USSSchmitt

History
United States
Name	USSSchmitt(DE-676)
Namesake	Aloysius Schmitt
Ordered	1942
Builder	Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation'sFore River Shipyard,Quincy, Massachusetts
Laid down	22 February 1943 asBuckley-class destroyer escort
Launched	29 May 1943
Commissioned	24 July 1943
Reclassified	APD-76, 24 January 1945
Decommissioned	28 June 1949
Stricken	1 May 1967
Honors and; awards	1battle star(World War II)
Fate	Sold toTaiwan,February 1968
History
Taiwan
Name	ROCSLung Shan(DE-44)
Acquired	February 1968
Reclassified	PF-44
Fate	Scrapped, 1976
General characteristics
Class and type	Buckley-classdestroyer escort
Displacement	1,400 long tons (1,422 t) light; 1,673 long tons (1,700 t) standard;
Length	306 ft (93 m)
Beam	37 ft (11 m)
Draft	13 ft 6 in (4.11 m)
Propulsion	2 × boilers; General Electricturbo-electricdrive; 12,000 shp (8.9 MW); 2 × solid manganese-bronze 3,600 lb (1,600 kg) 3-bladed propellers, 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) diameter, 7 ft 7 in (2.31 m) pitch; 2 × rudders;
Speed	24knots(44 km/h; 28 mph)
Complement	213
Armament	3 ×3 "/50 caliber guns; 1 × quad1.1 "/75 caliber gun; 8 × single20 mm guns; 1 × triple21-inch (533 mm)torpedo tubes; 8 ×K-gundepth charge projectors; 2 × depth charge tracks;

USSSchmitt(DE-676)was aBuckley-class destroyer escortin theUnited States Navy,commissioned in 1943. In late 1944, she was converted to ahigh speed transportand was redesignatedAPD-76.She was retired in 1949 and transferred to theRepublic of China Navyin 1969, where she served as ROCSLung Shan(PF-44) until 1976, when she was scrapped.

History

USSSchmittwas named for FatherAloysius H. Schmittand was laid down on 22 February 1943 by theBethlehem Shipbuilding CompanyofQuincy, Massachusetts;launched on 29 May 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Buchheit; and commissioned on 24 July 1943.

U.S. Navy (1943-1949)

Battle of the Atlantic (1943-1944)

After shakedown inBermudaand repairs atNew York,Schmittdeparted from New York on 19 October 1943 escorting aconvoytoCuraçaoin the West Indies, and then made her first trans-Atlantic crossing with a convoy from Curaçao toDerry, Northern Ireland.She served on the Derry-New York convoy route until 30 September 1944, crossing the ocean 16 times without incident. Between voyages, the escort underwentanti-submarinetraining at Derry or atCasco Bay, Maine,and received repairs made necessary by the rough North Atlantic weather.

On 21 October,Schmittbegan a convoy voyage fromNorfolktoBizerteand other Mediterranean ports, returning to New York on 10 December. Between 16 December 1944 and 19 January 1945, she served as training ship for submarines atNew London, Connecticut,and then on 20 January arrived at the United States Naval Frontier Base,Tompkinsville, Staten Island, New York,for conversion to aCharles Lawrence-classhigh speed transport.Her designation was changed toAPD-76on 24 January 1945.

Pacific War (1945)

Schmittcompleted conversion on 3 April 1945, and once again underwent shakedown, this time out of Norfolk. She departedHampton Roadson 19 April and arrived atPearl Harboron 16 May. She embarkedUnderwater Demolition Teamsthere and carried out six days of exercises with them atMauibefore sailing for theSouthwest Pacificon 4 June. The fast transport arrived offBalikpapan, Borneo,on 23 June, and screened the bombardment group of cruisers and destroyers during shore bombardment missions between 23 and 28 June. Her UDT personnel carried out night reconnaissance operations on 25 and 28 June, with the ship resuming escort duties during the day. On 1 July,Schmitt's boat led the first 17 waves of landing craft to the beach. The ship left Balikpapan on 3 July, disembarking her UDT personnel atOceanside, California,on 2 August; and, while the ship was under repair atSan Pedrofrom 4 to 18 August, the war in the Pacific came to an end.

Post-war (1945–1949)

Schmittreembarked UDT personnel and departed from San Pedro on 19 August. She arrived atSasebo, Japan,on 20 September and carried out four days of beach reconnaissance there followed by two more days on nearby islands. She got underway from Japan on 27 September and returned on 19 October toSan Diego.Between 17 and 30 November, she made one round-trip voyage to Pearl Harbor, bringing troops home to the United States, and then sailed through thePanama Canaland proceeded to join theAtlantic Fleetat Norfolk on 16 December.

For the next three and a half years,Schmittconducted peacetime training and upkeep along the Atlantic Coast, highlighted by refresher training and shore bombardment practice in the Caribbean and amphibious landing exercises inNewfoundland and Labrador.She varied her normal routine between 12 June and 7 July 1948 when she escorted fourNaval Academy sailing yawlsin theNewport to Bermuda race.On 16 April 1949, the fast transport arrived atCharleston, South Carolina,for inactivation, and was decommissioned and placed in reserve there on 28 June.

Republic of China Navy (1969-1976)

Schmittwas struck from theNavy Liston 1 May 1967, and transferred in February 1969 to theRepublic of China NavyasROCSLung Shan(PF-44).She was subsequently scrapped in 1976.

Awards

Schmittreceived onebattle starfor her World War II service.

References

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

External links

Photo galleryof USSSchmitt(DE-676) at NavSource Naval History
Photo galleryof USSSchmitt(APD-76) at NavSource Naval History