on 3 January 1939 for Fleet Problem XX (20–27 February). The exercise ranged across the Caribbean and the northeast coast of South America, and included aircraft carriers Enterprise (CV-6) and Yorktown (CV-5) for the first time. The problem included the employment of planes and carriers in connection with the escort of a convoy, the development of coordinating antisubmarine measures between aircraft and destroyers, and the trial of various evasive tactics against attacking planes and submarines. The fleet finished the problem and retired to Culebra Bay, P.R., where President Roosevelt reviewed the ships and submarines from the deck of heavy cruiser Houston (CA-30) on 28 February. Farragut returned to San Diego on 12 April. The ship completed an availability at Mare Island (22 April–17 August). Cmdr. George W. Welker, Jr., assumed command of the ship in June 1939.

The destroyer trained in fleet tactics at Pyramid Cove, San Clemente Island, Calif., during the summer of 1939. She underwent repairs while drydocked in ARD-1 (21–22 September), followed by additional fleet tactics training with DesRon 1 at San Pedro, including daily war games at sea (23–29 September). Farragut steamed with the Hawaiian Detachment to shift her home port to Pearl Harbor, mooring at Merry Point Dock at Pearl Harbor on 12 October 1939. She subsequently completed upkeep alongside Dobbin.

Fleet Problem XXI consisted of two separate phases around the Hawaiian Islands and Eastern Pacific, and involved the coordination of commands, the protection of a convoy, and the seizure of advanced bases to bring about a decisive engagement (April–May 1940). Farragut took part in the problem (3–26 April): anchoring at Lahaina (10–15 April), returning to Pearl Harbor, patrolling off Oahu, returning to Pearl Harbor and then sortieing to Lahaina for sound exercises, cruiser and destroyer tactics, and antiaircraft firing. The global crisis compelled the Navy to cancel Fleet Problem XXII in 1941.

The ship completed an overhaul alongside Whitney (27 May–30 June). She accomplished upkeep at buoy 23 at San Diego (9–13 July), followed by an overhaul at Mare Island (14 July–22 September). Farragut returned to San Diego on 25 September. She resumed training in gunnery and fleet tactics in Hawaiian waters in October.

Farragut sailed in company with destroyer Aylwin (DD-355) from Pearl Harbor for the west coast, the two destroyers acting as the inner antisubmarine screen for Enterprise (7–13 February 1941). Two days later, Farragut put to sea for Pearl Harbor, fueling at Merry Point Dock and then mooring to buoy X23 on 21 February. She subsequently completed work alongside Whitney.

During tactical exercises in Hawaiian waters soon thereafter, Farragut collided with Aylwin at 23°35’N, 158°14’W, on the dark and moonless night of 19 March 1941. Upon concluding the exercises, all the destroyers proceeded to a rendezvous astern of the fleet’s center. Aylwin turned on her running and fighting lights as Farragut loomed out of the night on her port bow at 2251. At 2303, Aylwin and Farragut turned toward each other. Both ships backed emergency full, but a minute later, Farragut’s bow plowed into Aylwin’s port side at a 90-degree angle, heavily damaging the ship forward from frames 1 to 22.

A fire erupted within Aylwin and swiftly spread aft through the wardroom and into the officers’ staterooms. The flames leapt as high as her masthead and illuminated the two ships, and Aylwin’s electrical installation burned with intense heat. Fire parties from light cruiser Philadelphia (CL-41) and destroyers Dale (DD-353), Stack (DD-406), and Sterett (DD-407) helped Aylwin’s crewmen defeat the inferno by 0140 on 20 March. A party from heavy cruiser Indianapolis (CA-35) worked with men from Philadelphia, assessed the damage and made temporary repairs. Light cruiser Detroit (CL-8) attempted to tow Aylwin to Pearl Harbor but the cable parted. MinesweeperTurkey (AM-13) towed the destroyer to port stern-first. Chief Signalman Roy E. Benedict, U.S. Fleet Reserve, died on board Aylwin, and the ship completed extensive repairs in drydock before she rejoined the fleet. Subsequently, Cmdr. George P. Hunter relieved Cmdr. Welker as the commanding officer in April.

The ship intensified her training operations as World War II spread across the world. She alternatively screened carriers in Hawaiian waters and patrolled off Diamond Head, Oahu. Farragut sailed with Task Force (TF) 13 as part of the inner antisubmarine screen for Saratoga on 3 July 1941, and conducted a simulated bombardment of Fort Rosecrans, Calif., on 10 July. She moored in San Diego Harbor with DesDiv 2, and returned to sea with the task force on 24 July, berthing at buoy X12 at Pearl Harbor on 31 July. The destroyer completed an availability at the Navy Yard (5–9 August), and then operated with TF 1, returning to buoy X-14 at Pearl Harbor (19 September–28 November).

The Japanese attacked Oahu on 7 December 1941. Farragut moored starboard side to Aylwin in a nest with destroyers Dale and Monaghan (DD-354) of DesDiv 2 at buoy X-14, East Loch, Pearl Harbor. Destroyer Ward (DD-139) had sighted what was most likely Japanese midget submarine I-22tou when the submarine attempted to infiltrate Pearl Harbor by following general stores issue ship Antares (AKS-3) into the channel. Ward attacked, and with the assistance of 14-P-1, a Consolidated PBY-5 Catalina flown by Ensign William P. Tanner of Patrol Squadron (VP) 14, sank the boat. Monaghan received a signal to “proceed immediately and contact Ward in defensive sea area” at 0751. The ship thus began to make ready to sail before the fighting began at 0758.

Lt. Cmdr. Hunter was ashore when the Japanese attacked. Lt. Edwin K. Jones, Farragut’s engineering officer and the senior officer on board, took command of the ship. Farragut sounded general quarters at 0758. At 0812, she opened fire with her main battery, though no enemy planes approached within range of her machine guns. Monaghan left the nest at 0828, followed at 0840 by Dale. Farragut cleared the nest at 0852 and sailed down the channel.

The ship fired at several Japanese aircraft that flew within range. A Japanese plane, eyewitnesses did not positively identify the type but mostly reported a Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 carrier fighter, strafed Farragut topside while the ship proceeded abreast of Hickam Field, USAAF, slightly damaging her but not wounding any of her crew, at 0921. Six minutes later, the ship cleared the channel and ceased firing at the enemy planes as they flew out of range. The destroyer rendezvoused with Enterprise during the morning watch on 8 December, and helped to screen the carrier until the second dog watch. Farragut returned to Pearl Harbor and moored to buoy X-18 at 1833 on 8 December. Through the end of the year, she patrolled for submarines to protect ships entering and leaving Pearl Harbor. Farragut depth-charged a submarine contact on 27 December with undetermined results.

Through early April 1942, Farragut operated in Hawaiian waters, and from Oahu to San Francisco, on antisubmarine patrols and escort duty. The Japanese then launched Operation MO, the seizure of Port Moresby, New Guinea, and points in the Solomon Islands, Nauru, and the Ocean Islands, preparatory to the neutralization of Australia as an Allied bastion. Allied countermoves led to the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval engagement fought without the opposing ships making contact.

Farragut sortied from Pearl Harbor with TF 11, Rear Adm. Aubrey W. Fitch in command and centered around Lexington, to confront the Japanese advance, on 15 April 1942. Farragut crossed the equator on 20 April, and one of the humorous charges directed against some of her pollywogs consisted of “Joining the Navy to evade the draft.”

Fitch rendezvoused with TF 17, Rear Adm. Frank Jack Fletcher in command, and comprising Yorktown, on 1 May. Farragut sailed initially with Task Group (TG) 17.2 Attack Group, but Fletcher detached her to TG 17.3, Support Group, also consisting of Australian heavy cruiser Australia (D.84), U.S. heavy cruiser Chicago (CA-29), Australian light cruiser Hobart (D.63), and U.S. destroyers Perkins (DD-377) and Walke (DD-416) of DesRon 9. Rear Adm. John G. Crace, RN, broke his flag in command of the group in Australia. Crace detached to intercept Japanese Rear Adm. Abe Koso’s Port Moresby Invasion Force in the Jomard Passage.

A Japanese seaplane flying from Deboyne, Louisiade Archipelago, spotted Crace’s ships 78 miles from Deboyne, at 1240 on 7 May 1942. The enemy erroneously reported the ships as one battleship, two heavy cruisers, and three destroyers. A Japanese land attack plane operating from Rabaul, New Britain, then reported Allied ships, including carriers, sailing a different course but also south of the Louisiades, at 1315. The discovery of two Allied task forces, one of which apparently comprised one or more carriers, persuaded the Japanese to redirect planes earmarked for other missions to attack the Support Group.

A flight of 12 Mitsubishi G4M1 Type 1 land attack planes of the Fourth Kōkūtai (Air Group) carrying torpedoes, escorted by 11 Type 0 carrier fighters of the Tainan Kōkūtai, all flying from Rabaul, changed course toward the anticipated route of the Allied ships. Twenty Mitsubishi G3M3 Type 96 land attack planes of the Genzan Kōkūtai operating from Rabaul also made for the Support Group. The fighters came about for Rabaul and unintentionally sighted the Allied ships during the afternoon watch. The bombers then (separately) intercepted Crace, eluding radar detection by flying at low altitude, and attacked.

Crace initially directed his ships to steam in a diamond antiaircraft formation, on course 090° and zig-zagging at a speed of 25 knots. Farragut steamed 1,400 yards off the port bow of Australia, with Perkins ahead and Walke off Farragut’s starboard bow. Farragut sounded general quarters at 1427 and the fighters attacked two minutes later from her starboard quarter. The ship fired 30 rounds of 5-inch ammunition from all of her guns without observing hits, at a mean range of 8,000 yards.

Farragut sighted the Type 1 land attack planes off her port bow at 1500 on 7 May 1942. The bombers circled ahead and approached sharp on the port bow in three groups, four planes to a group. Farragut opened fire with her forward 5-inch guns in director control, splashing one of the attackers, which burst into flames and plummeted into the sea. Some of the bombers dropped their torpedoes at ranges from 1,000–1,500 yards ahead of the formation, and others closed and dropped their torpedoes while flying inside the task force.

A Type 1 dropped a torpedo slightly on the port bow of Farragut, but the ship avoided the weapon by heading toward the bomber during its approach and then using left full rudder. The torpedo passed down the starboard side barely 50 yards clear, running shallow. Sailors fired 20 millimeter guns, Browning Automatic Rifles, and M-1 Thompson submachine guns at the planes when they passed into the arcs of fire of the 5-inch mounts. About five aircraft passed to starboard between Australia and Farragut and two to port, the Japanese strafing from their aft blisters as they hurtled by. Farragut ceased firing at 1508 after shooting an additional 120 rounds of 5-inch antiaircraft service, as well as 750 rounds of 20 millimeter ball and 750 more of tracer, and 208 rounds of small arms ammunition. One of the 20 millimeter rounds burned in the chamber of the No. 2 gun, temporarily putting it out of action. The gunners afterward surmised that they probably caused the casualty by removing the magazine before they fired the last round.

A Japanese bullet grazed Seaman 1st Class Harold E. White, the gunner of No. 5 20 millimeter gun, over his right eye. Nearby crewmen administered first aid and White continued to man his gun. Fireman 2d Class Ernest F. Crofutt, Jr., and Gunner’s Mate 3d Class James H. Gillespie suffered broken ear drums from the muzzle blast of the 5-inch guns. A Type 1 attack plane’s machine gun slightly damaged some of the topside structure, and a small caliber shell, tentatively identified as a 1.1-inch round apparently fired from one of the ships aft of Farragut, pierced her side at Frame 30 starboard, 10 feet above the waterline, and set paint on clothes in a locker afire in her Stateroom 101 starboard. The Repair Party controlled the flames. The cruisers and other destroyers heeled over during sharp turns throughout the battle, and avoided all of the bombs and torpedoes, but strafing killed two crewmen and wounded three others on board Chicago. The ships splashed a total of four Type 1 attack planes.

Farragut sighted 19 Type 96 land attack planes making a high level approach in a massed ‘V’ formation on Australia and Chicago at 1526 on 7 May 1942. The ship fired 49 5-inch rounds without effect. Three USAAF Boeing B-17E Flying Fortresses of the 435th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 19th Bombardment Group (attached to Allied Air Forces), flying from Townsville, Australia, then mistakenly bombed but missed Farragut at 1527. The first two Flying Fortresses appeared at an altitude of 20,000 feet, followed by the trailing third bomber. Crewmen on board Farragut clearly identified the planes as four-engine bombers and as they dropped five bombs, the ship increased to flank speed and came hard left. All five bombs splashed into the water about 200–300 yards off her starboard quarter. Crace radioed Fletcher concerning the necessity of fighter cover for his future operations. The Support Group continued and watched the Jomard Passage, and Farragut passed the remainder of the battle uneventfully.

Farragut arrived at Cid Harbor, Queensland, Australia, on 11 May 1942. During the subsequent weeks, she helped escort convoys and called at Brisbane, Australia; Nouméa, New Caledonia; Suva, Fiji Islands; Nukualofa Harbor, Tongatabu, Tonga Islands; and Auckland, New Zealand. The destroyer encountered cold weather and rough seas while in New Zealand waters, and returned to Pearl Harbor on 29 June.

The Americans landed on Japanese-held Guadalcanal, Florida, Gavutu, Tanambogo, and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands during Operation Watchtower, the first U.S. land offensive of World War II. Farragut sortied from Pearl Harbor with Saratoga for Watchtower on 7 July 1942. They rendezvoused with additional ships and formed TF 61 Expeditionary Force, Vice Adm. Fletcher in command. Fletcher’s task force including TG 61.1, Rear Adm. Leigh Noyes in command, comprising aircraft carriers Enterprise, Saratoga, and Wasp (CV-7). The Marines wrestled control of the neighboring islands from the Japanese, and simultaneously moved inland on Guadalcanal, on 7 August. The following day, they captured the unfinished Japanese airstrip and redesignated it Henderson Field in honor of Maj. Lofton R. Henderson, USMC, who had been shot down while leading Marine Scout Bombing Squadron (VMSB) 241 on an unsuccessful attack on Japanese carrier Hiryū at the Battle of Midway on 4 June.

Lt. Cmdr. Henry D. Rozendal relieved Cmdr. Hunter as the ship’s commanding officer in August 1942. Farragut served as a screening ship and plane guard for Saratoga during the air operations covering the assault on Guadalcanal. She then patrolled the eastern Solomons to protect the sea lanes to Guadalcanal.

The destroyer fought as part of Fletcher’s TF 61, still comprising Enterprise, Saratoga, and Wasp, during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons (24–25 August 1942). Supported by USMC and USAAF planes from Henderson Field, Fletcher turned back a Japanese attempt to recapture Guadalcanal and Tulagi. Enterprise fought off Japanese torpedo bombers but enemy dive bombers inflicted three direct bomb hits and four near misses that killed 74 men and wounded 95. Her crewmen controlled the fires and Enterprise made for Pearl Harbor. The Japanese lost nearly 90 aircraft to U.S. casualties of 20 planes.

Japanese submarines shadowed and attacked Allied ships. Battleship North Carolina (BB-55) and Saratoga both detected an apparent radar contact at about 0330 on 31 August 1942. Farragut investigated the contact, but failed to identify an enemy boat, and crewmen speculated that the radar image revealed a rain squall, which faded as the ships opened the range. The following day, Japanese submarine I-26 torpedoed Saratoga 260 miles southeast of Guadalcanal. The ensuing damage compelled the carrier to retire for repairs.

Farragut patrolled off Guadalcanal to guard transports while they unloaded cargo and disembarked troops, and escorted convoys from Australia to Espíritu Santo, New Hebrides (Vanuatu); Nouméa; and the Fijis. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 27 January 1943, and completed an overhaul and training on the west coast.

The ship reached Adak, Alaska, on 16 April 1943. She patrolled Alaskan waters until 11 May, when she screened transports that landed the U.S. Army’s 7th Division on Attu Island, Aleutians, during Operation Landcrab. Japanese submarine I-31 unsuccessfully attacked battleship Pennsylvania (BB-38), which supported the landings with gunfire, nine miles northeast of Holtz Bay, on 12 May. Farragut assisted destroyer Edwards (DD-619) and a Catalina, and they sank I-31 about five miles northeast of Chichagof Harbor, Attu, near 53°00’N, 173°21’E.

Farragut continued antisubmarine patrols off the Aleutians through June 1943. The ship’s SG radar detected an apparent Japanese submarine steaming on the surface south of Kiska, 23 miles from Point Roger (North Head), during dense fog at 0946 on 16 June. To avoid mistakenly firing at a possible U.S. vessel, Edwards patrolled in the area, Farragut twice queried the stranger via TBS (line-of-sight voice radio). The suspect did not respond and Farragut opened fire and maneuvered to attack the submarine by guns or depth charges, but disengaged without success shortly after noon. Cmdr. Rozendal, the ship’s commanding officer, later lamented: “The Commanding Officer and the entire ship’s company feel the loss of this prize keenly and while the loss may have been in some part due to mistakes and faulty judgement there is also a feeling that with a little more ordinary luck sound or visual contact would have been made and destruction of target would have followed.”

Farragut patrolled and blockaded off Kiska from 5 July 1943, but the Japanese had secretly evacuated their garrison undetected by the Allies (26 May–28 July). The destroyer took part in a bombardment of suspected Japanese antiaircraft emplacements on Sunrise Hill, Kiska, on 22 July. The ship fired 180 rounds of 5-inch, but observed antiaircraft gun flashes in the area of North Head and shifted fire toward them, shooting an additional 35 shells (215 total).

TG 16.7, Rear Adm. Robert C. Giffen, in command, and TG 16.17, Rear Adm. Robert M. Griffin in command, fought an elusive foe during what veterans of the action subsequently dubbed the “Battle of the Pips.” Beginning at 0047 on 26 July 1943, the Americans detected a series of radar contacts that apparently indicated Japanese ships about 90 miles southwest of Kiska. Destroyers Abner Read (DD-526), Farragut, and Perry (DD-340) acted as the antisubmarine screen for battleships Idaho (BB-42) and Mississippi (BB-41) of TG 16.12. Farragut detected her initial contact bearing 060°, range 15 miles, and sounded general quarters at 0055. Within minutes, ships commenced firing at their radar contacts but confusion reigned, and watchstanders on board multiple vessels repeatedly asked other vessels via TBS: “Do you have target on your screen?” Ships checked fire more than once only to resume shooting. Farragut secured from general quarters at 0710. Idaho and Mississippi fired 518 rounds of 14-inch and heavy cruisers Portland (CA-33), San Francisco (CA-38), and Wichita (CA-45) shot 487 rounds of 8-inch ammunition without scoring a single hit. Phantom echoes on the radar screens produced the embarrassing episode.

Farragut sank an empty Japanese landing craft (perhaps cast adrift by the evacuating enemy garrison) four miles east of Sobaka Rock, off the south coast of Kiska, on 28 July 1943. The ship detached to fuel, however, and missed her final opportunity to intercept enemy vessels as they evacuated the last of the garrison. Two days later, Farragut and Hull fired 200 rounds of 5-inch against the former Japanese encampment at Gertrude Cove, Kiska, still unaware of the enemy’s evacuation. Farragut joined in the bombardment of the island additional times in the days before the landings of 15 August. She continued to protect the troops ashore at Kiska until 4 September, when she left Adak in convoy for San Francisco and a brief overhaul. Lt. Cmdr. Edward F. Ferguson relieved Cmdr. Rozendal as the commanding officer in the summer of 1943.

Farragut put to sea from San Diego on 19 October 1943, bound for training in the Hawaiian Islands and at Espíritu Santo. She took part in Operation Galvanic, the occupation of the Japanese-held Gilbert Islands (13 November–8 December 1943). The ship then made for the west coast for repairs and training.

The destroyer sailed from San Diego on 13 January 1944. She participated in Operation Flintlock, the occupation of the Marshalls. During the assaults on Kwajalein and Eniwetok, she screened carriers, patrolled, and conducted antisubmarine searches.

TF 58, Vice Adm. Marc A. Mitscher in command, launched a series of attacks on Japanese garrisons and vessels at Palau, Ulithi, Woleai, and Yap in the Western Carolines on 30 March. Planners intended these strikes to eliminate Japanese opposition to landings at Hollandia on northern New Guinea, and to gather photographic intelligence for future battles. Grumman TBF-1C and Eastern TBM-1C Avengers from Torpedo Squadrons (VTs) 2, 8, and 16, embarked on board aircraft carriers Bunker Hill (CV-19), Hornet (CV-12), and Lexington (CV-16), sowed extensive minefields in the approaches to the Palaus in the first U.S. large scale daylight tactical use of mines by carrier aircraft. These raids continued until 1 April and claimed the destruction of 157 Japanese aircraft, sank destroyer Wakatake, repair ship Akashi, aircraft transport Goshu Maru, and 38 other vessels, damaged four ships, and denied the harbor to the enemy for an estimated six weeks.

Late in April 1944, Farragut supported the assault of the Army’s I Corps at Aitape and Tanahmerah Bay (Operation Persecution) and at Humboldt Bay on Hollandia (Operation Reckless) on the north coast of New Guinea.

While TF 58 returned to Majuro following the landings at Hollandia, Mitscher launched a two day attack on Japanese installations and supply dumps at Truk Lagoon in the Carolines. The previous strike, on 17 February 1944, had wreaked havoc on the Japanese, and planes operating over the waters off Palau reported a paucity of vessels in the area and sank only two ships and claimed the destruction of 145 enemy aircraft (29–30 April). TG 58.1, Rear Adm. Joseph J. Clark in command, detached on the second day, launched planes that flew protective cover for a cruiser bombardment of Satawan, and on 1 May supported the bombardment of Ponape with air cover and bombing and strafing runs. Following those operations, Farragut trained out of Majuro.

The American landings on Saipan in the Marianas during Operation Forager penetrated the inner defensive perimeter of the Japanese Empire and triggered A-Go, a Japanese counterattack that led to the Battle of the Philippine Sea. Farragut arrived in the waters off Saipan on 11 June 1944. She operated with the invasion forces during the succeeding days, guarded the carriers covering the landings on 15 June, and bombarded the Japanese garrison on Saipan.

The Japanese intended for their shore-based planes to cripple the air power of TF 58, in order to facilitate strikes by their 1st Mobile Fleet, Vice Adm. Ozawa Jisaburō in command, which were to refuel and rearm on Guam. Japanese fuel shortages and inadequate training bedeviled A-Go, however, and U.S. signal decryption breakthroughs enabled attacks on Japanese submarines that deprived the enemy of intelligence, while raids on the Bonin and Volcano Islands disrupted Japanese aerial staging en route to the Marianas, and their main attacks passed through U.S. antiaircraft fire to reach the carriers. Farragut served as a radar picket through the main battle at sea (19–20 June). The fighting decimated Japanese air strength and ensured the ultimate success of the landings in the Marianas. Farragut then sailed to replenish at Eniwetok (28 June–14 July).

Farragut next supported Operation Stevedore, landings by the 3rd Marine Division, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the Army’s 77th Division on Guam. She closed the beach at Agat, Guam, to provide covering fire for underwater demolition teams that prepared for the assault on the island (17–18 July). After screening a cruiser to Saipan she returned to Guam on 21 July to patrol seaward of the Fire Support Group covering the assault landings. On 25 July, she joined in the bombardment of Rota, and five days later cleared for overhaul at Puget Sound Navy Yard.

The ship reached Ulithi on 21 November 1944, and four days later sailed to screen a group of oilers serving TGs 38.2 and 38.3, Rear Admirals Gerald F. Bogan and Frederick C. Sherman in command, respectively, while they launched strikes against Japanese ships off central Luzon, Philippines. Farragut operated out of Ulithi during the succeeding months. In spite of almost continuous harsh weather, the Allies invaded Lingayen Gulf on western Luzon in the Philippines in January 1945. The Japanese reacted vigorously and their planes attacked the invasion forces during the transit from Leyte Gulf. TF 38, Vice Adm. John S. McCain in command, concentrated on the destruction of enemy air power and air installations. Planes bombed Japanese airfields and ships at Formosa (Taiwan) on 3 January. On 6 January, strikes shifted to airfields and shipping at Luzon in response to Japanese kamikaze suicide attacks, and on 9 January the Pescadores and Ryūkyū Islands, claiming the destruction of more than 100 Japanese aircraft and 40,000 tons of merchant and small warships.

During the night of 9 and 10 January 1945, TF 38 made a high-speed run through Luzon Strait into the South China Sea. The replenishment group passed through Balintang Channel. On 12 January, the carriers launched strikes along 420 miles of the Indochina coast. The task force moved northward to evade a typhoon and bombed Japanese targets at Hong Kong, along the Chinese coast, Hainan, and Formosa on 15 January, and the following day concentrated on Hong Kong. Inclement weather persisted, and the attackers came about from the South China Sea, and on 20 January made a nighttime run through Balintang Channel to strike Taiwan, the Pescadores, and Okinawa. Japanese planes damaged Ticonderoga (CV-14) and Langley (CVL-27) but the next day U.S. aircraft raided the Ryūkyūs. During three weeks of action the force claimed the destruction of more than 600 Japanese planes and 325,000 tons of shipping.

Farragut then sailed with TF 58, Vice Adm. Mitscher in command, as part of Operation Detachment, landings on Iwo Jima in the Kazan Rettō (Volcano Islands) by the Fourth and Fifth Marine Divisions (February–March 1945). She continued with TF 58 in Operation Iceberg, the invasion of Okinawa in the Ryūkyū Islands. Japanese kamikazes savaged the ships operating off shore. They launched the first of a series of ten mass kamikaze attacks, interspersed with smaller raids and named Kikusui (Floating Chrysanthemum) No. 1, against Allied ships on 6 April. Through 28 May, these attacks involved 1,465 aircraft.

The destroyer served on carrier screening duty for the air operations that supported landings on some of the remaining enemy-held Ryūkyūs (25–28 April 1945). Farragut then escorted convoys between Ulithi and Okinawa (11 May–6 August), interspersed by a brief period during the last two weeks of May when she performed radar picket duty off Okinawa. The fighting cost the Navy a total of 763 aircraft and 36 ships and craft sunk and 368 damaged. At least 4,907 men on board these ships were killed or missing and 4,824 wounded.

The destroyer steamed from Saipan homeward bound on 21 August 1945, and on 20 September reached the Caribbean and reported to DesRon 8. She arrived at the New York Naval Shipyard on 25 September. Farragut was decommissioned there on 23 October 1945. She was stricken on 28 January 1947, sold to Northern Metals Co., of Philadelphia, Pa., for $19,019 on 14 August 1947, and scrapped the following year.

Farragut received 14 battle stars for her World War II service.