.gif)
USS Finch (DE-328)
Encyclopedia
USS Finch (DE-328) was an Edsall-class
destroyer escort
in the service of the United States Navy
. She was named in honor of Lieutenant Joseph W. Finch, Jr.
, USNR.
Finch was first launched on 28 August 1943 at Orange, Texas
as DE-328. She was commissioned three times.
Finch was first commissioned on 13 December 1943 and took on its officers and initial crew of 182 sailors under the command of Lieutenant Commander Albert H. Nienau, USNR. During her operation from 28 August 1943 until 6 March 1947, Finch entered sixty three ports from the eastern and western ports of the USA through the Atlantic Ocean
, the Mediterranean Sea
and the Pacific Ocean
. Finch was one of several vessels to participate in the evacuation of former POWs of the Japanese from Formosa in September 1945. Finch participated in eighteen Convoys as an escort for a variety of naval and commercial ships. Finch entered drydock at Green Cove Springs, Florida
on 4 October 1946 under the command of Lieutenant Commander R. L. Tully but was not finally decommissioned until 6 March 1947.
In the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!
the ship used to portray the USS Ward (DD-139)
, was the USS Finch (DER-328).
Stricken February 1, 1974, Sold for scrap August 16, 1974
Edsall class destroyer escort
The Edsall class destroyer escorts were built primarily for ocean anti-submarine escort service during World War II. The lead ship, USS Edsall was commissioned on 10 April 1943 at Orange, Texas. The class was also known as the FMR type from their Fairbanks-Morse Reduction-geared diesel drive...
destroyer escort
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...
in the service of the United States Navy
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...
. She was named in honor of Lieutenant Joseph W. Finch, Jr.
Joseph W. Finch, Jr.
Joseph Warren Finch, Jr. was born 8 March 1920 in Chicago, Illinois, was appointed ensign in the United States Naval Reserve 28 May 1941. He was killed in action in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal, 13 November 1942, when his ship Laffey was sunk...
, USNR.
Finch was first launched on 28 August 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...
as DE-328. She was commissioned three times.
Finch was first commissioned on 13 December 1943 and took on its officers and initial crew of 182 sailors under the command of Lieutenant Commander Albert H. Nienau, USNR. During her operation from 28 August 1943 until 6 March 1947, Finch entered sixty three ports from the eastern and western ports of the USA through 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 Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
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...
. Finch was one of several vessels to participate in the evacuation of former POWs of the Japanese from Formosa in September 1945. Finch participated in eighteen Convoys as an escort for a variety of naval and commercial ships. Finch entered drydock 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 4 October 1946 under the command of Lieutenant Commander R. L. Tully but was not finally decommissioned until 6 March 1947.
In the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!
Tora! Tora! Tora!
is a 1970 American-Japanese war film that dramatizes the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, to the extent these facts were known at the time of production. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and stars an all-star cast, including So Yamamura, E.G...
the ship used to portray the USS Ward (DD-139)
USS Ward (DD-139)
USS Ward was a Wickes-class destroyer in the United States Navy during World War I, later APD-16 in World War II...
, was the USS Finch (DER-328).
Fate
Transferred to USCG for service between 1951 and 1954 and redesignated WDE-428 cutter.Stricken February 1, 1974, Sold for scrap August 16, 1974
External links
- USS Finch Website
- NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive
- http://www.uscg.mil/history/webcutters/Finch_1951.html