water ballast from her tanks; but rough seas caused the fueling operation to be cancelled. The next day, the weather worsened and the storm turned into a major typhoon. As the ships wallowed in canyon-like troughs of brine, Spences electrical equipment got wet from great quantities of sea water taken on board. After a 72-degree roll to port, all of the lights went out and the pumps stopped. The rudder jammed; and, after a deep roll to port about 11:00, Spence capsized and sank. Only 24 of her complement survived. and were also sunk in the typhoon. Spence was struck from the Navy list on 19 January 1945. Honors Spence received eight battle stars for World War II service. See also Typhoon Cobra References External links USS Spence website at Destroyer History Foundation NavSource.org - DD-512 Spence (DD-512) Ships built in Bath, Maine World War II shipwrecks in the Philippine Sea 1942 ships Spence (DD-512) Maritime incidents in December 1944