USS Edwards (DD-619)

'USS Edwards underway in the Caribbean Sea during her shakedown period, c. November 1942.
History
United States
Name:	Edwards
Namesake:	Walter A. Edwards
Builder:	Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company
Laid down:	26 February 1942
Launched:	19 July 1942
Commissioned:	18 September 1942
Decommissioned:	11 April 1946
Struck:	1 July 1971
Fate:	Sold 25 May 1973 and broken up for scrap
General characteristics
Class and type:	Gleaves-class destroyer
Displacement:	1,630 long tons (1,660 t)
Length:	348 ft 3 in (106.15 m)
Beam:	36 ft 1 in (11.00 m)
Draft:	11 ft 10 in (3.61 m)
Installed power:	50,000 shp (37,000 kW)
Propulsion:	2 × geared steam turbines 4 × boilers 2 × shafts
Speed:	37.4 kn (43.0 mph; 69.3 km/h)
Range:	6,500 nmi (7,500 mi; 12,000 km) at 12 kn (14 mph; 22 km/h)
Complement:	16 officers, 260 enlisted
Armament:	4 × 5 in (127 mm)/38 cal dual purpose guns 6 × .50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns 6 × 20 mm (0.79 in) anti-aircraft 10 × 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes 6 × depth charge projectors 2 × depth charge tracks

USS Edwards (DD-619) was a Gleaves-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named "Edwards", and the first named for Lieutenant Commander Walter A. Edwards (1886–1926), who as commander of Bainbridge in 1922 rescued nearly five hundred people from the burning French transport Vinh-Long. For his heroism Edwards was awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor, the French Légion d'honneur, and the British Distinguished Service Order.

Edwards was launched on 19 July 1942 by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey; sponsored by Mrs. Edward Brayton, widow of Lieutenant Commander Edwards. The ship was commissioned on 18 September 1942, Lieutenant Commander William Leroy Messmer in command.

After brief service escorting convoys along the east coast and in the Caribbean, Edwards sailed from New York on 8 November 1942 to join the Pacific Fleet. She joined Task Force 18 (TF 18) at Nouméa on 4 January 1943, to cover a large troop convoy bound for Guadalcanal. On 29 January, they were attacked by a swarm of Japanese torpedo bombers off Rennell Island. Although most were driven off by the heavy accurate fire of the ships, enough broke through to put two torpedoes into Chicago. Edwards with four other destroyers was detached to screen the damaged cruiser. On the following day, as the group sailed for Espiritu Santo, attacks continued. The destroyers put up a stout defense, but Chicago was torpedoed again and sank. Edwards rescued 224 of the 1,049 survivors. One of the other screening destroyers, La Vallette, was also torpedoed. Edwards saw her safely to port before rejoining her task group.