In March 1943
Claxton patrolled briefly in
Casco Bay,
Maine, awaiting the possible
sortie of
German battleship from Norwegian waters. After one convoy escort assignment to
Casablanca, she sailed from
Charleston, South Carolina, 17 May to join the
Pacific Fleet. After training at
Nouméa and
Espiritu Santo from 12 June 1943,
Claxton covered the landings at
Rendova between 27 June and 25 July, then joined Destroyer Squadron 23 for a period of operations which were recognized with the
Presidential Unit Citation. In the struggle for the
Solomons,
Claxton and her squadron patrolled to intercept enemy shipping, protected the passage of American troops and shipping, bombarded enemy bases, covered landings, and engaged
Japanese surface and air forces. In the
Battle of Empress Augusta Bay on the night of 1/2 November 1943,
Claxton, with four cruisers and seven other destroyers, fired her torpedoes in an attack which turned back a Japanese force of four cruisers and six destroyers sailing to attack transports off
Bougainville, sinking two and damaging four of the enemy ships.
Claxton towed , one of five American ships damaged that night, into
Purvis Bay, arriving 4 November. On 25 November 1943, in the
battle of Cape St. George,
New Ireland,
Claxton and four other destroyers intercepted a force of five Japanese destroyers, as the enemy ships sailed to evacuate aviation troops to
Rabaul. Once more fighting in darkness,
Claxton and the others achieved complete surprise in their torpedo attack, and followed with a running gun battle. In this classic destroyer action, three Japanese ships were sunk and a fourth damaged, with no injury to the American ships. On 4 February 1944, while bombarding
Sarime Plantation on Bougainville,
Claxton was seriously damaged by an explosion aft, probably of two medium caliber shells. Despite her damage and 15 wounded,
Claxton completed her mission with her three forward guns, then sailed for temporary aid at Purvis Bay and permanent repairs on the west coast. She returned to action in August 1944, and assigned to screen escort carriers, took part in the invasion of the
Palaus in September. Sailing north for the invasion of the
Philippines, the destroyer covered the operations of underwater demolition teams preparing the beaches, then gave screening and fire support during the landings on 20 October. In the phase of the
Battle for Leyte Gulf known as the
Battle of Surigao Strait on 24 and 25 October,
Claxton screened the battle line in the surface action which virtually destroyed the Japanese southern force. Continuing her patrol in
Leyte Gulf to support the forces ashore, on 1 November 1944,
Claxton suffered 5 dead, 23 wounded, and serious damage when a Japanese suicide plane crashed and exploded in the water alongside to starboard. The men used their mattresses to fill the hole. With all her after living spaces flooded,
Claxton fought her own damage as she rescued 187 survivors of , also a
kamikazes victim. Repairs at
Tacloban and
Manus prepared
Claxton for her return to action on fire support, patrol, and escort duty in the
Lingayen Gulf landings from 9–18 January 1945. Continuing action in the Philippines, she conducted bombardments and covered landings, at various points on
Luzon and
Mindanao and in the
Visayas through early May. On 16 May she arrived off
Okinawa for duty as radar picket and fighter-director until the close of the war. On 6 June her guns drove off a flight of 12
kamikazes. ==Fate==