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*Special thanks to web volunteer Pat Perrella for transcribing the following information*
1943 05/04/43 4:30pm Commissioned at Charlestown, MA 05/25/43 Left Charlestown, MA for shake down cruise to Bermuda 06/24/43 Returned to Charlestown, MA 07/06/43 Departed Charlestown, MA in route to Panama Canal (Guess we find out what is going on now!) 07/13/43 Arrived Panama 07/15/43 Crossed the Equator (Our first time) 07/20/43 Arrived Bora Bora, Society Islands 07/29/43 Departed Bora Bora 08/03/43 Arrived Tonga Tabu, Tonga Islands 08/10/43 Arrived at Noumea, New Caledonia to become part of Escort Division 8, in company with: GRISWOLD DE-7, CARLSON DE-9, BEBAS DE-10, CROUTER DE-11 08/15/43 Took our first convoy (A single Merchantman) to Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides Island 08/23/43 Convoy to Guadalcanal , Florida Island 08/26/43 Returned to Noumea 09/06/43 Escort to Suva, Fiji Islands 09/10-13/43 Crossed the Equator (Our second and third time) 09/21/43 Returned to Guadalcanal 09/30/43 Returned to Noumea 10/15/43 In a floating drydock for repairs to starboard strut 10/25/43 Returned to Espiritu Santo 11/02/43 Arrived at Munda, New Georgia 11/03/43 Arrived at Rendova, Bougainville 11/18/43 Found us at Efate Islands, New Hebrides 11/28/43 Returned to Noumea 12/08/43 We are at Espiritu Santo again 12/12/43 Departed for the USA for more permanent repairs to starboard strut that keeps pulling loose from the hull 12/13/43 Arrived Bora Bora Island 12/15/43 Found us crossing the International Date Line (4th time) 12/25/43 Crossed the Equator (also for the 4th time) 1944 01/03/44 Arrived at Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA 01/30/44 Sailed to Mare Island and entered Dry Dock 02/03/44 Departed San Francisco; underway for Pearl Harbor 02/09/44 Arrived at Pearl Harbor 02/14/44 R & R at Royal Hawaiian Hotel 02/15/44 En route to Marshall Islands (Crossed the Date Line -5th time) 02/21/44 Arrived at Majuro Island 03/01/44 En route to Kwajalein Island 03/14/44 Arrived Kwajalein Island 03/19/44 Arrived Eniwetok Island - Conducted convoys and patrols 04/15/44 Kwajalein to Eniwetok Island 05/07/44 En route to Tarawa, Gilbert Islands 05/11/44 Arrived Tarawa and routed to Majuro Island 05/14/44 Escorted two tankers for a refueling rendezvous with Task Force 58 05/20/44 Refueled at sea (1st time) - Escorted tankers back to Majuro 06/1944 We are at Kwajalein Island 06/04/44 Received orders to proceed to Kusaie - Shelled and observed Kusaie Island along with a PBY but could not observe any activity on the Island 06/08/44 Shelled the Island again with no results - Returned to Kwajalein Island and resumed escorts and patrols 06/22/44 Escort of supply ships to Saipan 06/26/44 Assigned as Anti Sub Screen off Saipan 06/30/44 Arrived back at Eniwetok with a convoy 07/03/44 Escorted Refrigerator Ship for the first 500 miles towards Pearl Harbor - Passed two east bound Cruisers damaged at Saipan 07/15/44 Met a single ship at sea for escort to Saipan then back to Eniwetok 07/29/44 Escorted two ships to Saipan 07/30/44 We were one of three ships escorting nine ships to Guam 08/05/44 Escorted Carrier to Eniwetok along with another DE 08/16/44 We were released from Fifth Fleet and reported to carrier HOGGATT BAY CVE-75 for escort duty along with BEBAS DE-10, SAMUEL S MILES DE-183 and SEID DE-256 - This group was to report for special duty with Admiral Halsey’s new Third Fleet 08/21/44 En route from Kwajalein for Eniwetok where we were designated Task Force 38 one of eight Task Groups of Halsey’s Western Carolines Forces 08/25/44 Underway from Kwajalein to Manus - starting point for our new operations 08/25-27/44 Operated at sea escorting HOGGATT BAY CVE-75 during flight operations 08/29/44 Crossed the equator for the 5th time 08/30/44 Entered Manus - Very hot - we are only two degrees above the Equator 09/01/44 We are underway from Manus to screen fueling operations of our NW group at sea NOTE: During these operations we crossed the Equator 3 times; our 6th, 7th & 8th times. We proceed toward the Palau Islands 09/12/44 Crossed the Equator twice (our 9th and 10th times) 09/15/44 Assisted in rescue operations of pilots who went down during the Palau invasion NOTE: USS BEBAS DE-10 had her whale boat swamped while attempting rescue operations of pilots who crashed during landing operations on the Carrier HOGGATT BAY- USS SEID DE-256 managed to recover the pilots 09/23/44 Patrolling the Mindanao side of the Palaus, Peleliu and Angaur were secured 09/23/44 Chased down a sub contact along with BEBAS DE-10 but to no avail - Patrolling on the Mindanao side of the Palau Group - Threaded through Ngarvangle passage in single file - heading for a refueling rendezvous off Kossol Roads. 09/24/44 Passed through Ngarvangle passage to refuel off Kossel Roads (An anchorage soon to become our base of operations) NOTE: The Palau Islands offered no protective anchorage so this passage and anchorage at Kossol was used even though the Japanese still held Babelthaup - The land area was kept under surveillance and the Japanese there could do no harm - Fuel, stores and ammo were replenished there - Ulithi was abandoned by the Japanese and was being occupied as an important base for the US 09/26/44 In very rough seas STEELE took aboard a flier and some plane spare parts by way of a boatswains chair for transfer to another carrier - We returned and delivered the spare plane parts to HOGGATT BAY 09/26/44 Steaming NE of the Marianas - One sub contact was made by BEBAS DE-10 - Results negative 10/02/44 Re-threaded single file through Ngarvangle Pass from East to West - Encountered beginnings of a typhoon after exiting the passage - Winds and seas for Force 4 with increasing intensity - During first 24 hours of this typhoon contact was made with SAMUEL S. MILES DE-183 and STEELE attacking - It appeared successful but kill could not be ascertained after a ten hour search for debris - With winds of Force 5 we had to flood four fuel and storage tanks to improve stability 10/04/44 Our Gyro cut out due to rough water and we steered magnetic through the passage to Kossol where we refueled 10/04/44 Returned to patrol NE & S of Palaus until the 16th - The winds began to subside and we had rolls in excess of 60 degrees - Returned and anchored at Manus 10/11/44 We were assigned to the Third Fleet and covered refueling operations for some planned while the Philippines were being pounded by carrier planes - 915 Japanese planes and 128 ships were destroyed on 10/09/44 10/13/44 Left Seeadler to cover preparations for the Leyte invasion - Refueling operations had to be rearranged due to a typhoon in the area - During this time we heard of several cruisers damaged and this would affect us later 10/20/44 We joined a group covering towing and rescue of these damaged cruisers - Convoyed this group to Ulithi arriving on the 27th - We heard later that the Japanese fleet had passed through the area we had just left to join this group - So this probably saved our butts! 11/05-11/44 We were at Kossol Anchorage 11/04/44 We rode out a typhoon at anchor in Kossol - We had two anchors out and power on all night - We had a PT boat tied astern the two anchors held but we spent a night never to be forgotten with unbelievable rolls 11/13/44 Took a three ship convoy down to Angaur and were ordered to Port Purvis in the Solomons 11/30/44 STEELE and SEID ordered to Kossol arriving on 12/07/44 12/08/44 Took three ship convoy to Peleliu arrived 12/14/44 and were ordered to Ulithi until the 19th 12/19/44 Left Ulithi as part of Task Force of two tugs, three DEs and one YMS - The tugs towing the damaged cruiser RENO CL-96 to Manus for repairs - RENO had suffered torpedo damage and we had aboard four officers and thirty crew from that ship 12/25/44 Spent Christmas in Seeadler Harbor 12/26/44 We crossed the Equator for the 14th and last time when we returned to Ulithi - making it in two days 1945 01/01/45 Our first convoy of 1945 was a single ship escorted to Peleliu 01/05/45 Returned to Kossel 01/06/45 Small hole discovered in our rudder and we were sent on the 7th to Ulithi for repairs arriving on the 8th 01/09/45 Entered floating dock for repairs to rudder and adjustments to the sonar - All hands turned to for scraping and painting the hull and bottom 01/12/45 Midget sub torpedoed an ammo ship in the harbor - The ammo ship did not blow up and we got underway in the harbor to look for the sub but it got away 01/18/45 Underway with orders for Pearl Harbor - CANCELLED as soon as we cleared the nets - Set sail with a single ship convoy to Eniwetok 01/28/45 Took single ship to Saipan and returned to Eniwetok with an 8 ship convoy escorted by STEELE, one AM and one PC 02/06/45 Arrived at Eniwetok and were ordered to Pearl Harbor for the 3rd time 02/12/45 Arrived at Pearl Harbor after a fast five day trip 02/13/45 Underway for a six day training operation with a CVE - Picked up one flier after he missed his landing on the CVE 02/18/45 Back in Pearl for repairs - Crew had three days at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel (free) for rest and relaxation 03/07/45 Escorted sub on training exercises 03/11/45 Underway as one of two escorts for a five ship convoy to Eniwetok 03/11/45 Challenged an unidentified radar contact on the surface at night - Discovered to be a small tug of our own USN who were not alert until we opened up the search lights on them at close range 03/17/45 Dropped off one ship of our convoy and entered Eniwetok on the 20th 04/10-17/45 Escorted three APAs to Saipan 04/15/45 While anchored at night a false report of a German surrender triggered a wild celebration - Every ship in the harbor participated in a spectacular display of star shells and rocket fire 04/16/45 Escorted a transport to Kossol and anchored there 05/01/45 05/01/45 Underway towing a damaged SC to Ulithi 05/03/45 Arrived at Ulithi 05/04-5/45 Our last convoy - Escorted attack transport to Guam 05/05/45 Received orders to report to CONSUBPAC for duty with the sub fleet and we commenced training with the fleet subs out of Guam 06/08/45 USS STEELE gets a new Captain - Lt F Seymore relieved Lt Comdr R Smith 08/09/45 JAPAN SURRENDERS !!!! 09/13/45 Three DEs arrive to relieve us: SWENNING DE-394, WILLIS DE-395 and COCKRILL DE-398 Information submitted by Jim Brewer RM 2/c, Plankowner. |
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