USS O ' Brien ( DD - 415 ) USS " O ' Brien " ( DD - 415 ) was a World War II - era " Sims " - class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy , named in honor of Captain Jeremiah O ' Brien and his five brothers , Gideon , John , William , Dennis and Joseph , who captured the HMS " Margaretta " on 12 June 1775 during the American revolution . The " O ’ Brien " was laid down at Boston Navy Yard , Boston , Massachusetts , on 31 May 1938 ; launched on 20 October 1939 ; sponsored by Miss Josephine O ’ Brien Campbell , a great - great - great granddaughter of Gideon O ’ Brien ; and commissioned on 2 March 1940 , with Lieutenant Commander Carl F . Espe in command . Since this warship was built in a drydock , along with the , , and , the christening and commissioning ceremonies were combined . Service history . Inter - War Period . Throughout 1940 - 1941 , the USS " O ' Brien " operated along the Eastern Seaboard . World War II . After drydocking and repairs during the fall of 1941 , the " O ' Brien " left Norfolk , Virginia on 15 January 1942 along with the and , and then steamed for the Pacific Ocean . Transiting the Panama Canal on 20 January , the trio of ships arrived in San Francisco , California , on 31 January . The " O ’ Brien " steamed with a convoy for the Western Pacific on 4 February 1942 , but she was forced to return when a collision with damaged her port side . Following repairs at the Mare Island Navy Yard , the destroyer steamed out again on 20 February , bound for Pearl Harbor . There Commander Destroyer Division 4 shifted his flag to the " O ’ Brien " on 5 March 1942 . After operating out of Pearl Harbor and patrolling the Hawaiian atoll , French Frigate Shoals , the " O ' Brien " called at Midway Island in the latter part of March , escorting the seaplane tender there to evacuate civilians . The two warships returned to Pearl Harbor on 3 April . After an increase and improvement of her antiaircraft batteries , she embarked passengers for transportation to the Naval Air Station at Palmyra Atoll , and then steamed out on 18 April with the and . The destroyer then joined convoys from San Diego and San Francisco to escort them to American Samoa , arriving at Pago Pago on 28 April . The " O ’ Brien " was retained at Pago Pago for local escort work . On 26 May , she supported the occupation of Wallis Island , previously taken over by the Free French , and then she joined the on 19 June for the return voyage to Pearl Harbor . Operating out of Pearl Harbor , the ship performed escort duty and acted as patrol and plane guard . She got underway on 17 August with Task Force 17 ( TF 17 ) to reinforce the South Pacific Force , screening the tanker . Sinking . While escorting a convoy of troop transport s en route to Guadalcanal , the combined Task Force s 17 and 18 were attacked by the submarine on 15 September 1942 . The aircraft carrier USS " Wasp " ( CV - 7 ) was sunk , and the battleship USS " North Carolina " and the " O ’ Brien " were damaged by a spread of six torpedo es from this IJN submarine . At 1452 that afternoon , the " O ’ Brien " sighted smoke coming from the USS " Wasp " . As a member of ' s antisubmarine warfare screen , she made an emergency turn to the right . At about 1454 , while accelerating and swinging right , her lookouts spotted a torpedo two points forward of the port beam , 1 , 000 yards ( 915 meters ) away . This torpedo then missed " O ' Brien " close astern , but while her crew ' s attention was concentrated on it , another torpedo hit her port bow . This explosion did little obvious damage , but it set up severe structural stresses throughout the framework of the " O ' Brien " . She was able to proceed under her own power , and on 16 September she reached Espiritu Santo , where the sailors of the USS " Curtiss " made temporary repairs . The USS " O ’ Brien " next steamed out on 21 September , bound for Noumea , New Caledonia , for further repairs by the repair ship . Then , she steamed out on 10 October , bound for San Francisco Bay . The " O ' Brien " made it to Suva in the New Hebrides on 13 October , and then she steamed out once more on 16 October . The rate of leakage of seawater into the " O ' Brien " continued to increase , and on 18 October it was necessary for " O ’ Brien " to head for the nearest anchorage . Large amounts of topside weights were jettisoned , and preparations were made for abandoning the ship , but her captain still thought that she could be taken intact to Pago Pago . However , at about 0600 on 19 October , her bottom suddenly split open considerably , and her forward and after hull portions began to work independently . At 0630 all hands except for a small salvage crew abandoned , but half an hour later the " O ' Brien " was abandoned entirely . Just before 0800 she descended beneath the waves , and after steaming nearly 3 , 000 miles ( 5 , 500 km ) since she had been torpedoed . All members of her crew were saved . Awards . The USS " O ' Brien " earned one battle star during World War II .