USS Leopold (DE-319) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II.

Reporting for duty on board the USS Arizona two weeks later, Leopold was killed in action on 7 December 1941 during the Attack on Pearl Harbor.

On 13 January, she commenced patrolling as anti-submarine screen across the Atlantic side of the Straits of Gibraltar, TF 61 forming a line to prevent U-boats from entering the Mediterranean.

Departing New York on 1 March on her second voyage, Leopold took her screening station – as part of CortDiv 22 – with the 27-ship convoy CU-16 bound for the British Isles.

Leopold's bow remained afloat until early the next morning until sunk as a hazard to navigation by gunfire from Joyce 400 miles south of Iceland.

Through the use of extensive interviews with survivors of Leopold, Joyce, and the German submarine U-255, the book tells the story of the battle and the struggles of the 28 men who survived.

The book also resolves unanswered questions about why it took Joyce so long to begin rescuing the crew of Leopold from the icy water.