USS Fred T. Berry DD-858

• USS Fred T. Berry (DD-858) was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy, named in honor of Lieutenant Commander Fred Thomas Berry, a distinguished naval aviator lost in 1933. • The ship was launched on 28 January 1945 and commissioned on 12 May 1945, entering service in the closing months of World War II. • Although too late for combat in World War II, the Fred T. Berry served in the Pacific, supporting occupation duties in Japan and patrolling during the early Cold War period. • Fred T. Berry was one of the first destroyers fitted with advanced sonar and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) equipment as part of the postwar modernization programs. • The ship served extensively in the Korean War, providing naval gunfire support, screening aircraft carriers, and participating in blockade and escort missions. • In the 1950s and 1960s, the destroyer was a regular participant in NATO exercises, representing the US Navy in joint operations with European allies in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. • Fred T. Berry was involved in the 1958 Lebanon crisis, supporting US Marines during the intervention to stabilize the Lebanese government. • During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, the ship was part of the naval blockade (quarantine) line, helping to enforce US policy against Soviet missile shipments. • After nearly 25 years of service, Fred T. Berry was decommissioned on 15 September 1970 and subsequently used as a target ship for research purposes. • The ship was sunk deliberately in 1972 off the coast of Key West, Florida, and today serves as an artificial reef, popular with divers and marine researchers.