USS Black (DD-666) was a Fletcher-class destroyer of the United States Navy. Namesake Hugh David Black was born on 29 June 1903 in Oradell, New Jersey. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1922, graduated in 1926, and served on board , mainly in the Far East, between 1926 and 1928. During the next few years, he was an officer on board the battleship , the gunboat and the destroyers , and . Lieutenant (junior grade) Black was assigned to the Naval Training Station, San Diego, California, in 1933 then served on board the destroyer and from 1935 to 1938 commanded the minesweeper . Lieutenant Black had duty with the Navy's Bureau of Navigation, in Washington, D.C., in 1938 and attended Harvard University for two years, beginning mid-1938. He was executive officer of the new destroyer in 1940 into 1941. In March 1941, he took command of the destroyer . Lieutenant Commander Black was killed when Jacob Jones was sunk by the German submarine U-578 on 28 February 1942. Construction and commissioning Black was launched 28 March 1943 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., Kearny, N.J.; sponsored by Frances Marie Black, nee Frykholm, widow of Lieutenant Commander Black; and commissioned 21 May 1943. Service history World War II Black proceeded to Pearl Harbor, via San Diego, Calif., and reported for duty on 15 November 1943. Shortly thereafter, she steamed to Tarawa and was assigned screening duty off Tarawa Lagoon entrance. She continued this duty until 22 January 1944, with occasional diversion as escort for transports to the 180th meridian. On 15 January 1944 she rescued 22 survivors of two downed patrol aircraft 50 miles (95 km) south of Jaluit. After seeing her first combat during the invasion of Majuro Atoll, Marshall Islands (29 January–8 February 1944), Black rendered fine service in the Aitape and Hollandia, New Guinea, landings (22 April – 7 May); Saipan invasion (11 June – 4 July); capture of Guam (21 July – 10 August); and Leyte operation (20–21 October and 13–14 November). The destroyer then returned to San Francisco, Calif. for repairs which lasted until February 1945. Repairs completed, she sailed to Ulithi where, upon arrival on 13 March, she reported to the Fast Carrier Task Force (then TF 58) for duty. Between 17 March and 30 May Black participated in the 5th and 3rd Fleet raids in support of the Okinawa