World War II Cushing sailed from
Norfolk,
Virginia on 5 May 1944, for training at Naval Stations
San Diego and
Pearl Harbor, then escorted a
convoy to
Eniwetok Atoll in the
Marshall Islands, before returning to
Naval Station Bremerton,
Washington for an upgrade to her
anti-submarine equipment. She joined the
5th Fleet at Eniwetok on 24 August 1944 to sortie for the
invasion of the Palau Islands. She screened the
Aircraft carriers during their strikes on
Mindanao,
Samar,
Cebu, and
Negros in the
Philippines, then supported the ground forces in the
Battle of Angaur on 17 September 1944. She returned to the carriers' screen for raids on
Formosa (now
Taiwan),
Manila, and northern
Luzon. These efforts neutralized
Japanese bases for the scheduled
invasion of the Philippines and resulted in the rescue of numerous downed aviators. Her
anti-aircraft fire accounted for at least one Japanese plane during the heavy air attacks of 24 October in the epic
Battle for Leyte Gulf. She returned to replenish at
Ulithi Atoll in the
Caroline Islands on 22 November 1944. Sortieing with the
Fast Carrier Task Force (then
3rd Fleet's TF 38, later 5th Fleet's TF 58) on 10 December 1944 for air strikes on Luzon,
Cushing weathered the
typhoon of 18 December 1944, and rescued survivors of less fortunate ships before returning to Ulithi on 24 December for storm repairs. She re-joined the task force on 1 January 1945 for air strikes on Formosa,
Indo-China, China coast, and the Philippines until 28 January 1945. Joining TF 58 for the strikes on the Japanese home islands,
Cushing served as
radar picket ship at the launching point and successfully directed the destruction of many Japanese aircraft trying to break through to attack the carriers. She screened the carriers for the pre-invasion strikes on
Iwo Jima and
Okinawa, and participated in "softening-up" bombardment of Okinawa. Serving as radar picket ship during the
Battle of Okinawa, she provided fighter direction which accounted for many Japanese aircraft. After replenishing at
Leyte in June, she rejoined the carriers for strikes on the
Tokyo area until the end of the war. Anchoring in
Sagami Wan on 27 August 1945, she served as harbor entrance control vessel for the occupation forces until sailing for home.
Cushing returned home to Bremerton on 20 November 1945, and was placed out of commission, in reserve, at
Long Beach on 3 February 1947. Approx 20–23 December 1944, Cushing operated independently while rescuing some downed aviators. There were two notable incidents during this period. First there was the Betty, a twin-engined Japanese bomber. The Cushing lobbed some VT rounds at her, about (max range) to the west. The Betty, apparently damaged, came towards her, fishtailing to avoid heavy anti-aircraft artillery, when she was downed just off the stern of the
Cushing, caused most likely by her rounds. It was possibly an early attempt at suicide attack. There was also a torpedo fired at the Cushing from a submarine, but it was detected by Sonar so that Cushing could turn and avoid.
1951 – 1960 Recommissioned on 17 August 1951,
Cushing sailed from Long Beach on 15 November and arrived at Norfolk on 30 November to join the
Atlantic Fleet. She conducted exercises in the
North Atlantic and in the Caribbean, and cleared Norfolk on 7 January 1953 to join TF 77 off
Korea for duty as
plane guard. On 2 and 3 June she fired in the bombardment of Hodo Pando,
North Korea. She visited Manila,
Singapore,
Colombo,
Aden,
Piraeus,
Genoa,
Cannes, and
Algiers, before returning to Norfolk on 22 August from this cruise around the world. She cruised the east coast in anti-submarine exercises and reserve training, and in 1954 sailed to the
Mediterranean for duty. Transferred to the
Pacific Fleet, she arrived at Long Beach on 26 January 1955. In tours of duty in the
Far East in 1955, 1956, 1957–58, and 1959–60
Cushing served as plane guard and joined in hunter-killer exercises with TF 77, patrolled in the
Taiwan Straits, and visited various ports strengthening national ties in the President
Dwight D. Eisenhower's "
People to People" program. While "stateside" she operated along the west coast in
anti-submarine and
anti-aircraft warfare exercises, and midshipmen and reserve training.
Cushings home port was changed to
Charleston,
South Carolina, in October 1960, and the destroyer sailed to the east coast.
Cushing was again placed out of commission, in reserve, at Norfolk, Va., on 8 November 1960.
Brazilian service Cushing was loaned to
Brazil 20 July 1961. She served in the
Brazilian Navy as '''
Paraná (D29)'
. Paraná'' was struck on 1 August 1973, and broken up for scrap in February 1982. ==Awards==