USS Benham (DD-397)

USS Benham (DD-397)
History
United States
NameBenham
NamesakeAndrew Ellicot Kennedy Benham
BuilderFederal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company
Laid down1 September 1936
Launched16 April 1938
Commissioned2 February 1939
Honors and
awards
5 × battle stars
FateScuttled following a torpedo hit from the Japanese destroyer Uranami during the Battle of Guadalcanal,[1] 15 November 1942
General characteristics
Class and typeBenham-class destroyer
Displacement2,250 tons (full)
Length340 ft 9 in (103.86 m)
Beam35 ft 6 in (10.82 m)
Draft12 ft 10 in (3.91 m)
Propulsion
  • 50,000 shp (37,000 kW)
  • Westinghouse geared turbines,
  • 2 propellers
Speed38.5 knots (71.3 km/h; 44.3 mph)
Range6,500 nmi (12,000 km; 7,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement251 officers and enlisted
Armament

USS Benham (DD-397) was the lead ship of her class of destroyers and the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for Andrew Ellicot Kennedy Benham. She missed the Attack on Pearl Harbor, being an escort for the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise on her way to Midway Atoll at the time. She also served off Hawaii during the Doolittle raid, rescued survivors from several ships, and operated during the Battle of Midway and the landings on Guadalcanal, among other missions. She was torpedoed by the Japanese destroyer Uranami and rendered unusable, for which she was sunk at the end of 1942.

  1. ^ Brown p. 74