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USS Howard D. Crow (DE-252)
Encyclopedia
USS Howard D. Crow (DE-252) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
the Pacific Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Howard Daniel Crow who was born in Alvarado, Texas
, 2 February 1918, and was commissioned ensign after completing Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School, Northwestern University
, 14 March 1941. Ensign Crow reported to battleship
USS Maryland (BB-46)
29 March. In the surprise Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor
7 December 1941, Maryland was moored inboard of USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
and received two bomb hits, one of which killed Ensign Crow.
DE-252 was laid down on 6 February 1943 at Houston, Texas
, by Brown Shipbuilding
Co.; named Howard D. Crow (DE-252) on 23 February 1943; launched on 26 April 1943; sponsored by Miss Viola Elaine Warner, the late Ens. Crow's fiancée (who had been recommended by his parents for the honor of christening the ship); and commissioned at Houston, Texas
, on 27 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. Donald T. Adams, USCG, in command.
training out of Bermuda
during October and November, reporting to Norfolk, Virginia
, for convoy
duty 1 December. The destroyer escort sailed with her first convoy 15 December, saw it safely to Casablanca
, and returned to New York 24 January 1944. In the months that followed, Howard D. Crow made 10 arduous escort voyages to British ports, protecting the supplies which sustained the great land offensive which was to end the war with Germany
. On February 11, 1945 the "Crow" likely helped sink U-869.
when Germany
surrendered 8 May 1945, and after extensive refresher training in the Caribbean
, sailed from Guantánamo Bay for the Pacific War
2 July. Arriving Pearl Harbor
via the Panama Canal
25 July, Howard D. Crow continued into the western Pacific for a tour of vital weather-reporting duty, so important to the operation of the great fleets. She sailed from Midway Island 13 December 1945, and after stopping at the Panama Canal
and New York, arrived Green Cove Springs, Florida
, 15 March 1946. She decommissioned 22 May 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
came greater demands on the far-flung Navy, and Howard D. Crow recommissioned 6 July 1951 with a Navy crew. After shakedown training she reported to Key West, Florida
, as Sonar
School training ship
, helping develop new equipment and tactics in antisubmarine warfare.
Moving north to Newport, Rhode Island
, in 1952, the ship took part in fleet antisubmarine exercises off the coast. For the next 6 years Howard D. Crow followed this pattern of operations--antisubmarine training, exercises in the Atlantic and Caribbean
, and periodic overhauls. In 1957, she took part in important NATO exercises with almost 50 ships from a dozen countries and in 1958 the versatile ship acted as communications ship during a successful Jupiter nose-cone recovery off Puerto Rico
.
Howard D. Crow was assigned to Galveston, Texas
, as reserve training ship in September 1958. In this capacity she conducted 2-week training cruises for reservists, and at the same time maintained the ship in a high state of readiness for any emergency. Her periodic training cruises took the escort vessel to Key West and the Caribbean. In August 1961, however, the Berlin situation
worsened, and Howard D. Crow was one of several reserve training ships returned to active service to increase the nation's readiness. She conducted refresher training at Guantanamo Bay and operated with the fleet in the Atlantic and Caribbean until August 1962.
The ship returned to reserve training duty 1 August 1962, again based at Galveston. She continued through 1963 into 1967 to provide at-sea training for naval reservists so vital in keeping America's defenses at the highest possible level of training and skill.
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...
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 Howard Daniel Crow who was born in Alvarado, Texas
Alvarado, Texas
Alvarado is the oldest city in Johnson County, Texas. The population was 4,289 in 2009.-Geography:Alvarado is located at and is located at the intersection of US Hwy 67 and I-35W. The city is south of Fort Worth and southwest of Dallas.According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has...
, 2 February 1918, and was commissioned ensign after completing Naval Reserve Midshipman’s School, Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, 14 March 1941. Ensign Crow reported to battleship
Battleship
A battleship is a large armored warship with a main battery consisting of heavy caliber guns. Battleships were larger, better armed and armored than cruisers and destroyers. As the largest armed ships in a fleet, battleships were used to attain command of the sea and represented the apex of a...
USS Maryland (BB-46)
USS Maryland (BB-46)
USS Maryland , a , was the third ship of the United States Navy to be named in honor of the seventh state.Her keel was laid down 24 April 1917 by Newport News Shipbuilding Company of Newport News, Virginia. She was launched on 20 March 1920, and sponsored by Mrs. E. Brook Lee, wife of the...
29 March. In the surprise Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
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, Maryland was moored inboard of USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
USS Oklahoma (BB-37)
USS Oklahoma , the only ship of the United States Navy to ever be named for the 46th state, was a World War I-era battleship and the second of two ships in her class; her sister ship was . She, along with her sister, were the first two U.S...
and received two bomb hits, one of which killed Ensign Crow.
DE-252 was laid down on 6 February 1943 at Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, by Brown Shipbuilding
Brown Shipbuilding
The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the US Navy during World War II....
Co.; named Howard D. Crow (DE-252) on 23 February 1943; launched on 26 April 1943; sponsored by Miss Viola Elaine Warner, the late Ens. Crow's fiancée (who had been recommended by his parents for the honor of christening the ship); and commissioned at Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
, on 27 September 1943, Lt. Comdr. Donald T. Adams, USCG, in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
Manned by the U.S. Coast Guard, Howard D. Crow conducted 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...
training 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...
during October and November, reporting 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....
, for 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...
duty 1 December. The destroyer escort sailed with her first convoy 15 December, saw it safely 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...
, and returned to New York 24 January 1944. In the months that followed, Howard D. Crow made 10 arduous escort voyages to British ports, protecting the supplies which sustained the great land offensive which was to end the war with Germany
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...
. On February 11, 1945 the "Crow" likely helped sink U-869.
Transferred to the Pacific Fleet
The destroyer escort was berthed at 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...
when Germany
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...
surrendered 8 May 1945, and after extensive refresher 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...
, sailed from Guantánamo Bay for the Pacific War
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
2 July. Arriving 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...
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...
25 July, Howard D. Crow continued into the western Pacific for a tour of vital weather-reporting duty, so important to the operation of the great fleets. She sailed from Midway Island 13 December 1945, and after stopping at 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 New York, arrived 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....
, 15 March 1946. She decommissioned 22 May 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
Reclassified as Training Ship
With the Korean WarKorean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
came greater demands on the far-flung Navy, and Howard D. Crow recommissioned 6 July 1951 with a Navy crew. After shakedown training she reported to Key West, Florida
Key West, Florida
Key West is a city in Monroe County, Florida, United States. The city encompasses the island of Key West, the part of Stock Island north of U.S. 1 , Sigsbee Park , Fleming Key , and Sunset Key...
, as Sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
School training ship
School 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....
, helping develop new equipment and tactics in antisubmarine warfare.
Moving north to Newport, Rhode Island
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
, in 1952, the ship took part in fleet antisubmarine exercises off the coast. For the next 6 years Howard D. Crow followed this pattern of operations--antisubmarine training, exercises in the Atlantic and 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...
, and periodic overhauls. In 1957, she took part in important NATO exercises with almost 50 ships from a dozen countries and in 1958 the versatile ship acted as communications ship during a successful Jupiter nose-cone recovery off Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
.
Howard D. Crow was assigned to Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, as reserve training ship in September 1958. In this capacity she conducted 2-week training cruises for reservists, and at the same time maintained the ship in a high state of readiness for any emergency. Her periodic training cruises took the escort vessel to Key West and the Caribbean. In August 1961, however, the Berlin situation
Berlin Blockade
The Berlin Blockade was one of the first major international crises of the Cold War and the first resulting in casualties. During the multinational occupation of post-World War II Germany, the Soviet Union blocked the Western Allies' railway and road access to the sectors of Berlin under Allied...
worsened, and Howard D. Crow was one of several reserve training ships returned to active service to increase the nation's readiness. She conducted refresher training at Guantanamo Bay and operated with the fleet in the Atlantic and Caribbean until August 1962.
The ship returned to reserve training duty 1 August 1962, again based at Galveston. She continued through 1963 into 1967 to provide at-sea training for naval reservists so vital in keeping America's defenses at the highest possible level of training and skill.