USS George A. Johnson (DE-583)
Encyclopedia
USS George A. Johnson (DE-583) was a Rudderow-class
destroyer escort
in the United States Navy
during World War II
and later served as a Navy Reserve
training ship.
George A. Johnson was laid down by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts
, 24 November 1943; launched 12 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred R. Johnson, Private Johnson's mother; and commissioned 15 April 1944, Lieutenant Commander Alvin Robinson in command.
After shakedown off Bermuda
, George A. Johnson departed New York
24 June 1944 to escort a convoy bound for Bizerte, Tunisia. Despite several encounters with German
aircraft off the North Africa
n coast, the convoy reached Bizerte 14 July. She then returned to New York for exercises and upkeep before departing Norfolk 2 September and joining another Mediterranean-bound convoy. This time the ships steamed to Palermo, Sicily, arriving 23 September. She next joined a westbound convoy 28 September and arrived New York 17 October.
After preparing for duty in the Pacific
, she departed New York 3 November and steamed via the Panama Canal
to Hollandia, New Guinea, where she arrived 24 December. George A. Johnson escorted supply convoys from New Guinea to Allied bases in the Philippines
. Departing Mois Woendi 4 January 1945, she joined cargo ships bound for Lingayan Gulf, Luzon
. Four kamikaze
planes attacked the convoy 12 January; but, under cover of antiaircraft fire of George A. Johnson and other escorts, the entire convoy reached Lingayen Gulf the next day.
George A. Johnson engaged in patrol and convoy duties in the Philippines until 26 January 1945, when she supported landings at San Antonio, Luzon. After this operation, she resumed convoy escort duty out of Leyte Gulf, steaming to Ulithi
, Hollandia, and Manus
. Arriving Hollandia from Leyte Gulf
27 April, she remained there until August.
Returning to the Philippines after the Japanese surrender
, George A. Johnson departed Manila
4 September for Jinsen, Korea, to join Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
in . The force then set course for the Yangtze River
15 September and on 19 September were the first American ships since 1941 to enter this river. Continuing to Shanghai
, George A. Johnson and other units of the 7th Fleet aided in the reoccupation of Shanghai and establishment of the Yangtze Patrol
.
Her war service completed, George A. Johnson departed for Okinawa 11 October. From there she steamed via Pearl Harbor
to San Diego, arriving 5 November. She remained at San Diego and decommissioned 31 May 1946.
In August, however, she was assigned to the 12th Naval District as a training ship. She served out of commission in this capacity until 29 September 1950 when she was placed in commission in reserve as a training ship. Until late 1957 George A. Johnson trained reservists, making occasional cruises off the California
coast. She decommissioned in September 1957, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island, California. Her name was struck from the Navy List
1 November 1965 and she was sold for scrap.
While being towed to San Diego for scrapping on the night of October 12/13, 1966, the George A. Johnson broke free from her tow cable and ran aground at Sharp Park Beach, Pacifica, California. After attempts to refloat her proved unsuccessful, she was cut up and scrapped onsite over a period of six months.
Rudderow class destroyer escort
The Rudderow class destroyer escorts were destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1943 to 1945. Of this class, 22 were completed as destroyer escorts, and 50 were completed as Crosley-class high speed transport and were re-classified as High speed transport APDs. One ship was converted...
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 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...
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...
and later served as a Navy Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
training ship.
George A. Johnson was laid down by Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham, Massachusetts
Hingham is a town in northern Plymouth County on the South Shore of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and suburb in Greater Boston. The United States Census Bureau 2008 estimated population was 22,561...
, 24 November 1943; launched 12 January 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Alfred R. Johnson, Private Johnson's mother; and commissioned 15 April 1944, Lieutenant Commander Alvin Robinson in command.
After shakedown off 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...
, George A. Johnson departed New York
New 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...
24 June 1944 to escort a convoy bound for Bizerte, Tunisia. Despite several encounters with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
aircraft off the North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
n coast, the convoy reached Bizerte 14 July. She then returned to New York for exercises and upkeep before departing Norfolk 2 September and joining another Mediterranean-bound convoy. This time the ships steamed to Palermo, Sicily, arriving 23 September. She next joined a westbound convoy 28 September and arrived New York 17 October.
After preparing for duty in the Pacific
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...
, she departed New York 3 November and steamed via the Panama Canal
Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is a ship canal in Panama that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. Built from 1904 to 1914, the canal has seen annual traffic rise from about 1,000 ships early on to 14,702 vessels measuring a total of 309.6...
to Hollandia, New Guinea, where she arrived 24 December. George A. Johnson escorted supply convoys from New Guinea to Allied bases in 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...
. Departing Mois Woendi 4 January 1945, she joined cargo ships bound for Lingayan Gulf, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. Four kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
planes attacked the convoy 12 January; but, under cover of antiaircraft fire of George A. Johnson and other escorts, the entire convoy reached Lingayen Gulf the next day.
George A. Johnson engaged in patrol and convoy duties in the Philippines until 26 January 1945, when she supported landings at San Antonio, Luzon. After this operation, she resumed convoy escort duty out of Leyte Gulf, steaming to 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...
, Hollandia, and Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
. Arriving Hollandia from Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf
Leyte Gulf is a body of water immediately east of the island of Leyte in the Philippines, adjoining the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, at . The Gulf is bounded on the north by the island of Samar, which is separated from Leyte on the west by the narrow San Juanico Strait, and on the south by...
27 April, she remained there until August.
Returning to the Philippines after the Japanese surrender
Surrender of Japan
The surrender of Japan in 1945 brought hostilities of World War II to a close. By the end of July 1945, the Imperial Japanese Navy was incapable of conducting operations and an Allied invasion of Japan was imminent...
, George A. Johnson departed Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
4 September for Jinsen, Korea, to join Admiral Thomas C. Kinkaid
Thomas C. Kinkaid
Thomas Cassin Kinkaid was an admiral in the United States Navy during World War II. He built a reputation as a "fighting admiral" in the aircraft carrier battles of 1942 and commanded the Allied forces in the Aleutian Islands Campaign...
in . The force then set course for the Yangtze River
Yangtze River
The Yangtze, Yangzi or Cháng Jiāng is the longest river in Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It flows for from the glaciers on the Tibetan Plateau in Qinghai eastward across southwest, central and eastern China before emptying into the East China Sea at Shanghai. It is also one of the...
15 September and on 19 September were the first American ships since 1941 to enter this river. Continuing to Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
, George A. Johnson and other units of the 7th Fleet aided in the reoccupation of Shanghai and establishment of the Yangtze Patrol
Yangtze Patrol
The Yangtze Patrol, from 1854 to 1945, was a prolonged naval operation to protect American interests in the Yangtze River's treaty ports. Initially the patrol was carried out by ships of the United States Navy's East India and Asiatic Squadrons. In 1922, the "YangPat" was established as a formal...
.
Her war service completed, George A. Johnson departed for Okinawa 11 October. From there she steamed via 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...
to San Diego, arriving 5 November. She remained at San Diego and decommissioned 31 May 1946.
In August, however, she was assigned to the 12th Naval District as a training ship. She served out of commission in this capacity until 29 September 1950 when she was placed in commission in reserve as a training ship. Until late 1957 George A. Johnson trained reservists, making occasional cruises off the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
coast. She decommissioned in September 1957, and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet at Mare Island, California. Her name 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....
1 November 1965 and she was sold for scrap.
While being towed to San Diego for scrapping on the night of October 12/13, 1966, the George A. Johnson broke free from her tow cable and ran aground at Sharp Park Beach, Pacifica, California. After attempts to refloat her proved unsuccessful, she was cut up and scrapped onsite over a period of six months.
External links
- Photo gallery at Navsource.org