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USS Ramsden (DE-382)
Encyclopedia
USS Ramsden (DE-382) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort
built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Post-war, she performed other tasks with the U.S. Coast Guard and with the U.S. Navy as a radar picket
ship.
She was named in honor of Marvin Lee Ramsden
who was awarded the Silver Star
for his brave actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea
. She was laid down 26 March 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding
Corp., Houston, Texas
; launched 24 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James L. Ramsden, mother of Coxswain Ramsden; and commissioned 19 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. E. Madacey, USCG, in command.
off Bermuda
, Ramsden, manned by a Coast Guard crew and assigned to CortDiv 23, steamed to New York
, whence she sailed, 19 December, with her first convoy, NY-47 to the Panama Canal Zone
. Returning to New York 9 January 1944, she commenced transatlantic runs on the 11th with UGS-30 to Casablanca
. Returning 23 February, she departed New York for Bizerte
with UGS-36, 10 March. Steaming first to Norfolk, Virginia
, where 62 more ships joined the 36 vessels from New York, the convoy
headed across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. Before dawn on 1 April, Nazi bombers and torpedo
planes led in by flare-dropping scouts attacked the Allied ships.
damaged one merchantman and lost five aircraft, one to Ramsden's guns. Two days later the convoy reached Tunisia
and on the 11th got underway for New York, arriving 2 May.
Availability and exercises at Casco Bay
preceded another convoy run to Bizerte
where men and supplies were being readied to push further into Axis-controlled Europe
. Completing that run at Boston, Massachusetts, 11 July, Ramsden shifted to the North Atlantic convoy lanes and, during the remainder of the war in Europe, escorted seven convoys to the United Kingdom
and France
.
, Ramsden was transferred, with her division, to the Pacific. Transiting the Panama Canal
18 June 1945, she called at San Francisco, California
, then continued on to Adak
, arriving 8 July. On the 15th, she shifted to Attu
, whence she operated on plane guard duty for the remainder of World War II.
capitulated, the ship resumed escort duties, initially in the Aleutians, then, at the end of August, to Japan. On 9 September she brought auxiliary ships into Ominato Ko, Honshū
; and, on the 20th, headed back to the U.S. carrying returning veterans. Navy Day
celebrations at Ketchikan interrupted her postwar duties, but in November she got underway, with replacement troops and equipment embarked for Okinawa. She arrived at Buckner Bay 25 November, joined the U.S. 7th Fleet, and on 11 December sailed for Tsingtao. Mail runs next took her to Manila
and Shanghai
whence she returned to Tsingtao 5 January 1946. She remained there supporting occupation troops until 11 February when she sailed for the eastern coast of the United States. Arriving at Charleston, South Carolina
, 22 March, Ramsden steamed to Jacksonville, Florida
, 24 April, then shifted to Green Cove Springs, Florida
, where she decommissioned 13 June 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
, Ramsden was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard and recommissioned 28 March 1952 with the Coast Guard hull designation WDE-382. Reporting for duty 1 April, Ramsden operated briefly on the west coast, then headed west to Honolulu, whence she operated on air-sea rescue patrol duty. On that duty for the next 2 years, she guarded the increased Pacific air traffic along routes between Hawaii
and the mainland, Midway Island, Japan, and the Aleutians, and in the Aleutian and the Hawaiian Islands
. Following the cessation of hostilities in Korea
, and the subsequent decrease in air traffic, Ramsden returned to California
, decommissioned at San Diego, California
, on 10 April 1954 and reentered the Navy's Reserve Fleet
28 June 1954.
ship in 1956, the escort arrived at Long Beach, California
, 19 October for conversion and on 1 November was redesignated DER-382. Recommissioned 10 December 1957, she underwent shakedown and training off the west coast and in March 1958 returned to the Hawaiian Islands
, where she was once again homeported. Based at Pearl Harbor
, she operated on barrier patrol duty stations from Midway Island to the Aleutians until the spring of 1960 when she returned to the west coast for inactivation.
on 1 August 1974. She was later used as a target and sunk; however, date of the sinking is not indicated in Navy records.
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...
and 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. Post-war, she performed other tasks with the U.S. Coast Guard and with the U.S. Navy as a radar picket
Radar picket
A radar picket is a radar-equipped ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a force to protect it from surprise attack. Often several detached radar units encircle a force to provide increased cover in all directions.-World War II:Radar picket ships...
ship.
She was named in honor of Marvin Lee Ramsden
Marvin Lee Ramsden
Marvin Lee Ramsden was born on January 2, 1919 at Pleasant Lake, North Dakota.-Navy career:Ramsden enlisted in the Navy May 21, 1936 and reported for duty in on October 8, 1936.-Awarded the Silver Star:...
who was awarded the Silver Star
Silver Star
The Silver Star is the third-highest combat military decoration that can be awarded to a member of any branch of the United States armed forces for valor in the face of the enemy....
for his brave actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
. She was laid down 26 March 1943 by the 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....
Corp., 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 ...
; launched 24 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. James L. Ramsden, mother of Coxswain Ramsden; and commissioned 19 October 1943, Lt. Comdr. J. E. Madacey, USCG, in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
Following 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...
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...
, Ramsden, manned by a Coast Guard crew and assigned to CortDiv 23, steamed to 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...
, whence she sailed, 19 December, with her first convoy, NY-47 to the Panama Canal Zone
Panama Canal Zone
The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...
. Returning to New York 9 January 1944, she commenced transatlantic runs on the 11th with UGS-30 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...
. Returning 23 February, she departed New York for 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:...
with UGS-36, 10 March. Steaming first 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....
, where 62 more ships joined the 36 vessels from New York, the 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...
headed across the Atlantic and into the Mediterranean. Before dawn on 1 April, Nazi bombers and 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...
planes led in by flare-dropping scouts attacked the Allied ships.
Attacked by Luftwaffe Aircraft
In 15 minutes, 0405 to 0420, the LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
damaged one merchantman and lost five aircraft, one to Ramsden's guns. Two days later the convoy reached 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...
and on the 11th got underway for New York, arriving 2 May.
Availability and exercises at 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...
preceded another convoy run 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:...
where men and supplies were being readied to push further into Axis-controlled 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...
. Completing that run at Boston, Massachusetts, 11 July, Ramsden shifted to the North Atlantic convoy lanes and, during the remainder of the war in Europe, escorted seven convoys to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Transferred to the Pacific Fleet
With the collapse of GermanyGermany
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...
, Ramsden was transferred, with her division, to the Pacific. Transiting 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...
18 June 1945, she called at San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, then continued on to Adak
Adak Island
Adak Island is an island near the western extent of the Andreanof Islands group of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. Alaska's southernmost town, Adak, is located on the island...
, arriving 8 July. On the 15th, she shifted to Attu
Attu Island
Attu is the westernmost and largest island in the Near Islands group of the Aleutian Islands of Alaska, making it the westernmost point of land relative to Alaska and the United States. It was the site of the only World War II land battle fought on the incorporated territory of the United States ,...
, whence she operated on plane guard duty for the remainder of World War II.
End-of-War Activity
After JapanEmpire 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...
capitulated, the ship resumed escort duties, initially in the Aleutians, then, at the end of August, to Japan. On 9 September she brought auxiliary ships into Ominato Ko, Honshū
Honshu
is the largest island of Japan. The nation's main island, it is south of Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyushu across the Kanmon Strait...
; and, on the 20th, headed back to the U.S. carrying returning veterans. Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
celebrations at Ketchikan interrupted her postwar duties, but in November she got underway, with replacement troops and equipment embarked for Okinawa. She arrived at Buckner Bay 25 November, joined the U.S. 7th Fleet, and on 11 December sailed for Tsingtao. Mail runs next took her to Manila
Manila
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,...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
whence she returned to Tsingtao 5 January 1946. She remained there supporting occupation troops until 11 February when she sailed for the eastern coast of the United States. Arriving at 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...
, 22 March, Ramsden steamed to Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
, 24 April, then shifted to 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....
, where she decommissioned 13 June 1946 and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
On Loan to the U.S. Coast Guard
Ordered activated after the outbreak of war in KoreaKorea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Ramsden was transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard and recommissioned 28 March 1952 with the Coast Guard hull designation WDE-382. Reporting for duty 1 April, Ramsden operated briefly on the west coast, then headed west to Honolulu, whence she operated on air-sea rescue patrol duty. On that duty for the next 2 years, she guarded the increased Pacific air traffic along routes between Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and the mainland, Midway Island, Japan, and the Aleutians, and in the Aleutian and the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
. Following the cessation of hostilities in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, and the subsequent decrease in air traffic, Ramsden returned to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, decommissioned at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on 10 April 1954 and reentered the Navy's Reserve Fleet
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
28 June 1954.
Converted to Radar Picket Ship Duty
Ordered activated and converted to an escort radar picketRadar picket
A radar picket is a radar-equipped ship, submarine, aircraft, or vehicle used to increase the radar detection range around a force to protect it from surprise attack. Often several detached radar units encircle a force to provide increased cover in all directions.-World War II:Radar picket ships...
ship in 1956, the escort arrived at Long Beach, California
Long 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...
, 19 October for conversion and on 1 November was redesignated DER-382. Recommissioned 10 December 1957, she underwent shakedown and training off the west coast and in March 1958 returned to the Hawaiian Islands
Hawaiian Islands
The Hawaiian Islands are an archipelago of eight major islands, several atolls, numerous smaller islets, and undersea seamounts in the North Pacific Ocean, extending some 1,500 miles from the island of Hawaii in the south to northernmost Kure Atoll...
, where she was once again homeported. Based at 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...
, she operated on barrier patrol duty stations from Midway Island to the Aleutians until the spring of 1960 when she returned to the west coast for inactivation.
Final Decommissioning
Decommissioning 23 June 1960, she again entered the Pacific Reserve Fleet and was struck from the Navy ListNavy 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 1 August 1974. She was later used as a target and sunk; however, date of the sinking is not indicated in Navy records.