USS Sterett ( DD - 407 ) USS " Sterett " ( DD - 407 ) was a in the United States Navy . She was the second Navy ship named for Andrew Sterett . The " Sterett " was laid down on 2 December 1936 at the Charleston Navy Yard ; launched on 27 October 1938 ; sponsored by Mrs . Camilla Ridgely Simpson ; and commissioned on 15 August 1939 , Lieutenant Commander Atherton Macondray in command . Pre - war years . The " Sterett " departed from Charleston , South Carolina on 28 October 1939 in company with two other newly commissioned destroyers , and , for shakedown in the Gulf of Mexico . She visited Veracruz , Cristóbal , Mobile , and Guantanamo Bay before returning to Charleston on 20 December . She underwent post - shakedown overhaul and trials at Charleston until departing on 4 May 1940 . Assigned to Destroyer Division 15 , " Sterett " rendezvoused with at Guantanamo Bay , and the two destroyers steamed for San Diego via the Panama Canal . They arrived in San Diego on 23 May ; and , for a month , " Sterett " divided her time between training and plane - guarding . On 24 June , she sailed for Hawaii with " Enterprise " and five other destroyers , and arrived at Pearl Harbor on 2 July . She operated out of Pearl Harbor for the next 10 months , participating in a number of exercises and patrols . When exited Pearl Harbor on 14 May 1941 , the " Sterett " was in her screen . The warships transited the Panama Canal and arrived at Norfolk on 28 June . " Sterett " next screened the during the escort carrier ' s Bermuda shakedown cruise . " Sterett " concluded 1941 engaged in neutrality patrol s with the . World War II . After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor , the " Sterett " steamed from Bermuda with the " Wasp " and an assortment of cruisers and destroyers to counter possible action by Vichy French ships anchored at Martinique . 1942 . The " Sterett " spent the early months of the war patrolling off the eastern seaboard . In mid - January , she steamed to the Naval Station Argentia , Newfoundland , to meet Task Force 15 ( TF 15 ) and escort a convoy to Iceland . The convoy was transferred to two British destroyers on 23 January 1942 , and she entered Hvalfjörður , Iceland , on the 26th . The " Sterett " returned to the United States at New York City on 9 February , and she departed on the 15th to meet the passenger liner off the Boston breakwater and escort her into the harbor . After two trips between Boston and Casco Bay , Maine , the " Sterett " joined the " USS Wasp " as part of her escort to duty with the British Home Fleet . The task group entered Scapa Flow , Orkney Islands , on 4 April . While the " Wasp " made her first aerial reinforcement of the embattled Malta , the " Sterett " operated with the British Fleet out of Scapa Flow . The destroyer was with the " Wasp " on her second run to Malta , 29 April to 15 May , and after returning to Scapa Flow , she headed for the United States . The task group arrived at Norfolk , Virginia on 27 May 1942 . On 5 June , the " Sterett " steamed for San Diego , where she arrived on 19 June . She steamed out again on 1 July and , as a part of Task Force 18 , steamed via Tongatapu to the Fiji Islands . She was assigned to Rear Admiral Richmond K . Turner ' s South Pacific Amphibious Expeditionary Force and practiced invasion techniques in the Fiji Islands until 1 August 1942 . The " Sterett " spent the rest of 1942 and all of 1943 supporting the Allied forces as they struggled up the island staircase formed by the Solomon Islands and the Bismarck Archipelago . The Solomons invasion fleet , guarded by three carrier task groups led by the , the " Enterprise " , and the " Wasp " , arrived in the Solomons late on 6 August . The 1st Marine Division then landed at Guadalcanal . Meanwhile , the " Sterett " and the " Wasp " carrier group zigzagged into a rain squall , successfully dodging an 18 - plane raid launched from Rabaul on New Britain Island . For the next three days , the " Wasp " unit guarded the supply lines to Tulagi . Next , the " Sterett " steamed east of San Cristobal to screen the USS " Long Island " while she launched 31 Marine planes for the defense of Guadalcanal . Rejoining the " Wasp " immediately , the " Sterett " remained with her until DesDiv 15 was detached on 10 September 1942 . For the next month , the " Sterett " escorted convoys and reinforcements to the Solomon Islands . Following duty escorting the and the to Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides , and guarding the latter all the way to Nouméa , New Caledonia , she returned to Guadalcanal accompanying two transports , the and the , loaded with troops and equipment . While the transports unloaded , the " Sterett " fired on enemy bombers and shore batteries harassing Henderson Field ( Guadalcanal ) . The " Sterett " returned to the New Hebrides and , after refueling , put to sea on 31 October to protect still more reinforcements to Guadalcanal . The " Sterett " covered the establishment of the beachhead and later she joined the and the in a bombardment of Japanese positions near Koli Point . Two days later , she retired to Espiritu Santo . Naval Battle of Guadalcanal . At Espiritu Santo , the " Sterett " met another convoy and escorted it to Lunga Point , Guadalcanal . As the troops were landing on the morning of 12 November , the " Sterett " took up station to meet expected air raids . Just after noon , she received word that a large formation of Japanese planes had been spotted by a coastwatcher on Buin , Papua New Guinea . In less than an hour , the attackers swooped in low against the dark background of Tulagi and Florida Island . The " Sterett " , directly in the line of the Japanese approach , shot down four torpedo bombers while dodging at least three torpedoes . By 14 : 50 , 32 of the Japanese were downed by antiaircraft fire and American aircraft . That evening , after shepherding the transports east to safety , the " Sterett " joined the van of the cruiser - destroyer force under the command of Rear Admiral Daniel J . Callaghan and steamed back through Lengo Channel to intercept Vice Admiral Hiroaki Abe ' s Japanese Navy task force . The " Sterett " and the other in the van , followed by five cruisers and a rear guard of four more destroyers , passed Lunga Point abeam , increased speed and , upon reaching a point about three miles ( 6 km ) north of Tassafaronga , changed course . As the warships sped toward Savo Island , their radar screens were dotted by echoes from the Japanese ships . The " Helena " reported first contact at 01 : 30 on the 13th , and soon all the American ships were receiving reflections from the Japanese ships . The two forces were closing each other at a combined speed in excess of 40 knots ( 75 km / h ) . The American warships threaded their way into the Japanese formation , and a deadly crossfire immediately engulfed the " Sterett " . At 01 : 50 , Admiral Callaghan ordered odd ships in column to open fire to starboard and even ships to engage the enemy to port . the " Sterett " fired on a cruiser to starboard and , in turn , took a terrific pounding from the Japanese battleship Hiei on her port side . At this point , the battle degenerated into a swirl of individual duels and passing shots . The " Sterett " turned now to " Hiei " , launching four torpedoes , and peppering her superstructure with 5 - inch shells . The " Sterett " scored two torpedo hits before a third target crossed her bow . At the appearance of an enemy more her size , the " Sterett " tore into the destroyer with her guns and launched two torpedoes . Before the Japanese destroyer could fire a single shot at " Sterett " , she was lifted from the water by the exploding torpedoes and rapidly settled to the floor of " Ironbottom Sound " . By this time , the " Sterett " had undergone a brutal beating from " Hiei " and various other enemy ships . At 02 : 30 , with the Japanese retiring toward Savo Island , " Sterett " , her after guns and starboard torpedo tubes out of commission , began to withdraw . She had difficulty overtaking the rest of her force because of her damaged steering gear and the necessity to reduce speed periodically to control the blaze on her after deck . By dawn , she was back in formation on the starboard quarter of the " San Francisco " . Before heading for Espiritu Santo on the 13th , she delivered her parting shot by depth - charging a sound contact , possibly the submarine which , about an hour later , would sink the . The " Sterett " arrived in the New Hebrides on 14 November , underwent emergency repairs , and departed from Espiritu Santo 10 days later . Visiting Pearl Harbor along the way , she steamed into San Francisco Bay and entered the Mare Island Naval Shipyard , where she remained for two months . The " Sterett " steamed from San Francisco on 10 February 1943 , joined the at Pearl Harbor , and together they entered Espiritu Santo on 8 March . The " Sterett " resumed her original assignment – guarding convoys to the Solomons - Bismarcks area and patrolling the area to prevent enemy reinforcements from being moved into the fray . 1943 . On 6 August 1943 , the " Sterett " was steaming in " Ironbottom Sound " in the second division of the six - destroyer task group under Commander Frederick Moosbrugger . At 12 : 00 , air reconnaissance reported an enemy force of four destroyers delivering troops and supplies to Kolombangara via Vella Gulf . At dusk , the six Americans passed cautiously through Gizo Strait into Vella Gulf . By midnight , the two divisions were skirting the coast of Kolombangara about two miles ( 4 km ) apart . Radar picked up the Japanese ships heading south at about 30 knots ( 55 km / h ) . One division launched eight torpedoes at the Japanese column ' s port side ; then " Sterett " ' s division loosed their torpedoes and opened with their guns . Three of the four Japanese destroyers took torpedo hits and received fire from 5 - inch guns . , the lone survivor , retreated at high speed to Buin . At Vella Gulf , " Sterett " and her comrades accounted for three destroyers , over 1 , 500 sailors and soldiers , and a large portion of the 50 tons of supplies . For the rest of August and throughout September , " Sterett " occupied herself with patrols in the Solomons . On 8 October , she arrived in Sydney , Australia , escorting the light cruiser . The two warships returned to Espiritu Santo on the 24th . At the beginning of November , she accompanied the assault forces to Bougainville , Solomon Islands ; and between 5 and 11 November , she supported the carriers while their planes bombed Japanese ships at Rabaul . She screened the carriers that delivered the 9 December air raid on Nauru Island ; then she withdrew to the New Hebrides until 27 December 1943 . In the Solomons on the last three days of 1943 , the " Sterett " escorted the to Pearl Harbor and on to the Ellice Islands , arriving at Funafuti on 21 January 1944 . Two days afterward , she put to sea with the and the . 1944 . From 29 January to 7 March 1944 , " Sterett " operated in the Marianas and Marshalls . On the 29th , her carriers ' planes struck Roi and Namur islands of Kwajalein Atoll . Next came the 12 February raid on Truk . Five days later , " Sterett " covered the flattops during raids on Tinian and Saipan . She departed the Marshalls for the New Hebrides , where she joined the Emirau invasion force . " Sterett " stopped at Purvis Bay , Florida Island , on 4 April and visited Efate on 7 April during her voyage from Emirau Island to the United States . " Sterett " stopped at Pearl Harbor on 16 and 17 April and arrived at the Puget Sound Navy Yard on the 29th . She underwent yard work from 24 to 30 April and then moved down the coast on 3 May to San Francisco Bay . Forty - eight hours later , she sailed out for Oahu and reached Pearl Harbor on the 10th . Following 14 days of exercises in the Hawaiian Islands , she sortied with Task Group 12 . 1 ( TG 12 . 1 ) for the Marshalls . At Majuro from 30 May , she exited the lagoon with TF 58 on 6 June to screen the support carriers during the invasion of the Marianas . " Sterett " cruised with the carriers from 11 to 25 June as they launched and recovered wave after wave of planes for strikes on Saipan , Iwo Jima , Guam , and Rota Islands , periodically fending off Japanese aerial retaliation . From 25 June until 7 July , she patrolled the waters around Guam and Rota and bombarded Guam . After covering the carriers during the sweeps over Yap , Palau , and Ulithi , she sailed for Eniwetok en route to Puget Sound . She stopped at Pearl Harbor from 10 to 14 August and headed on to Bremerton , Washington , entering the Puget Sound Navy Yard on the 20th . Completing overhaul and trials up and down the west coast , she sailed west on 13 October for the Hawaiian Islands . " Sterett " sortied from Oahu with Task Unit 16 . 8 . 5 ( TU 16 . 8 . 5 ) on 19 November and , 12 days later , entered Seeadler Harbor , Manus , Admiralty Islands . Two weeks before Christmas 1944 , she entered Leyte Gulf in the Philippines for patrol and convoy duty . On the day after Christmas , she started for Mindoro with a supply convoy . Two days later , the Japanese attacked . Early that morning , three kamikaze s dove at " Sterett " ' s convoy . Antiaircraft fire downed the first , but the second and third succeeded in crashing into merchantmen . " Sterett " endured the onslaught of the " Divine Wind " until the task unit was dissolved on New Year ' s Day 1945 . On that date , she returned to San Pedro Bay , claiming the destruction of one plane for herself and assists in eliminating two others . During the next three months , " Sterett " plied the waters of the South and Central Pacific , primarily engaged in patrol and convoy duty in the Solomons . 1945 . On 1 April 1945 , she was off Okinawa , serving as a radar picket ship . At Okinawa , Japan hurled a storm of suicide planes at the Navy . Particularly hard - hit were the ships on radar picket duty . On 6 April , the " Sterett " was sent to accompany her companion ship , the , to Okinawa after that destroyer had been hit by a kamikaze . Three days later , the " Sterett " suffered the same fate . While at picket station No . 4 northeast of Okinawa , five enemy planes swooped on her , and the " LCS - 36 " and " LCS - 24 " . The first was driven off and later downed ; the second was shot down by the destroyer ' s main battery ; but the third , though battered by her barrage , pressed home its attack and smashed into the " Sterett " ' s starboard side at her waterline . She lost all electrical power , but her 20 millimeter and 40 millimeter guns still managed to bring down the fourth attacker . The destroyer lost steering control and the power to all guns and directors ; her communications were out ; and her forward fuel tanks were ruptured . However , with the shipboard fires under control , steering control reestablished aft , and emergency communication lines rigged , she moved off to Kerama Retto with the providing antiaircraft cover . Following emergency repairs at Kerama Retto , she screened TU 53 . 7 . 1 to Ulithi ; and from there , she and the USS Rail ( DE - 304 ) steamed to Pearl Harbor . After spending the period from 1 to 10 May at Pearl Harbor , she moved on to Bremerton , Washington , and more extensive repairs . Through the months of June , July , and August 1945 , she remained on the West Coast . Then , from 21 to 28 August , the " Sterett " steamed to Pearl Harbor again . Upon her arrival , she practiced shore bombardment and antiaircraft gunnery for a month . On 25 September , she steamed away with the , the , and the . Decommissioning . " Sterett " transited the Panama Canal on 8 and 9 October and , after a three - day stay in Coco Solo , she proceeded north . She arrived in New York City on 17 October , and she was decommissioned there on 2 November 1945 . Her name was stricken from the Navy List on 25 February 1947 , and she was sold on 10 August to the Northern Metal Company of Philadelphia for scrapping . The " Sterett " earned 12 battle star s and the Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service .