- USS Runels (DE-793)
USS "Runels" (DE-793/APD-85) was a "Buckley"-class
destroyer escort of theUnited States Navy , named in honor of EnsignDonald S. Runels (1904–1942), who was killed when his ship, USS|Northampton|CA-26 wastorpedo ed and sunk during theBattle of Tassafaronga on30 November 1942 ."Runels" was laid down on
7 June 1943 by theConsolidated Steel Corp. ,Orange, Texas ; launched on4 September 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. D. S. Runels, widow of Ensign Runels; and commissioned on3 January 1944 , Lieutenant Commander H. G. Claudius in command."Runels", assigned to Escort Division 47 (CortDiv 47), completed shakedown off
Bermuda in April. In March [sic] she joined Task Force 67 (TF 67), at Brooklyn, for transoceanicconvoy duty. Between25 March and11 May , she escorted a convoy to theUnited Kingdom and back; then, toward the end of May, shifted to a more southerly route and convoyed ships toCasablanca . Returning in mid-June, she operated with escort carriers off the coast of southernNew England until the 30th when she headed forNorth Africa again. On10 July she arrived atMers-el-Kebir ; reported to Task Group 80.6 (TG 80.6); and commenced escort and patrol duty along the western North African coast. Within the week, however, her escort runs were extended toNaples where Allied forces were preparing forOperation Dragoon — the invasion ofsouthern France .On
13 August "Runels" cleared Naples with others assigned to convoy control of Operation "Dragoon" forces. On the 15th, she arrived in the assault area and took up station in the transport screen. For the next 2 months, however, she continued to escort troops and supplies, from Mers-el-Kebir and from Naples, into the offloading areas along the southern coast of France. Then, in November and December, she protected LSTs shuttling supplies betweenBastia ,Corsica , andMarseilles .Ordered back to the United States for conversion to a destroyer transport, "Runels" departed the
Mediterranean at the end of the year and arrived at New York on18 January 1945 . Redesignated APD-85 on24 January , she completed conversion8 April ; conducted training inChesapeake Bay ; and departed for thePacific on the 28th. In mid-May she arrived inHawaii for further training and on9 June clearedPearl Harbor with anEniwetok -bound convoy. From the Marshalls, "Runels" continued on to the Marianas, thence toOkinawa . Arriving on4 July , she patrolled off theHagushi Anchorage until the 13th; escorted Leyte–Okinawa convoys between the 14th and6 August ; then served asradar picket ship until the cessation of hostilities.Detached
16 August , "Runels" operated briefly with the fast carrier replenishment group, then joinedTask Force 31 (TF 31), and on the 27th anchored inSagami Wan to begin 7 months of occupation duty. During September she assisted in the evacuation of AlliedPOW s from Japanese camps and provided mail, passenger and freight service betweenIwo Jima andTokyo . In October and November, she participated in the demilitarization of islands in the Izu group; and, in December, she served as mobile headquarters for the Director of Port Activities, Empire Area; and conducted an inspection trip to the Ryūkyūs. With the new year, 1946, "Runels" continued her varied duties in support of theoccupation of Japan . On9 April she sailed east for the United States and inactivation, arriving atPhiladelphia Navy Yard on31 May . In July she shifted to Charleston, S.C. and in January 1947, to Mayport, Fla. There she decommissioned on10 February 1947 and was berthed as a unit of theAtlantic Reserve Fleet . She remained in the Reserve Fleet until struck from the Navy list on1 June 1960 . She was sold for scrap to the Portsmouth Salvage Co.,Portsmouth, Virginia on10 July 1961 ."Runels" earned one
battle star forWorld War II service.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/r9/runels.htm history.navy.mil: USS "Runels"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/793.htm navsource.org: USS "Runels"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/escorts/de793.htm hazegray.org: USS "Runels"]
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