as flagship of Destroyer Division 8 Rotating Reserve, Scouting Force, 5 January-15 June when she was in full commission again. She spent the summer of 1935 cruising off the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The next year Childs returned to the east coast for overhaul, then returned to duty at San Diego, cruising several times to the Hawaiian Islands before 14 May 1938, when she cleared for Philadelphia and conversion to a seaplane tender. Reclassified AVP-14, she saw her first service in her new role during the annual fleet problem of 1939, operating between the Florida coast and San Juan, Puerto Rico, and after final preparations at Philadelphia, sailed for her new base at Pearl Harbor, arriving 29 June. She tended seaplanes there and on the plane guard stations off Midway, Wake Island, and Guam until 1 October 1940, when she was reclassified AVD-1, and ordered to the Asiatic Station. The next day she left Hawaii for Cavite, Philippines, arriving 1 November to begin her service to air patrol squadrons. World War II When war with Japan broke out, Childs lay in Cavite Navy Yard for repair, and during the devastation of the yard by Japanese aircraft on 10 December 1941, escaped damage by evasive maneuvering in the confined harbor area. She tended her flying boats of Patrol Wing 10 from Manila for 4 more days, then began a lengthy base-to-base withdrawal. On leaving Kendari harbour on 24 January 1942 she evaded the invading Japanese fleet in a rain squall and survived an air attack. At Surabaya the tenders Childs, Heron, and Preston rotated as needed to service VP101 which was patrolling Makassar Strait. Finally she reached Seaplane Base Exmouth, at Exmouth Gulf, Australia, 28 February 1942. From Fremantle and other Western Australia ports, Childs continued her tender duties until 12 August 1944. During this time, her planes scouted and bombed Japanese positions and shipping, mined the waters off Balikpapan, Borneo, and performed air-sea rescue missions. Childs returned to the west coast 19 September 1944, and after overhaul, conducted training operations off the west coast until the close of the war. She was decommissioned 10 December 1945, and sold 3 January 1946. Childs received one battle star for World War II service. Notes References External links http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/241.htm Clemson-class destroyers Seaplane tenders of the United States Navy World War II auxiliary ships of the United States Ships built by New York Shipbuilding