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USS Frost (DE-144)
Encyclopedia
USS Frost (DE-144) 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. At war’s end she returned home proudly with seven battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation.
She was named in honor of Holloway Halstead Frost
who was awarded the Navy Cross
for his World War I
service as aide to Commander, American Patrol Detachment, Atlantic Fleet, a billet in which he played a significant role in developing the tactics of surface and air forces in combined operations against submarines.
Frost (DE-144) was launched 21 March 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas
; sponsored by Mrs. Holloway H. Frost, widow of Commander Frost; and commissioned 30 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander T. S. Lank in command.
escort voyage to Casablanca
between 11 November 1943 and 25 December before taking up her primary wartime assignments, coastal escort and operations with the hunter-killer group.
on 26 April, when she and three other escorts attacked after the submarine
had been spotted by an aircraft from Croatan.
between 3 June 1944 and 22 July, Frost made the initial contact with U-490
on 11 June. A lengthy attack followed, at the close of which the escorts drew the oxygen-exhausted submarine to the surface by feigning their departure from the area. She was sunk by gunfire, Frost taking 13 of her crew prisoner. A 2-hour attack on 3 July, during which the target submarine attempted to torpedo
Frost, resulted in the sinking of U-154.
and Bermuda
preceded the next patrol, from 23 January 1945 to 7 February, during which her task group
formed a part of the escort for , carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt
toward the Yalta Conference
. Additional training in Narragansett Bay
and Casco Bay
prepared her for her final antisubmarine patrol, during which she won the Presidential Unit Citation, for her high achievement in joining in sinking two submarines on the night of 15 April – 16 April.
attack when the submarine dived, and were rewarded at 04:10 with another great underwater explosion.
, and Pacific duty, reaching Pearl Harbor
after the close of hostilities. She carried passengers back to San Diego, California
, then sailed on to Norfolk, Virginia
, and Green Cove Springs, Florida
, where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 18 June 1946. She was struck from the Navy list
on 1 April 1965. On 29 December 1966 she was sold and scrapped.
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. At war’s end she returned home proudly with seven battle stars and the Presidential Unit Citation.
She was named in honor of Holloway Halstead Frost
Holloway Halstead Frost
Holloway Halstead Frost , born in Brooklyn, New York,was an American World War I Navy officer and Navy Cross recipient.-Naval career:Frost was a member of the U.S. Naval Academy class of 1900....
who was awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
service as aide to Commander, American Patrol Detachment, Atlantic Fleet, a billet in which he played a significant role in developing the tactics of surface and air forces in combined operations against submarines.
Frost (DE-144) was launched 21 March 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. Holloway H. Frost, widow of Commander Frost; and commissioned 30 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander T. S. Lank in command.
World War II Atlantic Ocean operations
Frost made one convoyConvoy
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 voyage to 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...
between 11 November 1943 and 25 December before taking up her primary wartime assignments, coastal escort and operations with the hunter-killer group.
Sinking of German Submarines U-856 and U-488
Her first patrol with this group, from 24 March 1944 to 11 May, found her helping in the search for U-856, sunk on 7 April by other escorts of the group, and joining in sinking U-488German submarine U-488
German submarine U-488 was a Type XIV supply and replenishment U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II....
on 26 April, when she and three other escorts attacked after the 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...
had been spotted by an aircraft from Croatan.
Sinking of German Submarines U-490 and U-154
Again patrolling across the Atlantic to guard the movement of convoys 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...
between 3 June 1944 and 22 July, Frost made the initial contact with U-490
German submarine U-490
German submarine U-490 was a Type XIV supply and replenishment U-boat of the of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II.Her keel was laid down on 21 February 1942, by Germaniawerft of Kiel...
on 11 June. A lengthy attack followed, at the close of which the escorts drew the oxygen-exhausted submarine to the surface by feigning their departure from the area. She was sunk by gunfire, Frost taking 13 of her crew prisoner. A 2-hour attack on 3 July, during which the target submarine attempted to 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...
Frost, resulted in the sinking of U-154.
Rescuing Survivors at Sea
During her third hunter-killer patrol, from 20 August 1944 to 2 October, Frost rescued survivors of who had capsized in a hurricane during the night of 13 September – 14 September. Training at Guantanamo BayGuantanamo 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...
and 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...
preceded the next patrol, from 23 January 1945 to 7 February, during which her 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...
formed a part of the escort for , carrying President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt , also known by his initials, FDR, was the 32nd President of the United States and a central figure in world events during the mid-20th century, leading the United States during a time of worldwide economic crisis and world war...
toward the Yalta Conference
Yalta Conference
The Yalta Conference, sometimes called the Crimea Conference and codenamed the Argonaut Conference, held February 4–11, 1945, was the wartime meeting of the heads of government of the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union, represented by President Franklin D...
. Additional training in 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...
and 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...
prepared her for her final antisubmarine patrol, during which she won the Presidential Unit Citation, for her high achievement in joining in sinking two submarines on the night of 15 April – 16 April.
Sinking of German Submarines U-880 and U-1235
The first contact was made by just before midnight, and Frost joined in the attack which produced a violent underwater explosion at 0114 on 16 April. This was U-880. At 01:55, Frost picked up another target, and she and Stanton illuminated U-1235 and opened fire. They pressed home a depth chargeDepth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
attack when the submarine dived, and were rewarded at 04:10 with another great underwater explosion.
Post-War Activity and Decommissioning
Frost sailed from Boston, Massachusetts, 10 July 1945 for training in the CaribbeanCaribbean
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 Pacific duty, reaching 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...
after the close of hostilities. She carried passengers back to 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...
, then sailed on to 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 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....
, where she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 18 June 1946. She 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 April 1965. On 29 December 1966 she was sold and scrapped.