In the Battle of Midway , the ship was assigned to the combat group for the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown . After this was badly damaged by two air torpedoes on June 6, 1942, the destroyer again provided assistance. To do this, the ship went alongside the carrier. The Japanese submarine I-168 approached submerged and fired four torpedoes on Yorktown . While two missed their target and the third gave the Yorktown the capture shot , one of the torpedoes hit the Hammann . Shortly afterwards, the Hammann's depth charges exploded and the ship sank within four minutes. 80 men of the crew were killed.