- USS Foreman (DE-633)
USS "Foreman" (DE-633), a "Buckley" class
destroyer escort of theUnited States Navy , was named in honor of EnsignAndrew L. Foreman (1920-1942), who was killed in action aboard theheavy cruiser USS "New Orleans" during theBattle of Tassafaronga 30 November 1942 . Ensign Foreman remained at his station to help in saving his ship until asphyxiated by gas generated by the explosion. He was posthumously awarded theNavy Cross for his heroic self-sacrifice."Foreman" was launched on
1 August 1943 at theBethlehem Steel Company , inSan Francisco, California , sponsored by Miss Nadine Foreman, sister of Ensign Foreman; and commissioned on22 October 1943 , withLieutenant Commander C. A. Manston, USNR, in command."Foreman" arrived at
Funafuti ,Ellice Islands , on28 January 1944 to begin 9 months ofconvoy escort duty in the southwestPacific . She guarded the movement of men and supplies as well as of larger combatant ships in the lengthy series of operations necessary to consolidate Allied control of the northernSolomon Islands and westernNew Guinea . Several times she also served onanti-submarine patrol. Sailing forSydney ,Australia , for upkeep on29 September , "Foreman" returned toHollandia on18 October , and put to sea on26 October to escort two hospital transports to newly assaultedLeyte , arriving on30 October . One of the transports was completely loaded that day, and before midnight, "Foreman" and this transport sailed forKossol Roads .After escorting a resupply convoy to San Pedro Bay in the first week of November 1944, "Foreman" began duty escorting combatant ships, auxiliaries, and merchantmen between the Manus base and Hollandia,
Eniwetok ,Majuro , andUlithi . From 9 to19 March 1945 , the escort served as station ship at Kossol Roads, then sailed to Ulithi to stage for the attack on Okinawa."Foreman" sortied from Ulithi on
21 March 1945 , and arrived offOkinawa on25 March . The next 5 days she spent with a fire support unit bombarding the island in anticipation of the landings on1 April . On27 March , when her task force first came under air attack, she fired on aJapan ese plane which crashed close aboard on her bow, inflicting no casualties. After the landings, "Foreman" was assigned to anti-submarine patrol off the entrance to the transport anchorage atKerama Retto . Here on3 April , she suffered a direct hit when a lone enemybomber attacked her. The bomb passed through her bottom to explode about 30 feet below. All power and light were lost, and one of herfireroom s flooded to thewaterline , but no men were killed. Within 30 minutes, damage was under control, and repairs had been made to allow her to make her way under her own power into Kerama Retto for emergency repairs.Fully repaired at Ulithi between
17 April and29 May 1945 , "Foreman" returned to patrol off Okinawa on3 June . Eight days later, she shot down akamikaze with the aid of a sisterdestroyer before it could crash her. On29 June she was assigned to escort duty with a force covering minesweeping operations in theEast China Sea and flying air strikes on Chinese targets, serving with this task force until returning to Okinawa on16 August for brief overhaul. Escort duty fromBuckner Bay followed until26 September , when she sailed fromWakayama, Japan , with homeward bound servicemen. Arriving atSan Diego on17 October , she disembarked her passengers and sailed on to the east coast. "Foreman" was decommissioned atGreen Cove Springs, Florida ,28 June 1946 ."Foreman" received five
battle star s forWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/f3/foreman.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Foreman" ]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/633.htm navsource.org: USS "Foreman"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/escorts/de633.txt hazegray.org: USS "Foreman"]
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