World War II Database

Contributor:

ww2dbaseNamed after Rear Admiral Charles J. Badger of the United States Navy, the USS Charles J. Badger was commissioned during WW2. She arrived at San Francisco, California, United States on 30 Nov 1943 for duty, and by next month was serving patrol and escort duties off the Aleutian Islands. She remained in the north Pacific area until Aug 1944, occasionally participating in bombardment missions against the Kurile Islands. In Oct 1944, she joined the fleet sailing for the Philippines, escorting transports during the landings on Leyte; during the landings, she fired her anti-aircraft guns against Japanese aircraft that attempted to interfere with the operations. After rehearsal landings at New Guinea, she acted as part of the anti-aircraft screen for the Lingayen Gulf landing operation on the Philippine island of Luzon. During the Okinawa landings, she guarded the southern flank of the landings. When the battleship Yamato was detected as en route for the American fleet at Okinawa, Charles J. Badger was one of the ships that scrambled to meet her, but American aircraft sank the Japanese battleship before most of the American ships arrived on the scene. On 9 Apr 1945, she was heavily damaged by depth charges dropped by a small Japanese boat. She was eventually brought back to California in Aug 1945 and was decommissioned on 21 May 1946.

ww2dbaseShe was recommissioned in the 1950s and served all across the globe, including making one circumnavigating tour. She was decommissioned again on 20 Dec 1957 and was scrapped for parts in 1974.

Photographs

Charles J. Badger Operational Timeline

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments