USSHaverfield

USSHaverfield(DER-393) in 1960
History
United States
Name	Haverfield
Namesake	James Wallace Haverfield
Builder	Brown Shipbuilding,Houston,Texas
Laid down	1 July 1943
Launched	30 August 1943
Commissioned	29 November 1943
Decommissioned	2 June 1969
Reclassified	DER-393, 2 September 1954
Stricken	2 June 1969
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 15 December 1971
General characteristics
Class and type	Edsall-classdestroyer escort
Displacement	1,253 tons standard 1,590 tons full load
Length	306 feet (93.27 m)
Beam	36.58 feet (11.15 m)
Draft	10.42 full load feet (3.18 m)
Propulsion	4FMdiesel engines, 4 diesel-generators, 6,000 shp (4.5 MW), 2 screws
Speed	21knots(39 km/h)
Range	9,100nmi.at 12 knots (17,000 km at 22 km/h)
Complement	8 officers, 201 enlisted
Armament	3 × single3 in (76 mm)/50 guns 1 × twin40 mm AA guns 8 × single20 mm AA guns 1 × triple21 in (533 mm)torpedo tubes 8 ×depth chargeprojectors 1 × depth charge projector (hedgehog) 2 × depth charge tracks

USSHaverfield(DE-393)was anEdsall-classdestroyer escortbuilt for theU.S. NavyduringWorld War II.She served in theAtlantic Oceanand thePacific Oceanand provided destroyer escort protection againstsubmarineand air attack for Navy vessels andconvoys.

Namesake

James Wallace Haverfield was born 11 April 1917 in Urichsville,Ohio.He attendedOhio State Universitywhere he was a member ofBeta Theta Pi.After receiving his B.A. degree in 1939, he enlisted in theUnited States Naval Reserveas an apprentice seaman on 11 September 1940. He accepted an appointment as a midshipman on 16 March 1941 and after completingV-7 Midshipman Programtraining atNorthwestern University,was commissioned as anEnsignin the unrestricted line of the U.S. Naval Reserve on 12 June 1941. He then reported to his first assignment aboard the battleshipUSSArizonaatNaval Base Pearl Harbor,Hawaii on 28 June 1941. He was killed aboard theArizonaduring theJapaneseAttack on Pearl Harboron 7 December 1941.

Construction and commissioning

She was launched 30 August 1943 byBrown ShipbuildingCo.,Houston,Texas; sponsored by Mrs. George Tracy (Bessie) Haverfield, mother of Ensign Haverfield; and commissioned 29 November.

World War II North Atlantic operations

Aftershakedownin theCaribbean,Haverfieldjoined the escort aircraft carrierUSSBogue's hunter-killer (HUK)group in patrolling Atlantic convoy lanes in search of GermanU-boats.DepartingNorfolk, Virginia,26 February 1944, the hunter-killer group, aided by aCanadiancorvetteandBritishaircraft, sank theGerman submarineU-575on 23 March. With some seven survivors of the U-boat aboard,Haverfieldcontinued her patrol toCasablanca,where she reported to CommanderMoroccan Sea Frontierand turned over the German prisoners 18 March. After returning to Norfolk,Haverfieldsailed on her second offensive combat cruise with theBogueHUK group on 5 May. Operating with another HUK group under the escort carrierUSSBlock Island,theBogueforce sank theJapanese submarineRO-501,ex-U-1224,at18°08′N33°13′Won 13 May as the former German ship was heading for her new home in Japan.

Sinking of the Block Island

Reaching Casablanca 29 May,Haverfieldwas ordered out that same night to render emergency assistance to survivors of carrierBlock Island,sunk by a Germantorpedooff theCanary Islands.Haverfieldrescued one of sixBlock Islandfighter pilots who had been aloft when the carrier sank, but a long search failed to locate the remaining five men.

End-of-European-war activity

After this,Haverfieldcontinued to operate until theEuropeanWar ended in May 1945 ontransatlanticantisubmarine hunter-killer missions as well as on patrol along the icy Great Barrier. When all German U-boats still at sea had been accounted for, the destroyer escort underwent an overhaul atBoston, Massachusetts,and, after intensive training inCubanwaters, sailed for the Pacific via the Panama Canal on 19 July 1945 to be ready for the invasion of Japan.

Transfer to the Pacific Fleet

ReachingPearl Harborvia thePanama CanalandSan Diego,California on 1 August 1945,Haverfieldwas in port at Pearl Harbor when the war ended in mid-August and at the end of the month assumed convoy escort duty fromSaipantoOkinawa.She patrolled theChinacoast and then streamed her homeward-boundpennant,reaching Boston on 15 February 1946.Haverfieldthen sailed to Naval StationGreen Cove Springs, Florida,25 March 1946, was decommissioned and went into reserve with that installation's reserve fleet located on theSt. Johns Riveron 30 June 1947.

Converted to radar picket ship

Reclassified DER-393 in September 1954,Haverfieldwas relocated from the Green Cove Springs Reserve Fleet to thePhiladelphia Navy Yard,converted to aradar picketship, and recommissioned there on 4 January 1955. Fitted with the latest electronic detection equipment and with 50 tons ofballastin herkeelto compensate for the topside weight of the newradarantennae,Haverfieldtrained off the East Coast of the United States and then reported to her new home port,Seattle, Washington,via thePanama CanalandSan Diego,California on 23 July 1955.Haverfieldserved asflagshipof the newly created Escort Squadron FIVE (CORTON 5) in addition to regular radar picket patrol off the Pacific coast. After five years of this duty, she reported to Pearl Harbor on 10 April 1959 for similar employment along the Pacific Barrier. Departing Pearl Harbor on 16 May 1960,Haverfleldsailed to a new homeport ofApra Harbor,Guam,to conduct surveillance in the vicinity of theTrust Territory Islandsand to ensure the safety and welfare of the islanders.

Supporting President Eisenhower and bathyscapheTrieste

After participating inOperation Cosmos,which provided navigational aids for and was prepared to render emergency assistance to PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower's plane as the Chief Executive crossed the Pacific Ocean on agoodwill tour,Haverfieldoperated with the famedbathyscapheTriesteas it descended theMariana Trenchto a near-record dive, of 19,300 feet (5,900 m) on 30 June 1960.

Supporting various causes

Following her support of this scientific endeavor,Haverfieldconductedantisubmarineand search and rescue patrols among theBonins,theMarianas,and theCaroline Islands.For almost five years she served primarily in the Trust Territory of the Pacific, though twice she deployed to the Far East. Steaming to Japan in October 1960, she became the first radar picket escort ship to operate with theU.S. 7th Fleetin the Western Pacific. In mid-October 1961 she returned to the Far East; and, upon relievingUSSJohn R. Craigon patrol in theFormosa Strait,she became the first of her type to join in this important peace-keeping operation. She continued intermittent patrols offTaiwanuntil 10 January 1962 when she steamed via Japan to resume patrol duty out of Guam. In November 1962,Typhoon Karenleft widespread destruction on Guam andHaverfield,the first ship to return to storm-wracked Apra Harbor, provided valuable supplies and services in the relief and recovery effort.

Vietnam operations

Haverfieldreturned to Pearl Harbor March 1965 and, after joining Escort Squadron 5, sailed on 19 June 1965 for duty off ofSouth Vietnam.There she participated inOperation Market Timepatrols to guard against the infiltration ofNorth Vietnamesetroops and supplies toViet Congirregulars in South Vietnam by sea. She served on "Market Time" station for seven months, then returned to Pearl Harbor on 2 February 1966. Departing for theFar East23 May, she resumed "Market Time" operations on 9 June. Eleven days later, she participated in the most significant action of the operation up to that time.

A 100-foot (30 m), steel-hulled North VietnamesetrawlerC-187,attempting to infiltrate "Market Time" patrols with a large cargo of arms and ammunition for theViet Cong,was detected byUSCGCPoint Leaguenear the mouth of theCổ Chiên Riverin theMekong Delta.A chase and fire fight followed, during which the Coast Guard cutter forced the enemy trawler aground and the enemy abandoned the burning ship. After wiping out enemy shore resistance, "Market Time" units, includingHaverfield,sent volunteers on board to fight fires and salvage the captured cargo. While American andSouth Vietnameseteams extinguished the fires, other volunteers offloaded almost 80 tons of ammunition and arms, includingmortars,recoilless rifles,machine guns,andantitank weapons.This represented the largest seizure of the "Market Time" operation and thwarted a determined attempt by the North Vietnamese to supply the Viet Cong.

Haverfield continued "Market Time" patrols during the next five months. In addition, she provided naval gunfire support on 6 September against an enemy onPhu QuocIsland, South Vietnam. She returned to Pearl Harbor on 6 December 1966, remained there until late April 1967, and then resumed patrol duty off South Vietnam.

Final Decommissioning

Haverfieldwas decommissioned on 2 June 1969 atNaval Base Pearl Harbor.On 2 June 1969 she was struck from theNavy listand on sold for scrapping 15 December 1971 to Chi Shun Hua Steel Co. Ltd. ofKaoshiung,Taiwanfor $35,000.00.

Awards

For her participation in World War II,Haverfieldwas awarded onebattle staras well as thePresidential Unit Citation,theAmerican Campaign Medal,theEuropean-African-Middle East Campaign Medalwith 1 bronze star (2 awards) and theWorld War II Victory Medalfor her antisubmarine work in the Atlantic. She was also awarded theNational Defense Service Medal,theVietnam Service Medalwith one silver star (6 awards), theRepublic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross(palm) Unit Citation (2 awards), and theRepublic of Vietnam Campaign Medalfor herCold WarandVietnam Warservice.

References

This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.The entry can be foundhere.

External links

• James Wallace Haverfield
• NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Haverfield (DE-393)