Averhart and the Cushing's Final Battle
The final battle for Vernon Averhart aboard the USS Cushing was on November 13, 1942.
As the battle for Guadalcanal stalled out, both armed forces began to tire from the constant fighting. Prepared to end this battle once and for all.
The Imperial Japanese forces planned an all-out attack with four battleships, six cruisers, and thirty-three destroyers on an arriving group of seven US Transports. Since the USS Enterprise was still recovering from the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner allocated naval vessels, including the USS Cushing, to patrol for incoming forces and protect the oncoming transports along their route. Fortunately, the troops landed; however, the naval battle proved far from over.
At one o'clock in the morning of November 13, Allied fighters sink the Light-Cruiser Natori. Afterwards, the screening destroyers spot the brunt of the Imperial fleet with the Battleship Hiyei leading the pack. At around two that morning, Cushing would land a hit on the battleship but she retaliated with a volley of her own, destroying the starboard quarter of the USS Cushing. Battered but not yet defeated, the USS Cushing let off six torpedoes with three hitting the side of Hiyei. The torpedo barrage still proved not enough and after a few hours of maneuvering, Hiyei unleashed yet another volley of rounds which would cause the Cushing's propulsion to fail and less than thirty minutes later, a nearby destroyer would knock out all weapons on deck other than the 20 mm cannon. By 2:30 am, sailors were jumping ship and the USS Cushing would be sunk later in the day at 5pm by an Allied vessel round to go ahead and put the ship out of service,
Unfortunately, it is unknown when Vernon died because he was reported missing after the battle concluded and was never found.
As the battle for Guadalcanal stalled out, both armed forces began to tire from the constant fighting. Prepared to end this battle once and for all.
The Imperial Japanese forces planned an all-out attack with four battleships, six cruisers, and thirty-three destroyers on an arriving group of seven US Transports. Since the USS Enterprise was still recovering from the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, Rear Admiral Richmond K. Turner allocated naval vessels, including the USS Cushing, to patrol for incoming forces and protect the oncoming transports along their route. Fortunately, the troops landed; however, the naval battle proved far from over.
At one o'clock in the morning of November 13, Allied fighters sink the Light-Cruiser Natori. Afterwards, the screening destroyers spot the brunt of the Imperial fleet with the Battleship Hiyei leading the pack. At around two that morning, Cushing would land a hit on the battleship but she retaliated with a volley of her own, destroying the starboard quarter of the USS Cushing. Battered but not yet defeated, the USS Cushing let off six torpedoes with three hitting the side of Hiyei. The torpedo barrage still proved not enough and after a few hours of maneuvering, Hiyei unleashed yet another volley of rounds which would cause the Cushing's propulsion to fail and less than thirty minutes later, a nearby destroyer would knock out all weapons on deck other than the 20 mm cannon. By 2:30 am, sailors were jumping ship and the USS Cushing would be sunk later in the day at 5pm by an Allied vessel round to go ahead and put the ship out of service,
Unfortunately, it is unknown when Vernon died because he was reported missing after the battle concluded and was never found.
Commemoration
After officially being reported as Killed In Action, Vernon Averhart was memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing of the Manila American Cemetery. As a result of his sacrifice to his nation, Averhart was also awarded the Purple Heart medal and was honored in his home county by being the namesake of the American Legion Post in Holmes County, Mississippi: The Vernon McCoy Averhart Post No. 202.