USS Sims ( DD - 409 ) USS " Sims " ( DD - 409 ) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer s in the United States Navy during World War II . She was the first ship to be named for William Sims , an Admiral who pushed for the modernization of the Navy . " Sims " was laid down on 15 July 1937 by Bath Iron Works Corporation , Bath , Maine ; launched on 8 April 1939 ; sponsored by Mrs . William S . Sims ; and commissioned on 1 August 1939 , Lieutenant Commander W . A . Griswold in command . Service history . Inter - War Period . After shakedown training in the Caribbean and post - shakedown availability in the Boston Navy Yard , " Sims " joined the Atlantic Squadron at Norfolk , Virginia on 2 August 1940 . The destroyer operated with the Neutrality Patrol in Caribbean and South Atlantic waters . In November – December 1940 , " Sims " patrolled off Martinique . On 28 May 1941 , the ship arrived at Newport , Rhode Island , and began operating from there . She sailed for Iceland on 28 July with an American task force . In August , the destroyer patrolled the approaches to Iceland . In September – October , the ship made two North Atlantic patrols . " Sims " had been attached to Destroyer Squadron 2 ( DesRon 2 ) since she began making Neutrality Patrols . World War II . With the outbreak of war on 7 December , DesRon 2 became part of Task Force 17 ( TF17 ) formed around . The task force sortied from Norfolk on 16 December 1941 for San Diego , California . From there , it sailed as part of a convoy taking Marines to Samoa , arriving on 23 January 1942 . At the time , it was believed that the Japan ese would attack Samoa to sever Allied communications with Australia . To thwart such a move , a carrier raid against Japanese bases in the Marshall Islands was planned . The " Yorktown " task force was to strike the islands of Mili , Jaluit , and Makin , while another force centered around was to hit Kwajalein , Wotje , and Maloelap . TF 17 departed Samoa on 25 January , with " Sims " in the screen . At 1105 on 28 January , she sighted an enemy bomber . At 1114 , a stick of four bombs fell approximately 1 , 500 yards astern , straddling the wake of the destroyer . The next day , the two carrier forces and a bombardment group attacked the islands and withdrew . " Sims " , with TF 17 , sailed from Pearl Harbor on 16 February to attack Wake Island . Shortly after departing , their sailing orders were changed , and they proceeded to the Canton Island area . Canton is a small island on the Honolulu - New Caledonia air route , and it was thought to be endangered by the Japanese . By early March , the Japanese had occupied Lae and Salamaua on the north coast of New Guinea . To check this drive , a carrier strike was launched on 10 March from and " Yorktown " . " Sims " remained near Rossel Island in the Louisiade Archipelago with a force of cruiser s and destroyers to protect the carriers from enemy surface ships . " Sims " next operated in the New Caledonia - Tonga Islands area . Battle of The Coral Sea . In late April , a Japanese task force was assembled to begin operations in support of Japanese moves towards Australia . This consisted of a covering group to protect landing forces on Tulagi and Port Moresby and a striking force to eliminate Allied shipping in the Coral Sea . was attached to the covering force , and and were the striking force under command of Admiral Takeo Takagi . The American ships were divided into task forces centered around " Lexington " and " Yorktown " . " Sims " was ordered to escort USS " Neosho " . The task force refueled on 5 – 6 May and then detached " Neosho " and " Sims " to continue to the next fueling point . On the morning of 7 May , a search plane from the Japanese striking force sighted the oiler and destroyer and reported them to Admiral Takagi as a carrier and a cruiser . Takagi ordered an all - out attack . At 0930 , 15 high level bombers attacked the two ships but did no damage . At 1038 , 10 attacked the destroyer , but skillful maneuvering evaded the nine bombs that were dropped . A third attack against the two ships by 36 " Val " dive bombers was devastating . " Neosho " was soon a blazing wreck as the result of seven direct hits and one plane that dived into her . " Sims " was attacked from all directions . The destroyer defended herself as best she could . Three 250 kg ( 551 lb ) bombs hit the destroyer . Two exploded in the engine room , and within minutes , the ship buckled amidships and began to sink , stern first . As " Sims " slid beneath the waves , there was a tremendous explosion that raised what was left of the ship almost 15 feet out of the water . Chief R . J . Dicken , in a damaged whaleboat , picked up 15 other survivors . They remained with " Neosho " until they were rescued by on 11 May . " Sims " was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 24 June 1942 . Awards . " Sims " received two battle star s for World War II service .