USS Sperry (AS-12) (Non-retention)

The USS Sperry was launched by the Mare Island Navy Yard at Vallejo, California on December 17, 1941, just 10 days after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, earning the distinction of being the first Navy ship to be launched after Pearl Harbor.   The vessel reported for duty at Pearl Harbor on August 2, 1942.  In October, Sperry headed for Australia.  Throughout the remainder of the war, Sperry continued to operate between Pearl Harbor and Pacific locations such as Midway Island, Majuro Atoll, Myrna Island, and Guam.  The vessel was stationed at Guam from July 1945 to January 1946.   The Sperry had an extensive overhaul that was completed in July 1947.  Unlike many of its sister ships, it remained an active unit of the fleet, operating out of San Diego, and earned the coveted battle efficiency "E" three years in a row (1948, 1949, and 1950).  In 1952, the vessel sailed via Pearl Harbor, to Chi Chi Jima in the Bonin Islands.  Sperry returned to the West Coast of the United States in October.   Over the next 10 years, it continued to operate out of San Diego, servicing the submarines of the fleet, but occasionally got underway for training cruises along the West Coast.  In 1961, it was brought up to date by a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization overhaul.  The vessel continued to support submarines of the Pacific Fleet, spending most of its time in port and departing occasionally for cruises along the west coast of North America and to Hawaii.  In May 1982, it celebrated its 40th anniversary of service to the fleet. On September 30, 1982, the vessel was decommissioned.

Naval History and Heritage Command Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships