USS Tucker ( DD - 374 ) The second USS " Tucker " ( DD - 374 ) was a " Mahan " - class destroyer in the United States Navy before and during World War II . She was named for Samuel Tucker . History . " Tucker " was laid down at Portsmouth , Virginia , on 15 August 1934 by the Norfolk Navy Yard ; launched on 26 February 1936 ; sponsored by Mrs . Leonard Thorner ; and commissioned on 23 July 1936 , Lieutenant Commander George T . Howard in command . Following shakedown training , " Tucker " joined the destroyer forces attached to the United States Battle Fleet and was based at San Diego , California . As part of Destroyer Squadron 3 , Destroyer Division 6 , she operated with the Battle Force along the west coast and in the Hawaiian Islands . In February 1939 , she took part in Fleet Problem XX , the naval exercise in the Caribbean personally observed by President Franklin D . Roosevelt from " Houston " ( CA - 30 ) . As the international situation in the Pacific worsened , President Roosevelt ordered the Fleet to remain in Hawaiian waters after the conclusion of exercises in the spring of 1940 . " Tucker " then operated between the west coast and Hawaii through the end of the year . On 14 February 1941 , she arrived at Pearl Harbor , from San Diego , and then proceeded to New Zealand , arriving at Auckland on 17 March to " show the flag " in that area of the world . Returning to Pearl Harbor from the South Pacific , she took part in routine exercises at sea before returning to her home port of San Diego , on 19 September . Getting underway again after a short stay , " Tucker " steamed to Hawaii as part of Task Force 19 and began operations anew in the Hawaiian Islands in November . After one month of maneuvers in the Hawaiian operating area , she returned to Pearl Harbor for a tender overhaul . World War II . On 7 December 1941 , " Tucker " lay moored at berth X - 8 , East Loch , Pearl Harbor , in the center of a nest of five destroyers and tender " Whitney " ( AD - 4 ) ; to port of " Tucker " lay " Selfridge " ( DD - 357 ) and " Case " ( DD - 370 ) ; to her starboard were " Reid " ( DD - 365 ) and " Conyngham " ( DD - 371 ) , with " Whitney " outboard of " Conyngham " . On board " Tucker " , GM2c W . E . Bowe observed the attack and manned a machine gun on the ship ' s after superstructure , commencing fire even before the general quarters alarm sounded . Within two minutes , the after 5 inch guns joined . Two Japan ese aircraft were hit and crashed . In the following days , " Tucker " patrolled off Pearl Harbor before spending the succeeding five months escorting convoys between the west coast and Hawaii . " Tucker " then received new orders sending her to the South Pacific . With the reinforcement of United States island bases in the Pacific , " Tucker " escorted " Wright " ( AV - 1 ) to Tutuila , American Samoa , as part of the drive to fortify these outposts . The destroyer then escorted her charge to Suva , in the Fiji Islands , and thence to Noumea , New Caledonia . Steaming then for Australia , she arrived at Sydney on 27 April . After taking on fuel the following day , she visited Melbourne , Perth , and Fremantle before heading back to Sydney . In company with " Wright " , " Tucker " returned to Suva , arriving there on 3 June 1942 , the day before the commencement of the Battle of Midway . For the remainder of June and into the first week of July , " Tucker " operated out of Suva ; then relieved " Boise " ( CL - 47 ) on 10 July on convoy escort duties . On 30 July , the destroyer arrived at Auckland and , the following day , steamed for the Fiji Islands . Fate . At Suva , she received orders to escort the SS " Nira Luckenbach " to Espiritu Santo ; and , on 1 August , the two ships departed by way of a route north of Efate Island and west of the Malekula Islands . Threading their way through the Bruat channel , both ships then set courses to enter the Segond Channel for the final leg of their voyage to Espiritu Santo . At 21 : 45 , " Tucker " struck a mine which exploded and broke the destroyer ' s back . She slowed to a halt , mortally stricken , and began folding up like a jackknife . The explosion instantly killed three men . " Nira Luckenbach " quickly sent boats to aid in rescuing the destroyermen as they abandoned their sinking ship . By the next morning , " YP - 346 " had arrived on the scene and attempted to tow the stricken destroyer into shallower water to facilitate salvage operations . " Breese " ( DM - 18 ) also arrived and stood by as " YP - 346 " struggled to beach the foundering " Tucker " . However , the efforts soon failed ; and " Tucker " jack - knifed and sank in 10 fathoms at 0445 on 4 August 1942 . The minefield into which she had steamed had been laid by United States forces only the day before , on 2 August , and its existence had not yet been radioed to " Tucker " and " Nira Luckenbach " . Thus , " Tucker ' s " commanding officer and her crew had no idea of the dangerous waters into which they had steamed . The destroyer ' s only casualties were three men killed in the initial explosion and three more listed as " missing . " Her name was struck from the Navy list on 2 December 1944 . " Tucker " received one battle star for her World War II service .