Start of Pacific War
Docked at Cavite in Manila Bay when Japanese aircraft attacked the area December 10 1941. On that occasion only the brave actions of the minesweeper Whippoorwill had got her out of from under the Japanese bombs. Her commander, Harry Keith, had been badly wounded in the attack and had been replaced by Lt Cdr Bermingham who took her south to Java, steaming out of Manila Bay on December 27.

Escape From the Philippines
Again attacked from the air the day before she left, Peary was like a magnet for the Japanese airmen, again coming under fire at Campomanes Bay, Negros, and tagged all the way down to the Celebes Sea by torpedo planes. Then as she raced south through the Molucca Passage, RAAF Hudson bombers attacked her in error. As part of the Allied naval force, she acted as an escort for USS Houston, later sunk in the Battle of Sunda Strait. On the morning of February 18th, the day before the air attack hit on February 19th 1942.

Sinking History
While docked at Darwin Harbor, she was hit by two bombs just after 10:00am. The first wrecked the fantail and tearing off the depth charge racks and propeller guards, flooding the engine room. The second bomb was an incendiary and it crashed into the galley setting the ship ablaze.

The damage control parties and the gunners kept up the fight for the next three hours as the planes kept coming at them. But another bomb hit, maiming the brave ship once more. Then a fourth bomb crashed into the forward magazine and finally a fifth, another incendiary, striking the after engine room. Dragging her shattered fantail, the Peary was dead in the water and at 13:00 and broke up and sank. As she went down by the stern, her machine guns continued to hammer away.

4" Gun On Display
In the 1950's one of the 4 inch guns was recovered from the wreck by Carl Atkinson and restored by the Royal Australian Navy. It is now displayed as a memorial to the 91 crew who went down with the ship, the US Navy's greatest loss of life in Australian waters.

Memorials
The present day ship, USN frigate Robert E Peary is named in honor of the Peary.

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