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USS Menges (DE-320)
Encyclopedia
The USS Menges (DE-320) was an Edsall-class
destroyer escort
built for the United States Navy
during World War II
. Named for Ensign Herbert Hugo Menges
(a naval aviator who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
), she was the first U.S. naval vessel to bear the name.
on 22 March 1943; launched 15 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Charles Menges, mother of the late Ensign Menges; and commissioned 26 October 1943 with Lieutenant Commander Frank M. McCabe, USCG
, in command. After shakedown
off Bermuda
, Menges spent January 1944 on "schoolship" duty in the lower Chesapeake Bay
. On 26 January she got underway from Norfolk
for New York City
, and on 31 January departed for Europe
, on the first three month long deployment escorting convoy
s. On the night of 20 April her convoy, UGS 38, while off the coast of Algiers
en route to the east coast of the U.S.
, was attacked by 30 German
torpedo bomber
s. After shooting down one of the planes, Menges rescued 137 survivors of the USS Lansdale (DD-426)
, sunk by a torpedo
, and two German aircrew.
acoustic torpedo
from U-371
(which was in turn sunk the next day by USS Joseph E. Campbell (DE-70)
, USS Pride (DE-323)
and other warships). The explosion was so violent that the aft third of the ship was destroyed, killing 31 men and wounding 25. However, Commander McCabe properly refused to give the order to abandon ship as long as there was chance of saving her. In addition, several of the crew members heroically jumped astride torpedoes loosened in the blast to disarm them. Menges, thanks to such creditable action, remained afloat.
Four hours later Menges was taken in tow by HMS Aspirant, and later on 3 May reached Bougie
, Algeria
to debark her dead and wounded. On 23 June, the temporarily repaired Menges got underway from Oran
, under tow by USS Carib (AT-82)
, bound for New York
, and arrived 22 July. From 14 to 31 August the stern
of the USS Holder (DE-401)
, whose forward two thirds had been blown away by a torpedo in the Mediterranean Sea
on 11 April, was welded to the remaining two thirds of Menges. The "new" ship came out of drydock at the New York Navy Yard for shakedown from 26 September to 20 October in Casco Bay
, Maine
.
, and USS Lowe (DE-325)
late in February 1945 to form the only hunter-killer group in the North Atlantic to be manned completely by Coast Guard
personnel. On 18 March Menges assisted Lowe in sinking U-866, their first target. She continued antisubmarine
sweep and patrol operations until the German unconditional surrender
on 7 May.
, with two cadet cruises to the West Indies before arriving New London, Connecticut
on 7 September. Three days later she departed for the Cape Cod
area, arriving Boston, Massachusetts the 17th. By Navy Day, 27 October, Menges was moored at Fall River
, below Boston.
Menges received two battle stars
for her World War II service.
for assignment in March, 1946 to the 16th (Inactive Reserve) Fleet. Menges decommissioned in January 1947 and entered the berthing area in the St. Johns River
to spend the next 15 years there in reserve. By 1 January 1962 she was berthed at Orange, Texas
in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, where she remained until stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
2 January 1971, the ship was sold for scrapping 10 April 1972.
Edsall class destroyer escort
The Edsall class destroyer escorts were built primarily for ocean anti-submarine escort service during World War II. The lead ship, USS Edsall was commissioned on 10 April 1943 at Orange, Texas. The class was also known as the FMR type from their Fairbanks-Morse Reduction-geared diesel drive...
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...
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...
. Named for Ensign Herbert Hugo Menges
Herbert Hugo Menges
Herbert Hugo Menges, born in Louisville, Kentucky 20 January 1917 enlisted in the Naval Reserve as seaman second class at Robertson, Missouri on 3 July 1939. Appointed naval aviator 24 July 1940 he was assigned to Squadron 6 on USS Enterprise 28 November 1940...
(a naval aviator who was killed during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
), she was the first U.S. naval vessel to bear the name.
World War II
Menges was laid down by Consolidated Steel Corporation of 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...
on 22 March 1943; launched 15 June 1943, sponsored by Mrs. Charles Menges, mother of the late Ensign Menges; and commissioned 26 October 1943 with Lieutenant Commander Frank M. McCabe, USCG
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, in command. After shakedown
Shakedown (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...
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...
, Menges spent January 1944 on "schoolship" duty in the lower Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. On 26 January she got underway from Norfolk
Norfolk
Norfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
for New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and on 31 January departed for Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, on the first three month long deployment escorting 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. On the night of 20 April her convoy, UGS 38, while off the coast of Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
en route to the east coast of the U.S.
East Coast of the United States
The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S...
, was attacked by 30 German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
torpedo bomber
Torpedo bomber
A torpedo bomber is a bomber aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes which could also carry out conventional bombings. Torpedo bombers existed almost exclusively prior to and during World War II when they were an important element in many famous battles, notably the...
s. After shooting down one of the planes, Menges rescued 137 survivors of the USS Lansdale (DD-426)
USS Lansdale (DD-426)
The second USS Lansdale was a in the United States Navy during World War II. She was named for Philip Lansdale.Lansdale was laid down on 19 December 1938 by Boston Navy Yard; launched on 30 October 1939; sponsored by Mrs. Ethel S. Lansdale, widow of the ships namesake; and commissioned on 17...
, sunk by a 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...
, and two German aircrew.
Torpedo attack
On 3 May Menges was 15½ miles astern of the convoy chasing down a radar contact when she was hit at 0118 hours by an G7esG7es torpedo
The G7es or Zaunkönig T-5 was a torpedo employed by German U-boats during World War II. It was known as the GNAT to the British.- Description :...
acoustic torpedo
Acoustic torpedo
An acoustic torpedo is a torpedo that aims itself by listening for characteristic sounds of its target or by searching for it using sonar. Acoustic torpedoes are usually designed for medium-range use, and often fired from a submarine....
from U-371
Unterseeboot 371
German submarine U-371 was a Type VIIC U-boat of the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. The submarine was laid down on 17 November 1939 at the Howaldtswerke yard at Kiel, launched on 27 January 1941, and commissioned on 15 March 1941 under the command of Oberleutnant zur See Heinrich Driver...
(which was in turn sunk the next day by USS Joseph E. Campbell (DE-70)
USS Joseph E. Campbell (DE-70)
USS Joseph E. Campbell , a of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Ensign Joseph Eugene Campbell , who was killed in action while engaging the enemy on 9 August 1942....
, USS Pride (DE-323)
USS Pride (DE-323)
USS Pride 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 returned home proudly at war’s end with three...
and other warships). The explosion was so violent that the aft third of the ship was destroyed, killing 31 men and wounding 25. However, Commander McCabe properly refused to give the order to abandon ship as long as there was chance of saving her. In addition, several of the crew members heroically jumped astride torpedoes loosened in the blast to disarm them. Menges, thanks to such creditable action, remained afloat.
Four hours later Menges was taken in tow by HMS Aspirant, and later on 3 May reached Bougie
Béjaïa
Béjaïa, Vgaiet or Bejaya is a Mediterranean port city on the Gulf of Béjaïa in Algeria; it is the capital of Béjaïa Province, Kabylia. Under French rule, it was formerly known under various European names, such as Budschaja in German, Bugia in Italian, and Bougie...
, Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
to debark her dead and wounded. On 23 June, the temporarily repaired Menges got underway from Oran
Oran
Oran is a major city on the northwestern Mediterranean coast of Algeria, and the second largest city of the country.It is the capital of the Oran Province . The city has a population of 759,645 , while the metropolitan area has a population of approximately 1,500,000, making it the second largest...
, under tow by USS Carib (AT-82)
USS Carib (AT-82)
USS Carib was a constructed for the United States Navy during World War II. Her purpose was to aid ships, usually by towing, on the high seas or in combat or post-combat areas, plus "other duties as assigned." She served in the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.The second U.S...
, bound for 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...
, and arrived 22 July. From 14 to 31 August the stern
Stern
The stern is the rear or aft-most part of a ship or boat, technically defined as the area built up over the sternpost, extending upwards from the counter rail to the taffrail. The stern lies opposite of the bow, the foremost part of a ship. Originally, the term only referred to the aft port section...
of the USS Holder (DE-401)
USS Holder (DE-401)
USS Holder was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Lieutenant Randolph Mitchell Holder , she was the first of two U.S...
, whose forward two thirds had been blown away by a torpedo in the Mediterranean Sea
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...
on 11 April, was welded to the remaining two thirds of Menges. The "new" ship came out of drydock at the New York Navy Yard for shakedown from 26 September to 20 October in 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...
.
Convoy duty
On 15 November Menges steamed in convoy CU 47 from New York for Europe, arriving Plymouth, England on 26 November. She spent the next few months again on Atlantic convoy duty before joining Pride, USS Mosley (DE-321)USS Mosley (DE-321)
USS Mosley was an 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....
, and USS Lowe (DE-325)
USS Lowe (DE-325)
USS Lowe 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...
late in February 1945 to form the only hunter-killer group in the North Atlantic to be manned completely by Coast Guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
personnel. On 18 March Menges assisted Lowe in sinking U-866, their first target. She continued antisubmarine
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....
sweep and patrol operations until the German unconditional surrender
End of World War II in Europe
The final battles of the European Theatre of World War II as well as the German surrender to the Western Allies and the Soviet Union took place in late April and early May 1945.-Timeline of surrenders and deaths:...
on 7 May.
Coast guard service
On 30 May she escorted her last convoy to Europe, CU 73, arriving Cheshire, England on 8 June. Menges arrived back in New York on 21 June for duty as a training ship for the U.S. Coast Guard AcademyUnited States Coast Guard Academy
Founded in 1876, the United States Coast Guard Academy is the military academy of the United States Coast Guard. Located in New London, Connecticut, it is the smallest of the five federal service academies...
, with two cadet cruises to the West Indies before arriving 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....
on 7 September. Three days later she departed for the Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
area, arriving Boston, Massachusetts the 17th. By Navy Day, 27 October, Menges was moored at Fall River
Fall River
-Cities and towns:In Canada:*Fall River, Nova ScotiaIn the United States:*Fall River, Kansas*Fall River, Massachusetts, the largest city with this name*Fall River, Tennessee*Fall River, Wisconsin*Fall River County, South Dakota-Rivers:In Canada:...
, below Boston.
Menges received two battle stars
Service star
A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service...
for her World War II service.
Retirement
The escort ship moved on to 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....
for assignment in March, 1946 to the 16th (Inactive Reserve) Fleet. Menges decommissioned in January 1947 and entered the berthing area in the St. Johns River
St. Johns River
The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant for commercial and recreational use. At long, it winds through or borders twelve counties, three of which are the state's largest. The drop in elevation from the headwaters to the mouth is less than ;...
to spend the next 15 years there in reserve. By 1 January 1962 she was berthed at 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...
in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet, where she remained until stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
2 January 1971, the ship was sold for scrapping 10 April 1972.