USS S.P. Lee, a 1190-ton Clemson class destroyer, was built at San Francisco, California. She was commissioned in late October 1920 and spent the next two years in the "rotating reserve" with a relatively small caretaker crew. Early in 1923 S.P. Lee was brought up to full operating status in order to participate in major maneuvers off the Panama Canal Zone. She remained part of the active fleet thereafter and, during June-August of that year, visited U.S. West Coast ports and took part in more exercises as part of Destroyer Squadron ELEVEN.

On 8 September 1923, S.P. Lee's squadron left San Francisco, California, on a voyage to San Diego. That evening, in conditions of very limited visibility, the formation turned eastward into what their leader believed was the entrance to the Santa Barbara Channel. Due to faulty navigation, however, the ships were several miles too far north and seven of them soon went ashore on Point Pedernales (locally called Honda Point). S.P. Lee, the second destroyer in the column, struck quite close to the cliffs on the northern side of the point. Her crew suffered no losses but USS S.P. Lee could not be saved and, after salvage of some of her equipment, was broken up by the surf over the next year.

USS S.P. Lee was named in honor of Rear Admiral Samuel Phillips Lee (1812-1897), who commanded the North Atlantic Blockading Squadron during the Civil War.