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USS Canfield (DE-262)
Encyclopedia
USS Canfield (DE-262) was an constructed for the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was sent off into the Pacific Ocean
to protect convoys and other ships from Japanese
submarines and fighter aircraft
. She performed escort and antisubmarine operations in dangerous battle areas and returned home with four battle stars.
She was launched on 6 April 1943 by Boston Navy Yard
; sponsored by Mrs. L. W. Canfield; and commissioned on 22 July 1943, Commander
J. B. Cleland, Jr., USNR, in command.
, arriving on 17 November. From 25 November-10 December, she screened the vital but vulnerable tankers supporting air strikes on the Marshall Islands
. In January, Canfield sailed to Majuro
, from which base she continued to operate on convoy
escort, patrol, and plane guard in the Marshalls operation.
Returning to Pearl Harbor in April 1944, Canfield got underway on 6 May escorting a tanker convoy bound for Majuro. Here she resumed escort duties, now supporting the Marianas operation. In September, the escort vessel arrived at Eniwetok, and until December, guarded convoys to the forward base at Ulithi
. These convoys carried the men and supplies essential to the Philippines
operation.
Early in March 1945, after a visit to Pearl Harbor, Canfield arrived off Iwo Jima
, and served on patrol during the assault and capture of the northern part of the island. On 20 March, she embarked men of the veteran 4th Marines for transportation to Pearl Harbor.
Canfield continued to San Francisco, California
, for overhaul, and San Diego, California
, for refresher training, returning to Pearl Harbor on 7 June. After a month of antisubmarine and plane guard duty, she sailed for San Pedro Bay
, Philippine Islands, where she joined a Japan-bound occupation convoy. Canfield anchored in Tokyo Bay
on 20 September.
On 6 October, Canfield was underway for San Francisco. Here, she was decommissioned on 21 December 1945, and sold from scrap on 12 June 1947.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
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 was sent off into 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...
to protect convoys and other ships from Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
submarines and fighter 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...
. She performed escort and antisubmarine operations in dangerous battle areas and returned home with four battle stars.
She was launched on 6 April 1943 by Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
; sponsored by Mrs. L. W. Canfield; and commissioned on 22 July 1943, Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
J. B. Cleland, Jr., USNR, in command.
Service history
Canfield sailed from Boston, Massachusetts on 13 October 1943 for 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...
, arriving on 17 November. From 25 November-10 December, she screened the vital but vulnerable tankers supporting air strikes on the Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
. In January, Canfield sailed to Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
, from which base she continued to operate on 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...
escort, patrol, and plane guard in the Marshalls operation.
Returning to Pearl Harbor in April 1944, Canfield got underway on 6 May escorting a tanker convoy bound for Majuro. Here she resumed escort duties, now supporting the Marianas operation. In September, the escort vessel arrived at Eniwetok, and until December, guarded convoys to the forward base at Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
. These convoys carried the men and supplies essential to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
operation.
Early in March 1945, after a visit to Pearl Harbor, Canfield arrived off Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
, and served on patrol during the assault and capture of the northern part of the island. On 20 March, she embarked men of the veteran 4th Marines for transportation to Pearl Harbor.
Canfield continued to San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, for overhaul, and 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...
, for refresher training, returning to Pearl Harbor on 7 June. After a month of antisubmarine and plane guard duty, she sailed for San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, Philippine Islands, where she joined a Japan-bound occupation convoy. Canfield anchored in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
on 20 September.
On 6 October, Canfield was underway for San Francisco. Here, she was decommissioned on 21 December 1945, and sold from scrap on 12 June 1947.