page_title: USS Murphy (DD-603)
section_title: Partial sinking and repair
hierarchical_section_title: USS Murphy (DD-603) / Operational history / Partial sinking and repair
caption_attribution_description: English: The USS Murphy after a collision with a tanker in 1943.
context_page_description: USS Murphy (DD-603) was a Benson-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Lieutenant John McLeod Murphy.
  Murphy's keel was laid down 19 May 1941 by Bethlehem Steel Corporation at their shipyard in Staten Island, New York. The destroyer was launched on 29 April 1942, sponsored by Miss M. Elsie Murphy, daughter of Lieutenant Murphy. The vessel was commissioned on 25 July 1942, Commander Leonard W. Bailey in command.
context_section_description: Murphy returned to the United States following the end of the invasion of Sicily, next escorting United Kingdom bound convoys. Heading out of New York Harbor 21 October 1943, the destroyer, in a convoy (17 cargo freighters, 7 destroyers, and 2 battleships) was struck on the port side between the bridge and forward stack by the oil tanker SS Bulkoil, 75 miles (121 km) off the coast of New Jersey. The forward third of the ship sank in 265 feet (81 m) of water, taking 36 officers and men with it. The aft two-thirds was kept afloat and was towed into New York Navy Yard for seven months of repairs, which included the replacement of the entire bow. This accident and the subsequent discovery of the exact location of the lost bow section, almost 60 years later, were the basis for the History Channel Deep Sea Detectives "Destroyer Down" episode (Season 2 episode 6, Aired on 05/18/2004).
caption: Stern section of USS Murphy after the collision.
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