Artist's commentary
Hughes DD-410 (revised version)
USS Hughes, a dedicated little destroyer on the Pacific battlefield.
Escorted Yorktown through the early ages of the WW2, she witnessed Yorktown's, as well as her sister Hammann's sinking in the battle of Midway. She then escorted Hornet and shot down a few enemy aircrafts, but, again, she had to see Hornet abandoned. She then went to a lot more places--the Aleutians, the Gilbert islands, and Leyte. She got Kamikazed in Dec 1944, but she eventually went back to the battlefield in the next June.
After the war, she was used as target in operation Crossroads--but survived both the nuclear bombs. She was sunk as a target ship in 1948, living the longest but most terrible life among all the Sims-class destroyers.
The Sims class were not the best ships, but they were the best escorts and most diligent fighters.