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USS Pride (DE-323)
Encyclopedia
USS Pride (DE-323) 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 battle stars and then entered into service for the U.S. Coast Guard before final decommissioning.
She was named in honor of Ensign Lewis Bailey Pride, Jr., who was killed in the Japanese
attack on Pearl Harbor
, 7 December 1941. She was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Co., Orange, Texas
, 12 April 1943; launched 3 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Lewis Bailey Pride, mother of Lewis Bailey Pride, Jr.; and commissioned 13 November 1943, Comdr. R. R. Curry, USCG, in command.
, Pride spent the next twelve months escorting six convoys into the Mediterranean. On 20 April 1944 during the second voyage German
planes attacked Convoy UGS–38 at dusk off Algiers
, and sank five ships, including a transport carrying 500 soldiers, and destroyer .
. She then joined a North Atlantic escort carrier group assigned to search out and destroy U-boats before they gained access to the shipping lanes. Bv the end of Europe
an hostilities, 5 of the 6 submarines known to be in the area were destroyed. The 6th surrendered shortly after V-E Day.
She then escorted two transports to Liverpool
, whence she steamed back across the Atlantic to Panama
where she conducted submarine
training exercises until late in 1945.
. On 26 April 1946 Pride decommissioned at Green Cove Springs. In 1961 she was moved to Orange, Texas
. She was struck from the Navy List
on 2 January 1971 and sold for scrapping 30 January 1974.
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 returned home proudly at war’s end with three battle stars and then entered into service for the U.S. Coast Guard before final decommissioning.
She was named in honor of Ensign Lewis Bailey Pride, Jr., who was killed in the 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. She was laid down by the Consolidated Steel Co., 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...
, 12 April 1943; launched 3 July 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Lewis Bailey Pride, mother of Lewis Bailey Pride, Jr.; and commissioned 13 November 1943, Comdr. R. R. Curry, USCG, in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
After 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...
, Pride spent the next twelve months escorting six convoys into the Mediterranean. On 20 April 1944 during the second voyage German
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...
planes attacked Convoy UGS–38 at dusk off 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...
, and sank five ships, including a transport carrying 500 soldiers, and destroyer .
Sinking German Submarine U-371
On the return voyage Pride with , RF Senegalais and HMS Blankney, sank U-371, taking 49 prisoners, 4 May 1944.Sinking of German Submarine U-866
On 1 March 1945, she was assigned hunter killer work with three other ships of her division, the group scoring against U–866 off HalifaxCity of Halifax
Halifax is a city in Canada, which was the capital of the province of Nova Scotia and shire town of Halifax County. It was the largest city in Atlantic Canada until it was amalgamated into Halifax Regional Municipality in 1996...
. She then joined a North Atlantic escort carrier group assigned to search out and destroy U-boats before they gained access to the shipping lanes. Bv the end of 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...
an hostilities, 5 of the 6 submarines known to be in the area were destroyed. The 6th surrendered shortly after V-E Day.
She then escorted two transports to Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
, whence she steamed back across the Atlantic to Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
where she conducted 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 exercises until late in 1945.
Decommissioning
On 29 December she reported to the Atlantic Reserve Fleet at 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....
. On 26 April 1946 Pride decommissioned at Green Cove Springs. In 1961 she was moved to 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...
. 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 2 January 1971 and sold for scrapping 30 January 1974.