- USS Straub (DE-181)
USS "Straub" (DE-181) was a Sclass|Cannon|destroyer escort built for the
U.S. Navy duringWorld War II . She served in theAtlantic Ocean and provided escort service againstsubmarine and air attack for Navy vessels andconvoys .She was laid down on
7 June 1943 by theFederal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Co., atNewark, New Jersey . Sponsored by Mrs. Margaret H. Straub, the escort was launched on19 September and commissioned on25 October 1943 at theBrooklyn Navy Yard , Lt. Comdr. James T. Kilbreth,USNR , in command.World War II Atlantic Ocean operations
"Straub" remained in
New York until11 November , then departed forGreat Sound Bay ,Bermuda , and shakedown. The shakedown exercises in waters around Bermuda lasted for approximately one month, and Straub returned to New York on13 December . There she joined elements of convoy UGS 28, escorted them toNorfolk, Virginia , and thence across the Atlantic as far as theAzores . The convoy arrived at Bahia Angra, Terceira, Azores, on8 January 1944 ; and "Straub" conductedantisubmarine patrols among the islands until detached on16 January to join Task Group TG 21.11 in screeningescort aircraft carrier USS|Mission Bay|CVE-59 toCasablanca . The task group made Casablanca on25 January and, the same day, "Straub" began her voyage home. She arrived at New York on6 February and began a period of availability which lasted until her embarkation on the 20th for [Recife, Brazil|Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil [. As a part of the antisubmarine screen of Task Group TG 27.2, she was reunited with Mission Bay as escort to her and USS|Wake Island|CVE-65. The task group called at Recife, where "Straub" reported for duty with theU.S. 4th Fleet , and then moved on toRio de Janeiro , entering port on the 7th. "Straub" was detached the next day and steamed out of Rio de Janeiro bound forMontevideo, Uruguay .Searching for German Submarines
"Straub" put in at
Rio Grande do Sul ,Brazil , for three days and, instead of making for Montevideo, visitedBahia, Brazil , from 17 to28 March . From there, she put to sea and joined TG 41.6 on the 31st. Led by escort carrier USS|Solomons|CVE-67, "Straub" and the rest of TG 41.6 plied the ocean searching for enemy submarines until12 April . The task group returned to Recife for two days and sortied on14 April for anotherU-boat hunt. This second patrol, on 14 to30 April , and the third, from 4 to20 May , were both fruitless. After an 11-day repair period at Recife, "Straub" exited the harbor with TG 41.6 on31 May 1944 for their fourth patrol.Recovering German U-Boat Survivors
At the end of two weeks of quiet cruising, "Straub" picked up a report of a submarine sighting sent by one of "Solomons"
' pilots. In company with USS|Herzog|DE-178, she sped off to the U-boat's reported position to initiate a box search and engage the marauder if possible. In the meantime, six other planes found the submarine, attacked, and sank her. That evening, "Straub" entered the area of the sinking to pick up survivors. She was able to recover the submarine'scommanding officer , herexecutive officer , and 18 other crewmen. Late that night, she was forced by darkness to give up the search for Lt. (jg.) Chamberlain, the pilot whosedepth charges had finished off both the U-boat and his own aircraft. The prisoners were transferred to Solomons on the next day,16 June , and TG 41.6 returned to Recife on the 23d. "Straub" continued patrols with Solomons and TG 41.6 until22 August . At that time, she joined TG 41.7 and carrier USS|Tripoli|CVE-64 and patrolled out of Recife for U-boats until sailing for New York on15 November . The escort remained in New York from26 November to27 December . She then moved viaKey West, Florida , toTrinidad . There, between 11 and30 January 1945 , she participated in various tests and exercises.Visiting Montevideo, Uruguay
Returning to Recife on
30 January , she stayed in that port until5 February when she got underway to escort USS|Omaha|CL-4 on an official visit toMontevideo, Uruguay . Straub escorted her back to Recife between 22 to28 March and sailed the next day for New York, arriving on8 April . Following a week's availability at New York, she set sail forCasco Bay ,Maine , where she arrived on15 April . From there, "Straub" set out for antisubmarine patrols in which she was engaged until8 May . On that date, the escort reported atNew London, Connecticut , for two weeks' duty as a target ship for submarine exercises off New London.Convoy Operations to North Africa
Moving from New London to
Norfolk, Virginia , "Straub" joined convoy UGS 94 as part of its antisubmarine screen. She sailed with the convoy all the way toMers-el-Kebir ,Algeria , and, after stopping along the way at Horta in theAzores , returned to theUnited States on19 June 1945 . She underwent repairs atBoston, Massachusetts , from 19 June to25 July and, after exercises out ofGuantanamo Bay, Cuba , sailed westward. She transited thePanama Canal on 13 and14 August and arrived inSan Diego, California , on the 24th. During her passage fromPanama , Japan capitulated.Transition to the Pacific Theatre at War’s End
Three days later, she sailed from San Diego, rendezvoused with
SS Wisconsin , and escorted her toHawaii . Upon arrival inPearl Harbor on4 September 1945 , "Straub" was employed in various patrols and as an escort to carriers conducting flight operations. On4 November , she was assigned duty as a weather station vessel in theHawaii area. She spent just over two months alternating between Pearl Harbor and weather station duty.Post-War Inactivation and Decommissioning
"Straub" weighed anchor on
12 January 1946 , transited thePanama Canal on 26 and27 January , and arrived at New York on1 February . At the completion of pre-inactivation overhaul, she sailed from New York on20 February bound forGreen Cove Springs ,Florida , and there remained with theAtlantic Reserve Fleet until October1958 when she was shifted toCharleston, South Carolina . "Straub" was struck from theNavy list in1 August 1973 , sold on17 July 1974 and subsequently scrapped.References
DE 181 was used in the 1957 film The Enemy Below starring Robert Mitcham.
ee also
*
List of United States Navy ships
*World War II
*Destroyer escort External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/#Anchor-Editoria-14954 Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/181.htm NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS STRAUB DE-181]
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