December 31, 1935-The Cushing III is launched from the Puget Sound Navy Yard.
August 28, 1936-The Cushing is commissioned. After commissioning, the ship joins the Pacific Fleet.
July 4, 1937-The Cushing takes part in the search for Amelia Earhart’s downed Lockheed Vega pane, which crashed in an attempt to fly around the world. The destroyer takes part in several fleet exercises after the search is called of on July 30.
December 17, 1941-The Cushing leaves drydock after several months undergoing an overhaul. Afterwards, the Cushing escorts convoys from Pearl Harbor to the west coast until January 13, 1942.
January 1942-The Cushing escorts a transport convoy to Midway Island. The convoy was attacked by Japanese submarines while troops were being offloaded. Marine shore batteries managed to hit one submarine, driving off the remaining enemy ships.
January 19, 1942-The Cushing embarks on anti-submarine patrols until February 2.
February 19, 1942-The Cushing escorts Task Force 1 near California.
August 1, 1942-The Cushing embarks on a training operation at Pearl Harbor before leaving to join forces near Guadalcanal.
October 26, 1942-The Cushing is part of the Enterprise’s screen throughout the Battle of Santa Cruz during the Eastern Solomons campaign.
November 12, 1942-The Cushing takes part in the First Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The USS Cushing puts up a furious fight, scoring several hits, but is quickly gunned down by combined fire from the battleship Hiei and the destroyer Amatsukaze. The ensuing power loss crippled the destroyer and at 2:30 a.m. on November 13, the Cushing was ordered to be abandoned. The ship stayed afloat until 5:00 p.m. that evening, and sank in Ironbottom Sound, near Savo Island. The survivors were later picked up by several rescue boats from Guadalcanal.
Statistics:
Armament:
See a list of sources used in the making of this report
