Remaining at the Naval Academy until 14 July 1927, Cooper completed instruction in aviation before reporting for duty on the battleship USS Maryland on 26 August.

His next assignment took him to the U.S. Fleet Air Base, Coco Solo, in the Panama Canal Zone, reporting to Patrol Squadron 3F (VP-3F) on 30 June 1933.

Hutchins was able to keep his plane aloft long enough to enable four of his six-man crew to exit the doomed PBY, although one of these men died from his injuries the next day.

The presence of enemy forces prevented rescue of survivors until about 14:00, when "Black Cat" airplanes were able to save 168 of Cooper's crew; 191 were lost.

In 2005, Rob Lalumiere became the only diver to have descended to the wreck of USS Cooper, and the only known instance at that time of a shipwreck in the area being positively identified.

In December 2017, a Paul Allen expedition aboard the research ship RV Petrel pinpointed the wreck of Cooper, and conclusively confirmed her identity after cross-referencing the destroyer's armaments and sinking position with historical documents.

[3] A documentary TV film, USS Cooper: Return to Ormoc Bay, was produced by Bigfoot Entertainment and made its debut in mid-2006.