USS Monssen ( DD - 436 ) USS " Monssen " ( DD - 436 ) , a " Gleaves " - class destroyer , was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for Mons Monssen , who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions aboard the USS " Missouri " ( BB - 11 ) in 1904 . Construction and entry into fleet . " Monssen " was laid down 12 July 1939 , by Puget Sound Navy Yard , Bremerton , Washington ; launched 16 May 1940 , sponsored by Mrs . Mons Monssen , widow of Lieutenant Monssen , and commissioned 14 March 1941 , Lieutenant Commander R . N . Smoot in command . Following shakedown and training , " Monssen " reported to the Atlantic Fleet on 27 June 1941 as a unit of Destroyer Division 22 ( DesDiv 22 ) . For the next five months she operated in the northwestern Atlantic , from the coast of New England and the Maritime Provinces to Iceland , on neutrality patrol . Her escort and patrol duties changed from neutral to belligerent 7 December 1941 , continuing until 9 February 1942 when she entered the Boston Navy Yard for overhaul in preparation for her transfer to the Pacific Fleet . Transfer to the Pacific . On 31 March she arrived at San Francisco , joined Task Force 16 ( TF 16 ) , and departed 2 April . Steaming west , she was in the antisubmarine screen for " Hornet " ( CV - 8 ) as the aircraft carrier headed for Japan with Lt . Col . Jimmy Doolittle ' s B - 25 s on her flight deck . In the early morning hours 18 April the force was sighted by the enemy and the Army pilots manned their planes , ignoring the bad weather , the daylight hours , and the additional 168 miles they would have to fly over the planned 500 miles to their targets , Tokyo , Nagoya , Osaka , and Kobe . Following the Doolittle Raid , the force returned to Pearl Harbor , from which it sortied 30 April to aid " Yorktown " ( CV - 5 ) and " Lexington " ( CV - 2 ) in the Battle of the Coral Sea . Reaching the scene after the battle was over , the force returned to Pearl Harbor , arriving 26 May . Two days later they departed again — this time for Midway to repulse an expected assault on that advanced base . By 2 June , TF 16 had rendezvoused with Task Force 17 ( TF 17 ) and was in position 350 miles northeast of Midway . On the 4th the Battle of Midway commenced as Japanese carrier planes flew against installations on the island . By the 7th , the American forces had won one of the decisive battles of history , sinking four carriers and one cruiser at the cost of destroyer " Hammann " ( DD - 412 ) and carrier " Yorktown " , and profoundly changing the course of the war . Solomon Islands campaign . After Midway the force remained at Pearl Harbor for a month before departing again for combat . Steaming via the Tonga Islands , they headed for the Japanese held Solomons . By 7 August they were 40 miles from the targets , Guadalcanal and Tulagi . On the 7th and 8th , " Monssen " with " Buchanan " ( DD - 484 ) stood off Gavutu and Tanambogo , circling those islands and providing fire support to units of the 2nd Marine Regiment as the U . S . Navy struck with the first of its giant amphibious assaults . She was then assigned to the screening forces guarding the eastern approaches to Sealark , Lengo , and Nggela Channel s . She remained in the immediate area through the Battle of the Eastern Solomons , which prevented Japanese reinforcements from reaching Guadalcanal , and then took up duties patrolling the sea routes to Guadalcanal . At the end of the month " Saratoga " ( CV - 3 ) was damaged and " Monssen " was one of the ships designated to escort her to the Tonga Islands . Sinking at the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . " Monssen " returned to Guadalcanal 18 September to insure the integrity of an Allied supply line and to block Japanese efforts at resupply . On 8 November , she departed Nouméa with two cruisers and two other destroyers as Task Group 67 . 4 ( TG 67 . 4 ) , under Rear Admiral Daniel J . Callaghan , as escort for transports carrying reinforcements to the marines on Guadalcanal . At the same time , another convoy set out from Espiritu Santo , covered by one cruiser and four destroyers under Rear Admiral Norman Scott . Arriving off Lunga Point on the 12th , a day after those from Espiritu Santo they commenced unloading . By dusk as reports of Japanese ship movements from Truk increased , 90 percent of the transports had been unladen despite afternoon torpedo plane attacks , one of which had cost " Monssen " the use of her fire control radar . The transports were pulled out , escorted through Lengo Channel , and seen safely on their way to Espiritu Santo . Then Admiral Callaghan ' s force , heavily outnumbered even with the addition of Admiral Scott ' s ships , reversed course and steamed back to engage the enemy in the initial action of what would later be called the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . Shortly , after 01 : 40 , 13 November , they sighted the enemy fleet , under Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe , 3 miles north of Kukum . The enemy was headed toward Henderson Field — to bombard it and cripple Allied air operations long enough to sneak in 11 of their transports , then en route to relieve their beleaguered comrades fighting on the island . Battle was given at 01 : 50 . At about 02 : 20 " Monssen " , forced to rely on radio information and optics , was spotlighted , hit by some 39 shells , including 3 of battleship caliber , and reduced to a burning hulk . Twenty minutes later , completely immobilized in all departments , the ship was ordered abandoned . After daybreak " Monssen " was still a floating incinerator . C . C . Storey , BM2c , L . F . Sturgeon , GM2c , and J . G . Hughes F1c , climbed back into the inferno and rescued eight men still aboard and alive , five of whom lived after reaching land . The survivors , 40 percent of the crew , were picked up at about 08 : 00 and taken to Guadalcanal . The ship herself continued to blaze until early afternoon , when the waters of Ironbottom Sound closed over her . " Monssen " was awarded four battle star s for World War II service . Wreck discovery . In 1992 , an expedition headed by oceanographer Robert Ballard found the wreck of " Monssen " and other ships sunk during the Solomon Islands battles . The wreck lies upright on the bottom of the sound , with the gun turrets still trained out to the starboard side as they had been in combat .