‘None but himself can be his parallel.’ Lewis Theobald (1688–1744)
Despite their proximity of birth at Charleston (South Carolina) Navy Yard on 7 April 1943, the destroyers USS Paul Hamilton (DD-590), left, and Twiggs (DD-591) had very different lives. While both served admirably in the Pacific during World War II, the Twiggs received four battle stars and was sunk in a kamikaze attack off Okinawa on 16 June 1945, barely two years after her launching. Her sister was more fortunate. She earned seven battle stars, but continued to serve for 25 years before being sold for scrap in 1970.
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