Photos and the story

Richard P. Leary

Class	Fletcher class
Type	Destroyer (DD)
Hull	DD-664
Launched	1943-10-06
Commissioned	1944-02-23
Fate	Afloat. Survived the war. Transferred to Japan, 10 March 1959
Armament (class)	Five single 5-inch guns, two funnels, and two sets of torpedo tubes.
Command	Habecker, Frederic Shrom Captain from 23 February 1944; Relieved in November 1944 Dixon, Duncan Patterson Jr. Captain, November 1944 – 31 August 1945 Stout, Herald Franklin Captain, 31 August 1945 – 2 September 1945 Watkins, Wayne William Captain from 2 September 1945

Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.

The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.

USS Richard P. Leary (DD-664) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy. She was launched on 6 October 1943 and commissioned on 23 February 1944.

Frederic Shrom Habecker was her captain from the day of commissioning until he was relieved in November 1944. On 25 October 1944, with Habecker still in command, Richard P. Leary was on the left flank at the Battle of Surigao Strait.

Duncan Patterson Dixon, Jr., took command in November 1944 and remained captain until 31 August 1945. Through that stretch of his tour the destroyer stayed in service and came through the war.

Herald Franklin Stout commanded her from 31 August 1945 to 2 September 1945. Wayne William Watkins became captain on 2 September 1945. Richard P. Leary survived the war. On 10 March 1959 she was transferred to Japan.

The pictures on this page are the originals.