USS Smith (DD-378) was a in the United States Navy before and during World War II. She was named for Lieutenant Joseph B. Smith, USN. Smith was a senior officer aboard and killed when sank her. Early service Smiths keel was laid down on 27 October 1934 at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Mare Island, California, and launched on 20 February 1936. The ship was sponsored by Mrs. Yancey S. Williams and commissioned on 19 September 1936. When active, the destroyer patrolled the West Coast waters for the next five years. World War II 1941–42 At the outbreak of the war, Smith was in San Francisco, California, where she was attached to Destroyer Squadron (DesRon) 5, performing escort duty between the west coast and Pearl Harbor until April 1942. On 7 April, Smith was assigned to Task Force (TF) 1, composed of Battleship Division 3, which held extensive training exercises along the West Coast until departing for Pearl Harbor on 1 June. Smith was then assigned to TF 17, commanded by Vice Admiral Marc Mitscher, engaged in war patrols and training exercises for a month; then escorted a convoy back to San Francisco. After overhaul and subsequent sea trials in the area, she returned to Pearl Harbor in mid-August and began a period of training and upkeep. On 15 October, she was assigned to TF 16 composed of the aircraft carrier and battleship . TF 16 departed Pearl Harbor on war patrol, on 16 October, and was joined the following week by the cruisers and with their destroyer screen. The task force was operating northwest of the New Hebrides Islands when, on 24 October, it was notified that a Japanese carrier force was converging on Guadalcanal. Task Force 17 (TF17), the aircraft carrier and her accompanying cruiser-destroyer screen, joined TF 16 and the merged force was designated TF 61. On 26 October, scout planes from Enterprise located the Japanese force. At 0944, the first Japanese planes were sighted and Hornet was hit by bombs 30 minutes later. At 1125, Smith was attacked by a formation of 20 torpedo planes. Twenty minutes later, a Japanese torpedo plane crashed into her forecastle, causing a heavy explosion. According to one version, the torpedo carried by the plane had not exploded on impact, but did so some time later. This caused even more damage and casualties. The forward part of the ship was enveloped