Wreck of USS Cushing (DD-376)

 Second World War 1939-1945, military, shipwreck, destroyer (ship), United States Navy

USS Cushing was a Mahan Class Destroyer serving with the US Navy's Pacific Fleet during World War Two, and had been assigned to mainly a convoy escort role from the outbreak of war with Japan. During the early to mid-year months of 1942 the Cushing escorted more and more convoys to the Solomons Islands, where the US Navy and US Marine Corps were preparing to invade the island of Guadalcanal. After safely escorting what would be her final convoy in October 1942, the Cushing was assigned as part of a Destroyer screen protecting the USS Enterprise in a major surface battle which would later be known as the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands.

Emerging from her first battle unscathed, the Cushing was assigned to the Cruiser Task Force protecting the amphibious landings on Guadalcanal, under the command of Admiral Norman Scott, and commenced patrols of "Ironbottom Sound" and the surrounding area for Japanese warships and transports attempting to resupply their ground forces on Guadalcanal. On the morning of November 13th, 1942 the Cushing had completed rearming and refueling at sea when the first reports from US Submarines and recon aircraft began to indicate a large force of Japanese warships and transports were heading down the waterway known as "The Slot" towards Guadalcanal. Admiral Scott ordered his Cruiser Task Force to form up and meet the approaching threat to the Allied landings and airfield at Guadalcanal, which was estimated to arrive sometime during the night of November 13th.

Steaming in the #1 position of the lead Van of four Destroyers, the Cushing received the first reports of the Japanese ships from radar-equipped US Cruisers steaming astern around 0030hrs, however a heavy rain squall separated the two fleets and prevented any visual contact with the approaching ships aboard the non-radar equipped Cushing. At approximately 0130hrs the crew on the Cushing finally made visual contact with their enemy; emerging in large numbers on both sides of her from the darkness of the rain squall line only 3,000 yards distant. Both Admiral Scott and Vice Admiral Abe, commanders of the two fleets, withheld orders to commence firing for almost a full five minutes; seemingly stunned by the sudden proximity of their ships and struggling to formulate some kind action plan to cope with the new situation. Aboard the Cushing, the gun crews targeted the nearest ships to Port and Starboard and waited for what must have seemed like an eternity to open fire on the Japanese ships which were enveloping them from both sides.

No formal fire order ever came from the US Admiral. At 0148hrs a single Japanese Destroyer pierced the night with her searchlights to illuminate the USS Atlanta, steaming five ships astern of Cushing, which immediately opened fire and the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal was underway. Seconds later every ship on both sides barked fire at each other and began combined evasive and offensive maneuvering through their enemy’s formations, engaging each other at point blank range in a confused and violent night action.

USS Cushing commenced firing at 0149hrs at two Japanese Destroyers on either side of her, only to be almost immediately struck by shells from no fewer than three Destroyers and two Cruisers which had her targeted in a crossfire. The large caliber Cruiser shells were able to penetrate through her deck plating and detonate in and around her engine compartments, which knocked out her Port engine first and was followed shortly thereafter by her Starboard engine. As she wallowed to a halt, her deck and superstructure were raked by fire from Japanese Destroyers which broke off their attack as they came under fire from the US Cruisers which had now caught up with the derelict Cushing. With her propulsion systems dead but still able to make steam, the Cushing continued to fire on any Japanese ship in her range until more large caliber Japanese shells struck her amidships, knocking out her boilers. Her crew unleashed her full load of torpedoes at a nearby Japanese Battleship before the Cushing went dark, then began firefighting and damage control efforts to try to save their ship as the battle slowly left her behind.

Around 0220hrs withdrawing Japanese Destroyers came upon the drifting and powerless Cushing just South of Savo Island and pumped round after round into the defenseless ship as they made their way North into open waters. After several fires broke out onboard and the ship began listing to Port, her Captain ordered the ship abandoned at 0230hrs.

Most of Cushing’s surviving crew were picked up later that night and following morning by US ships, but 72 men never got off the battered Destroyer, which drifted around Ironbottom sound on fire for most of the next day before finally rolling over and sinking in this area 1700hrs on November 13th, 1942. For her part in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, the USS Cushing earned her third and final Battle Star.

www.navsource.org/archives/05/376.htm
www.destroyerhistory.org/goldplater/usscushing.html