U.S.S. Drexler DD-741

The U.S.S. Drexler DD-741 was built by Bath Iron Works in Maine. It was christened and launched on September 3, 1944 and after reciving her crew in November of that same year, the Drexler was commission at the Boston Navy Yard on November 14, 1944.

The crew guided the new ship through the Panama Canal down to join the war against the Japanese in the Pacific. By May 1945, the USS Drexler was on Radar Picket Duty off Okinawa when she was attacked by kamikaze action. On the morning of May 28, 1945, the USS Drexler crew faced a coordinated kamikaze attack and although able to defend herself against the first plane, two more planes were able to breach her defenses, causing the ship to roll over on her side a mere 49 seconds after the second kamikaze strike. The sinking was so sudden, many young men were trapped within the ship and did not have the opportunity to escape. Of the 357 men aboard the USS Drexler that day, 158 officers and enlisted men were killed and many of the surviving 199 were wounded.

We honor their memory, and many others of brave men and women who fought to defend their country from threats on land and over the sea. May they never be forgotten.