- USS Charles Lawrence (DE-53)
USS "Charles Lawrence" (DE-53/APD-37 ), a "Buckley" class
destroyer escort of theUnited States Navy , was named in honor ofOrdnanceman Charles Lawrence (1916 - 1941), who was killed in action during theJapan eseattack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941 ."Charles Lawrence" was laid down on
1 August 1942 at theBethlehem-Hingham Shipyard , Inc., inHingham, Massachusetts ; launched on16 February 1943 , sponsored by Mrs. S. Lawrence; and commissioned on31 May 1943 , withLieutenant Commander L. S. Kintberger in command.Assigned first to escort central
Atlantic convoy s of tankers betweenNorfolk, Virginia , andCasablanca , "Charles Lawrence" made one such voyage between16 August and24 September 1943 . She was then transferred to the high-speed tanker convoys formed atNew York from ships which had sailed independently up the east coast, now swept of thesubmarine menace, from West Indian oil ports. Between13 October 1943 and23 September 1944 , "Charles Lawrence" escorted eight such convoys toNorthern Ireland , returning with the tankers in ballast to New York. This flow of the fuel of war was so safely guarded by her group that only one tanker was lost in any of their passages. Along with the constant alertness against submarine attack, "Charles Lawrence" had to maintain a high standard ofseamanship to keep the seas in all kinds of weather. At one time, during what was known as the "Christmas Hurricane" of 1943, the ships of her convoy were virtually hove-to for 20 hours."Charles Lawrence" was reclassified APD-37 on
23 October 1944 , and was converted to ahigh speed transport inNew York City , and became the name ship of the class. After a brief shakedown, she cleared Norfolk, Virginia, on27 January 1945 forPearl Harbor , where she replenished between22 February and5 March . She was routed on toUlithi , where she arrived on23 March to join the Northern Attack Force Screen for the assault on Okinawa."Charles Lawrence" arrived off the
Hagushi beaches on1 April 1945 , in the screen for a group of 20transport s. She remained close inshore to guard the launching of the initial assault waves, then moved out to sea to take her place on the semi-circular screen established around the transport area. For 3 months, she continued to patrol watchfully off Okinawa, guarding against attack by suicide boats andaircraft or submarines. The only interruptions to this vigil came when she was ordered to escort shipping away from the embattled island to ports in thePhilippines ,Marianas , andCarolines . Firing often against the desperatekamikaze s, she escaped injury.After the war, "Charles Lawrence" covered the landing of occupation forces in the
Inland Sea , then acted as transport between the Philippines and Manus. She returned toSan Diego on16 December 1945 , and to Norfolk, Virginia, on30 December . On21 June 1946 she was decommissioned, in reserve atGreen Cove Springs, Florida ."Charles Lawrence" received one
battle star forWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/053.htm navsource.org: USS "Charles Lawrence"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/escorts/de53.htm hazegray.org: USS "Charles Lawrence"]
*http://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ships/dafs/APD/apd37-history.html History of USS "Charles Lawrence"
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