Destroyer Squadron 23 (DESRON 23) is a squadron of United States Navy destroyers based out of San Diego, California. The squadron is best known for its actions during World War II, most notably the Battle of Cape St. George, under the command of then-Commodore Arleigh Burke. Currently, the DESRON is assigned to Carrier Strike Group Nine, which includes USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), USS Chosin (CG-65), USS Lake Erie (CG-70), and Carrier Air Wing Eleven.

Composition

The current composition of the squadron includes:

History

Destroyer Squadron 23 was activated 11 May 1943, at the Boston Navy Yard, with Captain M.J. Gillan II in command. The original vessels of the squadron were USS Foote (DD-511), USS Charles Ausburne (DD-570), USS Spence (DD-512), USS Aulick (DD-569), USS Claxton (DD-571), USS Dyson (DD-572), USS Converse (DD-509) and USS Thatcher (DD-514). On 29 June 1943, Destroyer Squadron 23 became part of Admiral William F. Halsey's Third Fleet. Less USS Aulick, Destroyer Squadron 23 assumed duty on patrol and escort in the Southwest Pacific. Destroyer Squadron 23 earned its reputation—and a Presidential Unit Citation—under its second commodore, Captain Arleigh Burke, who assumed command on 23 October 1943. On 24 November 1943, during the Battle of Cape St. George, the squadron engaged two enemy destroyers and three destroyer transports. In what has been described by tacticians as "near perfect surface actions", the squadron sank three enemy destroyers, and damaged one, without damage to themselves. In the period November 1943 – February 1944, the Little Beavers fought in 22 separate engagements and were credited with destroying one Japanese cruiser, nine destroyers, one submarine, several smaller ships, and approximately 30 aircraft. Destroyer Squadron 23's operations in the Pacific continued through the Liberation of the Philippines. The squadron returned to the United States on 19 October 1945, and were presented the Presidential Unit Citation by Admiral Burke and Secretary of the Navy James Forrestal. In February 1946, the squadron was inactivated and the ships were sent to Charleston, South Carolina for lay-up. On 4 April 1956, the squadron was reactivated as Destroyer Division 231 under the command of Captain E. K. Wakefield, with USS Picking (DD-685), USS Stephen Potter (DD-538), USS Preston (DD-795), and USS Irwin (DD-794). The squadron was rededicated as the "Little Beavers" on 12 December 1956, by Rear Admiral Chester Wood, Commander Cruiser Destroyer Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet in ceremonies at Long Beach, California. USS McClusky (FFG-41) was part of the squadron in 1986. USS Vandegrift (FFG-48) was part of the squadron until her decommissioning in 2015. It is part of Carrier Strike Group Nine.

Mascot

The mascot of Destroyer Squadron 23 was Little Beaver, a character made famous by Fred Harman's Red Ryder cartoon strip. This cartoon was very popular during the squadron's operations in World War II. Due to the high tempo of operations during the squadron's operations in the South Pacific, the ships' crews often said they were busy as beavers. This sentiment led to an illustrated painting by a crewman named James Bowler on the side of one of USS Claxton's torpedo tubes. The painting depicted Little Beaver shooting an arrow at Japan's Prime Minister Tōjō. During an inspection of USS Claxton, then-Commodore Arleigh Burke observed the painting. He liked it so much that he adopted the logo (minus Tojo) for use by the entire squadron and it remained in use until 2021. Shortly after receiving complaints of the racist caricature remaining in use, submissions were accepted for a new logo. On January 1, 2021, the official Facebook changed its profile to the new logo. Now displaying a large "23", with an arrow crossing behind, and "The Little Beavers" enclosed by a circle, with "Destroyer Squadron" below. Soon after, ships within the DESRON, along with the Headquarters began shifting to new logo.

Commodores

Commodores of the Little Beavers over the years: