Kusaie Island Surrender

The Japanese Surrender and Occupation of Kusaie Island, Caroline Islands

USS Ricketts is well known for her heroic action in the Atlantic during the first of twelve escort voyages to Northern Europe and back. She saw a burst of flames in the convoy at 2035 on the stormy night of 25 February, 1944. Two merchant tankers, El Coston and Murfreesboro had collided and both ships were badly damaged and burning. Ricketts rescued 33 survivors from the sea, which was covered with blazing gasoline. Her commanding officer, Lt. Comdr. Glenn L. Rollins, USCG, was awarded the Bronze Star for his part in this daring rescue and two other officers and six enlisted men received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal.

Ricketts continued her Atlantic convoy duty until June 1945 when she was ordered to the Pacific theatre. She sailed for the Pacific from New York 19 June 1945 with the remainder of Escort Division 20: USS MARCHAND DE-249, USS HURST DE-250, USS CAMP DE-251, USS HOWARD D CROW DE-252 and USS PETTIT DE-253.

After exercises in Chesapeake Bay and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she transited the Panama Canal 7 July. She called at San Diego, CA, for a 5-day visit and departed 20 July, steaming independently for Pearl Harbor and arriving one week later. A month of intensive training in Hawaiian waters followed. She sailed for Eniwetok 27 August in the company of nine other ocean escorts, arriving there 3 September.

The day before her arrival at Eniwetok, the formal surrender of the Japanese Imperial Government, the Japanese Imperial General Headquarters, and all Japanese and Japanese-controlled armed forces wherever located, was signed on board the battleship
MISSOURI in Tokyo Bay at 0908, 2 September 1945.

After her arrival at Eniwetok, Ricketts was ordered to accept the surrender and to help establish the occupation of an isolated Japanese garrison on Kusaie, a bypassed island in the Caroline Islands. Ricketts got under-way for Kusaie one week later to assist in the disarming of the Japanese and to set up a military government. Further duty included the repatriation of natives of Ponape and Kusaie to their home islands.

Ricketts was involved in the liberation of Kusaie from 10 September until 13 October, 1945. You will not find much written about this part of Ricketts' history and the outstanding service she performed, much less find photos in any book. However, Alfred Schreiber MoMM 2/c, a Ricketts plankowner, has preserved this part of her history for all these years. Mr. Schreiber's rare documents and photos are invaluable in telling the story of the Japanese surrender and liberation of Kusaie Island.

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