Benham was the name ship of the Benham class, hull DD-397. Federal Shipbuilding launched her at Kearny, New Jersey, on 16 April 1938. She was commissioned on 2 February 1939. This is not the later Fletcher-class Benham.
At Midway she screened Enterprise and Hornet, in Spruance's force. She was not sunk.
On the night of 14-15 November 1942 she was off Savo Island. Rear Admiral Lee flew his flag in Washington. South Dakota was astern. Four destroyers were ahead of the battleships: Walke, Benham, Preston, and Gwin. Vice Admiral Kondo was coming to shell Henderson Field. His flag was in Atago.
Japanese cruisers and destroyers sank Walke and Preston and damaged Gwin. Those losses are not pinned to one Japanese ship. A torpedo wrecked Benham. The ship that fired it is not known. She sank that day, 15 November 1942.
