USS Wilkes (DD-441)

USS Wilkes (DD-441)

USS Wilkes (DD-441), a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the 3rd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Charles Wilkes, who was an American naval officer and explorer.

Wilkes was laid down on 1 November 1939 by the Boston Navy Yard, launched on 31 May 1940; sponsored by Mrs. Bessie Wilkes Styer; and commissioned on 22 April 1941, Lieutenant Commander J. D. Kelsey in command.