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USS Calcaterra (DE-390)
Encyclopedia
USS Calcaterra (DE-390) was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Post-war she was called up again for duty, this time as a radar picket
ship.
She was named in honor of Motor Machinist's Mate
First Class Herbert A. Calcaterra
who received the Silver Star
posthumously. She was launched 18 August 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding
Co., Houston, Texas
; sponsored by Mrs. G. M. Stites; commissioned 17 November 1943, Commander H J. Wuensch, USCG, in command; and reported to the Atlantic Fleet.
and the Mediterranean, Calcaterra made eight round trips between 13 February 1944 and 10 June 1945. The ships she guarded provided the men and equipment which insured the success of the invasions of Italy
and southern France
. Twice the escort vessel met the challenge of enemy opposition when she depth charged a suspected submarine
contact and fired on two aircraft
. Her alert action helped prevent damage or loss to the ships under convoy.
. She lifted passengers back to the west coast, then sailed on to the Atlantic. Calcaterra was placed out of commission in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Florida
on 1 May 1946.
Reclassified DER-390 on 28 October 1954, Calcaterra was converted to a radar picket
ship at Norfolk, Virginia
, and recommissioned on 12 September 1955. Based on Newport, Rhode Island
, the radar picket ship almost continuously served in the violent weather of the North Atlantic to maintain her link in the extension of the Distant Early Warning
system. Except for exercises with the fleet in the Atlantic and Caribbean
, and a cruise to Europe (August-October 1958), Calcaterra continued this duty through 1960.
on 2 July 1973, sold on 14 May 1974, and broken up for scrap.
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 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. Post-war she was called up again for duty, this time as a radar picket
Radar 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.
She was named in honor of Motor Machinist's Mate
Machinist's Mate
Machinist's Mate is a rating in the United States Navy's engineering community.- Description :According to the Bureau of Naval Personnel , the job of an MM is to "operate, maintain, and repair ship propulsion machinery, auxiliary equipment, and outside machinery, such as: steering engine,...
First Class Herbert A. Calcaterra
Herbert A. Calcaterra
Herbert A. Calcaterra was a US Navy sailor.Calcaterra was born in Escalon, California.-Awarded the Silver Star:...
who received 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. She was launched 18 August 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding
Brown Shipbuilding
The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the US Navy during World War II....
Co., Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
; sponsored by Mrs. G. M. Stites; commissioned 17 November 1943, Commander H J. Wuensch, USCG, in command; and reported to the Atlantic Fleet.
World War II North Atlantic operations
Assigned to the vital duty of escorting convoys between the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the Mediterranean, Calcaterra made eight round trips between 13 February 1944 and 10 June 1945. The ships she guarded provided the men and equipment which insured the success of the invasions of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Twice the escort vessel met the challenge of enemy opposition when she depth charged a suspected 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...
contact and fired on two aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. Her alert action helped prevent damage or loss to the ships under convoy.
Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
On 9 July 1946 Calcaterra headed for the Pacific to tackle a new job, but the war ended shortly before her arrival at Pearl HarborPearl 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...
. She lifted passengers back to the west coast, then sailed on to the Atlantic. Calcaterra was placed out of commission 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 1 May 1946.
Reclassified DER-390 on 28 October 1954, Calcaterra was converted to a radar picket
Radar 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 at 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 recommissioned on 12 September 1955. Based on 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...
, the radar picket ship almost continuously served in the violent weather of the North Atlantic to maintain her link in the extension of the Distant Early Warning
Distant Early Warning Line
The Distant Early Warning Line, also known as the DEW Line or Early Warning Line, was a system of radar stations in the far northern Arctic region of Canada, with additional stations along the North Coast and Aleutian Islands of Alaska, in addition to the Faroe Islands, Greenland, and Iceland...
system. Except for exercises with the fleet in the Atlantic and 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...
, and a cruise to Europe (August-October 1958), Calcaterra continued this duty through 1960.
Final decommissioning
Calcaterra 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 2 July 1973, sold on 14 May 1974, and broken up for scrap.