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USS Blair (DE-147)
Encyclopedia
USS Blair (DE-147) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
the Pacific Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Chief Machinist’s Mate Eugene Blair
, who was awarded the Silver Star
posthumously for his brave actions when his ship was attacked and bombed by Japanese planes near Port Darwin, Australia, in mid-February 1942.
Blair (DE-147) was laid down on 19 January 1943 at Orange, Texas
, by the Consolidated Steel Corp.; launched on 6 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Vestie Foster, the mother of three sons in the United States Navy; and commissioned at Orange, Lt. Alden J. Laborde, USNR, in command.
training out of Bermuda
before clearing those waters on 2 November in company with USS Pennewill (DE-175)
. After escorting the oiler USS Kennebec (AO-36)
to Bermuda, the new destroyer escort sailed to Charleston, South Carolina
, where, on 7 November, the ship's SA radar
was removed and DAQ HFDF (High Frequency Direction Finding, or "Huff Duff") equipment was installed. Departing Charleston on 14 November, Blair reached New York
on 16 November. After shifting to New London, Connecticut
, for exercises, she returned to Staten Island, New York, briefly before departing New York in a convoy
bound for Hampton Roads, Virginia.
From there, the ship helped to screen Convoy UGS-25 to North Africa
. Relieved of escort duties on 11 December, she put into Casablanca
the same day; but tarried only briefly before heading home with GUS-24 on 18 December. She escorted the Norfolk, Virginia
, and Delaware
sections of GUS-24 to Chesapeake Bay
on New Year's Day
1944. Blair then sailed to New York for upkeep. After refresher training at Casco Bay
, Maine
, the warship
returned to Chesapeake Bay
to join a "hunter killer" force that embarked on its mission on 24 January 1944. While crossing the Atlantic, she stopped briefly at Horta
, in the Azores
, to transfer her commanding officer to USS Livermore (DD-429)
for medical treatment. He re-embarked as the two ships were catching up with their task group, task group
TG 21.14, which they rejoined on 15 February. The group reached North African waters five days later.
For the next few months, Blair crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic, screening convoys to the United Kingdom
, making a total of 10 round trip voyages between the east coast of the United States
and the ports of Derry
, Northern Ireland
; Liverpool, England; and Cherbourg, France; also frequenting Lough Foyle
, Portland
, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, England as well. On several occasions, suspicious contacts prompted the ship to drop depth charges and make "hedgehog
" attacks, but none of her targets proved to be a submarine
. During her first cycle in 1945, she was detached from her convoy (UC-51B) to stand by the Army artillery transport Lakehurst (formerly APM-9) as she labored across the Atlantic, "having difficulty with improperly secured locomotives...."
coast on 28 May and reached New York on 8 June. Proceeding down to Guantanamo Bay
for refresher training soon thereafter, Blair exercised in Cuba
n waters until 17 July, when she sailed for the Panama Canal Zone
. After arriving at Coco Solo
on 20 July, she transited the Panama Canal
on the 21st. She completed exercises with her antiaircraft guns on the 22d and wound up the foray by rescuing the crew of a becalmed schooner
. Later that day, the destroyer escort sailed for San Diego, California
, in company with USS Brough (DE-148)
and USS Jacob Jones (DE-130)
and arrived there on the last day of July.
, Blair was at sea when atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima
and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August, hastening the end of the war. She reached Pearl Harbor
on 10 August and spent the next few weeks in upkeep, tender repairs, and operational training. During this period, Japan capitulated in mid-August and formally surrendered on 2 September. Blair sailed for the California
coast on 4 September with 105 Navy passengers embarked and arrived at San Pedro, California, on 10 September.
Leaving that port on the 12th with 75 Army passengers, Blair sailed for the Panama Canal Zone
, bound ultimately for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal
on 20 September and reached Charleston, South Carolina
, on the 25th. Through most of October 1945, the warship
underwent a yard availability to prepare for deactivation. She departed Charleston on 24 October and arrived in the St. Johns River
, Florida
, the following day. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Florida
, on 28 June 1946.
in the summer of 1950, the U.S. Navy expanded to carry out its responsibilities in the Korean War
, to meet its other growing Far Eastern commitments, and to face challenges in other areas of the world. Blair's reactivation began on 20 August 1951; and she was recommissioned at Mayport, Florida, on 5 October 1951, Lt. Comdr. John L. Holmes in command. The warship spent the remainder of 1951 in local operations out of Jacksonville, Florida
, Norfolk, Virginia
, and Newport, Rhode Island
.
Clearing Newport on 8 January 1952, Blair sailed for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and, after operations in Cuba
n waters and a visit to Kingston, Jamaica
, returned to Newport in late February. Over the next four years, Blair operated out of Newport and the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, Florida
, attached to Escort Squadron (CortRon) 10. She deployed to Europe
an waters late in the summer of 1952, visiting Greenock, Scotland; Bergen, Norway; and Cherbourg, France. Other ports of call which punctuated the ship's schedule in this time included Montego Bay, Jamaica; Santiago and Havana, Cuba; New Bedford, Massachusetts
; Fort Lauderdale, Florida
; the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
; Castine, Maine
; New London, Connecticut
; Port Everglades, Florida; Yorktown, Virginia
; Balboa
, Panama Canal Zone
; and Fall River, Massachusetts
. Highlighting the ship's operations out of Newport was her dramatic rescue of a family whose summer cottage had been swept into Narragansett Bay
during Hurricane Carol
in the summer of 1954. Five of Blair's sailors risked their lives to save the three people who clung precariously to the roof of their perilous perch.
ship. During the alterations, she was equipped with special detection gear to allow her to join the "barrier" of ships and planes set up to warn of the approach of a nuclear attack. Recommissioned at Boston on 2 December 1957, Lt. Comdr. Richard L. Warren in command, Blair was reclassified as a radar picket destroyer escort and redesignated DER-147.
The warship then proceeded to her new home port, Pearl Harbor
, where she joined CortRon 7. Blair carried out her shakedown training in the Hawaiian operating area in the spring of 1958 before commencing "barrier patrols" soon thereafter. By the end of the year, she had conducted four such deployments into the mid Pacific. Blair maintained this schedule of cruises out of Pearl Harbor into the spring of 1960.
, where she was placed out of commission for the last time on 15 June 1960. After she had spent more than a decade in reserve, her name was struck from the Navy list
on 1 December 1972, and the ship was sold for scrapping to the West Waterway Lumber Co., of Seattle, Washington
, on 26 September 1974.
Destroyer 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...
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...
the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and provided destroyer escort protection 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.
She was named in honor of Chief Machinist’s Mate Eugene Blair
Eugene Blair
Chief Machinist's Mate Eugene Blair was a United States Navy sailor of World War II who had a ship named for him.-Navy career:...
, who was awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
posthumously for his brave actions when his ship was attacked and bombed by Japanese planes near Port Darwin, Australia, in mid-February 1942.
Blair (DE-147) was laid down on 19 January 1943 at Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
, by the Consolidated Steel Corp.; launched on 6 April 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Vestie Foster, the mother of three sons in the United States Navy; and commissioned at Orange, Lt. Alden J. Laborde, USNR, in command.
World War II Atlantic operations
Blair conducted shakedownShakedown (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...
training out of 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...
before clearing those waters on 2 November in company with USS Pennewill (DE-175)
USS Pennewill (DE-175)
USS Pennewill was a built for the United States 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...
. After escorting the oiler USS Kennebec (AO-36)
USS Kennebec (AO-36)
|-External links:...
to Bermuda, the new destroyer escort sailed to Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, where, on 7 November, the ship's SA radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
was removed and DAQ HFDF (High Frequency Direction Finding, or "Huff Duff") equipment was installed. Departing Charleston on 14 November, Blair reached New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 16 November. After shifting to New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, for exercises, she returned to Staten Island, New York, briefly before departing New York in a convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
bound for Hampton Roads, Virginia.
From there, the ship helped to screen Convoy UGS-25 to North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
. Relieved of escort duties on 11 December, she put into Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
the same day; but tarried only briefly before heading home with GUS-24 on 18 December. She escorted the Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, and Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
sections of GUS-24 to Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
on New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1944. Blair then sailed to New York for upkeep. After refresher training at Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, the warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
returned to Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
to join a "hunter killer" force that embarked on its mission on 24 January 1944. While crossing the Atlantic, she stopped briefly at Horta
Horta (Azores)
Horta is a single municipality and city in the western part of the Archipealgo of the Azores, encompassing the island of Faial. Horta has a population of about approximately 15,038 people and an area of 173.1 square kilometers. The population density is about 88 persons per square kilometer...
, in the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, to transfer her commanding officer to USS Livermore (DD-429)
USS Livermore (DD-429)
USS Livermore , a Gleaves-class destroyer, was the 1st ship of the United States Navy to be named for Samuel Livermore, the first naval chaplain to be honored with a ship in his name....
for medical treatment. He re-embarked as the two ships were catching up with their task group, task group
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
TG 21.14, which they rejoined on 15 February. The group reached North African waters five days later.
For the next few months, Blair crossed and re-crossed the Atlantic, screening convoys to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, making a total of 10 round trip voyages between the east coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the ports of Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
; Liverpool, England; and Cherbourg, France; also frequenting Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle , is the estuary of the River Foyle in Ulster. It starts where the Foyle leaves Derry. It separates the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.-Transport:...
, Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
, Portsmouth, and Plymouth, England as well. On several occasions, suspicious contacts prompted the ship to drop depth charges and make "hedgehog
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
" attacks, but none of her targets proved to be a 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...
. During her first cycle in 1945, she was detached from her convoy (UC-51B) to stand by the Army artillery transport Lakehurst (formerly APM-9) as she labored across the Atlantic, "having difficulty with improperly secured locomotives...."
Transfer to the Pacific
Her last convoy, UC-70A, left the WelshWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
coast on 28 May and reached New York on 8 June. Proceeding down to Guantanamo Bay
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base is located on of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba which the United States leased for use as a coaling station following the Cuban-American Treaty of 1903. The base is located on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas...
for refresher training soon thereafter, Blair exercised in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n waters until 17 July, when she sailed for the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. After arriving at Coco Solo
Coco Solo
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base established in 1918 on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Panama Canal Zone, near Colón, Panama....
on 20 July, she transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on the 21st. She completed exercises with her antiaircraft guns on the 22d and wound up the foray by rescuing the crew of a becalmed schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
. Later that day, the destroyer escort sailed for San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, in company with USS Brough (DE-148)
USS Brough (DE-148)
USS Brough was an Edsall class destroyer escort, the first United States Navy ship so named. This ship was named for Lieutenant Junior Grade David Atkins Brough , a Naval Aviator who was awarded the Air Medal posthumously for his actions during the battles of Kiska and Attu.-Construction and...
and USS Jacob Jones (DE-130)
USS Jacob Jones (DE-130)
USS Jacob Jones was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic Ocean and provided destroyer escort service against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys....
and arrived there on the last day of July.
Post WWII activity
Underway from the west coast on 3 August, bound for the Hawaiian IslandsHawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, Blair was at sea when atomic bombs devastated Hiroshima
Hiroshima
is the capital of Hiroshima Prefecture, and the largest city in the Chūgoku region of western Honshu, the largest island of Japan. It became best known as the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon when the United States Army Air Forces dropped an atomic bomb on it at 8:15 A.M...
and Nagasaki on 6 and 9 August, hastening the end of the war. She reached Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
on 10 August and spent the next few weeks in upkeep, tender repairs, and operational training. During this period, Japan capitulated in mid-August and formally surrendered on 2 September. Blair sailed for the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast on 4 September with 105 Navy passengers embarked and arrived at San Pedro, California, on 10 September.
Leaving that port on the 12th with 75 Army passengers, Blair sailed for the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
, bound ultimately for the east coast of the United States. She transited the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
on 20 September and reached Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, on the 25th. Through most of October 1945, the warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
underwent a yard availability to prepare for deactivation. She departed Charleston on 24 October and arrived in the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, the following day. She was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,908. It is the county seat of Clay County....
, on 28 June 1946.
Korean War reactivation
Following the outbreak of hostilities in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
in the summer of 1950, the U.S. Navy expanded to carry out its responsibilities in the Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
, to meet its other growing Far Eastern commitments, and to face challenges in other areas of the world. Blair's reactivation began on 20 August 1951; and she was recommissioned at Mayport, Florida, on 5 October 1951, Lt. Comdr. John L. Holmes in command. The warship spent the remainder of 1951 in local operations out of Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, and Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
.
Clearing Newport on 8 January 1952, Blair sailed for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and, after operations in Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
n waters and a visit to Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
, returned to Newport in late February. Over the next four years, Blair operated out of Newport and the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, attached to Escort Squadron (CortRon) 10. She deployed to Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an waters late in the summer of 1952, visiting Greenock, Scotland; Bergen, Norway; and Cherbourg, France. Other ports of call which punctuated the ship's schedule in this time included Montego Bay, Jamaica; Santiago and Havana, Cuba; New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
; Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
; the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
; Castine, Maine
Castine, Maine
Castine is a town in Hancock County, Maine, United States and was once the capital of Acadia . The population was 1,343 at the 2000 census. Castine is the home of Maine Maritime Academy, a four-year institution that graduates officers and engineers for the United States Merchant Marine and marine...
; New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
; Port Everglades, Florida; Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, United States. The population was 220 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
; Balboa
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
, Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
; and Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
. Highlighting the ship's operations out of Newport was her dramatic rescue of a family whose summer cottage had been swept into Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay
Narragansett Bay is a bay and estuary on the north side of Rhode Island Sound. Covering 147 mi2 , the Bay forms New England's largest estuary, which functions as an expansive natural harbor, and includes a small archipelago...
during Hurricane Carol
Hurricane Carol
Hurricane Carol was among the worst tropical cyclones to affect the New England region of the United States. It developed from a tropical wave near the Bahamas on August 25, 1954, and gradually strengthened as it moved northwestward. On August 27, Carol intensified to reach winds of , but weakened...
in the summer of 1954. Five of Blair's sailors risked their lives to save the three people who clung precariously to the roof of their perilous perch.
Converted to Radar Picket Ship
Decommissioned again in November 1956, Blair underwent conversion at the Boston Naval Shipyard to a radar picketRadar picket
A radar picket is a radar-equipped ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a force to protect it from surprise attack. Often several detached radar units encircle a force to provide increased cover in all directions.-World War II:Radar picket ships...
ship. During the alterations, she was equipped with special detection gear to allow her to join the "barrier" of ships and planes set up to warn of the approach of a nuclear attack. Recommissioned at Boston on 2 December 1957, Lt. Comdr. Richard L. Warren in command, Blair was reclassified as a radar picket destroyer escort and redesignated DER-147.
The warship then proceeded to her new home port, Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, where she joined CortRon 7. Blair carried out her shakedown training in the Hawaiian operating area in the spring of 1958 before commencing "barrier patrols" soon thereafter. By the end of the year, she had conducted four such deployments into the mid Pacific. Blair maintained this schedule of cruises out of Pearl Harbor into the spring of 1960.
Final decommissioning
She then proceeded to the Puget Sound Naval ShipyardPuget Sound Naval Shipyard
Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility is a United States Navy shipyard covering 179 acres on Puget Sound at Bremerton, Washington...
, where she was placed out of commission for the last time on 15 June 1960. After she had spent more than a decade in reserve, her name was struck from the Navy list
Navy 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 1 December 1972, and the ship was sold for scrapping to the West Waterway Lumber Co., of Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, on 26 September 1974.