USS Runels (DE-793)
Encyclopedia
USS Runels (DE-793/APD-85) was a Buckley-class
destroyer escort
of the United States Navy
, named in honor of Ensign
Donald S. Runels
(1904–1942), who was killed when his ship, was torpedo
ed and sunk during the Battle of Tassafaronga
on 30 November 1942.
Runels was laid down on 7 June 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas
; launched
on 4 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. D. S. Runels, widow of Ensign Runels; and commissioned
on 3 January 1944, Lieutenant Commander H. G. Claudius in command.
Runels, assigned to Escort Division 47 (CortDiv 47), completed shakedown
off Bermuda
in April. In March [sic] she joined Task Force 67 (TF 67), at Brooklyn, for transoceanic convoy
duty. Between 25 March and 11 May, she escorted a convoy to the United Kingdom
and back; then, toward the end of May, shifted to a more southerly route and convoyed ships to Casablanca
. Returning in mid-June, she operated with escort carriers off the coast of southern New England
until the 30th when she headed for North Africa
again. On 10 July she arrived at Mers-el-Kebir
; reported to Task Group 80.6 (TG 80.6); and commenced escort and patrol duty along the western North African coast. Within the week, however, her escort runs were extended to Naples
where Allied forces were preparing for Operation Dragoon
— the invasion of southern France
.
On 13 August Runels cleared Naples with others assigned to convoy control of Operation "Dragoon" forces. On the 15th, she arrived in the assault area and took up station in the transport screen. For the next 2 months, however, she continued to escort troops and supplies, from Mers-el-Kebir and from Naples, into the offloading areas along the southern coast of France. Then, in November and December, she protected LSTs shuttling supplies between Bastia
, Corsica
, and Marseilles.
Ordered back to the United States for conversion to a destroyer transport
, Runels departed the Mediterranean at the end of the year and arrived at New York
on 18 January 1945. Redesignated APD-85 on 24 January, she completed conversion 8 April; conducted training in Chesapeake Bay
; and departed for the Pacific on the 28th. In mid-May she arrived in Hawaii
for further training and on 9 June cleared Pearl Harbor
with an Eniwetok-bound convoy. From the Marshalls
, Runels continued on to the Marianas
, thence to Okinawa. Arriving on 4 July, she patrolled off the Hagushi
Anchorage until the 13th; escorted Leyte–Okinawa convoys between the 14th and 6 August; then served as radar picket ship until the cessation of hostilities.
Detached 16 August, Runels operated briefly with the fast carrier
replenishment group, then joined Task Force 31
(TF 31), and on the 27th anchored in Sagami Wan to begin 7 months of occupation duty. During September she assisted in the evacuation of Allied
POWs from Japanese camps and provided mail, passenger and freight service between Iwo Jima
and Tokyo
. In October and November, she participated in the demilitarization of islands in the Izu group
; and, in December, she served as mobile headquarters for the Director of Port Activities, Empire Area; and conducted an inspection trip to the Ryūkyūs
. With the new year, 1946, Runels continued her varied duties in support of the occupation of Japan. On 9 April she sailed east for the United States and inactivation, arriving at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 31 May. In July she shifted to Charleston, S.C. and in January 1947, to Mayport, Fla.
There she decommissioned
on 10 February 1947 and was berthed as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She remained in the Reserve Fleet until struck from the Navy list
on 1 June 1960. She was sold for scrap to the Portsmouth Salvage Co., Portsmouth, Virginia
on 10 July 1961.
Runels earned one battle star for World War II
service.
Buckley class destroyer escort
The Buckley class destroyer escorts were 102 destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1943 - 1944. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships. The lead ship was USS Buckley which was launched on 9 January 1943. The ships had General Electric steam...
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...
of 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...
, named in honor of Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Donald S. Runels
Donald S. Runels
Donald Steven Runels was born 8 July 1904 at Santa Maria, California, enlisted in the United States Navy on 19 March 1926; was appointed machinist 14 September 1938; warranted machinist on 25 November 1939; and commissioned ensign on 23 June 1942...
(1904–1942), who was killed when his ship, was 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...
ed and sunk 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...
on 30 November 1942.
Runels was laid down on 7 June 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corp., 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...
; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 4 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs. D. S. Runels, widow of Ensign Runels; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 3 January 1944, Lieutenant Commander H. G. Claudius in command.
Runels, assigned to Escort Division 47 (CortDiv 47), completed 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...
in April. In March [sic] she joined Task Force 67 (TF 67), at Brooklyn, for transoceanic 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...
duty. Between 25 March and 11 May, she escorted a convoy 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 back; then, toward the end of May, shifted to a more southerly route and convoyed ships 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 in mid-June, she operated with escort carriers off the coast of southern New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
until the 30th when she headed 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...
again. On 10 July she arrived at Mers-el-Kebir
Mers-el-Kébir
Mers-el-Kébir is a port town in northwestern Algeria, located by the Mediterranean Sea near Oran, in the Oran Province.-History:Originally a Roman port, Mers-el-Kébir became an Almohad naval arsenal in the 12th century, fell under the rulers of Tlemcen in the 15th century, and eventually became a...
; reported to Task Group 80.6 (TG 80.6); and commenced escort and patrol duty along the western North African coast. Within the week, however, her escort runs were extended to Naples
Naples
Naples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
where Allied forces were preparing for Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
— the invasion of southern France
Southern France
Southern France , colloquially known as le Midi is defined geographical area consisting of the regions of France that border the Atlantic Ocean south of the Gironde, Spain, the Mediterranean, and Italy...
.
On 13 August Runels cleared Naples with others assigned to convoy control of Operation "Dragoon" forces. On the 15th, she arrived in the assault area and took up station in the transport screen. For the next 2 months, however, she continued to escort troops and supplies, from Mers-el-Kebir and from Naples, into the offloading areas along the southern coast of France. Then, in November and December, she protected LSTs shuttling supplies between Bastia
Bastia
Bastia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department....
, Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, and Marseilles.
Ordered back to the United States for conversion to a destroyer transport
High speed transport
High Speed Transports were converted destroyers and destroyer escorts used to support amphibious operations in World War II and afterward. They received the US Hull classification symbol APD; "AP" for transport and "D" for destroyer....
, Runels departed the Mediterranean at the end of the year and arrived at New York
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...
on 18 January 1945. Redesignated APD-85 on 24 January, she completed conversion 8 April; conducted training in 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...
; and departed for the Pacific on the 28th. In mid-May she arrived 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...
for further training and on 9 June cleared 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...
with an Eniwetok-bound convoy. From the Marshalls
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
, Runels continued on to the Marianas
Mariana Islands
The Mariana Islands are an arc-shaped archipelago made up by the summits of 15 volcanic mountains in the north-western Pacific Ocean between the 12th and 21st parallels north and along the 145th meridian east...
, thence to Okinawa. Arriving on 4 July, she patrolled off the Hagushi
Hagushi
Hagushi bay was the primary unloading point for American supplies during the invasion of Okinawa during World War II. The bay, at the mouth of the Bishi River , was the dividing line between the First and Sixth US Marine divisions, which landed on the Hagushi beaches to the north, and the Seventh...
Anchorage until the 13th; escorted Leyte–Okinawa convoys between the 14th and 6 August; then served as radar picket ship until the cessation of hostilities.
Detached 16 August, Runels operated briefly with the fast carrier
Fast Carrier Task Force
The Fast Carrier Task Force was the main striking force of the United States Navy in the Pacific Ocean theatre of World War II.The Fast Carrier Task Force was known under two designations. The Navy made use of two sets of upper command structures for planning the upcoming operations...
replenishment group, then joined Task Force 31
Task Force 31
Task Force 31 was a US Navy task force active with the United States Third Fleet during World War II, and still ready to be activated today with today's Third Fleet...
(TF 31), and on the 27th anchored in Sagami Wan to begin 7 months of occupation duty. During September she assisted in the evacuation of Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
POWs from Japanese camps and provided mail, passenger and freight service between Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima
Iwo Jima, officially , is an island of the Japanese Volcano Islands chain, which lie south of the Ogasawara Islands and together with them form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The island is located south of mainland Tokyo and administered as part of Ogasawara, one of eight villages of Tokyo...
and Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. In October and November, she participated in the demilitarization of islands in the Izu group
Izu Islands
The are a group of volcanic islands stretching south and east from the Izu Peninsula of Honshū, Japan. Administratively, they form two towns and six villages; all part of Tokyo. The largest is Izu Ōshima, usually called simply Ōshima....
; and, in December, she served as mobile headquarters for the Director of Port Activities, Empire Area; and conducted an inspection trip to the Ryūkyūs
Ryukyu Islands
The , also known as the , is a chain of islands in the western Pacific, on the eastern limit of the East China Sea and to the southwest of the island of Kyushu in Japan. From about 1829 until the mid 20th century, they were alternately called Luchu, Loochoo, or Lewchew, akin to the Mandarin...
. With the new year, 1946, Runels continued her varied duties in support of the occupation of Japan. On 9 April she sailed east for the United States and inactivation, arriving at Philadelphia Navy Yard on 31 May. In July she shifted to Charleston, S.C. and in January 1947, to Mayport, Fla.
Naval Station Mayport
Naval Station Mayport is a major United States Navy base in Jacksonville, Florida. It contains a military airfield with one asphalt paved runway measuring 8,001 x 200 ft. ....
There she decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 10 February 1947 and was berthed as a unit of the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. She remained in the Reserve Fleet until struck from the Navy list
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...
on 1 June 1960. She was sold for scrap to the Portsmouth Salvage Co., Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth, Virginia
Portsmouth is located in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of the U.S. Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2010, the city had a total population of 95,535.The Norfolk Naval Shipyard, often called the Norfolk Navy Yard, is a historic and active U.S...
on 10 July 1961.
Runels earned one battle star for 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...
service.