USS Pope ( DD - 225 ) USS " Pope " ( DD - 225 ) was a " Clemson " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II . She was the first ship named for John Pope . " Pope " was laid down 9 September 1919 and launched 23 March 1920 from William Cramp and Sons ; sponsored by Mrs . William S . Benson ; and commissioned 27 October 1920 at Philadelphia , Commander Richard S . Galloway in command . Service history . " Pope " was initially placed in reduced commission at Philadelphia and assigned to Squadron 3 , Division 39 of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet . During 1921 she alternated between her winter base at Charleston , South Carolina and her summer one at Newport , Rhode Island and escorted President Warren G . Harding to Plymouth , Massachusetts 30 July – 1 August . She engaged in maneuvers with the battleship divisions off Guantanamo Bay from 12 January until her return to Philadelphia 27 April . After a refit , " Pope " departed 12 May for duty in the Pacific . She passed through the Straits of Gibraltar 3 July and transited the Suez Canal 15 – 25 July . " Pope " joined Squadron 15 , Division 43 of the Asiatic Fleet at Chefoo , China 26 August and participated in fleet exercises off Chefoo until her departure 28 October for her winter base at Cavite , Philippines . In the Orient , " Pope " protected American lives and interests during the civil strife in China . She first served with the Yangtze River Patrol 9 September – 9 October 1923 and continued to make her presence known through repeated patrols until 1931 . Notable exceptions were duty off Japan in connection with the United States Army " Round the World Flight " in 1924 , a visit to French Indochina in 1926 , and a visit to Japan in 1929 . From 1931 until 1937 , the " Pope " continued to " show the flag " off the China coast , during the summers and spent the winters in the Philippines engaging in division maneuvers . She was reassigned to Squadron 5 , Division 15 on 3 February 1933 . " Pope " made visits to French Indochina in 1935 and in 1938 , two visits to Japan in 1934 and 1935 and one to the Dutch East Indies in 1936 . Increased tension on China ' s northern borders due to the Japanese invasion of Manchuria made it necessary for " Pope " to evacuate Americans from northern Chinese ports such as Lao Yao and Tsingtao to Shanghai beginning 19 September 1937 . From 15 July to 20 September 1938 , she cruised in Chinese waters off Chinwangtao and returned 5 June 1939 with the South China Patrol force removing American consulates and nationals . " Pope " was stationed off Swatow and Pehtaiho during 14 June – 19 August , observing the Japanese Navy en route to Swatow and the subsequent bombing and occupation of the city . She remained in this area until her return to Manila 12 October for the Neutrality Patrol off the Philippines . " Pope " was transferred to Division 59 of the Asiatic Fleet 6 May 1940 , and resumed patrolling off China during 11 May – 24 June . " Pope " returned to Manila in late June on neutrality duty and remained on station there until 11 December 1941 , when she got underway for Balikpapan , Dutch East Indies . World War II . " Pope " was heavily engaged in fighting in the Dutch East Indies in the early days of World War II . On 9 January 1942 " Pope " was one of five destroyers in an escort composed of the cruisers and , with the other destroyers , , , and departing from Darwin to Surabaya escorting the transport " Bloemfontein " . That transport had been part of the Pensacola Convoy and had left Brisbane 30 December 1941 with Army reinforcements composed of the 26th Field Artillery Brigade and Headquarters Battery , the 1st Battalion , 131st Field Artillery and supplies from that convoy destined for Java . During the Battle of Balikpapan she made close - quarter torpedo and gun attacks which helped delay Japanese landings at Balikpapan and later in the Battle of Badung Strait she impeded the invasion of the island of Bali . During the Second Battle of the Java Sea , " Pope " and were directed to escort away from the action . In the evening of 28 February 1942 , " Exeter " and the two destroyers left Soerabaja and proceeded north . Japanese surface and air forces launched an attack the next morning , midway between the islands of Java and Borneo . The three Allied ships fought four Japanese heavy cruisers and four destroyers throughout a fierce three - hour action , and they damaged a number of enemy ships . " Pope " fired all of her torpedoes and 140 salvoes of naval gunfire . Fate . Shortly before noon 1 March 1942 the two British ships were destroyed by gunfire , and an hour later , " Pope " was attacked and sunk by 12 dive - bombers - after sustaining many bomb hits . The wreck of USS " Pope " , DD 225 , was located and identified in December 2008 by the dive vessel MV " Empress " , approximately from the wreck of HMS " Exeter " , which " Empress " discovered in 2007 . Unfortunately commercial salvage divers had discovered " Pope " previously and save for a skeleton , little now remains of her wreck . With her location / identification now being finally confirmed , all ships lost during the Battle of the Java Sea and subsequent engagements have now been discovered / located and positively identified . The following day , rescued 442 survivors from " Pope " and " Encounter " . The survivors had been adrift for about 20 hours - in rafts and lifejackets , or clinging to floats , many coated in oil , and some blinded . This humanitarian decision by Lieutenant Commander Shunsaku Kudō placed " Ikazuchi " at risk of attack , and it interfered with her fighting ability , due to the sheer load of rescued sailors . The action was later the subject of a book and a 2007 TV programme . " Pope " was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 8 May 1942 . She received two battle star s and the Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service .