USS Robert K. Huntington (DD-781)

History: USS Robert K. Huntington (DD-781), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, is the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Robert Kingsbury Huntington, a naval aviator and member of Torpedo Squadron 8. The entire squadron was lost during the Battle of Midway. Robert K. Huntington (DD-781) was laid down on 29 February 1944 by Todd Pacific Shipyards, Seattle, Washington and launched on 5 December 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Ruth Arnold Welsh. The ship was commissioned on 3 March 1945, Commander J. W. Ramey in command.

Class: The Allen M. Sumner class was a group of 58 destroyers built by the United States during World War II. Another twelve ships were completed as destroyer minelayers. Often referred to as simply the Sumner class, this class was characterized by their twin 5-inch/38 caliber gun mounts, dual rudders, additional anti-aircraft weapons, and many other advancements over the previous Fletcher class. The Allen M. Sumner design was extended 14 feet (4.3 m) amidships to become the Gearing class, which was produced in larger numbers.

Completed in 1943-45, four were lost in the war and one was damaged so badly it was scrapped, but the surviving ships served in the US Navy into the 1970s. After being retired from the US fleet, 29 of them were sold to other navies, where they served many more years. Two still exist as museum ships, one in South Carolina, and one in Taiwan.

Nationality: The U.S. is a country of 50 states covering a vast swath of North America, with Alaska in the northwest and Hawaii extending the nation’s presence into the Pacific Ocean. Major Atlantic Coast cities are New York, a global finance and culture center, and capital Washington, DC. Midwestern metropolis Chicago is known for influential architecture and on the west coast, Los Angeles' Hollywood is famed for filmmaking.