USS Lang, a 1500-ton Benham class destroyer, was built at Kearny, New Jersey. Commissioned in March 1939, she served in the western Atlantic and the Gulf of Mexico until March 1940, when she steamed through the Panama Canal to take up new duties in the Pacific. After more than a year of operations off the west coast and in Hawaiian waters, Lang returned to the Atlantic in June 1941. She escorted aircraft carriers and carried out "short of war" assignments from the north Atlantic to the West Indies during the remaining months of "peace" and during the first part of formal U.S. participation in World War II. In March-May 1942, Lang served with USS Wasp as that carrier operated with the British fleet and made two voyages into the Mediterranean to deliver aircraft to the embattled island of Malta.
In June 1942, Lang accompanied Wasp to the Pacific and screened her during the invasion of Guadalcanal and Tulagi in early August. She remained with that carrier during the next weeks, as the Guadalcanal Campaign became increasingly intense. Lang then carried out patrol, escort and bombardment missions through that campaign's end in February 1943 and during the fullowing months, as the war moved up the Solomons chain. Among other activities, she participated in landings on New Georgia in July and in the Battle of Vella Gulf on the night of 6-7 August, during which three Japanese destroyers were sunk.
Later in 1943, and during the first two months of 1944, Lang took part in the Gilberts and Marshalls invasions and in carrier air strikes elsewhere in the central Pacific. She was also in a carrier task force screen during the Marianas invasion and the Battle of the Philippine Sea in June-August 1944. After bombarding Wewak, New Guinea, in late August, she spent more than a month escorting convoys to Morotai, and then participated in the assault on Leyte. During January 1945, Lang was part of the armada that landed U.S. troops at Lingayen Gulf to begin the conquest of Luzon and, in March-May, was closely involved in the campaign to capture Okinawa. She returned to the U.S. for overhaul in early July, but the Pacific War ended just as this work was completed, so she was sent around to the Atlantic Coast. Decommissioned there in mid-October 1945, USS Lang was sold for scrapping in December 1946.
This page features selected views of Lang (DD-399).
If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Click on the small photograph to prompt a larger view of the same image.
Photo #: NH 63109 USS Lang (DD-399) Photographed at the time of her delivery to the Navy, circa early 1939. U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph. Online Image: 62KB; 740 x 450 pixels |
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Photo #: 80-G-21014-C USS Lang (DD-399) Refueling from USS Enterprise (CV-6), while underway at sea in 1942. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, now in the collections of the National Archives. Online Image: 134KB; 740 x 610 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: NH 91383 USS Lang (DD-399) Underway at sea, 26 May 1942. Photographed from a USS Wasp (CV-7) aircraft. Note Lang's pattern camouflage. Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center. Online Image: 115KB; 740 x 600 pixels |
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Photo #: 19-N-53408 USS Lang (DD-399) Off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 26 October 1943. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 69KB; 740 x 600 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-53410 USS Lang (DD-399) Bow-on view, taken off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 26 October 1943. Note that the ship's port anchor has been removed. Also note drawbridge in the background. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 78KB; 740 x 605 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-53411 USS Lang (DD-399) Stern-on view, taken off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 26 October 1943. Note depth charge racks and smoke generator tanks at the ship's stern. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 75KB; 740 x 610 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-53412 USS Lang (DD-399) Plan view amidships and forward, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 25 October 1943. Note railway cars with anchor chain and scrap on the wharf; ship's midships details, smokestack and foremast with the antenna for her SC-2 radar at its top. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 143KB; 600 x 765 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-53413 USS Lang (DD-399) Plan view amidships and aft, taken from a pierside crane at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 25 October 1943. Note ship's quadruple torpedo tubes, life rafts (one fully outfitted with provisions), twin 40mm gun mounts and other details. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 139KB; 590 x 765 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-88981 USS Lang (DD-399) Bow-on view, taken off the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, in foggy conditions on 17 August 1945. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 49KB; 740 x 630 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-88983 USS Lang (DD-399) Plan view forward, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, on 21 August 1945. A Fletcher class destroyer is moored on Lang's port side and a floating crane is tied up to starboard. Note 5"/38 gun mounts on both destroyers, and the Mark 33 Gun Director atop Lang's pilothouse. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 158KB; 740 x 620 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-88984 USS Lang (DD-399) Plan view amidships and forward, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 21 August 1945. Note that the ship's torpedo tubes have been removed, replaced by twin 40mm gun mounts located immediately aft of her smokestack, in response to the threat of Japanese suicide aircraft. A Fletcher class destroyer is alongside (inboard), which has also received an enhanced anti-aircraft gun battery, with 40mm quadruple gun mounts fitted between the smokestacks. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 166KB; 600 x 765 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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Photo #: 19-N-88985 USS Lang (DD-399) Plan view amidships and aft, taken at the Mare Island Navy Yard, California, 21 August 1945. Note crates of provisions on deck, fully outfitted life rafts, and other details. A Fletcher class destroyer is moored on Lang's port side and a floating crane is tied up to starboard. Circles mark recent alterations to the ship. Photograph from the Bureau of Ships Collection in the U.S. National Archives. Online Image: 171KB; 740 x 615 pixels Reproductions of this image may also be available through the National Archives photographic reproduction system. |
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If you want higher resolution reproductions than the digital images presented here, see: "How to Obtain Photographic Reproductions." |
Page made 26 May 2002