A New U.S. Downes Goes Down the Ways -- A new U.S. navy destroyer, named for the U.S. Downes which was sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor December 7, 1941, is launched at a U.S. west coast shipyard. Thirty percent of the material in the original Downes was salvaged and used in this new ship. The U.S. Navy has revealed that 16 of the nineteen ships sunk or damaged at Pearl Harbor have now been reclaimed. July 5, 1943.