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USS Cushing DD-376
After final fitting out, Cushing was commissioned at Puget Sound Navy Yard on Aug. 28, 1936, with Cdr E. T. Short as her first Commanding Officer, and reported to the Pacific Fleet.
From July 4 to July 30, 1937, Cushing was part of the air-sea search for Amelia Earhart, who had disappeared while trying to fly around the world. After the search was stopped, Cushing returned to San Diego for training exercises, tactics, and fleet problems.
On Dec. 7, 1941, Cushing was in overhaul at the Mare Island Navy Yard. She left Mare Island on Dec. 17, 1941 to rejoin the Fleet. She operated as a convoy escort between the west coast and Pearl Harbor until Jan. 13, 1942. In January 1942, Cushing escorted a transport of Marines to Midway Island. While the troopship was being unloaded, three Japanese submarines surfaced and began to fire on Cushing. The Marine shore batteries scored a hit on one of the subs before they all dove and left the area. Cushing persued, but could not catch them. Cushing suffered no damage from the shelling. From then until Aug. 1942, Cushing performed anti submarine patrols and served as an escort to TF-1off the coast of California.
On Aug. 1, 1942, Cushing got underway from San Francisco for training exercises at Pearl Harbor and then to join the forces at Guadalcanal. On Oct. 26, 1942, Cushing took part in the Battle of Santa Cruz. She was running sub screen for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise CV-6 and the battleship USS South Dakota BB-57.
On the night of Nov. 12-13, 1942, during the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, USS Cushing met her fate. She was in the van of a column consisting of 8 destroyers, 3 light cruisers, and 2 heavy cruisers heading northwest toward Savo Island. Just after midnight, the American task group ran into a Japanese force of 14 destroyers, 1 light cruiser, and 2 battleships.
During the battle, Cushing was pounded by shell fire from a Japanese battleship and a Japanese light cruiserresulting in a gradual power loss. She continued to fire her gunsm and launced her torpedoes at a Japanese battleship. Finally, at 0230 in the morning, fires, exploding ammunition, and the inability to shoot made abandoningCushing unavoidable. Her still-burning hulk was last seen at about 1700 on the afternoon of the 13th when she sank south-east of Savo Island. Her survivors were picked up after sunrise by rescue boats from Guadalcanal. About 70 of her crew were lost in the battle. Cushing lays in what is now called Iron Bottom Sound, so named because of the large number of ships sunk there during the struggle for Guadalcanal.
Plan View of a Mahan Class Destroyer
Port View of a Mahan Class Destroyer
The following links will bring up drawings of Cushing as she appeared in July 1992.
Bear in mind that these drawings were based on sonar echoes and were not made by a professional artist. They are meant to give the viewer a good general impression only of the condition of the wreck.
Ship's Statistics
Displacement: 1500 tons Standard Load
Dimensions: 341'4" x 34' 8" x 9' 10"
Armament: 4-5"/38 Cal.; 12-21" torpedo tubes
Complement: 158
Machinery: 42.800 HP G.E. geared turbines; 2 screws
Speed: 36.5 knots
Statistics from Jane's Fighting Ships 1946/1947 Edition
and
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol.2, 1969 reprint
Text excerpts from "USS Cushing Memories"
Edited by Mark and Debra Eyman-Whitehead
and
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships Vol.2, 1969 reprint
"Memories" is a collection of stories, both sea and true, (and we all know the difference) that every sailor has. Naturally, we are looking for stories that are related to your service on any of the Cushings, but we would be delighted to take anything that you would like to send.We have just completed work on the 3rd edition of "Memories". So, if you have any Cushing-related stories that you would like to have included in the 4th Edition, please contact me at the below address.
Mark Whitehead
P.O. Box 384
Manchester, WA , 98353
Last Updated 1/1/2003
This page © 1997-2006 Mark and Debra Eyman-Whitehead