USS Ralph Talbot

Prior to the U.S. entry into World War II, Ralph Talbot, assigned to Destroyers, Battle Force, operated in the eastern Pacific.

In early 1941, she began a major overhaul at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California and in April 1941, she rejoined the fleet at San Diego.

Moored at Pearl Harbor on the morning of 7 December 1941, the crew of the Ralph Talbot manned her guns and began preparations for getting underway within minutes of the start of the Japanese attack.

In January 1942, she sailed with Task Force 8 during raids against Japanese positions in the Marshalls and Gilberts and in February and March against Wake and Marcus Islands.

On the 14th she got underway for Australia and New Zealand, and then sailed on 22 July for the Solomons and the first of the island assaults which would eventually lead to victory in the Pacific.

Half an hour later Ralph Talbot was shelled by a friendly destroyer, the error was quickly rectified, but within minutes an enemy cruiser appeared off her port quarter.

At 0230 all radio communication to and from the vessel ceased, but twenty minutes later she stood in close to the shore where the crew continued the battle to save her.

She arrived at Brisbane on 2 January 1943 and until 10 May conducted training exercises and escorted convoys along the northern and eastern coasts of that continent.

In mid-May she departed San Francisco for Pearl Harbor and a month later sailed for Eniwetok and Saipan as convoy escort.

Arriving at Garapan Harbor 5 July, she provided gunfire support to troops ashore, evacuated stranded casualties and on the 7th returned to escort duty in the Marshalls and Marianas.

Following the Palau offensive, the force retired to Manus; then returned to the Palaus, where, in October 1944, they sailed to strike against Japanese shipping and positions on Okinawa, Luzon, and Formosa.

On the 25th, as Ralph Talbot screened the heavier vessels, the Battle off Cape Engaño was fought and, on the 31st, the force retired to Ulithi.

Ralph Talbot, detached from the fast carriers on 16 November, rejoined the 7th Fleet on the 17th and, with the CVEs of TG 77.4, patrolled the convoy routes in the Leyte Gulf area until the 27th when she steamed to Kossol Roads.

On 12 December she returned to Leyte Gulf, then escorted the CVEs into the Sulu Sea for operations in support of the Mindoro landings.

Departing the Admiralties 27 December, the destroyer steamed north to Kossol Roads and on 1 January 1945 sortied with the escort carrier group.

There she resumed convoy escort duty, and for the remainder of World War II plied between the Marianas and the Ryukyus.

In August, she was busy in the Philippine Sea conducting rescue operations after USS Indianapolis was sunk in that area.

On 1 September 1945, Ralph Talbot escorted the USS Portland, sister ship of the Indianapolis and the lead of its class, from Guam to Truk and on the 2nd stood by as the Japanese formally surrendered that island fortress during ceremonies aboard the cruiser.

Contaminated with nuclear fallout during the tests, the destroyer was towed to Kwajalein where she was decommissioned 29 August 1946 and sunk, in deep water off the atoll, 8 March 1948.

During the opening historical sequence of the HBO mini-series The Pacific, the USS Ralph Talbot is shown sailing through rough seas, apparently performing escort duty, based on the ships in the background.

The appearance context is the embarkation of troops for the North Africa invasion, an apparent error since the Talbot served exclusively in the Pacific theater of operation.