The USS Buck (DD-761) was an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer built for the United States Navy, launched on March 11, 1945, by Bethlehem Steel Co. in San Francisco, California. She was sponsored by Miss Mary Nimitz, daughter of Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, and commissioned on June 28, 1946. The vessel's design as an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer featured a rugged, versatile warship optimized for a variety of missions including escort, anti-submarine warfare, and shore bombardment. Following her commissioning, Buck completed shakedown in September 1946 and operated along the U.S. West Coast, ranging from Acapulco to Ketchikan, Alaska. She undertook a Far East cruise between December 1948 and summer 1949, then participated in reserve cruises and Operation Miki off Hawaii. In January 1950, Buck departed for her second Western Pacific tour, returning to California in April. She later joined the United Nations Forces in Korea late in 1950, suffering significant damage in a collision with the destroyer John W. Thomason, which necessitated repairs at Sasebo, Japan, and Bremerton, Washington, in early 1951. During her service in the Korean War, Buck participated in shore bombardments and operated with carrier task forces, earning six battle stars for her combat efforts. She made multiple Western Pacific deployments, with notable service off Korea during the armistice period in 1953. Throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, Buck primarily operated with the Pacific Fleet, conducting escort missions, anti-submarine exercises, and security patrols near China and the Formosa Strait. Following a Fleet Rehabilitation and Modernization (FRAM) II overhaul in 1961–62, Buck resumed Far East deployments, including her first Vietnam cruise in 1965, where she conducted Market Time maritime interdiction patrols. Her distinguished service earned her a total of twelve battle stars—six for Korea and six for Vietnam. The ship was decommissioned on July 16, 1973, at San Diego and transferred to Brazil, where she served as Alagoas (D 36) until her decommissioning and scrapping in 1995.

This description has been generated using GPT-4.1-NANO based on the Vessel's wikidata information and then modified by ShipIndex.org staff.