Benham was laid down 1 September 1936 by Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company, Kearny New Jersey; launched on 16 April 1938 and sponsored by Mrs. A. I. Dorr, grandniece of Rear Admiral Benham; and commissioned 2 February 1939, with Lieutenant Commander T. F. Darden in command.
Assigned to the U.S. Atlantic Fleet Benham patrolled off Newfoundland during most of 1939 and then shifted to the Gulf of Mexico. Ordered to the Pacific, she arrived at Pearl Harbor 14 April 1940. After alternating between Californian and Hawaiian waters, the destroyer served as an escort for USS Enterprise (CV-6) during the delivery of Marine planes to Midway Atoll on 28th November to 8th December 1941, thus missing the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Benham served with the USS Enterprise and the USS Saratoga (CV-3) task forces off Hawaii and with Task Force 16 during the Doolittle raid on Tokyo, 8th to 25th April 1942. She continued operating with TF 16 through the Battle of Midway, 3rd to 6th June, during which she rescued 720 survivors from the USS Yorktown (CV-5) and 188 from the USS Hammann (DD-412); landings on Guadalcanal and Tulagi, 7th to 9th August, and the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, 23rd to 25th August.
The Benham joined Task Force 64 on 15 October as a part of the naval covering force off Guadalcanal. During 14-15 November she took part in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. At 0038 on 15th November, she was hit by a torpedo forward, lost her bow, and had to withdraw from the battle. The Benham doggedly stayed afloat, making slow headway towards Guadalcanal during the 15th but, by 1637, further progress was impossible and her valiant crew had to abandon ship. The USS Gwin (DD-433) picked up the survivors and sank the hulk at 1938 by shell-fire.
Wikipedia
Oh, and am I the only one who finds the French Executioner dying on the way to an execution funny. Maybe it’s just the dark humor in me.