USS Ellet (DD-398)

USS Ellet (DD-398)

USS Ellet (DD-398) was a Benham-class destroyer of the United States Navy. The Benham class shared the same hull and torpedo-heavy design philosophy as the Bagley class, carrying sixteen 21-inch torpedo tubes. Ten ships were built between 1938 and 1940. They served in both the Atlantic and Pacific theaters during World War II.

Named for Colonel Charles Ellet Jr., a Civil War Army officer and engineer who commanded the ram fleet on the Mississippi River and was mortally wounded at the Battle of Memphis in 1862, USS Ellet was built by Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company, Kearny, New Jersey and commissioned in February 1939. Served as a screening destroyer during the battles of the Coral Sea and Midway, two of the most decisive naval engagements of the Pacific war. Continued through the Solomon Islands campaign and supported amphibious operations across the Southwest Pacific. One of the Benham-class destroyers that survived the war.

USS Ellet earned 8 battle stars for service in: Coral Sea, Midway, Guadalcanal, Eastern Solomons, New Georgia, Bougainville, New Guinea, Philippines. Decommissioned October 1945. Sold for scrap November 1946.

This collection features apparel and merchandise honoring USS Ellet (DD-398) and the men who served aboard her. 1,657 tons standard displacement. 341 feet in length. Four 5"/38 caliber dual-purpose guns. Sixteen 21-inch torpedo tubes in four quadruple mounts. Top speed 38.5 knots. Crew of 184.