Albert T . Harris Albert Thomas Harris ( August 29 , 1915 - November 12 , 1942 ) was a lieutenant in the Naval Reserve who served during World War II . Lt . ( j . g . ) Harris was a posthumous recipient of the Navy Cross . Early Life and Military Training . Born in Madison , Georgia , Harris attended North Georgia College and the University of Georgia before enlisting in the Naval Reserve on September 10 , 1940 . After a period of training , some of which he spent on the battleship " New York " ( BB - 34 ) , he was discharged on June 15 , 1941 , to accept an appointment as a midshipman in the Naval Reserve the following day . After receiving training at the Naval Reserve Midshipmen ' s School at Northwestern University , he was commissioned an ensign in the Naval Reserve on September 12 , 1941 . Military Experience . Following instruction in communications , Harris was assigned to the 12th Naval District temporarily on November 15 , 1941 . There he awaited transfer to the heavy cruiser " San Francisco " ( CA - 38 ) . He reported for duty on board that ship at Pearl Harbor on the afternoon of January 6 , 1942 . Two days after he reported , his ship sailed with Task Force ( TF ) 8 as part of the force covering the movement of marines to Samoa . Detached from TF 8 to provide local cover for the newly arrived forces at Tutuila , " San Francisco " then rejoined her old division , Cruiser Division 6 ( part of TF 11 ) , soon after clearing Samoan waters on February 8 . Ens . Harris saw his first action on February 20 , 1942 , when " San Francisco " screened the aircraft carrier " Lexington " ( CV - 2 ) as TF 11 battled Japan ese land - based bombers off Bougainville in the Northern Solomons . " San Francisco " received credit for downing one of the attacking aircraft . On March 10 , 1942 , the cruiser stood ready to protect " Lexington " , as that carrier and " Yorktown " ( CV - 5 ) launched a successful surprise attack on enemy shipping off the New Guinea settlements of Lae and Salamaua . In the spring of 1942 , Ens . Harris ' s ship escorted convoys between the United States , Hawaii , Australia and the Fiji Islands . After seeing a convoy safely to Fiji in July , " San Francisco " joined the expeditionary force bound for the Solomon Islands , in the initial assault phase of " Operation Watchtower " , the invasion of Guadalcanal . His ship covered the landings on August 7 , and , following a logistics period at Nouméa , New Caledonia , covered a supply convoy to Guadalcanal . During the latter movement , he witnessed the loss of the carrier " Wasp " ( CV - 7 ) on September 15 . He took part on the Battle of Cape Esperance on the night of October 11 and 12 , and participated in the shelling of Japanese supply and ammunition dumps at Koli Point on November 4 . Death . Newly promoted Lt . ( j . g . ) Harris saw his last action on the afternoon of November 12 , 1942 , when 21 Japanese twin - engined torpedo planes ( Mitsubishi G4M1 " Betties " ) attacked " San Francisco " ' s task group near Lunga Point . While commanding the antiaircraft battery on the aft machine gun platform , he directed the fire of his 20 - millimeter guns on an approaching Japanese torpedo plane that had been set ablaze by gunfire from the nearby transport " McCawley " ( AP - 10 ) . Maintaining heavy fire until the Betty crashed into them , Harris and three of his gun crews died in the fiery crash . Commander Herbert E . Schonland , who took command of the " San Francisco " after Captain Cassin Young died of wounds suffered in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal , praised " the remarkable fire discipline and courage " of Harris and his men . " They met their deaths without flinching , " Schonland wrote , " and in a manner which has been an inspiration to us all . " Lt . ( j . g . ) Harris was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously . Namesake . The destroyer escort " Albert T . Harris " ( DE - 447 ) was laid down on 13 January 1944 at Newark , New Jersey , by the Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co . She was launched on 16 April 1944 , sponsored by Mrs . J . D . Harris , the mother of Lt . ( j . g . ) Harris , and commissioned on 29 November 1944 at the New York Navy Yard , Lt . Comdr . Sidney King in command .