On the night of September 4, 1942, the USS Little and USS Gregory were patrolling off Guadalcanal’s Lunga Point when the two ships were surprised and overwhelmed by three modern Japanese destroyers. Despite their best efforts, both U.S. ships were quickly put out of action by enemy fire and sank.
| Name | Rating | Duty Station | Date |
| Olsen, W. S. | MM1 | USS Little | 9/5/1942 |
| Townsend, L. E. | BM1 | USS Little | 9/5/1942 |
| Thompson, L. P. | MM1 | USS Little | 9/5/1942 |
| Epperson, R. K. Jr. | S1 | USS Gregory | 9/5/1942 |
| Gilikin, W. | BM2 | USS Gregory | 9/5/1942 |