USS Luce ( DD - 522 ) USS " Luce " ( DD - 522 ) , a " Fletcher " - class destroyer , was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Rear Admiral Stephen B . Luce ( 1827 – 1917 ) . " Luce " was laid down by Bethlehem Steel Co . , Staten Island , N . Y . , 24 August 1942 ; launched 6 March 1943 , sponsored by Mrs . Stephen B . Luce , Jr . , wife of Rear Adm . Stephen B . Luce ’ s grandson ; and commissioned 21 June 1943 , Commander D . C . Varian in command . History . " Luce " departed New York 5 September 1943 and arrived Bremerton , Wash . , 28 October after visiting Trinidad and San Diego en route . She departed 1 November for Pearl Harbor as plane guard for " Enterprise " ( CV - 6 ) , and conducted gunnery training exercises in the Hawaiian Islands until 24 November . She then steamed to Adak Island , Alaska , and from 30 November 1943 to 8 August 1944 engaged in patrol and ASW duties off Attu Island . This duty was interrupted 1 February 1944 when she sailed from Massacre Bay , Attu , to participate in the 3 to 4 February bombardment of Paramushiru , Kurile Islands , with Task Force 94 ( TF 94 ) of the Northern Pacific Force . Completely surprising the enemy , the attack was successful ; " Luce " destroyed a 2 , 000 - ton enemy freighter in the action . She returned to Attu 4 February and resumed patrol . On 13 June " Luce " , with TF 94 , bombarded Matsuwa , Kurile Islands , and 26 June attacked Paramushiru a second time . On 8 August the ship departed for San Francisco and returned to Pearl Harbor 31 August . As a unit of the Southern Attack Force , TF 79 , " Luce " sortied from Manus , Admiralty Islands , 11 October . During the assault on Leyte 20 to 23 October , she patrolled outside the LST - transport areas providing air cover . Between 1 November and 12 December , " Luce " sailed from Manus to New Guinea on escort and ASW patrols , and from 12 to 27 December supported the Huon Gulf , New Guinea , landing operations . On 27 December she got underway to screen transports for the Lingayen Gulf attack and landings . She arrived in the operating area 9 January 1945 screening LSTs and transports of TF 78 . She fended off all enemy attackers and succeeded in shooting down one on the 11th . In company with 40 other ships , " Luce " departed 11 January and fought her way victoriously to San Pedro Bay 16 January . The ship patrolled this area until 25 January when she departed for the assault on San Antonio , San Felipe area , Luzon . This operation was unopposed , and " Luce " sailed for Mindoro 30 January . From 2 February to 24 March she escorted resupply convoys between Subic Bay and San Pedro Bay . Fate . On 24 March 1945 she departed Leyte escorting and screening units of TF 51 which landed heavy artillery on Kelse Shima for the support of the main landings on Okinawa . She was detached from this duty 1 April and assigned radar picket duty off Kerama Retto . About 07 : 40 , 4 May , Japanese suicide planes were intercepted by the combat air patrol in the vicinity of " Luce " . Two enemy planes avoided the interceptors and attacked her from the portside . " Luce " shot down one , but the explosion from the bomb it carried caused a power failure . Unable to bring her guns to bear in time , she was struck in the aft section by the second kamikaze . The port engine was knocked out , engineering spaces flooded , and the rudder jammed . At 08 : 14 " Luce " took a heavy list to starboard and the order to abandon ship was passed . Moments later she slid beneath the surface in a violent explosion carrying 126 of her 312 officers and men with her . Honors . " Luce " received five battle star s for World War II service .