USS Erben (DD-631), a Fletcher-class destroyer, was a ship of the United States Navy named for Rear Admiral Henry Erben (1832–1909). Erben (DD-631) was launched 21 March 1943 by Bath Iron Works Corp., Bath, Maine; sponsored by Mrs. C. B. G. Gaillard, daughter of Rear Admiral Erben; and commissioned 28 May 1943. Service history United States Navy World War II 1943 Arriving at Pearl Harbor 2 October 1943 from Boston, Erben joined the 5th Fleet and trained in the Hawaiian Islands, on 1 November. She rescued a downed aviator during exercises with an aircraft carrier. She sailed from Pearl Harbor 8 November, rendezvoused with a carrier task group on 15 November, and screened it during preinvasion air attacks on the Gilbert Islands, several times rescuing aviators whose planes had crashed or run out of fuel. As the invasion waves of Marines were landed on Tarawa on 20 November, Erben continued to screen the carriers launching supporting strikes, providing protection with her antiaircraft fire when 13 Japanese torpedo planes attacked late in the afternoon. She again effectively fired against Japanese planes that attacked the task group as it retired from strikes in the Marshall Islands on 4 December. 1944 Erben replenished at Pearl Harbor, and put to sea 21 December 1943 for Funafuti to exercise with the support group organized for the invasion of the Marshalls. She sailed 23 January 1944, and on 29 January saw action in the bombardment of Taroa and Wotje. The next day she hunted Japanese shipping off Maloelap, firing on a beached fishing ship, and on the 31st, as the assault landings took place, gave fire support to the troops ashore. Five times, she appeared off Taroa for night bombardment and harassing fire, and from 2 February operated out of Majuro on patrol in the Marshalls. The destroyer returned to Guadalcanal 17 March 1944, and after escorting troop transports to Cape Torokina, prepared at Milne Bay for the Hollandia operation, during which she screened carriers giving air support to the landings at Aitape and Hollandia through April. Through much of May, she trained in the New Hebrides and Russell Islands, and on 8 June arrived at Kwajalein to stage for the Marianas operation. From 12 June, when she sortied with the carriers, until 4 August, when she returned to Eniwetok, she was almost constantly at sea to screen the carriers as they launched preinvasion air strikes,