PT-123 was an 80-foot Elco motor torpedo boat, built at the Elco works in Bayonne. She was laid down on 2 May 1942, launched on 31 July, and placed in service on 18 August. She went to Motor Torpedo Boat Squadron 6.
On the night of 14 January 1943 R. L. Richards had her, in a strike group with PT-47 and PT-46, between Savo and the Guadalcanal coast. The night was black except when lightning showed a ship. He fired one torpedo and missed. He came back onto the line between Savo and Cape Esperance and fired his other three at 500 yards. He reported one hit aft of amidships. The boats claimed hits that night. Japanese records show no damage.
On the night of 1 February he had her again, about three miles south of Savo, following PT-124. Clark W. Faulkner in that boat fired three torpedoes at Makigumo. They missed. Richards was about to fire at a second ship when a Japanese Pete floatplane glided in and dropped a bomb on the fantail of PT-123. Flames swept her. The crew went into the water, and planes bombed and strafed them there. One enlisted man was killed, three were missing, and three were badly hurt. Other boats picked up the rest. While Makigumo turned away she struck a mine, and Yugumo scuttled her before dawn. That sinking is not this boat's. She did not fire those three torpedoes.