Commissioning crew at prayer before manning the ship

 A neice of Lt(JG) Zellars presenting a picture of the ship's namesake     to Capt. Van Meter. 

          

The Destroyer

A destroyer is a lovley ship, probably the nicest fighting ship of all.

Battleships are a little like steel cities or great factories of distruction.

Aircraft carriers are floating flying fields.

Even Crusiers are big pieces of machinery, but a destroyer is all boat.

In the beautiful lines of her, in her speed and roughness, in curious gallantry,

she is completely a ship,in the old sense.

--John Steinbeck--