Photos and the story

Sterett

Class	Benham class
Type	Destroyer (DD)
Hull	DD-407
Fate	Afloat. Survived the war. Badly damaged at Guadalcanal in November 1942 and repaired at Mare Island.
Armament (class)	Four 5-inch guns, one funnel, and sixteen torpedo tubes.
Command	Macondray, Atherton Captain, 15 August 1939 – 1 April 1941 Coward, Jesse Grant Captain, 1 April 1941 – 18 January 1943 Gould, Frank Gardner Captain, 18 January 1943 – 14 January 1944 Blouin, Francis Joseph Lucien Captain, 14 January 1944 – 27 January 1945 Williams, Gordon Bennett Captain, 27 January 1945 – 2 November 1945

Laid down, displacement, length, beam, draft, speed, and complement are not stored for each hull, so this table leaves them out.

The armament line is the class drawing, not a measurement of this hull.

USS Sterett (DD-407) was a Benham-class destroyer of the United States Navy. Atherton Macondray commanded her from 15 August 1939 until 1 April 1941, when Jesse Grant Coward took over.

Coward was still her captain on the night of 13 November 1942, in the night action of the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. Sterett claimed two torpedo hits on Hiei. Aircraft and other ships finished Hiei the next day.

In that same night action Sterett took eleven hits from gunfire, three of them major caliber. Both after guns were knocked out. Damaged, she left the fight still able to steam and retired under her own power.

The November 1942 damage at Guadalcanal was severe, and the ship was repaired at Mare Island. She survived the war.

Frank Gardner Gould relieved Coward on 18 January 1943 and remained captain until 14 January 1944. On 6 August 1943 Sterett fought in the Battle of Vella Gulf and came through undamaged. Shigure was the Japanese destroyer that got away from her group there.

Francis Joseph Lucien Blouin commanded from 14 January 1944 until 27 January 1945. Gordon Bennett Williams then served as captain until 2 November 1945.

The pictures on this page are the originals.