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USS Seid (DE-256)
Encyclopedia
USS Seid (DE-256) was an 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...
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 was sent off into 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...
to protect convoys and other ships from 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...
submarines and fighter aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. She performed escort and antisubmarine operations in dangerous battle areas and returned home safely to the States.
Seid was laid down on 10 January 1943 by the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
; launched on 22 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. George Seid, mother of Ensign Seid; and commissioned on 11 June 1943, Comdr. Charles A. Thorwall, USNR, in command. The ship was named in honor of Daniel Seid, a winner of the Air Medal, who was killed in action in 1942.
Initial World War II Operations on the U.S. East Coast
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...
training 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...
, the 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...
returned to Boston, Massachusetts, on 31 July 1943. On 16 August, Seid performed her first task for which she had been designed, in searching for an enemy 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...
sighted by a Navy blimp
Blimp
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
off Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras
Cape Hatteras is a cape on the coast of North Carolina. It is the point that protrudes the farthest to the southeast along the northeast-to-southwest line of the Atlantic coast of North America...
. The patrol was fruitless, however, and Seid returned 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....
, 24 hours later.
World War II Pacific Theatre operations
At Norfolk, Seid served two weeks as a training shipSchool ship
A training ship is a ship used to train students as sailors. The term is especially used for ships employed by navies to train future officers. Essentially there are two types: those used for training at sea and old hulks used to house classrooms....
for the crews of other destroyer escorts. On 24 August, she got underway in the screen which escorted eight troop transports 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...
. 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...
arrived 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....
, Canal Zone, on 30 August, and, after fueling, proceeded through Gatun Locks on 1 September. Seid then proceeded with , , and to Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, via the Galapagos and Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
. From Bora Bora
Bora Bora
The commune of Bora-Bora is made up of the island of Bora Bora proper with its surrounding islets emerging from the coral reef, 29.3 km² in total, and of the atoll of Tupai , located north of Bora Bora...
, Society Islands
Society Islands
The Society Islands are a group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean. They are politically part of French Polynesia. The archipelago is generally believed to have been named by Captain James Cook in honor of the Royal Society, the sponsor of the first British scientific survey of the islands;...
, Seid steamed alone, reporting for duty to the 3rd Fleet Commander at Nouméa on 29 September.
Rescue of a Crew Member Fallen Overboard
On 21 October, Seid was escorting Stoney Point to Espiritu SantoEspiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
. At approximately 2000 hours, a message was received from Stoney Point stating that she had just passed a man in the water. Upon returning to the point and illuminating the area with search lights, it was discovered that the man floating in the water was attached to Seid. Though surrounded by shark
Shark
Sharks are a type of fish with a full cartilaginous skeleton and a highly streamlined body. The earliest known sharks date from more than 420 million years ago....
s and supported only by a life belt, the man was recovered uninjured. Upon questioning, it was learned that he had fallen asleep on the fantail
Fantail
Fantails are small insectivorous birds of southern Asia and Australasia belonging to the genus Rhipidura in the family Rhipiduridae...
and fell off the ship as she rolled.
Searching for Japanese Submarines
On 5 December, Seid, approximately six miles south of TulagiTulagi
Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida Island. The town of the same name on the island Tulagi, less commonly Tulaghi, is a small island (5.5 km by 1 km) in the Solomon Islands, just off the south coast of Florida...
, made sound contact with a suspected 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...
. An attack was made with hedgehogs
Hedgehog (weapon)
The Hedgehog was an anti-submarine weapon developed by the Royal Navy during World War II, that was deployed on convoy escort warships such as destroyers to supplement the depth charge. The weapon worked by firing a number of small spigot mortar bombs from spiked fittings...
, and the ship's course was altered to avoid passing over the pattern. The ship swung top slowly, however, for five seconds after the pattern hit the water, a violent underwater explosion knocked out Seid's sound gear
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
. Seid then stayed clear of the area so as not to interfere with the sonic efficiency of other anti-submarine vessels. No further contact was made, and there was no evidence of damage to a submarine. After an hour's search, the ships proceeded to Port Purvis, Florida Island.
Damaged During a Typhoon
On 1 January 1944, after repairs at HavannahHavannah
Havannah is an abstract strategy board game invented by Christian Freeling. It is played on a base-10 hexagonal board, ten hexes to a side...
Harbor, Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, New Caledonia
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, east of Australia and about from Metropolitan France. The archipelago, part of the Melanesia subregion, includes the main island of Grande Terre, the Loyalty Islands, the Belep archipelago, the Isle of...
, Seid got underway to Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
and resumed her escort duties with the 3rd Fleet. A week later, she sustained severe damage to frames, longitudinals, and equipment during a typhoon. While serious, the damage was not sufficient to make the ship unseaworthy. She continued her escorting duties as scheduled, except, having been blown off course, for missing a rendezvous with . Seid arrived at Port Purvis, Florida Island, on 23 January for storm damage repair.
Returning to Stateside
Seid next resumed her escort duties to and from GuadalcanalGuadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
, Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
, Nouméa
Nouméa
Nouméa is the capital city of the French territory of New Caledonia. It is situated on a peninsula in the south of New Caledonia's main island, Grande Terre, and is home to the majority of the island's European, Polynesian , Indonesian, and Vietnamese populations, as well as many Melanesians,...
, Tutuba Island, Florida Island, Savo Island
Savo Island
Savo Island is a volcanic island in the Solomon Islands group in the South Pacific ocean. It is located to the northeast of the northern tip of Guadalcanal Island at . Politically, Savo Island is a part of the Solomons' Central Province. The indigenous language of Savo is the Savosavo language.The...
, and Rua Sura Island until 12 April when she received orders to proceed to 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...
. After a short stop in Hawaii, Seid got underway for the west coast, arriving at the Mare Island Navy Yard on 25 April.
Return to Pacific Ocean operations
Seid steamed out of San Francisco, CaliforniaCalifornia
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...
, on 2 June and proceeded, in company with , to Pearl Harbor. On 8 June, Seid was engaged in conducting post-repair trials and in training. Collateral duties included training submarines and escorting carriers
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
on training missions. During this time, from 4 to 23 July, Seid made one escort run from Pearl Harbor to Eniwetok and back.
On 8 August, Seid was attached to the Pacific Fleet Service Force
ComServPac
Service Forces, United States Pacific Fleet, usually known as COMSERVPAC, was a service support command of the Pacific Fleet from 1942 until the later part of the twentieth century. It was the reincarnation of the former Base Force...
and proceeded in convoy to Eniwetok, where she was assigned to the Commander, 3rd Fleet for hunter-killer antisubmarine operations on the 16th.
Seid stood into Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
Harbor, Caroline Islands
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...
, on 27 October. There, Seid was shifted to Task Force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
57 for escort operations. On 1 November, the 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...
proceeded to Kossol Passage, West Caroline Islands, arriving the next day. On 3 November, Seid engaged in repair work which was completed on the 12th, in spite of a typhoon on the 7th.
Supporting Invasion operations
On Christmas Day 1944, Seid proceeded to PeleliuPeleliu
Peleliu is an island in the island nation of Palau. Peleliu forms, along with two small islands to its northeast, one of the sixteen states of Palau. It is located northeast of Angaur and southwest of Koror....
Island and joined Task Unit 94.5.9, assigned to make the invasion of Fais Island
Fais Island
Fais Island is a raised coral island in the eastern Caroline Islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district in Yap State in the Federated States of Micronesia...
. It was thought that the enemy had been broadcasting information on American ship movements from the small island.
Seid carried out anti-submarine patrols during the invasion. On 5 January 1945, the landing was successfully accomplished, and Seid returned to Kossol Passage to resume escort operations.
After an availability period from 1 to 10 February, Seid resumed escort duty. From 23 February to 2 March, Seid escorted a 47-ship 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...
from Eniwetok to Ulithi
Ulithi
Ulithi is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about 191 km east of Yap. It consists of 40 islets totalling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest in the world. It is administered by the state of Yap in the Federated States of...
.
Shooting Down Japanese Aircraft at Okinawa
On 27 March, Seid stood out of SaipanSaipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
Harbor to escort Transport Squadron 15 to Okinawa Shima. Upon arrival at Okinawa on 1 April, Seid acted as anti-submarine screen for Task Unit 51.2.8 as they feigned landings on the southern tip of the island. On 4 April, Seid's sound gear became inoperative, and she was detached to proceed to Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
for repairs. While at anchor there on 6 April, the destroyer escort's crew shot down an attacking aircraft.
On 9 April, sonar
Sonar
Sonar is a technique that uses sound propagation to navigate, communicate with or detect other vessels...
repairmen determined that it would be impossible to repair Seid's equipment with the facilities at hand, and Seid was assigned to a patrol station north of Okinawa Shima. On 12 April, Seid was credited with the shooting down of four Japanese planes, at ranges from 50 to 3,000 yards. In one nine-minute period, the destroyer escort shot down two of them, while evading five aerial torpedo
Aerial torpedo
The aerial torpedo, airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo is a naval weapon, the torpedo, designed to be dropped into water from an aircraft after which it propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torpedoes were used extensively in World War II, and remain in limited...
es.
On 21 May, after repairs at Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor
Apra Harbor is a deep-water port on the western side of Guam in the Mariana Islands. The harbor is formed by Orote Peninsula in the south and Cabras Island in the north. To the south, the harbor narrows and then widens again to form an inner harbor. The southern end of the harbor is the location...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
, Seid reported to Commander, Submarine Force, Pacific Fleet. Assigned to Task Group 17.10, Seid operated out of Apra Harbor as escort and training ship for submarines for the remainder of the war.
End-of-War Return Stateside
On 18 September, 30 naval enlisted passengers and three officers reported on board as the ship was preparing to get underway for the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The destroyer escort arrived at San Pedro, California, on 5 October, disembarked her passengers, and began preparation for decommissioning.
Post-War Decommissioning
Seid was decommissioned on 14 December 1945, and struck from the Navy ListNaval 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 8 January 1946. Sold to the Pacific Bridge Co., San Francisco, 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...
, in January of the next year, she was scrapped on 17 April 1947.
See also
- List of United States Navy ships
- World War IIWorld War IIWorld 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...
- ConvoyConvoyA 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...
- Destroyer escortDestroyer escortA 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...
- DestroyerDestroyerIn naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, powerful, short-range attackers. Destroyers, originally called torpedo-boat destroyers in 1892, evolved from...