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USS Alger (DE-101)
Encyclopedia
USS Alger (DE-101) was a Cannon class destroyer escort
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and provided escort service against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Alger was named for Philip Rounsevile Alger
.
She was laid down on 2 January 1943 by the Dravo Corp., Wilmington, Delaware
; launched on 8 July 1943; sponsored by Miss Louisa Rodgers Alger; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 12 November 1943, Lt. Comdr. W. F. Porter in command.
sailed for Bermuda
and shakedown
. She returned to Philadelphia for post-shakedown availability, then headed for the Caribbean
on 15 January 1944, and arrived at Trinidad
on 21 January. There, she was assigned to Task Group (TG) 42.5 and departed on the 31st in the screen of a convoy bound for Recife, Brazil. While en route, Alger collided with a merchantman and sustained slight damage to her bow. However, she continued on to Brazil
and reached Recife on 14 February.
Upon her arrival there, the ship was assigned to Task Group 41.5 for patrol duty along the Brazilian coast which she carried out until 1 June. On that day, Alger departed Recife to escort a convoy to Trinidad. She reached that island on 8 June and then sailed back to Recife with another convoy.
On 17 July, Alger joined the screen of USS Solomons (CVE-67)
and sailed for antisubmarine warfare exercises off the coast of Brazil. She then resumed patrol duty and continued that work through most of November. Alger rendezvoused at sea on the last day of the month with Task Group 42.3 and essorted a convoy to Rio de Janeiro
.
On 28 December, the ship departed Recife to escort another convoy to Trinidad but returned to Recife on 30 January 1945. The next day, Alger was relieved of operational duties in preparation for her transfer to the government of Brazil on loan.
After various inspections and exercises at sea, Alger departed Recife on 23 February and moored the same day at Natal, Brazil.
on 20 July 1953, and title to the ship was transferred outright to the government of Brazil as Babitonga (D-16). She was stricken and scrapped in 1964.
Cannon class destroyer escort
The Cannon class destroyer escorts were built primarily for ocean Anti-Submarine Warfare escort service during World War II. The lead ship, was commissioned on 26 September 1943 at Wilmington, Delaware. The class was also known as the DET type from their Diesel Electric Tandem drive. Of the 116...
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and provided escort service against submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Alger was named for Philip Rounsevile Alger
Philip Rounsevile Alger
Philip Rounsevile Alger was an American Naval officer. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He entered the U.S. Naval Academy in 1876 and graduated four years later at the head of his class. His first cruise, in Richmond, Virginia, took him to the Pacific station and to China...
.
She was laid down on 2 January 1943 by the Dravo Corp., Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington, Delaware
Wilmington is the largest city in the state of Delaware, United States, and is located at the confluence of the Christina River and Brandywine Creek, near where the Christina flows into the Delaware River. It is the county seat of New Castle County and one of the major cities in the Delaware Valley...
; launched on 8 July 1943; sponsored by Miss Louisa Rodgers Alger; and commissioned at the Philadelphia Navy Yard on 12 November 1943, Lt. Comdr. W. F. Porter in command.
World War II Atlantic Ocean operations
On 30 November, the destroyer escortDestroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
sailed for Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
and shakedown
Shakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
. She returned to Philadelphia for post-shakedown availability, then headed for the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
on 15 January 1944, and arrived at Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
on 21 January. There, she was assigned to Task Group (TG) 42.5 and departed on the 31st in the screen of a convoy bound for Recife, Brazil. While en route, Alger collided with a merchantman and sustained slight damage to her bow. However, she continued on to Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and reached Recife on 14 February.
Upon her arrival there, the ship was assigned to Task Group 41.5 for patrol duty along the Brazilian coast which she carried out until 1 June. On that day, Alger departed Recife to escort a convoy to Trinidad. She reached that island on 8 June and then sailed back to Recife with another convoy.
On 17 July, Alger joined the screen of USS Solomons (CVE-67)
USS Solomons (CVE-67)
USS Solomons was a Casablanca class escort carrier of the United States Navy, the second ship to carry the name.She was converted from a Maritime Commission hull built by the Kaiser Shipbuilding Company of Vancouver, Washington. Her keel was laid on 19 March 1943. Soon thereafter, she was...
and sailed for antisubmarine warfare exercises off the coast of Brazil. She then resumed patrol duty and continued that work through most of November. Alger rendezvoused at sea on the last day of the month with Task Group 42.3 and essorted a convoy to Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
.
On 28 December, the ship departed Recife to escort another convoy to Trinidad but returned to Recife on 30 January 1945. The next day, Alger was relieved of operational duties in preparation for her transfer to the government of Brazil on loan.
After various inspections and exercises at sea, Alger departed Recife on 23 February and moored the same day at Natal, Brazil.
Decommissioning
On 10 March 1945, Alger was decommissioned and loaded to the Brazilian Navy. Her name was struck from the Navy listNavy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 20 July 1953, and title to the ship was transferred outright to the government of Brazil as Babitonga (D-16). She was stricken and scrapped in 1964.