The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Satterlee (DD-626) off the Boston Navy Yard, Massachusetts (USA), on 22 September 1943. Official U.S. Navy Bureau of Ships photo 19-N-51146

While working on a post suggesting it might be possible to recover an artifact from USCGC Tampa, sunk with all hands during World War One, I discovered that the U.S. Navy had named two destroyers after USCGC Tampa’s CO, Captain Charles Satterlee, DD-190 and DD-626. Below are excerpts from the Wikipedia entries for the two ships. Unfortunately, DD-190, like USCGC Tampa, was torpedoed and lost with all hands after being transferred to the Royal Navy as part of the 50 Destroyer Deal.

USS Satterlee (DD-626):

In the first week of May 1944, Satterlee underwent training for a special mission assigned to her for the Normandy landings. She was to support a crack unit of 200 Army Rangers in eliminating a German gun battery at Pointe du Hoc which commanded the Omaha landing beaches. After escorting minesweepers to the beach area on the night of 5 and 6 June, she commenced pre-arranged fire on Pointe du Hoc at 05:48, 6 June. As the Rangers landed, she broke up enemy units attempting to oppose them from the top of the cliff.

Although the Rangers found that the battery’s guns had been removed before the landings, German resistance was stiff, and Satterlee provided gunfire support for the rest of the day. Satterlee remained off the Normandy beaches for the next forty days, and then joined the invasion force which arrived off Saint-Tropez, southern France, on 15 August 1944. Here she helped repel a night attack of five German motor torpedo boats, sinking one from which she rescued 12 survivors.

Satterlee received two battle stars for her World War II service. Henry Fonda also served on the ship, as a Quartermaster 3rd Class

The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Satterlee (DD-190), circa in 1920. US Navy photo.

USS Satterlee (DD-190) was a Clemson-class destroyer in the United States Navy, entering service in 1919. After brief service until 1922, the ship was placed in reserve. The ship was reactivated for World War II before being transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940. Renamed HMS Belmont, the destroyer was used as a convoy escort in the Battle of the Atlantic…On 31 January 1942, she was struck by a single torpedo south of Newfoundland in position 42º02’N, 57º18’W, and sunk with the loss of all 138 hands by the German U-boat U-82 while escorting a convoy (NA.2) of British and Canadian airmen to the United Kingdom.

These two are not the only Navy destroyers named after Coast Guard heroes.

USS Newcomb (DD-586), awarded eight battlestars, was struck by five Kamikazes off Okinawa, but survived.

We knew about USS Newcomb (DD-586) named for the captain of the Revenue Cutter Hudson that towed the torpedo boat Winslow out from under Spanish guns during the Spanish American War.

The U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Douglas A. Munro (DE-422) approaching the Royal Australian Navy aircraft carrier HMAS Sydney (R17), not visible, in Korean waters, between 31 August 1951 and 22 February 1952.

There was USS Douglas A. Munro (DE-422) named for the Coast Guardsman who lost his life pulling Marines out of an ambush on Guadalcanal.

190606-N-DM308-001 (June 6, 2019) A graphic illustration of the future Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Quentin Walsh (DDG 132). (U.S. Navy photo illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Paul L. Archer/Released)

There may have been others named for Coast Guardsmen, but we know there will be at least one more. “SECNAV Names Future Destroyer in Honor of US Coast Guard, World War II Navy Cross Recipient”