World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseNamed after American Revolutionary War hero Jeremiah O'Brien and his five brothers, the destroyer O'Brien had her sea trials and served her early missions along the east coast of the United States. After some time in the dry dock in Norfolk, Virginia, United States, in the fall of 1941, she was sent to the Pacific on 15 Jan 1942 alongside of battleship Idaho. She passed through the Panama Canal on 20 Jan and reached San Francisco on 31 Jan. After a collision mishap with destroyer Case, O'Brien remained in Mare Island Navy Yard until 20 Feb. On 5 Mar, after reaching Pearl Harbor, she became the flagship of Destroyer Division 4. She engaged in several escort duties off the Hawaiian Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific. On 17 Aug 1942 she sailed as a part of Task Force 17 to the South Pacific.

ww2dbaseDuring the Guadalcanal Campaign on 15 Sep 1942, O'Brien, sailing with carrier Wasp and battleship North Carolina, escorted a group of transports delivery 7th Marine Regiment to Guadalcanal. En route, the group was discovered by two Japanese submarines, I-19 and I-15, and was attacked. The torpedoes launched by the submarines sank Wasp and damaged North Carolina and O'Brien. O'Brien was struck at 1452 that day, but the damage to port was minor and was quickly deemed to be repaired. At Espiritu Santo and Noumea she received further temporary repairs (added temporary longitudinal strengthening members) before heading for San Francisco for proper repairs. On 18 Oct, two days out of port, the temporary strengthening members began to break part, causing serious structural issues, but the ship sailed on at a slower pace. At 0600 next day, the flooding got out of control, and she broke into two. Within 30 minutes the captain ordered his men, with the exception of the damage control and salvage crews, to abandon her. She sank at 0800 without any loss of life.

Destroyer O'Brien Interactive Map

Photographs

O'Brien Operational Timeline