USS Lardner (DD-487) - South Pacific Service

South Pacific Service

On 21 August 1942, Lardner departed Balboa, Panama Canal Zone, for the South Pacific, arriving Tongatapu on 3 September. There the ship acted as escort and screen for convoys and fleet units, making numerous passages to Nouméa and Espiritu Santo, and screening transports landing troops on Guadalcanal, where she bombarded enemy positions.

While Lardner was serving in the screen for Task Force 18 (TF 18) steaming from the Santa Cruz Islands to Espiritu Santo, aircraft carrier Wasp was torpedoed and sunk 15 September. Lardner immediately launched a depth charge attack while her boats picked up 322 survivors, debarking them at Espiritu Santo the next day.

On 17 and 30 October Lardner headed for Guadalcanal, arriving off Lunga Point at dawn, and splashed two enemy planes during attacks shortly thereafter. She then proceeded to her bombardment position and shelled Japanese positions from Kolumbona to Cape Esperance.

Lardner screened transports while they unloaded at Guadalcanal during November, and at dawn 28 November searched in vain for the enemy submarine which had torpedoed Alchiba. On 30 November Lardner, as part of TF 7's five cruisers and seven destroyers, engaged the enemy off Tassafaronga Point in the Battle of Tassafaronga. At the end of the contest, the Japanese withdrew, never again to send large naval forces into the area. After escorting damaged cruisers Honolulu and Pensacola to Espiritu Santo, the destroyer arrived at Nouméa, New Caledonia, 10 December and moored for overhaul alongside destroyer tender Dixie.

During the first part of January 1943, the destroyer screened battleships and convoys between Espiritu Santo, Purvis Bay, and Guadalcanal. She visited New Zealand on 15 February and upon return sailed from Nouméa with a group of transports and tankers for Guadalcanal, fighting off attacking enemy planes 17 February and anchoring next day with her charges unscathed. The remainder of the month, Lardner escorted various convoys between Guadalcanal and Nouméa. During March she escorted convoys between Guadalcanal and Fiji, New Hebrides, and Espiritu Santo, and in April joined TF 15. Lardner returned to Pearl Harbor on 8 May for installation of new equipment keeping up with the technological advances of the Navy.

Lardner operated in Hawaiian waters until sailing 14 July for the United States, escorting carrier Enterprise to Bremerton, Washington. She arrived San Francisco on 21 July, and sailed on the 27th for Samoa, touching at Pearl Harbor 1 August and arriving Pago Pago on 14 August. While there, Lardner operated with TF 37, returning to Espiritu Santo 2 September before patrol duty off Florida Island until 18 September, when she escorted amphibious craft and transports to Vella Lavella for landings.

After patrol duty early in October, Lardner returned to escort duty between New Caledonia and the Solomons, then screened task forces operating out of Purvis Bay in the Bougainville Campaign. She bombarded Bougainville on 29 November, and continued occasional bombardments along with escort missions through January 1944. On 14 February, Lardner sailed north with TF 38 to cover initial landings on Green Island, and on the way was attacked by six Aichi D3A "Val" dive bombers. Late in February, the destroyer bombarded Rabaul; searched the Bismarck Sea for enemy shipping; and then attacked Karavia Bay, sinking an enemy cargo ship of the ''Heito Maru'' class 25 February. Later that day she bombarded Kavieng, receiving a few shrapnel holes from extremely heavy and accurate enemy return fire. During March and April, Lardner operated with support forces for the Palaus raid, and with escort carriers during the landing at Hollandia, New Guinea.