sailed for home. From June 1948 to February 1949, she again operated in Chinese and Japanese waters. Southerland had been configured as a radar picket destroyer since World War II and was redesignated DDR-743 on 18 March 1949. Korean War, 1950–1953 Southerland was operating in Hawaiian waters at the end of June 1950, when the Korean War broke out. In July, she steamed west to Okinawa; thence proceeded to Japan. On 19 July, she assumed bombardment and patrol duties off the Korean coast. In September, she joined TF 90 and prepared for the assault landings on the west coast of the embattled peninsula at Inchon. Assigned to Fire Support Group 3, Southerland arrived at Inchon on the morning of 15 September and commenced pre-invasion shelling of targets on Wolmi-do island and in the city of Inchon. After the landings, she provided interdiction, illumination, and support fire. On 16 September she was slightly damaged by counterbattery fire; and, on 17 September, she retired from the area. For the remainder of the year, the destroyer operated with the carriers of TF 77 and ranged the Korean coast from Pusan to Wonsan and Ch'ongjin. In January 1951, she steamed south. Into February, she operated with the Taiwan Strait patrol; then returned to Japan, whence she sailed for home. A year later, on 10 February 1952, Southerland was back off Japan. On 14 February, she joined TF 95, the United Nations Blockade and Escort Force, off the west coast of Korea. Carrier escort and coastal patrol duty followed, involving night shore bombardment against enemy transport facilities, boat and troop concentrations, and gun emplacements. In March, the destroyer conducted ASW exercises off Okinawa; and, in April, as the stalemate in the Panmunjom armistice negotiations continued, she returned to the combat zone. Joining TF 77, she screened carriers, served as plane guard, and participated in shore bombardments - including a combined air/sea strike on Ch'ongjin on Easter Sunday. On 18 April, Southerland returned to Yokosuka; then steamed to Okinawa for ASW operations. On 11 May, she rejoined TF 77 and, for 28 days, supported the carriers as they struck targets at Ch'ongjin, Wonsan, and other areas. In June, her carrier group shifted to targets inland. Toward the end of the month, as interservice air strikes hit Communist power sources, Southerland again headed south for Taiwan Strait patrol duty. On 10 July, she rejoined TF 95 off