USS Kidd (DD-661)

Moored along the Mississippi in downtown Baton Rouge, USS Kidd (DD-661) presents a rare opportunity to study a World War II destroyer preserved essentially in her wartime state. As a Fletcher-class destroyer and National Historic Landmark, she represents one of only a handful of surviving ships of this prolific class, and uniquely retains her World War II configuration rather than a later modernized profile. Laid down in 1943 and named for Rear Admiral Isaac C. Kidd, killed on the bridge of USS Arizona at Pearl Harbor, the vessel embodies both the rapid wartime expansion of American naval engineering and the personal cost of flag-level command in combat. Her preserved weapons, superstructure, and internal arrangements illustrate how a mid-century destroyer balanced anti-air, anti-surface, and escort roles in a compact hull. For naval enthusiasts, the Kidd’s static berth by the river underscores the challenge of maintaining a steel warship in a freshwater environment far from the coast, and highlights the broader effort to conserve combatants that once operated across the Atlantic, Pacific, and far-flung island anchorages.