diff --git a/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock.c b/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock.c
index 2f88abda0f..9992e62a97 100644
--- a/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock.c
+++ b/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock.c
@@ -316,6 +316,10 @@ static void process_send(int fd, short args, void *cbdata)
         goto cleanup;
     }
 
+    if (MCA_OOB_USOCK_CLOSED == peer->state) {
+        /* the peer has gone, it will never come back */
+        goto cleanup;
+    }
     /* add the message to the queue for sending after the
      * connection is formed
      */
diff --git a/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock_connection.c b/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock_connection.c
index 48229b80fc..ea3e113121 100644
--- a/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock_connection.c
+++ b/orte/mca/oob/usock/oob_usock_connection.c
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
  * Copyright (c) 2009      Cisco Systems, Inc.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2011      Oak Ridge National Labs.  All rights reserved.
  * Copyright (c) 2013-2015 Intel, Inc.  All rights reserved.
- * Copyright (c) 2014      Research Organization for Information Science
+ * Copyright (c) 2014-2016 Research Organization for Information Science
  *                         and Technology (RIST). All rights reserved.
  * $COPYRIGHT$
  *
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ static int usock_peer_create_socket(mca_oob_usock_peer_t* peer)
 {
     int flags;
 
-    if (peer->sd > 0) {
+    if (peer->sd >=0) {
         return ORTE_SUCCESS;
     }
 
@@ -771,6 +771,7 @@ void mca_oob_usock_peer_close(mca_oob_usock_peer_t *peer)
 
     /* release the socket */
     close(peer->sd);
+    peer->sd = -1;
 
     /* inform the component-level that we have lost a connection so
      * it can decide what to do about it.