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USS Ricketts (DE-254)
Encyclopedia
USS Ricketts (DE-254) 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 convoy
s.
She was named in honor of Milton Ernest Ricketts
who was awarded the Medal of Honor
posthumously for his valiant actions during the Battle of the Coral Sea
. The Ricketts (DE-254), a destroyer escort, was laid down 16 March 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding
Co., Houston, Texas
; launched 10 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Milton E. Ricketts, widow of Lieutenant Ricketts; and commissioned 5 October 1943 at Houston, Lt. Comdr. Glenn L. Rollins, USCG, in command.
, and Algiers, Louisiana
, Ricketts sailed to Bermuda
for shakedown
. She arrived Charleston, South Carolina
, 28 November 1943, escorting merchantman . Following post-shakedown overhaul, the escort got underway 9 December for New York City
, where she joined a convoy destined for North Africa
. The convoy cleared on the 14th, but Ricketts delayed her departure until the following day to wait for two late-loading merchant ships.
The three ships joined the main body of the convoy 20 December and continued on to Casablanca
, French Morocco
. Ricketts returned to New York 24 January 1944, thus completing her only convoy run to the Mediterranean.
. Her commanding officer
received the Bronze Star
for his part in this daring rescue, and two other officers and six enlisted men received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
.
Rejoining the convoy, Ricketts received Capt. John Roundtree, Commander, Escort Division 20, when his own flagship
, departed to escort the badly damaged El Coston to Bermuda. The convoy continued on to Lough Foyle
, Northern Ireland
, and Ricketts anchored at Lisahally 6–12 March. She then sailed with a return convoy to New York, arriving 22 March.
Ricketts made 11 other round-trip escort voyages: first from New York to Lough Foyle and back (6 April – 3 May 1944); then from New York to Lough Foyle to Boston, Massachusetts (21 May – 17 June 1944); followed by three voyages from New York to Lough Foyle and back (2–27 July; 11 August – 5 September; and 20 September – 16 October 1944). Others were from New York to the River Clyde
, Scotland
, and return (7 November – 7 December); from New York to Cherbourg, France, and the Isle of Portland
, England
, and back (26 December 1944 – 23 January 1945); from New York to Le Havre, France, and Southampton, England, and back (31 March – 30 April 1945); and from New York to Southampton and back (20 May – 11 June 1945).
and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she transited the Panama Canal
7 July. She called at San Diego, California
, for a 5-day visit and departed 20 July, steaming independently for Pearl Harbor
and arriving 1 week later. A month of intensive training in Hawaii
an waters followed. She sailed for Eniwetok 27 August in company with nine other ocean escorts, arriving there 3 September.
Ordered to accept the surrender and to help establish the occupation of isolated Japanese garrisons, Ricketts got underway for Kusaie, the Carolines
, one week later to assist in the disarming of the Japanese on that bypassed island, and to set up a military government. Further duty included the repatriation of natives of Ponape
and Kusaie to their home islands.
Returning to Eniwetok 14 October, Ricketts remained on patrol there until 3 November, when she departed for Pearl Harbor. Following training at Pearl Harbor 9–24 November, she continued on to San Diego, California, arriving there the last day of the month. She next cleared port 2 December 1945, took on passengers at Coco Solo
, Panama Canal Zone
, and arrived at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
16 December. Departing New York Harbor 21 January 1946, she reported for inactivation at Green Cove Springs, Florida
.
. She remained berthed at Orange, Texas, until sold for scrapping 18 January 1974 to Andy International, Inc., of Brownsville, Texas
.
and that two other officers and six enlisted men received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
for the valiant actions performed by this warship
.
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 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.
She was named in honor of Milton Ernest Ricketts
Milton Ernest Ricketts
Milton Ernest Ricketts was a United States Navy officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II....
who was awarded the Medal of Honor
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
posthumously for his valiant 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...
. The Ricketts (DE-254), a destroyer escort, was laid down 16 March 1943 by 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....
Co., 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 10 May 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Milton E. Ricketts, widow of Lieutenant Ricketts; and commissioned 5 October 1943 at Houston, Lt. Comdr. Glenn L. Rollins, USCG, in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
After outfitting at Galveston, TexasGalveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
, and Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers, Louisiana
Algiers is a neighborhood within the city of New Orleans. It is the portion of Orleans Parish on the West Bank of the Mississippi River.Algiers is also known as the 15th Ward, one of the 17 Wards of New Orleans.-History:...
, Ricketts sailed to 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...
for 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...
. She arrived 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...
, 28 November 1943, escorting merchantman . Following post-shakedown overhaul, the escort got underway 9 December 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...
, where she joined a convoy destined for 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...
. The convoy cleared on the 14th, but Ricketts delayed her departure until the following day to wait for two late-loading merchant ships.
The three ships joined the main body of the convoy 20 December and continued on 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...
, French Morocco
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
. Ricketts returned to New York 24 January 1944, thus completing her only convoy run to the Mediterranean.
Northern Atlantic convoy runs
Ricketts sailed from New York 22 February 1944 on the first of 12 escort voyages to Northern Europe and back. She saw a burst of flame in the convoy at 2035 on the stormy night of 25 February. Two merchant tankers, and had collided, and both ships were badly damaged and burning. Ricketts snatched 33 survivors from the sea, which was covered with blazing gasolineGasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
. Her commanding officer
Commanding officer
The commanding officer is the officer in command of a military unit. Typically, the commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitude to run the unit as he sees fit, within the bounds of military law...
received the Bronze Star
Bronze Star Medal
The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the...
for his part in this daring rescue, and two other officers and six enlisted men received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Medal
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the second highest non-combatant medal awarded by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps...
.
Rejoining the convoy, Ricketts received Capt. John Roundtree, Commander, Escort Division 20, when his own flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
, departed to escort the badly damaged El Coston to Bermuda. The convoy continued on to Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle
Lough Foyle, sometimes Loch Foyle , is the estuary of the River Foyle in Ulster. It starts where the Foyle leaves Derry. It separates the Inishowen Peninsula in County Donegal, Republic of Ireland from County Londonderry in Northern Ireland.-Transport:...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, and Ricketts anchored at Lisahally 6–12 March. She then sailed with a return convoy to New York, arriving 22 March.
Ricketts made 11 other round-trip escort voyages: first from New York to Lough Foyle and back (6 April – 3 May 1944); then from New York to Lough Foyle to Boston, Massachusetts (21 May – 17 June 1944); followed by three voyages from New York to Lough Foyle and back (2–27 July; 11 August – 5 September; and 20 September – 16 October 1944). Others were from New York to the River Clyde
River Clyde
The River Clyde is a major river in Scotland. It is the ninth longest river in the United Kingdom, and the third longest in Scotland. Flowing through the major city of Glasgow, it was an important river for shipbuilding and trade in the British Empire....
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, and return (7 November – 7 December); from New York to Cherbourg, France, and the Isle of Portland
Isle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and back (26 December 1944 – 23 January 1945); from New York to Le Havre, France, and Southampton, England, and back (31 March – 30 April 1945); and from New York to Southampton and back (20 May – 11 June 1945).
Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
Ricketts sailed from New York 19 June 1945 with the remainder of Escort Division 20 for the Pacific. After exercises in Chesapeake BayChesapeake 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...
and refresher training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, she transited 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...
7 July. She called 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...
, for a 5-day visit and departed 20 July, steaming independently for 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...
and arriving 1 week later. A month of intensive training in 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...
an waters followed. She sailed for Eniwetok 27 August in company with nine other ocean escorts, arriving there 3 September.
Ordered to accept the surrender and to help establish the occupation of isolated Japanese garrisons, Ricketts got underway for Kusaie, the Carolines
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
, one week later to assist in the disarming of the Japanese on that bypassed island, and to set up a military government. Further duty included the repatriation of natives of Ponape
Pohnpei
Not to be confused with Pompeii, the ancient city destroyed by Vesuvius in AD 79.Pohnpei "upon a stone altar " is the name of one of the four states in the Federated States of Micronesia , situated among the Senyavin Islands which are part of the larger Caroline Islands group...
and Kusaie to their home islands.
Returning to Eniwetok 14 October, Ricketts remained on patrol there until 3 November, when she departed for Pearl Harbor. Following training at Pearl Harbor 9–24 November, she continued on to San Diego, California, arriving there the last day of the month. She next cleared port 2 December 1945, took on passengers at Coco Solo
Coco Solo
Coco Solo was a United States Navy submarine base established in 1918 on the Atlantic Ocean side of the Panama Canal Zone, near Colón, Panama....
, 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...
, and arrived at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
Brooklyn Navy Yard
The United States Navy Yard, New York–better known as the Brooklyn Navy Yard or the New York Naval Shipyard –was an American shipyard located in Brooklyn, northeast of the Battery on the East River in Wallabout Basin, a semicircular bend of the river across from Corlear's Hook in Manhattan...
16 December. Departing New York Harbor 21 January 1946, she reported for inactivation at 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....
.
Post-War decommissioning
Arriving Green Cove Springs 23 January, she decommissioned and joined the Florida Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, 17 April 1946. Ricketts remained in reserve status, berthed at Green Cove Springs, into 1961, when she shifted to the Texas Group, Atlantic Reserve Fleet, 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...
. She remained berthed at Orange, Texas, until sold for scrapping 18 January 1974 to Andy International, Inc., of Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville, Texas
Brownsville is a city in the southernmost tip of the state of Texas, in the United States. It is located on the northern bank of the Rio Grande, directly north and across the border from Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Brownsville is the 16th largest city in the state of Texas with a population of...
.
Awards
Navy historical records, which are not always complete, do not indicate whether Ricketts was awarded battle stars. However, records do note that her commanding officer was awarded the Bronze MedalBronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
and that two other officers and six enlisted men received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Medal
The Navy and Marine Corps Medal is the second highest non-combatant medal awarded by the United States Department of the Navy to members of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps...
for the valiant actions performed by this warship
Warship
A warship is a ship that is built and primarily intended for combat. Warships are usually built in a completely different way from merchant ships. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster and more maneuvrable than merchant ships...
.
See also
- USS Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5)USS Claude V. Ricketts (DDG-5)USS Claude V. Ricketts , previously Biddle and DD-955, was a Charles F. Adams-class guided missile destroyer of the United States Navy....
, for a ship with a similar name - List of United States Navy ships