USS Lansdale ( DD - 426 ) The second USS " Lansdale " ( DD - 426 ) was a in the United States Navy during World War II . She was named for Philip Lansdale . " Lansdale " was laid down on 19 December 1938 by Boston Navy Yard ; launched on 30 October 1939 ; sponsored by Mrs . Ethel S . Lansdale , widow of the ships namesake ; and commissioned on 17 September 1940 at Boston , Massachusetts , Lieutenant Commander John D . Connor in command . 1941 . After shakedown in the Caribbean , " Lansdale " departed Boston on 18 January 1941 for Neutrality patrol duty in the Caribbean . She cruised off Cuba , the Virgin Islands , Martinique , and the British West Indies before returning to Boston on 6 March . After escort training along the Atlantic coast , she screened transports from Charleston , South Carolina , to NS Argentia , Newfoundland , in late June , then departed Argentia on 30 June on a neutrality - patrol run to Iceland . During the remainder of the year , she made three escort runs between Newfoundland and Iceland . " En route " to Hvalfjörður , Iceland , when the United States entered the war against the Axis , she steamed to Boston from 15 – 24 December . 1942 . " Lansdale " escorted seven troopships from New York to Key West from 22 – 27 January 1942 before arriving Casco Bay , Maine on 1 February to serve as plane guard for the aircraft carrier . For the next six months , anti - submarine warfare patrols and escort run carried her from the eastern seaboard to Iceland , the Caribbean , the Panama Canal , and the Gulf of Mexico . From 8 – 21 May , she patrolled the Atlantic between Puerto Rico and Bermuda with the light cruiser s and , after which she resumed convoy screening out of Norfolk , Virginia . On 9 August , " Lansdale " joined a convoy out of Halifax , Nova Scotia , bound for Northern Ireland . Arriving Lisahally on the 18th , she returned as escort from Greenock , Scotland , to New York from 27 August to 5 September . After escorting another convoy from New York via Halifax to Northern Ireland , she returned to New York from 10 – 21 October as screen for the battleship , then departed on 2 November with Task Force 38 ( TF 38 ) to escort convoy UGF 2 to north Africa . Arriving Safi , French Morocco on 18 November , she patrolled approaches to Safi and Casablanca until 22 December , when she sailed for New York in a convoy of 41 transports and six escorts . 1943 . Reaching New York on 10 January 1943 , she underwent overhaul until 30 January , when she departed with a convoy for Northern Ireland . She reached Derry on 9 February , joined with units of the 42nd British Escort Group , and departed on 15 February to escort tanker convoy UC 1 from the United Kingdom to the West Indies . As the convoy steamed south of the Azores on the 23rd , a German wolf pack of six to 10 submarine s made early morning and late night attacks that sank three tankers and damaged two others . " Lansdale " made several ASW counterattacks without known results , but two nights later she hit a submerging U - boat with gunfire . Although scattered night attacks continued until the 27th , prompt , aggressive counterattacks by American escorts prevented further losses by the Americans . " Lansdale " arrived Port - au - Spain , Trinidad on 6 March as escort for SS " Maasyerk " before proceeding on 8 – 9 March to Curaçao , Netherlands Antilles for more escort duty . From 20 March to 6 October , she made eight escort runs between the Caribbean and the United Kingdom , three convoy runs between Curaçao and New York , and periodic escort and patrol runs to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands . 1944 . Continuing escort duty out of Norfolk , Virginia , " Lansdale " made a run to Casablanca and back from 3 November to 17 December before sailing again for north Africa on 13 January 1944 . She reached Casablanca on 1 February and continued the next day via Oran and Algiers to Tunis where she arrived the 10th . After escorting the light cruiser to Algiers , she arrived Pozzuoli , Italy on 14 February for operations off the Anzio beachhead . Until returning to Oran from 22 – 26 March , she searched for German submarines and screened the light cruiser during fire support and shore bombardment operations from Naples to Anzio . " Lansdale " departed Oran on 10 April and joined convoy UGS 37 , composed of 60 merchant ships and six LST s , bound from Norfolk to Bizerte . At 23 : 30 on 11 April , some 16 to 25 German Dornier and Junkers bombers attacked the convoy off Cape Bengut , Algeria . During the next hour , the planes lit the night with flares and struck at the tightly formed convoy with torpedoes and radio - controlled bombs . Although the destroyer escort took a torpedo hit amidships , warning of an impending attack , an effective smokescreen , and massive , accurate anti - aircraft fire repulsed the enemy planes . While losing four planes , the Germans failed to sink a single ship . Leaving UGS 37 on 12 April , " Lansdale " escorted three merchant ships from Oran to westbound convoy GUS 36 . Then she sailed from Oran 18 April to join UGS 38 the next day . Stationed off the port bow of the Bizerte - bound convoy , she served as a " jam ship " against radio - controlled bombs , in addition to screening against U - boats . As the ships hugged the Algerian coast during first watch on 20 April , they approached approximately the same position off Cape Bengut where the " Luftwaffe " had attacked UGS 37 on 11 – 12 April . Though warned of possible attack during the afternoon and evening , the ships had little chance to avoid the strike unleashed by the Germans shortly after 21 : 00 . Attacking as twilight faded on 20 April , the German planes , flying close to shore and low over the water , evaded radar detection until they were almost upon the convoy . Some 18 to 24 Junkers and Heinkel bombers struck in three waves , minutes after the destroyer escort of the outer screen reported , " They are all around me . . . they are enemy , they are enemy . " The first wave of about nine Junkers Ju 88 s attacked from dead ahead . Their torpedoes damaged SS " Samite " and detonated high explosives aboard , blowing her out of the water and killing all 580 men on board . The second wave of about seven Junkers hit the starboard flank of the convoy and damaged two more merchant ships , one fatally . And the third , consisting of about five Heinkel He 111 s , bore down on the convoy ' s port bow , " Lansdale " s station . Loss . Silhouetted by the explosion of " Paul Hamilton " at 21 : 04 , " Lansdale " was attacked from both port and starboard by planes from two and possibly three waves . As Heinkels approached on the port bow and launched two torpedoes that missed , " Lansdale " turned to starboard to repel five Ju - 88s which had veered seaward from the convoy . Her guns hit one as it passed down the starboard side ; but , as it crashed well astern , another launched a torpedo on the starboard beam before passing over the forecastle under heavy fire and going down on the port quarter . The torpedo struck the starboard side forward about 21 : 06 , wrecking the forward fireroom and opening both sides to the sea . Almost split in two , " Lansdale " immediately took a 12° list to port . Her rudder jammed 22° to starboard , and she steamed at in a clockwise circle . At 21 : 12 , she again came under attack . Two bombers launched torpedoes on the beam and broad on the bow to port but both missed the still - turning ship . Despite the increasing list , her guns downed one of the planes as it turned away from the ship . At 21 : 20 , the course of the ship straightened out , but the list increased steadily . Within two minutes , it reached 45° despite the efforts of her crew to control the battle damage . Her skipper , Lt . Cdr . D . M . Swift , ordered her abandoned when he feared the stricken ship might roll " completely over . " By 21 : 30 , the list had increased to 80° and the destroyer began to break up . Five minutes later she broke in half , and the stern section quickly sank . The forward section sank 20 minutes later as destroyer escorts and began rescue operations . The two destroyer escorts swept the water from 21 : 55 - 03 : 30 the next morning searching for survivors . " Menges " picked up 115 men , including two German fliers who were shot down either by " Lansdale " or " Newell " . " Newell " rescued 119 survivors , including Lt . Cdr . Swift . Forty - seven officers and men were carried down with " Lansdale " . Awards . " Lansdale " received four battle star s for World War II service .