USS Hovey ( DD - 208 ) USS " Hovey " ( DD - 208 / DMS - 11 ) was a " Clemson " - class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War II . She was the only ship named for Ensign Charles Hovey ( 1885 – 1911 ) . " Hovey " was launched 26 April 1919 by William Cramp & Sons , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; sponsored by Mrs . Louise F . Kautz , sister of Ensign Hovey ; and commissioned 2 October 1919 , Commander Stephen B . McKinney in command . She was one of only a few Clemson class destroyers armed with four twin Mk 14 4 - inch guns . These were removed in 1940 . Service history . 1919 - 1940 . After shakedown off the coast of Florida and in the Caribbean " Hovey " sailed from Newport , Rhode Island 19 December 1919 in company with for the Azores and Brest , France , for duty as station ship . She sailed from Dalmatia , Italy 10 July 1920 for the Adriatic Sea to deliver important papers and claims . Arriving Constantinople 12 July she later visited various Russian ports as station ship until 17 December when she sailed for Port Said , Egypt , and duty with the Asiatic Fleet in the Philippines . " Hovey " remained on the Asiatic station until she returned to San Francisco , California 2 October 1922 , decommissioning at San Diego , 1 February 1923 . " Hovey " recommissioned 20 February 1930 at San Diego , California , Commander Stuart O . Greig in command . After shakedown out of San Diego and Mare Island she served principally as training ship for reservists until 9 April 1934 when she transited the Panama Canal , arriving New York 31 May . After training and fleet exercises out of New England and off the Florida coast , " Hovey " returned to San Diego 9 November . After overhaul at Mare Island , she resumed her operations along the West Coast with additional exercises and fleet problems in the Canal Zone and Hawaiian waters . George Thomas Sullivan and Francis Henry Sullivan , two of the five Sullivan Brothers served aboard the " Hovey " . World War II . " Hovey " converted to a high speed minesweeper and was reclassified DMS - 11 19 November 1940 . After intensive training she sailed 4 February 1941 for duty at Pearl Harbor . When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 " Hovey " was steaming in company with " Chandler " as antisubmarine screen for , engaged in gunnery practice some 20 miles ( 40 km ) off Pearl Harbor . The minesweeper immediately took up patrol and convoy duty around Pearl Harbor until 20 May when she escorted a 20 - ship convoy to San Francisco , arriving 31 May . " Hovey " returned to Pearl Harbor in mid - June and sailed 10 July for the southwest Pacific escorting in company with " Hovey " . She reached the Fiji Islands 23 July and joined Minesweeping Group of Rear Admiral Richmond K . Turner ' s South Pacific Amphibious Force the 31st . Solomon Islands Campaign . On 7 August , during the invasion of Guadalcanal , the first amphibious assault in the long island - hopping campaign , " Hovey " was assigned a screening station for the transports . Then , shortly before 0800 , she took a bombardment station to cover the landings east of Gavutu . Japanese shore batteries opened up but were quickly silenced by accurate fire from " Hovey " and the other ships providing fire support . She next joined other DMS ' s for sweeps between Gavutu and Bungana Islands . The next morning she steamed into Lengo Channel to help ward off an attack by a squadron of torpedo bomber s . Intensive US anti - aircraft fire caused the Japanese planes to drop their torpedoes prematurely and hence at too great a range , thereby rendering the attack almost totally ineffective . " Hovey " continued her operations around Guadalcanal before retiring to New Caledonia 13 September for replenishment . From there she proceeded to Samoa before returning to Ndeni , Santa Cruz , with a reconnaissance party of marines on board . Returning to New Caledonia , " Hovey " departed 10 October with two PT boat s in tow and 127 drums of aviation gasoline on board , which she delivered to Tulagi two days later . " Hovey " continued escort duty between Guadalcanal and Espiritu Santo , until she returned to San Francisco 19 April 1943 for overhaul . She joined a convoy out of Mare Island 31 May for New Caledonia , arriving 10 August . She then resumed her escort and patrol duties until 30 October when she joined Rear Admiral Theodore S . Wilkinson ' s III Amphibious Force for the Cape Torokina landing , 1 November 1943 . For the next week during the seizure of Empress Augusta Bay , " Hovey " operated with the invasion forces , screening transports and making prelanding sweeps . " Hovey " continued screening and escort duties in the Solomons until 5 April 1944 when she escorted from Tulagi to Majuro , Marshall Islands . She returned to Espiritu Santo 11 April and on the 20th joined Task Unit 34 . 9 . 3 ( Captain Kane in ) delivering replacement planes to other carriers at Manus . The task unit rendezvoused 29 April with Fast Carrier Task Force ( TF 58 ) to furnish replacement planes for the first strikes on Truk . Proceeding to Florida Island , " Hovey " departed for the West Coast , arriving 31 May via Pearl Harbor . Central Pacific Campaigns . Repairs complete , " Hovey " sailed for Pearl Harbor 29 July to become flagship for Mine Squadron Two ( Commander W . R . Loud ) . She sortied from Port Purvis 6 September as part of the antisubmarine screen for Rear Admiral Jesse B . Oldendorf ' s Western Gunfire Support Group for operations in the southern Palaus . After sweeps between Angaur and Peleliu Islands and in Kossol Passage , " Hovey " took up antisubmarine patrol in the transport area off Peleliu Island . She joined the Minesweeping and Hydrographic Group of Rear Admiral Thomas Sprague ' s Escort Carrier Group for the invasion of Leyte ( 17 – 25 October 1944 ) . On the 17th she began sweeping ahead of the high speed transports and fire support vessels in the approach to the landing beaches on Dinagat Island . After more sweeps through Looc Bay and the Tacloban - Dulag approach " Hovey " retired to Manus 25 October . Invasion of Luzon . As flagship for Commander Loud ' s Minesweeping and Hydrographic Group , " Hovey " departed Manus 23 December , arriving Leyte Gulf the 30th . She sortied 2 January 1945 , proceeded south through Surigao Strait and passed into the Mindanao Sea en route to the landings on Lingayen , Luzon . Many reconnaissance aircraft harassed the convoy during the night but no attacks developed until morning of 3 January . From then on , the convoy was under such heavy air attack that " Hovey " had to adopt the policy of not firing unless she was directly under attack , fearing that she would expend all her ammunition . In the entrance to Lingayen Gulf , at 0800 the sweepers came under attack and " Hovey " immediately shot down one " kamikaze " . As the ships made a return sweep , two " kamikazes " made straight runs on the last two ships in the column , crashing into and . " Hovey " slipped her gear and stood in to assist " Long " . " Long " s entire bridge and well deck was on fire , with intermittent explosions coming from the forward magazine and ready ammunition . Because of the explosions and air attacks , " Hovey " could not get alongside , but spent an hour picking up 149 survivors . At dark the sweepers made their night retirement and began steaming off the entrance to Lingayen Gulf . No more attacks occurred until 0425 , 7 January , when enemy aircraft were picked up on radar . At 450 , one plane flying low to the water came in from the starboard quarter passing ahead of " Hovey " . A few moments later , another plane coming from the port beam was put on fire by " Chandler " . This plane passed very low over " Hovey " and crashed on the starboard beam . At 0455 , the instant the burning plane crashed , " Hovey " was struck by a torpedo on her starboard side in the after engineroom . Lights and power were lost instantly . The stern remained nearly level and sinking to the top of the after deck house , the bow listed 40 degrees to starboard and rose out of the water , the ship breaking in half . Two minutes later the bow listed to 90 degrees , rose vertically and rapidly sank in 54 fathoms ( 99 m ) of water . Twenty four men were killed in addition to twenty four more men who were survivors from " Long " and " Brooks " . Survivors of the " Hovey " were rescued by the . Awards . " Hovey " received eight battle star s for World War II service .