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Howard Franklin Clark was born in Wilmington, Delaware on 15 September 1914. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy on 2 June 1938 and served at sea until 1940, when he underwent flight training to join naval aviation. He reported to the aircraft carrier on 1 April 1941 as a member of Fighter Squadron 3. Clark won a Distinguished Flying Cross on 20 February 1942 for shooting down an enemy bomber attacking the his carrier. During the Battle of the Coral Sea (7-8 May 1942), Clark repeatedly engaged enemy aircraft, in utter disregard of his own safety, until his plane was shot down. He was posthumously awarded a second Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism during the battle. The was launched by the Boston Navy Yard on 8 November 1943; sponsored by Clark's widow; it was commissioned at Boston on 25 May 1944, with Lt. Commander E. B. Hayden in command.
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