USS
FARQUHAR DE 139
Photo submitted by
Jim Klepper WWII
photo. Probably taken in 1944, but exact date
and location unknown.
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History
Norman von Heldreich Farquhar, born 11 April
1840 in Pottsville, Pa., graduated from the Naval Academy in 1859.
Serving on the African Station at the opening of the Civil War, he
sailed a prize slaver home to the United States, and served
actively during the war, at the close of which he was executive
officer of Santiago de Cuba. His active career included many
commands, one of which was Trenton in the Pacific. Farquhar was
commended for his fine handling of his ship during the disastrous
hurricane at Apia, Samoa, in 1889 in which she and a number of
other American and foreign naval vessels were lost. He later
commanded the navy yards at League Island and Norfolk, and climaxed
his distinguished service as Commander of the North Atlantic
Station. Rear Admiral Farquhar retired 11 April 1902, and died at
Jamestown, R.I., 3 July 1907.
(DE-139: dp. 1,200; l. 306'; b. 36'7"; dr. 8'7"; s. 21 k.; cpl.
186; a. 3 3", 3 21" tt., 8 dcp., 1 dcp. (hh.),2 dct.; cl. Edsall)
The second Farquhar (DE-139) was launched 13 February 1943 by
Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd., Orange, Tex.; sponsored by Miss S.
B. Carton, great-granddaughter of Admiral Farquhar; and
commissioned 5 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander L. E. Rosenberg,
USNR, in command.
Farquhar arrived at Norfolk, Va., 3 October 1943, and next day
sailed on the first of three convoy escort voyages to Casablanca.
She returned from each to New York for replenishment and repairs
before joining a new convoy at Norfolk. On 3 April 1944, she sailed
for Casablanca once more, this time in a hunter-killer group formed
around Core (CVE-13). The group guarded the passage of a convoy,
hunting submarines in the general area through which the convoy
sailed.
Returning to New York 9 June 1944, Farquhar trained in
antisubmarine warfare at Bermuda with the Wake Island (CVE-65)
hunter-killer group, then sailed on the Casablanca convoy route
once more. Homeward bound, on 2 August she went to the rescue of
Fiske (DE-143) who had been torpedoed while away from the group
searching for a previously sighted target, and arrived in time to
rescue 186 survivors. These she took into Argentia for medical
attention and clothing, then on to Boston, where they were landed.
In September, she began patrols and convoy escort duty in the South
Atlantic with the Mission Bay (CVE-59) hunter-killer group. She
voyaged from Bahia, Brazil, to Dakar, French West Africa, and
Capetown, Union of South Africa, and during a submarine hunt off
the Cape Verde Islands on 30 September, made a contact against
which she and her sisters operated 6 days, finally sighting a large
oil slick, but no other evidence of a sunken submarine.
During training exercises off Cuba in December 1944 Farquar rescued
10 aviators from liferafts after their patrol bomber splashed, and
while in Florida waters as plane guard for carriers conducting
operations to qualify aviators, rescued a downed pilot 3 February
1945. She returned to Guantanamo Bay for training with the Mission
Bay group later in February, and with it arrived at Argentia 3
April for hunter-killer operations in the North Atlantic. While
bound for New York 6 May, she made a sonar contact, very close,
early in the morning. Just 5 minutes after it was reported, she
dropped 13 depth charges, set shallow, and both she and her sisters
could make no further contact with the target. Post-war evaluation
revealed that she had been the last American ship to sink a
submarine in the Atlantic in World War II, sending U-881 to the
bottom.
Farquhar prepared at Boston and Guantanamo Bay for duty in the
Pacific, and arrived at Pearl Harbor 8 August 1945. Escort duty
took her to Eniwetok 5 September, and on 10 September she sailed in
company With Hyman (DD-732) to receive the surrender of Ponape.
There she served as station ship for several months, then sailed
from Kwajalein early in January 1946 for the east coast. She was
decommissioned and placed in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Fla.,
14 June 1946.
* DE-139 was sold for scrapping 1 October 1972.
Farquhar received one battle star for World War II service.
DANFS. Information courtesy of
US
Navy
*webmaster entry
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