USS Smith Thompson ( DD - 212 ) USS " Smith Thompson " ( DD - 212 ) was a " Clemson " - class destroyer in the United States Navy . She was the only ship named for Secretary of the Navy Smith Thompson . History . " Smith Thompson " was laid down on 24 March by William Cramp and Sons , Philadelphia , Pennsylvania ; launched on 14 July 1919 ; sponsored by Mrs . Kate E . Lloyd , granddaughter of Secretary Thompson ; and commissioned on 10 December 1919 , Commander B . G . Barthalow in command . After shakedown along the East Coast , " Smith Thompson " sailed on 8 February 1920 from Philadelphia for the Mediterranean , arriving at Constantinople on 25 February . Attached to the United States Naval Detachment in Turkish Waters , Rear Admiral Mark L . Bristol commanding , the destroyer operated in the eastern Mediterranean and the Black Sea for over a year , visiting ports in Turkey , Russia , Romania , Bulgaria , Syria , Greece , and Egypt . Due to warfare in Turkey and Russia , Admiral Bristol ' s ships were frequently assigned unusual tasks , including maintenance of radio , mail , and passenger service ; carrying State Department representatives and officials of recognized philanthropic societies to various ports ; and evacuation of Americans , non - combatants , and the sick and wounded from ports threatened by warfare , particularly in southern Russia . Rear Admiral Newton A . McCully , on a mission to south Russia as a special agent of the State Department for observation purposes , received assistance from the naval forces ; and , on several occasions , " Smith Thompson " acted as his flagship . On 2 May 1921 , " Smith Thompson " sailed from Constantinople with her division for the Asiatic Station , arriving at Cavite , Philippines , on 29 June . For the next four years , she cruised among the Philippine Islands , along the coast of China , and in Japanese waters , protecting American lives and property and carrying out peacetime training . In early September 1923 , when he learned that Tokyo and Yokohama had been nearly destroyed by earthquake , tidal wave , and fire on 30 and 31 August , Admiral Edwin Anderson , Jr . , Commander in Chief of the Asiatic Fleet , immediately sent " Smith Thompson " and her destroyer division with medical supplies to render assistance . " Smith Thompson " arrived on 5 September and acted as radio relay ship at Yokohama and station ship at Tokyo until departing on 21 September . The American destroyers were the first foreign vessels to arrive at Yokohama and earned the gratitude of the Japanese government . The following year , " Smith Thompson " carried out another special mission , providing support off the China coast between 7 and 10 June for the flight of four United States Army aircraft around the world . " Smith Thompson " returned to the East Coast of the United States in 1925 via San Diego , California and the Panama Canal , arriving in Hampton Roads on 16 July . After overhaul , " Smith Thompson " joined Destroyer Squadrons , Scouting Fleet , and cruised along the East Coast and in the Caribbean on training exercises . During September and October 1926 and January 1927 , the destroyer was temporarily attached to the U . S . Special Service Squadron for duty on the coast of Nicaragua , observing conditions in that country during a revolutionary outbreak , protecting American interests , and furnishing transportation to Naval and Marine Corps personnel . Between June 1927 and January 1928 , " Smith Thompson " cruised in the Mediterranean and the Adriatic , and then proceeded to the West Coast of the United States to join Destroyer Squadrons , Battle Fleet . On 1 August 1929 , she sailed from Bremerton , Washington , with her division for a second tour with the Asiatic Fleet . Arriving at Chefoo , China , on 2 September 1929 ; " Smith Thompson " participated in exercises with the fleet in Chinese and Philippine waters , with overhaul periods at the Cavite Navy Yard , until 1936 . Due to civil war and bandit activity , a division of destroyers had to be maintained in Chinese waters in addition to the regular gunboat patrols ; and " Smith Thompson " was , on several occasions , assigned temporary duty with the Yangtze River Patrol and the South China Patrol . On 1 February 1932 , she , with other units of the Asiatic Fleet , was rushed to Shanghai to protect the international settlement there after the Japanese launched an air and sea attack on the Chinese portion of the city . On this occasion , " Smith Thompson " remained on special patrols along the China Coast until 28 May . Fate . On 14 April 1936 , " Smith Thompson " , while en route from Manila to Shanghai , was rammed amidships by " Whipple " ( DD - 217 ) . There was no loss of life , but " Smith Thompson " was seriously damaged and had to be towed back to the Philippines by " Barker " ( DD - 213 ) , arriving in Subic Bay on 17 April . Inspection showed the ship not worth repair , and " Smith Thompson " was decommissioned at Olongapo on 15 May , struck from the Navy list on 19 May , and sunk at sea off Subic Bay on 25 July 1936 . As of 2005 , no other ships have been named " Smith Thompson " .