.gif)
USS Flaherty (DE-135)
Encyclopedia
USS Flaherty (DE-135) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Francis Charles Flaherty
, who was awarded the Medal of Honor
when he sacrificed his life in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
7 December 1941. When his ship was being abandoned, he remained in a turret
holding a flashlight
so that all of his men could see their way in order to escape. He himself did not make it out.
Flaherty was launched 17 January 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas
; sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Flaherty, sister-in-law of Ensign Flaherty; and commissioned 26 June 1943, Lieutenant Commander M. W. Firth in command.
on convoy
escort duty. At Norfolk on 7 March 1944, she joined the hunter-killer group formed around USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60)
, sailing for a patrol which took her group across to Casablanca. On the return passage, off Madeira
on 9 April, Flaherty fired in the action which sank U-515, for which she shared in the credit with three other escorts and carrier aircraft.
27 April 1944, Flaherty rejoined the Guadalcanal group at Norfolk, Virginia
, 10 May, and 5 days later sailed on a patrol which was to win the task group a Presidential Unit Citation. On 4 June, in a well-planned and executed operation, her group captured intact U-505. The only capture by American forces of a German submarine
on the high seas during the war, this dramatic operation provided essential intelligence for future antisubmarine warfare. Flaherty's role during the action was close screening for Guadalcanal, from which the attack and seizure were directed. She returned to New York from this patrol 22 June.
for the Naval Training Center at Miami, Florida
. Training in the Caribbean
with carriers followed, until she sailed from Mayport, Florida, 9 April for Argentia, Newfoundland. This was her base for duty on the barrier line established in the last months of the Europe
an phase of the war to prevent desperate U-boats from penetrating the western Atlantic. On 24 April, USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)
was torpedo
ed while investigating a submarine
contact, and Flaherty dashed to rescue her survivors. After three men had been taken on board, Flaherty picked the submarine up by sonar
, and moved in to attack. Seven other escorts joined her in the 10-hour hunt, which resulted in forcing U-546 to the surface, where she was sunk by gunfire. She recovered five of the U-boat's survivors, including the commanding officer.
Flaherty returned to New York 11 May 1945, and 2 weeks later sailed on convoy escort duty to Le Havre, France, and Southampton, England. She returned to duty guarding carriers training off Norfolk and Charleston, South Carolina
, until arriving at Green Cove Springs, Florida
, 12 January 1946.
on 1 April 1965 and sold for scrap on 4 November 1966.
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...
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 Francis Charles Flaherty
Francis C. Flaherty
Francis Charles Flaherty was an officer in the United States Naval Reserve and a recipient of America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor...
, who was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
when he sacrificed his life in the Japanese attack on 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...
7 December 1941. When his ship was being abandoned, he remained in a turret
Turret
In architecture, a turret is a small tower that projects vertically from the wall of a building such as a medieval castle. Turrets were used to provide a projecting defensive position allowing covering fire to the adjacent wall in the days of military fortification...
holding a flashlight
Flashlight
A flashlight is a hand-held electric-powered light source. Usually the light source is a small incandescent lightbulb or light-emitting diode...
so that all of his men could see their way in order to escape. He himself did not make it out.
Flaherty was launched 17 January 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., 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...
; sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Flaherty, sister-in-law of Ensign Flaherty; and commissioned 26 June 1943, Lieutenant Commander M. W. Firth in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
Between 4 September 1943 and 15 February 1944, Flaherty made three voyages from the east coast to CasablancaCasablanca
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...
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 duty. At Norfolk on 7 March 1944, she joined the hunter-killer group formed around USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60)
USS Guadalcanal (CVE-60)
USS Guadalcanal was a Casablanca class escort carrier of the United States Navy. She was the first ship to carry her name.She was converted from a Maritime Commission hull by Kaiser Co., Inc., of Vancouver, Washington...
, sailing for a patrol which took her group across to Casablanca. On the return passage, off Madeira
Madeira
Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies between and , just under 400 km north of Tenerife, Canary Islands, in the north Atlantic Ocean and an outermost region of the European Union...
on 9 April, Flaherty fired in the action which sank U-515, for which she shared in the credit with three other escorts and carrier aircraft.
The Capture of German Submarine U-505
Returning to New YorkNew 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...
27 April 1944, Flaherty rejoined the Guadalcanal group 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....
, 10 May, and 5 days later sailed on a patrol which was to win the task group a Presidential Unit Citation. On 4 June, in a well-planned and executed operation, her group captured intact U-505. The only capture by American forces of a German 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...
on the high seas during the war, this dramatic operation provided essential intelligence for future antisubmarine warfare. Flaherty's role during the action was close screening for Guadalcanal, from which the attack and seizure were directed. She returned to New York from this patrol 22 June.
Sinking of German Submarine U-546
Between 15 July 1944 and 7 November, Flaherty completed two more hunter-killer patrols with the Guadalcanal group, then served as school shipSchool ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is especially used for ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms....
for the Naval Training Center at Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
. Training in 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...
with carriers followed, until she sailed from Mayport, Florida, 9 April for Argentia, Newfoundland. This was her base for duty on the barrier line established in the last months of the 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 phase of the war to prevent desperate U-boats from penetrating the western Atlantic. On 24 April, USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)
USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)
The USS Frederick C. Davis was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Ensign Frederick Curtice Davis , she was the first U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.Frederick C...
was torpedo
Torpedo
The modern torpedo is a self-propelled missile weapon with an explosive warhead, launched above or below the water surface, propelled underwater towards a target, and designed to detonate either on contact with it or in proximity to it.The term torpedo was originally employed for...
ed while investigating 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...
contact, and Flaherty dashed to rescue her survivors. After three men had been taken on board, Flaherty picked the submarine up by sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
, and moved in to attack. Seven other escorts joined her in the 10-hour hunt, which resulted in forcing U-546 to the surface, where she was sunk by gunfire. She recovered five of the U-boat's survivors, including the commanding officer.
Flaherty returned to New York 11 May 1945, and 2 weeks later sailed on convoy escort duty to Le Havre, France, and Southampton, England. She returned to duty guarding carriers training off Norfolk and 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...
, until arriving 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....
, 12 January 1946.
Post-War Decommissioning
There she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 17 June 1946. She 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 1 April 1965 and sold for scrap on 4 November 1966.