USS Cushing (DD-376) was a Mahan-class destroyer in the United States Navy before and during World War II.

On 1 August 1942, Cushing departed San Francisco for training exercises at Pearl Harbor, then to join the operations around Guadalcanal.

Constantly on the move, she escorted vital resupply convoys to the bitterly contested island, and fought in the Battle of Santa Cruz of 26 October, when an outnumbered American force turned a Japanese flotilla back from their advance toward Guadalcanal.

As the range closed, she suddenly sighted the light cruiser Nagara and the destroyer Yukikaze at 3,000 yards (2,700 m).

Fires, exploding ammunition, and her inability to shoot any longer made the "abandon ship" order unavoidable at 0230.