USS Hutchins (DD-476)

USS Hutchins (DD-476)

USS Hutchins (DD-476), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Lieutenant Carleton B. Hutchins (1904–1938), a naval aviator who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Hutchins (DD-476) was launched by Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Mass., 20 February 1942; sponsored by Mrs. C.B. Hutchins, widow of Lt. Hutchins; and commissioned 17 November 1942, Lieutenant Commander B.W. Herron in command. Hutchins was to be one of six Fletcher-class destroyers built with a catapult for a float plane but the plan was abandoned.