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The United States Navy Memorial

Navy Memorial Honoring the Men & Women of the Sea Services

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Smith

Ship Designation: 
DD-378
Date Lost: 
Monday, October 26, 1942
Air Attack near Guadalcanal
On 26 October in company with the Enterprise Task Group off Guadalcanal, Smith was attacked by a formation of 20 torpedo planes. Twenty minutes later, a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into her forecastle, causing a heavy explosion. The forward part of the ship was enveloped in a sheet of smoke and flame from bursting gasoline tanks and the bridge had to be abandoned. The entire forward deck house was aflame, making topside forward of number one stack untenable. Smith's gunners splashed six of the planes. By early afternoon, the crew had extinguished all of the fires forward. With 57 killed or missing, 12 wounded, her magazines flooded, and temporary loss of steering control from the pilot house, Smith retained her position in the screen with all serviceable guns firing.

Lost At Sea Log

Number of sailors in this log: 57

Name Service Branchsort descending
SC 3c Herbert White USN
Sea 2c Hector Cervantes USN
Sea 2c Harry Atherton USN
Sea 2c Arthur Austin USN
F 1c Charles Axe USN
GM 2c Charles Blankenship USN
F 1c Anthony Brilla USN
Sea 2c William Browder USN
GM 1c Paul Carlsen USN
Sea 2c William Carlton USN
Matt 3c Homer Casey USN
F 3c Arthur Ashton USN
Sea 2c Walter Church USN
Sea 1c Max Clark USN
Sea 2c Ralph Coartney USN
Sea 2c Howard Crawford USN
F 3c Harry Thorn USN
F 3c Roy Stephens USN
Sea 1c Francis Stone USN
Sea 1c Herbert Stumpfel USN

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Prepared by CAPT R.O. Strange USN (Ret.)