USS Woolsey (DD-77)

USS Woolsey (DD-77) was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I. Named for Commodore Melancthon Taylor Woolsey, a naval hero of the War of 1812, she was launched in 1918 and commissioned the same year.

Woolsey served briefly during the final months of World War I, participating in convoy escort duties. Following the armistice, she continued operations in the Atlantic.

On the night of 26 April 1921, while en route to Panama to join the Pacific Fleet, Woolsey was accidentally rammed by the merchant steamer SS Steel Mariner in dense fog off the coast of Panama. The collision caused significant damage to Woolsey, and she sank within minutes. Sixty-six members of her crew were lost in the incident.

The wreck of USS Woolsey remains a designated war grave. The incident contributed to a re-evaluation of safety procedures and navigational techniques within the U.S. Navy.