USS Smith ( DD - 378 ) The second USS " Smith " ( DD – 378 ) was a " Mahan " - class destroyer in the United States Navy before and during World War II . She was named for Lieutenant Joseph B . Smith , USN . Smith was the senior officer aboard and killed when CSS " Virginia " sunk her . Early service . " Smith " was laid down on 27 October 1934 by Mare Island Naval Shipyard , Mare Island , California ; launched on 20 February 1936 ; sponsored by Mrs . Yancey S . Williams ; and commissioned on 19 September 1936 , Commander H . L . Grosskopf in command . When active , she patrolled the West Coast waters for the next five years . World War II . 1941 - 42 . At the outbreak of the war , " Smith " was in San Francisco , California attached to Destroyer Squadron ( DesRon ) 5 and from then until April 1942 , she performed escort duty from the west coast to Pearl Harbor . On 7 April , " Smith " was assigned to Task Force ( TF ) 1 , composed of Battleship Division 3 , which held extensive training exercises along the West Coast until it departed for Pearl Harbor on 1 June . Upon her arrival , " Smith " was assigned to TF 17 commanded by Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher . She engaged in war patrols and training exercises for a month and then escorted a convoy back to San Francisco . After overhaul and subsequent sea trials in the Bay Area , she returned to Pearl Harbor in mid - August and began a period of training and upkeep . On 15 October , she was assigned to TF 16 composed of " Enterprise " ( CV - 6 ) and " South Dakota " ( BB - 57 ) . TF 16 departed Pearl Harbor on war patrol , on 16 October , and was joined the following week by " Portland " ( CA - 33 ) and " San Juan " ( CL - 54 ) with their destroyer screen . The task force was operating northwest of the New Hebrides Islands when , on 24 October , it was notified that a Japanese carrier force was converging on Guadalcanal . Task Force 17 ( TF17 ) , " Hornet " ( CV - 8 ) and its cruiser - destroyer screen , joined TF 16 and the merged force was designated TF 61 . On 26 October , scout planes from " Enterprise " located the Japanese force . At 0944 , the first Japanese planes were sighted and " Hornet " was hit by bombs 30 minutes later . At 1125 , " Smith " was attacked by a formation of 20 torpedo planes . Twenty minutes later , a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into her forecastle , causing a heavy explosion . According to one version , the torpedo carried by the plane had not exploded on impact , but did so some time later . This caused even more damage and casualties . The forward part of the ship was enveloped in a sheet of smoke and flame from bursting gasoline tanks and the bridge had to be abandoned . The entire forward deckhouse was aflame , making topside forward of number one stack untenable . " Smith ' s " gunners downed six of the planes . By early afternoon , the crew had extinguished all of the fires forward — largely assisted by her Commanding Officer ' s decision to steer the burning ship into the wake of USS South Dakota . With 57 killed or missing , 12 wounded , her magazines flooded , and temporary loss of steering control from the pilothouse , " Smith " retained her position in the screen with all serviceable guns firing . Action was broken off in the evening , and " Smith " headed to Noumea for temporary repairs . She was patched up and underway for Pearl Harbor on 5 November . At Pearl Harbor , she underwent a yard overhaul and sea trials that lasted into February 1943 . The USS " Smith " was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for continuing to fight despite crippling damage to the ship . 1943 . " Smith " departed on 12 February for Espiritu Santo as screen for " Wright " ( CVL - 49 ) . " Gridley " ( DD - 380 ) joined the screen there , and the ships proceeded to Guadalcanal where " Smith " performed antisubmarine patrols until 12 March . She then returned to Espiritu Santo and participated in various patrols and tactical and logistical exercises with TF 10 in the New Caledonia - Coral Sea area until 28 April . " Smith " returned to Pearl Harbor the following month for logistics and then sailed for Australia . " Smith " was attached to DesRon 5 which conducted exercises in the Townsville - Cape Moreton area to 10 June , and then escorted merchant shipping and landing craft to Milne Bay , remaining there the remainder of July . " Smith " departed for Mackay , Australia , and yard availability on 1 August . When this was completed , she returned to Milne Bay for further exercises and preparations for impending operations with the Seventh Fleet . " Smith " , with destroyers " Perkins " ( DD - 377 ) , " Conyngham " ( DD - 371 ) , and " Mahan " ( DD - 364 ) , bombarded Finschhafen , New Guinea , on 23 August without opposition . The squadron returned to Milne Bay and participated in exercises until 2 September when it sailed with TF 76 for the Huon Gulf area of New Guinea . " Smith " bombarded targets in her assigned area of " Red Beach " prior to landings by the 9th Australian Infantry Division on 4 September . She remained in the area on offensive sweeps , antisubmarine patrols , and as antiaircraft defense until 18 September . On the night of 7 / 8 September , the squadron shelled Lae . During the period 20 to 23 September , " Smith " participated in the bombardment and landings at Finschhafen as a unit of TF 76 . Enemy air attacks were carried out against the task force with no damage to it , but they lost 16 planes to fighter cover or naval gunfire . " Smith " then returned to Holnicote Bay for resupply operations to Lae and Finschhafen . On 3 October , " Smith " , " Henley " ( DD - 391 ) , and " Reid " ( DD - 369 ) were assigned to make an antisubmarinesweep of Huon Gulf . At 1821 , three torpedo wakes were sighted abaft " Smith ' s " port beam . She made a right full rudder and slipped between two of the torpedoes — one passing to port , the other to starboard . " Henley " took a torpedo on the port side and , six minutes later , broke in half , disappearing from sight at 1832 . " Smith " made a depth charge attack that proved futile . The squadron spent the remainder of the month in resupply operations to forward areas . " Smith " had a short availability period in Milne Bay the first of November and then returned to the Lae - Finschhafen area . On 14 December , " Smith " was attached to the Arawe Attack Force forming at Holnicote Bay and departed for that operation . The next morning , she shelled " Orange Beach , " Cape Merkus , and covered the operation with other units of DesRon 5 . The squadron then returned to Milne Bay to prepare for the invasion of Cape Gloucester , New Britain . " Smith " stood out from Buna on Christmas Day as escort for the Cape Gloucester Attack Force ( TF 76 ) and as a unit of the bombardment group . The next morning , she shelled " Green Beach , " Cape Gloucester , in preparation for the assault by Marines of the First Marine Division . She escorted resupply ships to the landing area the following week . 1944 . " Smith " was a unit of the Saidor Attack Force when , on 1 January 1944 , she was rammed astern by " Hutchins " ( DD - 476 ) and forced to return to Milne Bay for repairs . She soon rejoined the squadron in resupply operations to Cape Gloucester and the Lae area . " Smith " shelled gun emplacements in the vicinity of Herwath Point and Singor , on 13 February , in preparation for the landings there . On the 28th , " Smith " departed Cape Sudest , as a unit of the Admiralty Islands Attack Group , with 71 officers and men of the First Cavalry Division aboard to be landed on Los Negros Island . On 29 February , she began bombardment of designated targets along the northern shore of Hyane Harbor . The troops were landed and " Smith " provided call fire until that evening when she shuttled more troops to the landing area . On 17 March , " Smith " , with DesRon 5 , departed the South Pacific en route to San Francisco via Pearl Harbor . The overhaul period there was completed by 21 June ; and the squadron sailed for Pearl Harbor , spending the next five weeks in training exercises and gunnery practice . On 1 August , " Smith " was ordered to Eniwetok and patrolled the enemy - occupied Marshall Islands until 24 September when she joined TG 57 . 9 , composed of Cruiser Division 5 , and departed for Saipan . The task group began offensive patrols of the Northern Marianas to protect that Central Pacific outpost from enemy attack . " Smith " returned to Eniwetok in early October , made an escort trip to Ulithi , and then sailed to Hollandia . " Smith " was attached to the 7th Fleet on 26 October and the next day set course for Leyte Gulf , P . I . , arriving at San Pedro three days later . She patrolled Leyte Gulf as a unit of TG 77 . 1 from 1 to 16 November and then escorted a convoy to New Georgia and back . She was ordered to rendezvous on 6 December with the Ormac Attack Group to bombard enemy positions ashore and then to land the 77th Army Division there . The group arrived in the Ormac Bay area the next morning , and " Smith " was stationed northeast of Ponson Island as fighter director ship . At 0945 , enemy aircraft attacked the fleet . At least three suicide planes dived on " Mahan " ( DD - 364 ) and three on " Aaron Ward " ( DD - 483 ) . Both were badly damaged and later sunk by friendly gunfire when it was ascertained the fires could not be brought under control or the ships salvaged . Air attacks continued throughout the morning and when the landing force was disembarked , the attack group retired to Leyte . " Smith " and DesRon 5 , departing San Pedro with a resupply echelon for Ormac Bay on 11 December , were attacked that evening in Leyte Gulf by a force of enemy planes . At 1704 , Reid was hit by a bomb and a suicide plane . There was a violent explosion , and she heeled over and sank at 1706 . " Smith " downed four of the enemy planes . The next morning , the formation was again attacked by Japanese planes , and " Caldwell " ( DD - 605 ) was hit by a kamikaze which set her afire . No other hits were sustained by the destroyers , and " Smith " continued resupply operations until the 17th when she sailed to Manus for logistics and maintenance . 1945 . " Smith " was back in Leyte Gulf on 6 January 1945 as a unit in the screen of TG 79 . 2 proceeding to support amphibious landings in Lingayen Gulf , Luzon . There was a heavy air attack two days later in which " Kitkun Bay " ( CVE - 71 ) was seriously damaged by a kamikaze . " Smith " , away , stood by to rescue survivors . She took on board over 200 sailors . On 9 January , she was able to transfer these men back to " Kitkun Bay " which was now proceeding under her own steam . " Smith " was then assigned to patrol the northern Lingayen Gulf . From 28 January to 20 February , she screened convoys to Hollandia , Sansapor , and Leyte . In Leyte on the 20th , she was assigned to screen a convoy to Mangarin Bay , Mindoro . While passing through the Mindanao Sea the next morning , " Renshaw " ( DD - 499 ) was hit by a torpedo and seriously damaged . " Smith " went alongside to transfer wounded , furnish electricity , and begin pumping out the after engine room with fire and bilge pumps . She towed " Renshaw " for six hours until she was relieved , to proceed independently to San Pedro and transfer the wounded who had been taken on board . En route to Mindoro on the 24th , " Smith " picked up a radar contact that failed to respond to her blinker requesting identification . When the contact was illuminated , it proved to be a Japanese steam lugger of 200 tons . The target was taken under fire at 2147 and destroyed by 2158 . " Smith " departed Mindoro on 26 February as a unit of the Puerta Princesa , Palawan Attack Group ( TG 78 . 2 ) . She was on station two days later and at 0818 began firing preliminary shore bombardment on " White Beach . " She then patrolled the entrance of Palawan Harbor until 4 March . " Smith " was relieved from patrol and made two runs to Palawan as escort for supply ships . On 24 March , " Smith " again sailed with TG 78 . 2 . This time the objective was to transport and land the American 1st Infantry Division at Cebu City , Cebu Island . " Smith " bombarded the landing beaches the morning of the assault , 28 March , and after the forces landed , provided them with call fire . Over one eight - day period , she expended 1 , 200 rounds of ammunition . On 23 April , she departed the Philippines with orders to join TG 78 . 1 at Morotai . The group sortied from Morotai on 27 April 1945 , transporting the 26th Australian Infantry Brigade to Tarakan Island , Borneo , for an amphibious landing . " Smith " began preliminary bombardment of the landing beaches at 0700 , 1 May , and remained on station until the 19th as call fire support ship , screening picket , and harbor entrance patrol . " Smith " retired to Morotai , sailed to Zamboanga , rendezvoused with " Mettawee " ( AOG - 17 ) and escorted her back to Tarakan . She then provided night gunfire support for the Australians until ordered back to Morotai . There , she was attached to Rear Admiral Noble ' s TG 78 . 2 on 26 June and again sailed for Borneo . This time the objective was Balikpapan , Borneo , where the First Australian Corps was to be landed . " Smith " began shore bombardment at 0700 , 1 July , and received return fire from enemy guns ashore that splashed close aboard . The Japanese gunners finally got her range and sent three shells through her number one stack . The shells failed to explode , and only superficial damage was done . One visible gun emplacement was taken under counterbattery fire and silenced . " Smith " left the next day for Morotai , picked up a resupply convoy , and was back in Balikpapan on 16 July . She departed on the 24th for San Pedro and tender availability . Later service . " Smith " departed the Philippines on 15 August for Buckner Bay ; remained there for two weeks and sailed for Nagasaki Harbor , Kyūshū . On 15 September , 90 ex - prisoners of war boarded ; and , the next morning , " Smith " steamed for Okinawa to transfer them to the United States . She picked up 90 more Allied military personnel at Nagasaki on 21 September and transported them back to " Renville " ( APA - 227 ) in Buckner Bay . " Smith " arrived in Sasebo on 28 September and departed two days later for San Diego , via Pearl Harbor . She docked in San Diego on 19 November and remained there until ordered to Pearl Harbor on 28 December for disposal or inactivation . She arrived in Pearl Harbor on 3 January 1946 and assumed an inactive status . " Smith " was decommissioned on 28 June 1946 and struck from the Navy list on 25 February 1947 . She was sold the following August . " Smith " received six battle star s for World War II service .