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USS Hill (DE-141)
Encyclopedia
USS Hill (DE-141) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Edwin J. Hill
, Chief Boatswain Mate who lost his life for his brave actions during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
, for which he was posthumously awarded the Navy Medal of Honor
.
Hill (DE-141) was launched 28 February 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas
, sponsored by Mrs. Edward Hill, widow of Chief Boatswain Hill; and commissioned there 16 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. G. R. Keating in command.
out of Bermuda
, Hill tested new torpedo
explosives and engaged in training along the New England
coast. Departing Hampton Roads
5 December, Hill escorted a convoy
to Casablanca
via Ponta del Gada, Azores
, and returned to the States 18 January 1944. During the next year the destroyer escort made four more transatlantic voyages to the North African coast as Allied forces pushed up the Italian
peninsula and began their assault on southern France
. On her fourth voyage, Hill performed antisubmarine patrol at Bahia, Brazil, and Cape Town, South Africa.
February-March 1945, Hill proceeded to Argentia, Newfoundland, 3 April to serve as convoy
screen and plane guard for escort carrier USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)
. After repairs at New York
she participated in training exercises until sailing for the Caribbean
2 July. Two weeks later Hill sailed for the Pacific via the Panama Canal Zone
. En route to Hawaii
, Hill received word of Japanese capitulation and, after putting in at Pearl Harbor
sailed for home again.
, via San Pedro, California, the Panama Canal
, and Charleston, South Carolina
, 27 October 1945. She decommissioned and was placed in reserve there 7 June 1946. She was struck from the Navy list
on 1 October 1972 and sold 18 January 1974 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 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...
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 Edwin J. Hill
Edwin J. Hill
Edwin Joseph Hill was an American sailor who was stationed on the during the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on December 7, 1941. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the battle....
, Chief Boatswain Mate who lost his life for his brave actions during 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...
, for which he was posthumously awarded the Navy 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...
.
Hill (DE-141) was launched 28 February 1943 by the 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. Edward Hill, widow of Chief Boatswain Hill; and commissioned there 16 August 1943, Lt. Comdr. G. R. Keating in command.
World War II Atlantic Ocean Operations
After shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
out of 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...
, Hill tested new 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...
explosives and engaged in training along the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
coast. Departing Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
5 December, Hill escorted a 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...
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...
via Ponta del Gada, Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, and returned to the States 18 January 1944. During the next year the destroyer escort made four more transatlantic voyages to the North African coast as Allied forces pushed up the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
peninsula and began their assault on southern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. On her fourth voyage, Hill performed antisubmarine patrol at Bahia, Brazil, and Cape Town, South Africa.
Transfer to Pacific Ocean Operations
Following operations 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...
February-March 1945, Hill proceeded to Argentia, Newfoundland, 3 April to serve as 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...
screen and plane guard for escort carrier USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)
USS Mission Bay (CVE-59)
USS Mission Bay was a of the United States Navy. Named for Mission Bay, California, she was the only U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name....
. After repairs at 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...
she participated in training exercises until sailing for 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...
2 July. Two weeks later Hill sailed for the Pacific via the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. En route to Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, Hill received word of Japanese capitulation and, after putting in at 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...
sailed for home again.
Post-War Decommissioning
Hill reached Green Cove Springs, FloridaGreen 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....
, via San Pedro, California, 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...
, 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...
, 27 October 1945. She decommissioned and was placed in reserve there 7 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 October 1972 and sold 18 January 1974 and scrapped.