USS ''Charrette'' (DD-581) was a of the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

, named for

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

George Charrette (1867–1938), who was awarded the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

for heroism during the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

. Entering service during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, she spent her career in the Pacific Theater. Placed in reserve following the war, ''Charette'' was transferred to the

Kingdom of Greece The Kingdom of Greece (, Romanization, romanized: ''Vasíleion tis Elládos'', pronounced ) was the Greece, Greek Nation state, nation-state established in 1832 and was the successor state to the First Hellenic Republic. It was internationally ...

in 1959 and renamed ''Velos'' (D16), remaining in service till 1991 before being preserved as a

museum ship A museum ship, also called a memorial ship, is a ship that has been preserved and converted into a museum open to the public for educational or memorial purposes. Some are also used for training and recruitment purposes, mostly for the small numb ...

at Palaio Faliro,

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Service history

United States Navy

''Charrette'' was launched on 3 June 1942 by the

Boston Navy Yard The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. It was established in 1801 as part of the recent establishment of t ...

, sponsored by Mrs. G. Charrette. The ship was commissioned on 18 May 1943. ''Charrette'' sailed from New York City on 20 September 1943 to escort the

aircraft carrier An aircraft carrier is a warship that serves as a seagoing airbase, equipped with a full-length flight deck and hangar facilities for supporting, arming, deploying and recovering carrier-based aircraft, shipborne aircraft. Typically it is the ...

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is bounded by the cont ...

service. Arriving at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

9 October, ''Charrette'' took part in training exercises until 10 November, when she put to sea with Task Force 50, for air raids on Japanese bases in the

Marshalls Marshalls, Inc. is an American chain of discount store, off-price department stores owned by TJX Companies. Marshalls has over 1,000 American stores, including larger stores named Marshalls Mega Store (stores operating with HomeGoods combined), ...

. These strikes neutralized enemy air opposition to the landings at Makin and on Tarawa, which followed. On 26 November, ''Charrette'' joined the screen of the

task group A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

assigned to air-cover operations over Makin and

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

Naval Gunfire Support Naval gunfire support (NGFS), also known as naval surface fire support (NSFS), or shore bombardment, is the use of naval artillery to provide fire support for amphibious assault and other troops operating within their range. NGFS is one of seve ...

. Twelve days later, the destroyer screened

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

s in a shore bombardment on

Nauru Nauru, officially the Republic of Nauru, formerly known as Pleasant Island, is an island country and microstate in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies within the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, with its nearest neighbour being Banaba (part of ...

, before rejoining the fast carrier

task force A task force (TF) is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology. Many ...

sailing on to

Efate Efate (), also known as Île Vate (), is an island in the Pacific Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in Vanuatu. Geography It is the most populous (approx. 66,000) island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third larg ...

. ''Charrette'' sailed on 21 December to screen the carriers as they launched strikes against

Kavieng Kavieng is the capital of the Papua New Guinean province of New Ireland and the largest town on the island of the same name. The town is located at Balgai Bay, on the northern tip of the island. As of 2009, it had a population of 17,248. Kavi ...

, New Ireland, during the three days preceding the assault on Cape Gloucester on 26 December. Continuing north, the group arrived at

Funafuti Funafuti is an atoll, comprising numerous islets, that serves as the capital of Tuvalu. As of the 2017 census, it has a population of 6,320 people. More people live in Funafuti than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with it containing approximately 6 ...

on 21 January 1944 to prepare for the operations against the Marshall Islands.

1944

From 23 January to 5 February 1944, ''Charrette'' screened the carriers in a series of strikes on Kwajalein and

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; , , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with its 296 people (as of 2021) forms a legi ...

. On the night of 4–5 February, ''Charrette'' left her station to investigate a

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

contact reported by one of the battleships. After tracking the contact to , she opened fire on a

submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...

, which

crash dive A crash dive is a maneuver by a submarine in which the vessel submerges as quickly as possible to avoid attack. Crash diving from the surface to avoid attack has been largely rendered obsolete with the advent of nuclear-powered submarines, as th ...

d. ''Charrette'' attempted a

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon designed to destroy submarine A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited ...

attack, then used her radar to guide the

destroyer escort Destroyer escort (DE) was the United States Navy mid-20th-century classification for a warship designed with the endurance necessary to escort mid-ocean convoys of merchant marine ships. Development of the destroyer escort was promoted by th ...

to sink possibly , the first Japanese submarine to be sunk by the

Hedgehog A hedgehog is a spiny mammal of the subfamily Erinaceinae, in the eulipotyphlan family Erinaceidae. There are 17 species of hedgehog in five genera found throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and in New Zealand by introduction. The ...

, antisubmarine weapon. The next day, ''Charrette'' moored in

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese language, Marshallese: ' ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain, Ratak ( ...

Lagoon. The destroyer sailed 12 February 1944 for the first of the series of raids sealing off the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

base at Truk from being an effective contribution to the Pacific War. After screening the carriers into position for their strikes, ''Charrette'' joined Task Group 50.9 in a sweep around the island on 17 February to catch Japanese shipping escaping air attacks. , , and a

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a type of small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. They encompass designs that are now largely obsolete, but which played an important role in the wars of the first half of th ...

were sunk by the task group, which rejoined the carriers the next day. After escorting an oiler fleet to Majuro, ''Charrette'' sailed for an overhaul at Pearl Harbor until 15 March 1944, when she put out to rejoin the carriers for attacks on Japanese ships retreating from Truk to the

Palau Palau, officially the Republic of Palau, is an island country in the Micronesia subregion of Oceania in the western Pacific Ocean. The Republic of Palau consists of approximately 340 islands and is the western part of the Caroline Islands ...

s, preliminary to the New Guinea operation. ''Charrette'' assisted in fending off a Japanese air attack on 28 March, and continued her protective screening through 30 March and 1 April strikes. The carriers returned to Majuro on 6 April and sailed a week later to strike at airfields and defenses on

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

and to provide direct support to the landings at

Humboldt Bay Humboldt Bay (Wiyot language, Wiyot: ''Wigi'') is a natural bay and a multi-basin, bar-built coastal lagoon located on the rugged North Coast (California), North Coast of California, entirely within Humboldt County, California, Humboldt County, ...

on 22 April. After replenishing at Manus, ''Charrette'' sailed on with the carriers to screen strikes against Truk on 29 April and to guard the force's battleships as they pounded a bombardment at Ponape on 1 May. ''Charrette''s next contribution came during the Marianas operation, for which she sailed 6 June 1944. She supported the carriers in their strikes on

Guam Guam ( ; ) is an island that is an Territories of the United States, organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. Guam's capital is Hagåtña, Guam, Hagåtña, and the most ...

Saipan Saipan () is the largest island and capital of the Northern Mariana Islands, an unincorporated Territories of the United States, territory of the United States in the western Pacific Ocean. According to 2020 estimates by the United States Cens ...

, and Rota from the 11 through to 14 June, then turned north for strikes against the aircraft on

Iwo Jima is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands, which lie south of the Bonin Islands and together with them make up the Ogasawara Subprefecture, Ogasawara Archipelago. Together with the Izu Islands, they make up Japan's Nanpō Islands. Although sout ...

for attacks against the American landings on Saipan. As the carriers came into position on 15 June, scouting aircraft spotted the 1,900-ton freighter ''Tatsutakwa Maru'', and ''Charrette'', with the destroyer , intercepted and sank the Japanese ship, recovering 112 survivors. After successful strikes, ''Charrette''s group sailed south to concentrate with the Fast Carrier Task Force (then TF 58) to meet the Japanese naval force known to be coming out. The air

Battle of the Philippine Sea The Battle of the Philippine Sea was a major naval battle of World War II on 19–20 June 1944 that eliminated the Imperial Japanese Navy's ability to conduct large-scale carrier actions. It took place during the United States' amphibious r ...

broke on the morning of 19 June, and ''Charrette'' continued her screening,

antiaircraft Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-ba ...

and guard duties throughout the two days of action that severely diminished the remaining Japanese naval aviation threat. On the night of 20 June, she participated in a night recovery of the last strikes, flashing beacon lights and rescuing aviators who were forced to ditch through lack of fuel. On 21 June, the carrier force steamed back to cover the invasion forces in the

Marianas The Mariana Islands ( ; ), also simply the Marianas, are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly Volcano#Dormant and reactivated, dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean ...

, Guam, and Rota, and later the bases in the Pagan Islands and on Chichi Jima. ''Charrette'' fired in the bombardment of Chichi Jima on 5 August, then returned to Eniwetok. ''Charrette'' sailed from Eniwetok on 29 August 1944 for airstrikes of early September against targets in the Palaus and the Philippines, which paved the way for the invasion of Peleliu and marked the beginning of the return to the Philippines. In preparation for the invasion of Leyte, the carrier task force sailed again on 4 October for strikes designed to neutralize Japanese airfields on

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, northern

Luzon Luzon ( , ) is the largest and most populous List of islands in the Philippines, island in the Philippines. Located in the northern portion of the List of islands of the Philippines, Philippine archipelago, it is the economic and political ce ...

, and

Formosa Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The island of Taiwan, formerly known to Westerners as Formosa, has an area of and makes up 99% of the land under ROC control. It lies about across the Taiwan Strait f ...

during the assaults in the Philippines. On 12 October, she began the most important part of these strikes, against Formosa, which provoked return attacks by Japanese aircraft on the carrier forces. ''Charrette'' aided in shooting down attacking aircraft during raids in which the

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

s and were hit. ''Charrette'' joined the screen that guarded the damaged ships during their retreat from enemy air attack, before rejoining her carrier group for the journey north to intercept the approaching Japanese force, beginning her part in the Battle for Leyte Gulf. The carriers she guarded launched strikes at the Japanese northern force in the

Battle off Cape Engaño The Battle of Leyte Gulf () 23–26 October 1944, was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some criteria the largest naval battle in history, with over 200,000 naval personnel involved. By late 1944, Japan possessed fewer capital sh ...

on 25 October. ''Charrette'' replenished at

Ulithi Ulithi (, , or ; pronounced roughly as YOU-li-thee) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap, within Yap State. Name The name of the island goes back to Chuukic languages, Proto-Chuukic ''*úlú-diw ...

from 29 October to 2 November 1944, then joined the screen of the fast carriers for strikes on Luzon airfields early in November, which reduced enemy air opposition at the Leyte beachhead. ''Charrette'' returned to Manus on 30 November to prepare for the

Lingayen Gulf Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central (Luzon), Cordillera Central. The Agno ...

operation.

1945

''Charrette'' supported the landings at Lingayen from 4 to 18 January, then guarded the approach and withdrawal of reinforcement convoys into

. She left the Philippines on 2 February, and on 25 February, arrived at the

Puget Sound Navy Yard Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, officially Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres (0.7 km2) on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington in uninterrupted ...

for another overhaul. She returned to action in June, beginning a month of support for the

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

operations, followed by patrol duty in the

Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...

. On 2 August, the destroyer and she made contact with a ship, which they tracked through the night, finding in the morning that it was the

hospital ship A hospital ship is a ship designated for primary function as a floating healthcare, medical treatment facility or hospital. Most are operated by the military forces (mostly navy, navies) of various countries, as they are intended to be used in or ...

''Tachibana Maru''. A boarding party from ''Charrette'' found ordnance, contraband, and able-bodied troops, who were taken

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

. ''Charrette'' and ''Conner'' brought ''Tachibana Maru'' into Morotai 6 August. ''Charrette'' cleared Morotai on 13 August 1945, and called at

Subic Bay Subic Bay is a bay on the west coast of the island of Luzon in the Philippines, about northwest of Manila Bay. An extension of the South China Sea, its shores were formerly the site of a major United States Navy facility, U.S. Naval Base Subi ...

before reporting at

Buckner Bay is a bay on the southern coast of Okinawa Island on the Pacific Ocean in Japan. The bay covers and ranges between to deep. The bay is surrounded by the municipalities of Uruma, Kitanakagusuku, Nakagusuku, Nishihara, Yonabaru, Nanjō, all ...

, Okinawa, in September for duty escorting ships with occupation troops, equipment, and supplies for Chinese ports. She sailed from

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

on 12 December for

San Francisco, California San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

, which she reached 30 December. ''Charrette'' was placed in commission in reserve at

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

on 4 March 1946, and was taken out of commission and placed in reserve on 15 January 1947. In June 1959, she was transferred to Greece.

Hellenic Navy

The ship was accepted by Commander G. Moralis, RHN, on 16 July 1959 in

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, California, and arrived in Greece on 15 October 1959. She served in the

Hellenic Navy The Hellenic Navy (HN; , abbreviated ΠΝ) is the Navy, naval force of Greece, part of the Hellenic Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy historically hails from the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independ ...

as ''Velos'' (D16) (, "Arrow"). ''Velos'' took part in almost every Greek and

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

exercise and actively participated in the crises with

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

of the years 1964, 1967, 1974 ( Cyprus crisis), and 1987. Velos D16 stern

Mutiny

On 25 May 1973, ''Velos'', under the command of Nikolaos Pappas, while participating in a NATO exercise and to protest against the dictatorship in Greece, anchored at

Fiumicino Fiumicino () is a town and comune in the Metropolitan City of Rome, Lazio, central Italy, with a population of 80,500 (2019). It is known for being the site of Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport, the busiest airport in Italy and the ninth-b ...

, Italy, and refused to return to Greece. When in patrol with other NATO vessels between Italy and

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; ; ) is the Mediterranean islands#By area, second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, and one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. It is located west of the Italian Peninsula, north of Tunisia an ...

( southwest of Rome) at midday on 25 May 1973, the captain and the officers had learned by radio that naval officers had been arrested and tortured in Greece. Commander Pappas was in a group of democratic officers who were loyal to their oath to obey the Constitution and planned to act against the junta. Pappas knew the arrested officers opposed the junta and realized no further hope existed for a movement inside Greece. He decided to act alone to motivate global public opinion. Pappas mustered the crew on the stern and announced his decision, which was received with enthusiasm. Pappas signaled his intentions to the commander of the squadron and NATO Headquarters, quoting the preamble of the

North Atlantic Treaty The North Atlantic Treaty, also known as the Washington Treaty, forms the legal basis of, and is implemented by, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The treaty was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949. Background The treat ...

(founding treaty for NATO), which declares, "all governments ... are determined to safeguard the freedom, common heritage, and civilization of their peoples, founded on the principles of democracy, individual liberty, and the rule of law." Leaving formation, he sailed for Rome. That afternoon, the ship anchored about off the coast at

, and three officers ( Ensigns K. Gortzis, K. Matarangas, and G. Stratos) went ashore in a whaleboat. From Fiumicino Airport, they telephoned the international press agencies to inform them of the situation in Greece and the presence of the destroyer. They arranged for a press conference to be held the next day by Commander Pappas. This action sparked international interest in the situation in Greece. The captain, six officers, and 25

petty officer A petty officer (PO) is a non-commissioned officer in many navies. Often they may be superior to a seaman, and subordinate to more senior non-commissioned officers, such as chief petty officers. Petty officers are usually sailors that have ...

s requested asylum and remained in Italy as political refugees. Initially, the entire crew wished to follow their captain (170 men signed a request), but they were advised (and some ordered) by their officers to remain on board because of the fear of retaliation by the regime against their families. The men were told to return to Greece and to inform their families and friends about what had happened. ''Velos'' returned to Greece a month later with a replacement crew. After the fall of the junta on (24 July 1974), some of the officers returned to the navy. Commander Pappas reached the rank of

vice admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

and served as the chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff from 1982 to 1986. ''Velos'' was decommissioned on 26 February 1991, having sailed in her 48-year career.

Preservation

In 1994, the Hellenic Navy General Staff declared her a Museum of the Struggle against the Dictatorship (). The ship, then anchored at

Poros Poros (; ) is a small Greek island-pair in the southern part of the Saronic Gulf, about south of the port of Piraeus and separated from the Peloponnese by a wide sea channel, with the town of Galatas on the mainland across the strait. Its surf ...

Naval Base, was transferred on 14 December 2000 to Salamis Naval Base for maintenance and restoration work to be converted into a visitable naval museum. From 26 June 2002 until 9 September 2019, she was anchored in the Naval Tradition Park at Palaio Faliro,

. Since 9 September 2019, ''Velos'' has been anchored on the waterfront of

Thessaloniki Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...

, close to the city's

Concert Hall A concert hall is a cultural building with a stage (theatre), stage that serves as a performance venue and an auditorium filled with seats. This list does not include other venues such as sports stadia, dramatic theatres or convention ...

, and is available to visit. ''Velos'' is regarded as still in commission. On 19 November 2023, strong winds and waves caused damage to ''Velos'' stern at her moorings. She was towed to the city's harbor later the same day.

Awards

''Charrette'' received 13

battle star A service star is a miniature bronze or silver five-pointed star in diameter that is authorized to be worn by members of the eight uniformed services of the United States on medals and ribbons to denote an additional award or service period. T ...

s for her World War II service.

References

External links

Velos (D 16)

Hellenic Navy page for D-16 ''Velos''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charrette (Dd-581) Fletcher-class destroyers of the United States Navy Ships built in Boston 1942 ships World War II destroyers of the United States Fletcher-class destroyers of the Hellenic Navy Museum ships in Greece Maritime incidents in 1973 Resistance to the Greek junta