USS Ellet, DD 398, was launched 11 June 1938 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.; sponsored by Miss Elvira Daniel Cabell, granddaughter of Colonel Charles Ellet, Jr.; and commissioned 17 February 1939, Lieutenant Commander F. J. Mee in command.

Charles Ellet, Jr. was born 1 January 1810 at Penns Manor, Pennsylvania. A prominent civil engineer, he built numerous bridges, canals and railroads including America’s first permanent wire suspension bridge across the Schuylkill River at Fairmont, Pennsylvania in 1842 and the Niagara Falls bridge in 1849.    After the debut of Confederate ironclad Virginia at the Battle of Hampton Roads, the US Army commissioned Ellet colonel of engineers to convert towboats as rams. Ellet led his new ram fleet at Memphis, 6 June 1862, where it played an important role in opening up the Mississippi River for the Union. He died 21 June at Cairo, Illinois from a knee wound sustained in this action.    His brother, Alfred Washington Ellet , born 11 October 1820, then took over the ram fleet and, as Brigadier General of Volunteers, continued operations on western rivers until 1864. Returning to civilian life, he died at El Dorado, Kansas 9 January 1895.    His son, Charles Rivers Ellet was born at Philadelphia on 1 June 1843, was studying medicine when the Civil War began and served as an Army Assistant Surgeon, but transferred to his father’s ram fleet when it was formed in 1862. Promoted colonel later that year, he commanded ram Queen of the West, escaping when it was captured below Vicksburg in February 1863. The next month, he passed Vicksburg in command of ram Switzerland, but died of ill health at Bunker Hill, Illinois, 29 October.    Family members Lt. Colonel John A. Ellet and Edward C. Ellet also rendered valuable service during the Civil War.

   In September and October 1939 Ellet operated off the Grand Banks on Neutrality Patrol, then with Destroyer Division 18 out of Galveston with the West Gulf Patrol. Based at San Diego, after 26 February 1940, she joined in Battle Force maneuvers as far as Hawaii. In the summer of 1941 her home port became Pearl Harbor and in October she brought home an Army survey expedition from Christmas Island to Honolulu.
   When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941, Ellet was returning from reinforcing Wake Island in the screen of TF 8 with which she remained throughout December. After a convoy escort voyage to the west coast, she guarded a troop convoy back to Christmas Island in February.
   In April she screened carrier TF 16, which launched B-25's in the famous Halsey-Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities and returned to Pearl Harbor the 25th. The same ships raced 6 days later to reinforce the carriers headed for the great Allied victory of the Coral Sea. It was won before Ellet's force got there, so TF 16 returned to Pearl Harbor. TF 16 sailed from Pearl Harbor 28 May 1942 once more to join TF 17. Together they turned back the Japanese fleet in the decisive Battle of Midway on 4, 6 and 6 June. The Japanese lost four carriers, many aircraft, an appalling number of irreplaceable aviators. Ellet returned to Pearl Harbor 13 June to prepare for invading the Solomons first American land offensive of the war. (continued)