USS Underhill ( DE - 682 ) USS " Underhill " ( DE - 682 ) , a , was named in honor of Ensign Samuel Underhill , a naval aviator of the United States Navy who was killed in action during the Battle of the Coral Sea . Her keel was laid down on 16 September 1943 by the Bethlehem Steel Company ' s Fore River Shipyard at Quincy , Massachusetts . She was launched on 15 October 1943 sponsored by Mrs . David ( Bertha ) Underhill , aunt and guardian of Ensign Underhill . " Underhill " was commissioned exactly one month later under the command of Lieutenant Commander Sidney R . Jackson . Atlantic / Mediterranean service . After trial runs and crew training , " Underhill " moved to the Boston Navy Yard for provisioning and loading of ammunition . On 2 December 1943 , she was underway to Bermuda for further training and shakedown , returning to Boston Navy Yard on 10 January 1944 for minor repairs . She got underway from Boston on 17 January 1944 and arrived at Guantanamo Bay on 22 January , reporting to Commander , Caribbean Sea Frontier , for duty . She operated out of Trinidad and Guantanamo escorting convoys until late in May when she escorted SS " George Washington " from Kingston , Jamaica , to Miami , Florida . Returning to Boston Navy Yard on 30 May 1944 , " Underhill ' s " torpedo tubes were removed and replaced with Bofors 40 - millimeter antiaircraft guns . Additionally two 20 mm anti - aircraft guns were added on the fantail . Her new area of operations was the Mediterranean Sea , where the Junkers Ju 88 dive bombers flying out of Southern France had been converted to torpedo plane s and were taking a toll on British and French convoys . Following training exercises in Casco Bay , Maine , " Underhill " got underway before dawn on Independence Day and steamed from Hampton Roads to screen UGS 47 , a large , slow convoy bound for Mediterranean ports . " Underhill " conducted battle drills and investigated sonar contacts during the long , uneventful Atlantic voyage . In the Mediterranean Sea on 21 and 22 July , she responded to several air raid warnings , but no enemy action materialized , although the last three convoys to pass along this route had been attacked by German planes . She escorted convoys between Bizerte , Tunisia and Oran , Algeria . After her first convoy in Bizerte , " Underhill " was ordered out into the Mediterranean Sea where she steamed all night at flank speed , fully illuminated in waters known to be populated with U - boat s and overflown by German aircraft . The invasion of southern France was launched a few days later ; it is likely " Underhill ' s " cruise was a diversion or a probe . When returning to Bizerte , she struck a ship sunken in the channel and badly damaged her port propeller and shaft , which was repaired in Oran . After arriving at that port on 27 July , she underwent temporary repairs ; then , on 5 August , she departed North Africa . Early on 6 August , she joined the escort of Convoy GUS 47 , with which she arrived safely at New York City on 18 August . Six days later , Commander Newcomb relieved Jackson as commanding officer ; he would hold the post for the rest of his life The next convoy , UGS 54 to Plymouth , England , in September , was uneventful until " Underhill " left Plymouth in October . Upon leaving the harbor , a submarine sonar contact was made in the English Channel . Several hours of depth charging accomplished nothing , but while running the patterns , the ship struck an underwater object ( possibly a U - boat ) destroying the ship ' s sonar soundhead . " Underhill " drydocked at Plymouth , but the British were unable to make needed repairs , so " Underhill " returned to Boston with a group of tank landing ship s ( LSTs ) for a new sound head . She escorted Convoy UGS 60 from Boston to Mers el Kebir in November ; then engaged in anti - submarine warfare exercises out of Oran with French submarine " Doris " . She departed that Algerian port on 3 December escorting GUS 60 and reached New York on 21 December . She entered the Brooklyn Navy Yard on 21 December , departing for New London , Connecticut , on 8 January 1945 for a temporary assignment with Submarine Forces , Atlantic . Operating out of New London , she served as a training and escort ship for submarines , took part in exercises in Block Island Sound and Long Island Sound ; and trained intensively in anti - submarine warfare . Pacific service . In late January 1945 , " Underhill " was assigned to the Seventh Fleet in the Philippine Islands , departing New London on 8 February 1945 , rendezvousing with HMS " Patroller " to escort the British escort carrier to the Panama Canal Zone . " Underhill " then steamed via the Panama Canal , the Galapagos Islands , and Bora Bora to the Admiralty Islands and arrived at Seeadler Harbor on 15 March 1945 . Her first convoy took her to Lingayen Gulf where she remained for four days of radar picket duty . From there she went on to Hollandia ( currently known as Jayapura ) and Biak . On 5 June 1945 , " Underhill " left Hollandia escorting the troopship USS " General M . B . Stewart " ( AP - 140 ) to Leyte Gulf . On 10 June 1945 , " Underhill " left Leyte for Hollandia , but in route received a distress call from OA - 10 # 23 , a Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat . " Underhill " and " Thadeus Parker " were diverted to the crash site by orders of the Commander , Philippine Sea Frontier . The destroyer s and various aircraft patrolled the area until 12 June when the search was abandoned . After " Parker " and the aircraft had left the area , " Underhill " ' s lookouts spotted green dye marker and a ration can floating in the water . Investigating further , into a rain squall , the lookouts found three survivors , who had been in the water about 60 hours with life jacket s but no life raft . " Underhill " took them aboard at 07 : 59 and transported them to Hollandia . " Underhill " escorted shipping between Manus , Bora Bora , and Palau , until she joined a large convoy of supply and troopships . She departed Leyte Gulf on 9 July and arrived at Okinawa on 14 July 1945 . There , she was assigned to radar picket duty until relieved to serve as escort commander of Task Unit 99 - 1 - 18 , a convoy from Buckner Bay , Okinawa back to Leyte Gulf on 21 July 1945 . The convoy included one troop ship and six LSTs carrying troops of the 96th Division back to the Philippines for rest and reinforcements . The convoy escorts were patrol craft " PC - 1251 " , " PC - 803 " , " PC - 804 " , and " PC - 807 " , sub chasers " SC - 1306 " and " SC - 1309 " , and patrol craft escort " PCE - 872 " . " Underhill " sinking . On the morning of the third day out , 24 July 1945 , about 200 to 300 miles northeast of Cape Engaño , " Underhill ' s " radar detected a Japanese " Dinah " reconnaissance plane circling the convoy about ten miles out . Her crew immediately manned their battle stations and ordered other escorts to air defense stations . The Japanese pilot remained out of gun range , determining the convoy ' s base course and relaying it to Japanese submarines in the area . After some 45 minutes , " Underhill " crew secured from battle stations and ordered the other escorts to resume assigned patrol stations . During this time , an SC had developed mechanical problems and had to be taken in tow by " PCE - 872 " . Two or three Japan ese submarine s were in the area . After establishing the convoy ' s base course , one released a dummy naval mine in the path of the convoy . When sighted by " Underhill " lookouts , the ship ' s commander ordered a general course change to port . When the last ship had cleared , " Underhill " stood in to sink the mine . After repeated direct hits by the 20 - millimeter guns and 30 - calibre rifle fire , the convoy realized the mine was a diversionary tactic by the Japanese submarines . A sonar contact made earlier had been lost during the course changes required by the mine threat , but " Underhill " regained contact and guided " PC - 804 " into a depth charge attack with no immediate results . A few minutes later , however , a sub was sighted on the surface in the area where " PC - 804 " had attacked . " Underhill " set course to ram , but the sub dove and the command was changed to drop depth charges . A 13 - charge pattern was laid , explosions brought up oil and debris , and " PC - 804 " reported a kill . " Underhill " reversed course and passed back through the debris . Sonar picked up another contact . The depth charges had brought to the surface two " Kaiten " , Japanese suicide manned torpedo es , each with a warhead equivalent to about two standard torpedoes . One was on either side of " Underhill " ; the one to starboard was too close for any of " Underhill " ' s guns to bear . At 15 : 15 , the captain ordered flank speed , a turn onto collision course , and all hands to stand by to ram . " Underhill " struck the " Kaiten " to port , and two explosions resulted , the first directly under the bridge and magazine area , the second , a few seconds later , forward of the bridge area and more to starboard . " Underhill " broke in half at the forward fire room . The stern section remained upright and afloat ; The bow , sticking straight up , began drifting away to starboard . The explosions flung a tremendous quantity of oily water over the aft section , knocking down men and washing some overboard , but also dousing possible fires in that portion of the ship . Although hampered in their rescue efforts by the necessity to pursue sound contacts and by alarms over real and imagined periscope sightings , " PC - 803 " and " PC - 804 " quickly came to the aid of survivors in the water and on the slowly sinking aft section . On board " Underhill " , the wounded were brought to the boat and main decks , while unhurt survivors aided the injured and attempted to control the damage . About an hour later " PC - 803 " and " PC - 804 " had returned to rescue survivors . Hampered because of still being under attack by the midget subs , the transfer of many seriously wounded men to the patrol craft was difficult . " PC - 804 " was the first to reach the combat site to assist with rescue operations and hove - to off the starboard quarter of " Underhill " . The patrol boats and sub chasers alternated between assisting survivors and attacking submarine contacts . After the last known survivors were rescued , a firing line was formed by " PC - 803 " , " PC - 804 " , and " PCE - 872 " . The fragments of " Underhill " were sunk by three - inch ( 76 . 2 mm ) and 40 mm gunfire at 19 : 17 . Loss Location reported at 19°20 ' N , 126°42 ' E . The remainder of 24 July was spent rejoining the convoy . Some survivors were transferred to " LST - 768 " " and the balance to LST 739 which had on board Commander LST Group 46 who among the command was the only Medical Doctor in the convoy " at about 03 : 00 on 25 July . Task Unit 99 - 1 - 18 proceeded to its destination of Leyte Gulf . A total of 112 crew members of " Underhill " perished in the explosion , while 122 survived . Ten of the fourteen officers were lost , including the commanding officer , Lieutenant Commander Newcomb . Every crewman was awarded the Purple Heart , and Newcomb also received the Silver Star . Chief Boatswain ' s Mate Stanley Dace was posthumously awarded the bronze star with combat " V " and citation of merit in August 1998 . One other shipmate , Pharmacy Mate Third class Joseph Manory , was awarded the Navy and Marine Commendation Medal with Combat " V " in 1998 . USS " Underhill " was struck from the Naval Vessel Registry on 1 September 1945 .