USS Henley ( DD - 391 ) USS " Henley " ( DD - 391 ) , a " Bagley " - class destroyer , was the 2nd ship of the United States Navy to be named for Captain Robert Henley , an officer in the United States Navy during the Quasi - War with France , the War of 1812 and the Second Barbary War . History . The second " Henley " ( DD - 391 ) was launched 12 January 1937 by the Mare Island Navy Yard , Vallejo , California ; sponsored by Miss Beryl Henley Joslin , a collateral descendant of Captain Robert Henley ; and commissioned 14 August 1937 , Lieutenant Commander H . Y . McCown in command . After shakedown in the Pacific and Hawaiian waters , " Henley " joined the Pacific Battle Force , Destroyer Division 11 , at San Diego 12 September 1938 . She departed San Diego 14 April 1941 to join the Fleet at Pearl Harbor . When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 , " Henley " was moored in East Loch with battle stations manned , a green sailor having sounded General Quarters instead of Quarters for Muster . This fortunate mistake gave " Henley " under the command of Lieutenant Francis Edward Fleck , Jr . , the opportunity to fire the first destroyer shots as the initial wave of enemy planes swooped in . A bomb exploded 150 yards off her port bow as she slipped her chain from the buoy , and , as she cleared , she received a signal that a submarine was in the harbor . " Henley " maneuvered through the smoke , fire , and confusion and sped out of the channel . Her gunners shot down one dive bomber with her . 50 cal . guns and shared credit for another . Conned by Fleck — both her commanding officer and executive officer were ashore when the attack began — " Henley " dropped depth charges on a sonar contact , possibly a midget submarine , outside the harbor , and continued to blaze away at the enemy with her guns . In the following weeks " Henley " operated with the task forces to reinforce Wake Island and conducted patrol for the protection of Midway and convoy lanes . " Henley " carried out convoy and antisubmarine duty , primarily in Australian waters . On 11 May 1942 she rescued the survivors of the USS Neosho and USS Sims , sunk during the Battle of the Coral Sea . She departed for Wellington 22 July 1942 to escort transports to Guadalcanal . As American forces stormed ashore in the Solomons 7 August , " Henley " patrolled on an ASW station , coming under fire from enemy planes but suffering no casualties and assisting in shooting down two in the process . As the fierce struggle for Guadalcanal raged , the destroyer remained in the area to screen ships bringing up supplies and reinforcements until 29 August . " Henley " then set course south , and remained in Australian and New Guinea waters until September 1943 on plane guard , convoy duty , and antisubmarine patrol . Fate . When Australian troops established a beachhead at Finschafen , New Guinea , 21 September 1943 , " Henley " formed a part of their protective screen . Attacked by 10 Japanese torpedo bombers , she claimed to have shot down 3 and assisted in downing 3 others in a fierce half hour engagement . However , the valiant ship ' s wartime career , begun in the chaos at Pearl Harbor , was drawing to a close . On 3 October 1943 " Henley " was steaming with " Reid " and " Smith " on an offensive sweep off Finschafen when her skipper sighted two torpedoes fired by the submarine " Ro - 108 " heading for her . Split - second maneuvering permitted " Henley " to evade those two torpedoes ; but a third was immediately sighted , closing too fast and too near to be avoided . " Henley " was struck on the port side , with the torpedo exploding in the number 1 fire - room , destroying her boilers , breaking her keel , and displacing her bow about 30 degrees from the longitudinal axis of the ship . At 18 : 29 , with all her crew having abandoned ship , " Henley " went down , stern first . Her companion DD ' s searched for the sub , then returned to rescue Henley ' s survivors , who had lashed their life - rafts together and were using flashlights as signals . Eighteen officers and 225 men were rescued , with 1 officer and 14 men missing . Honors . " Henley " earned four battle stars for her participation in World War II .