Ship History
Built by Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. Laid down on July 15, 1937. Launched on April 8, 1939. Commissioned on August 1, 1939. Assigned to captain Lieutenant Commander W. A. Griswold.

Sinking History
On May 7, 1942, at the start of the Battle of the Coral Sea USS Sims was in the Coral Sea was escorting USS Neosho AO-23. The pair were spotted by B5N Kate EI-302 and B5N Kate EI-306 and and misidentified the oiler as a carrier.

They were attacked by two waves of Japanese planes: high level bombers then D3A Val dive bombers. The D3A Val dive bombers sank this destroyer.

Fates of the Crew
Fourteen surviving crew members swam for USS Neosho (AO-23) that was damaged but still afloat.

Rescue
On May 11, 1942, USS Henley (DD-391) reached USS Neosho (AO-23) and rescued 109 survivors including fourteen survivors from Sims.

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Last Updated
August 4, 2020