USS Marts (DE-174) was a built for 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...

. 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 escort service 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 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...

s.

Marts was named in honor of Alvin Lee Marts

Alvin Lee Marts

Alvin Lee Marts, born 4 August 1923 at Wilsonville, Nebraska, enlisted in the Navy at Denver, Colorado, 2 July 1941.-United States Navy career:...

 who earned 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 heroic efforts during the Battle of Tassafaronga

Battle of Tassafaronga

The Battle of Tassafaronga, sometimes referred to as the Fourth Battle of Savo Island or, in Japanese sources, as the , was a nighttime naval battle that took place November 30, 1942 between United States Navy and Imperial Japanese Navy warships during the Guadalcanal campaign...

. The ship was laid down by Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock Co., Newark, New Jersey

Newark, New Jersey

Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, on 26 April 1943; launched on 8 August 1943; sponsored by Miss Betty Marts; and, commissioned on 3 September 1943. Lt. Carl M. Fellows in command.

World War II South Atlantic operations

After shakedown

Sea trial

A sea trial is the testing phase of a watercraft . It is also referred to as a "shakedown cruise" by many naval personnel. It is usually the last phase of construction and takes place on open water, and can last from a few hours to many days.Sea trials are conducted to measure a vessel’s...

 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...

, Marts 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...

 on 4 November for convoy escort duty off the Atlantic coast of South America. She reached 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...

, British West Indies

British West Indies

The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...

, on 9 November, and during the next five months operated in the 4th Fleet escorting ships between Trinidad and Recife, Brazil. As escort for , she departed Bahia, Brazil, on 23 May 1944 and patrolled the mid-Atlantic, south of the Equator

Equator

An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....

, in search of German U-boats, until returning to Bahia on 5 June. She made two more patrols during the next month; and, after escorting Omaha to Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

 on 13 July, she returned to Recife the 23rd.

Between 24 July and 3 August Marts screened the British cable repair ship SS Cambria during repairs on communications cables off the Brazilian coast. Thence, she joined Escort Division 24 on hunter-killer patrols in the Atlantic. Operating with , she made four offensive ASW

Anti-submarine warfare

Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....

 patrols out of Recife between 22 August and 12 November. After completing sonar

Sonar

Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...

 repairs at Bahia, Brazil, she sailed to Trinidad, where she arrived on 5 December to resume convoy escort duty. From 6 to 18 December she screened a merchant convoy to Recife; thence, she continued escort duty between Brazilian Ports and Trinidad until the end of January 1945.

Marts joined at Bahia on 1 February and escorted the cruiser

Cruiser

A cruiser is a type of warship. The term has been in use for several hundreds of years, and has had different meanings throughout this period...

 on patrol in the South Atlantic until returning to Recife on 10 February.

Post-War deactivation and decommissioning

Scheduled for transfer under lend lease to the Brazilian government, she steamed to the Brazilian naval base at Natal on 2 March, and there trained Brazilian sailors. Marts decommissioned on 20 March 1945 and recommissioned the same day in the Brazilian Navy

Brazilian Navy

The Brazilian Navy is a branch of the Brazilian Armed Forces responsible for conducting naval operations. It is the largest navy in Latin America...

 as Bocaina (D-22). On 30 June 1953, she was returned to the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and simultaneously transferred outright to Brazil under terms of the Mutual Defense Assistance Program. She continued to serve in the Brazilian Navy until struck and scrapped in 1975.