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USS Major (DE-796)
Encyclopedia
USS Major (DE-796) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort
acquired by the U.S. Navy during the latter part of World War II
. She served as an escort vessel, protecting Allied ships, both in the Atlantic Ocean
, and later in the Pacific Ocean
. When the war with Japan
ended, Major witnessed the Japanese surrender from her berth in Tokyo Bay
.
, 16 August 1943; launched 23 October 1943; sponsored by Ens. Margaret Roper Major, Ensign Major’s widow; and commissioned at Orange, Texas, 12 February 1944, Lt. Comdr. O. W. Goepner in command.
, Major served in the Caribbean Sea frontier and escorted convoys between Cuba
and Trinidad
until arriving Boston, Massachusetts, 11 June. She underwent training out of Casco Bay
, Maine
, with ships of Escort Division 56 before arriving Yorktown, Virginia
, 2 July for convoy escort duty. On 4 July she sailed as part of Task Force
61 and escorted UGS-47, a 68 ship convoy, to Bizerte
, Tunisia
, where she arrived 23 July. Between 30 July and 18 August she escorted a westbound convoy
back to the United States
.
Major again sailed with Task Force 61 as convoy escort 12 September, but on the 25th she left UGS-54 and steamed to Plymouth, England, arriving 29 September. There she met a convoy of 18 LSTs and 20 LCIs, and between 5 and 24 October she sailed as escort to Charleston, South Carolina
. During the next 2 months Major made another convoy run to North Africa
and back; and, after returning to Boston 29 December, she served as submarine
training target ship out of New London, Connecticut
. Thence she sailed 21 February 1945 for duty in the Pacific.
, Admiralties, 1 April, Major escorted a convoy from Hollandia
, New Guinea
, to Leyte Gulf
, Philippines
, where she reported for duty with the Philippine Sea frontier
. During the remainder of the war she operated out of Leyte Gulf, patrolling for enemy submarines, providing passenger and mail service to islands in the southern Philippines, and conducting periodic convoy escort duty, including a run to New Guinea and back. Late in July she reached Okinawa as escort for an LST convoy, thence she departed 1 August guarding LSTs bound for Leyte. Three days later, as Earl V. Johnson (DE-702)
dueled with a Japanese submarine
, Major protected the convoy, which arrived at Leyte Gulf 7 August.
18 August and escorted LSTs to Japan. She anchored near mighty Missouri (BB-63)
in Tokyo Bay
1 September and the following day witnessed the Japanese surrender on board the giant battleship
. After returning to the Philippines later that month, she operated out of Leyte.
, 13 March 1948 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet berthed with the Pacific Inactive Fleet at Stockton, California
. Major was sold for scrapping 27 November 1973.
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...
acquired by the U.S. Navy during the latter part of 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 as an escort vessel, protecting Allied ships, both 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 later in 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...
. When the war with Japan
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...
ended, Major witnessed the Japanese surrender from her berth in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
.
Constructed in Texas
Major (DE 796) was laid down by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, TexasOrange, 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...
, 16 August 1943; launched 23 October 1943; sponsored by Ens. Margaret Roper Major, Ensign Major’s widow; and commissioned at Orange, Texas, 12 February 1944, Lt. Comdr. O. W. Goepner in command.
North Atlantic convoy escort duty
Following shakedown off BermudaBermuda
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...
, Major served in the Caribbean Sea frontier and escorted convoys between Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
and Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
until arriving Boston, Massachusetts, 11 June. She underwent training out of 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...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, with ships of Escort Division 56 before arriving Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place in York County, Virginia, United States. The population was 220 in the 2000 census. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1634....
, 2 July for convoy escort duty. On 4 July she sailed as part of Task Force
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...
61 and escorted UGS-47, a 68 ship convoy, to Bizerte
Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
, Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
, where she arrived 23 July. Between 30 July and 18 August she escorted a westbound 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...
back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Major again sailed with Task Force 61 as convoy escort 12 September, but on the 25th she left UGS-54 and steamed to Plymouth, England, arriving 29 September. There she met a convoy of 18 LSTs and 20 LCIs, and between 5 and 24 October she sailed as escort to 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...
. During the next 2 months Major made another convoy run to 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...
and back; and, after returning to Boston 29 December, she served as 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...
training target ship out of New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
. Thence she sailed 21 February 1945 for duty in the Pacific.
Pacific Ocean operations
Arriving ManusManus Province
Manus Province is the smallest province in Papua New Guinea with a land area of 2,100 km², but with more than 220,000 km² of water. The capital of the province is Lorengau and the total population is 43,387 ....
, Admiralties, 1 April, Major escorted a convoy from Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
, New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, to 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...
, 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...
, where she reported for duty with the Philippine Sea frontier
Philippine Sea Frontier
The Philippine Sea Frontier was a United States Navy Sea Frontier active in 1941, and reformed in 1944.On 8 December 1941 it was part of the 16th Naval District, a component of the United States Asiatic Fleet....
. During the remainder of the war she operated out of Leyte Gulf, patrolling for enemy submarines, providing passenger and mail service to islands in the southern Philippines, and conducting periodic convoy escort duty, including a run to New Guinea and back. Late in July she reached Okinawa as escort for an LST convoy, thence she departed 1 August guarding LSTs bound for Leyte. Three days later, as Earl V. Johnson (DE-702)
USS Earl V. Johnson (DE-702)
USS Earl V. Johnson was a of the United States Navy, named in honor of Lieutenant Earl V. Johnson , a naval aviator who was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for "extraordinary heroism" during the Battle of the Coral Sea....
dueled with a Japanese 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...
, Major protected the convoy, which arrived at Leyte Gulf 7 August.
Witnessing the surrender in Tokyo Bay
Following the cessation of hostilities 15 August, Major steamed to ManilaManila
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,...
18 August and escorted LSTs to Japan. She anchored near mighty Missouri (BB-63)
USS Missouri (BB-63)
|USS Missouri is a United States Navy Iowa-class battleship, and was the fourth ship of the U.S. Navy to be named in honor of the U.S. state of Missouri...
in Tokyo Bay
Tokyo Bay
is a bay in the southern Kantō region of Japan. Its old name was .-Geography:Tokyo Bay is surrounded by the Bōsō Peninsula to the east and the Miura Peninsula to the west. In a narrow sense, Tokyo Bay is the area north of the straight line formed by the on the Miura Peninsula on one end and on...
1 September and the following day witnessed the Japanese surrender on board the giant 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...
. After returning to the Philippines later that month, she operated out of Leyte.
Post-war decommissioning
Late in 1945 she steamed to the U.S. West Coast. Major decommissioned at Long Beach, CaliforniaLong Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
, 13 March 1948 and entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet berthed with the Pacific Inactive Fleet at Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
. Major was sold for scrapping 27 November 1973.