John R . Borum John Randolph Borum was born in Norfolk , Virginia , on 8 December 1907 . Borum was appointed a Lieutenant ( junior grade ) in the United States Naval Reserve in 1942 . Lt . ( jg ) Borum was killed in the wreck of a merchantman 20 July 1943 on which he was the armed guard officer . Namesake . On 14 August 1943 , the destroyer escort USS " Borum " ( DE - 790 ) was named in his honor . The following account is published in The History of the Armed Guard Afloat : World War II - OP 414 : The Brilliant was bound for Belfast and was in convoy when she was torpedoed on the morning of November 18 , 1942 . Her case looked hopeless , for she was a tanker and she was on fire . The master , three officers and four members of the crew abandoned the ship in a lifeboat . James C . Cameron , the junior third officer or fourth officer was preparing to abandon the ship when the calm remark of Lt . ( jg ) John R . Borum that somebody ought to turn off the general alarm and that they might try exhausting the fire caused him to stop . Then unfolded one of the sagas of World War II . The fire was extinguished . The courage and calm of Lt . ( jg ) Borum was contagious . The radio operator rigged up an emergency radio . A junior officer and an Armed Guard neither of whom could navigate finally brought the ship safely into St . Johns . After emergency repairs she proceeded to New York under tow , but broke up on January 20 , 1943 . The junior third officer who had stood 29 straight watches , the Armed Guard officer who had been cool when others were filled with panic , and the radio operator all went down with the ship . Such heroes deserve to live . The USS Borum was named for this Armed Guard officer . Source : http : / / ftp1 . us . proftpd . org / hyperwar / / / / USN / Admin - Hist / 173 - ArmedGuards / 173 - AG - 3 . html The following Account is provided in The Free Library article : No Surrender As Long As The Guns Can Be Fought : : A similar event occurred with the 9000 - ton Socony motorship Brilliant torpedoed in November 1942 , en route from New York to Belfast , Northern Ireland . Hit just aft of the bridge , an intense fire broke out and the ship ' s master , first , second and third mates , plus most of the crew including the cook and steward took to the lifeboats . The crew exited with such haste that the Armed Guard bluejackets broke out in laughter prompting the fourth officer , Mr . E . G . Cameron to stay aboard . With searing flames spreading across the decks the Armed Guard officer , Lt . ( jg ) J . R . Borum , asked ship ' s officer Cameron why he didn ' t try and put out the fire . Cameron knew the Lux firefighting system and went below to get the remaining crew to charge the firemains and start the steamsmothering system . Within an hour , the fire was extinguished and Cameron and Borum - neither with any navigating experience between them - managed to get the ship headed for the Newfoundland coast . Making only 3knots - they happily reached Bonavista Harbor , where they anchored . Sadly , their exploit in saving the Brilliant was not to have a storybook ending for , two months later , both were to perish aboard her when she broke up and sank while under tow from St . Johns to Halifax for repairs . The nine crew members who abandoned ship eventually landed safely on the rocky shores of Newfoundland .