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USS Stafford (DE-411)
Encyclopedia
USS Stafford (DE-411) was a in the United States Navy
. She was named after Richard Y. Stafford (1916-1942), a United States Marine Corps
Captain who died during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Stafford was laid down on 29 November 1943 at Houston, Texas
, by Brown Shipbuilding
; launched on 11 January 1944, sponsored by Miss Flora Stafford; and commissioned
on 19 April 1944, with Lieutenant Commander
V. H. Craig, Jr., USNR, in command.
for shakedown
training. Her shakedown cruise was interrupted from 17 May to 19 May, when she rendezvoused with convoy
GUS-38 and escorted into Bermuda. She completed training and post-shakedown availability early in June and, on 9 June, joined off Bermuda to escort that Italian submarine north. Three days later, at the entrance to Casco Bay, Maine, relieved Stafford of her charge, and the destroyer escort stood into Boston Harbor
and moored at Charlestown, Massachusetts
. She underwent post-shakedown overhaul at the Boston Navy Yard
from 13 June to 22 June. The next day, she headed south and moored at Norfolk, Virginia
, two days later.
On the afternoon of 27 June, Stafford joined La Prade and off the Virginia Capes
to form Task Unit (TU) 29.6.6 which shaped a course for the Panama Canal
. The three ships transited the canal on 3 July, and Stafford moored at Balboa
. The following day, Independence Day
1944, she reported to the Pacific Fleet for duty and sailed for San Diego. Following repairs at the Destroyer Repair Base there, she got underway with La Prade for Hawaii
and reached Pearl Harbor
on 25 July. For almost a month, she engaged in anti-submarine warfare
(ASW) training in the Hawaiian Islands
.
On 18 August, Stafford and steamed out of Pearl Harbor escorting TU 16.8.1 to the Marshall Islands
. The ships arrived at Kwajalein
on 25 August, and Stafford escorted to Majuro
the following day. On 29 August, she joined in the screen of . The three warships made Pearl Harbor on 3 September, and the destroyer escort operated out of that base for just under two months. During that time, she joined in several anti-submarine warfare exercises. On 31 October, she departed Pearl Harbor with Task Group (TG) 12.3 to find and destroy an enemy submarine
known to be prowling the sea lanes between Hawaii and the West Coast. Over the following two weeks, the task group made several contacts, attacked them with depth charge
s, but failed to locate and sink the elusive enemy. On 14 November, the task group received word that another unit had sunk its quarry; and it was ordered back to Pearl, where it arrived on 19 November.
Five days later, Stafford departed Pearl as an element of TG 12.4, bound for the central and western Pacific. The task group reached Eniwetok on 2 December, reported for duty to the Commander, Third Fleet
, and was redesignated TG 30.6. The next day, the ships continued west, stopping over at Ulithi
on the night of 7 December and 8 December and at Saipan
on 10 December and 11 December. By 17 December, she reached Kossol Passage in the Palau
s. The task group made an anti-submarine sweep 60 miles (96.6 km) in radius around Peleliu
before heading for Ulithi, where it arrived on 22 December. On 28 December, the group, redesignated TU 77.4.13, exited the lagoon
and returned to the Palaus the following day.
On New Year's Day
1945, Stafford sailed with the task unit from Kossol Roads
screening units of Task Force 77 steaming toward Luzon
. From Leyte, the task force sailed south through the Surigao Strait
, then west along the northern coast of Mindanao
, before turning north to skirt the coasts of Negros, Panay
, Mindoro
, and Luzon. Although air alerts were called from the second day out and reported an unidentified plane's splashing close aboard, the kamikaze
s did not succeed in crashing a ship until late on 4 January, when one hit . The escort aircraft carrier
had to be finished off by American torpedo
es. By 5 January, the Japanese had determined that TF 77 was headed for Lingayen
; and they intensified their air attacks accordingly. Late that afternoon, the task force, located just northwest of Manila Bay
, came under moderately heavy kamikaze attacks.
At 1747, eight Japanese planes, probably Zeros, came in low and out of the sun. Stafford, , and were screening . The three escorts quickly brought their anti-aircraft batteries to bear and opened fire at targets approximately 8000 yards (7,315.2 m) away. At about the same point, four of the enemies peeled off to the right. The remaining four bore down on the carrier and her three protectors. Each of the escorts splashed a plane, but the fourth kamikaze crashed into Stafford's starboard side, amidships, just abaft the stack. The stricken destroyer escort lost way rapidly, and she began taking on water. All crew members, save a nucleus crew, were transferred to Ulvert M. Moore; and all topside depth charges, K guns, and loading machines were jettisoned to improve her stability. Stafford remained in the vicinity of Lingayen until 11 January, when, after receiving the rest of her crew, save casualties, she departed with a slow convoy for Leyte.
She arrived at San Pedro Bay
, Leyte, on 16 January, went into drydock for hull repairs on 19 January, and departed on 27 January with a convoy bound for Hollandia
. Stafford and the tug were detached from the convoy on 30 January, and the two ships put into Seeadler Harbor
, Manus
, five days later. After five days of additional repairs, she headed northeast for the United States. The destroyer escort stopped at Majuro from 13 February to 15 February and at Pearl Harbor from 21 February to 25 February on her way to the Mare Island Navy Yard. She underwent two months of repairs, from 4 March to 6 May, before rendezvousing with off the entrance to San Francisco Bay
to head west once again. She arrived in Pearl Harbor on 14 May and spent the next 10 days in the local operating area. On 24 May, she joined TU 16.8.12 and escorted that formation to the Marshalls. She reached Eniwetok on 1 June and sailed with TU 96.6.9 the following day. The task unit made Ulithi Atoll on 6 June. A week later, she shaped course for Okinawa.
Stafford arrived off the Hagushi
beaches on 17 June and moved into the anchorage at Kerama Retto
the next day. Her arrival at Okinawa came very near the end of the struggle for that island. On 19 June, organized resistance on the island ceased, and operations were confined to mopping up the remnants of the Japanese defense force. With their loss of Okinawa, the Japanese concentrated upon readying planes and pilots for the expected invasion of the home islands. Consequently, Stafford suffered no kamikaze attacks during her tour of duty in the Ryukyus. She served on antisubmarine screen station, and her only scrape with the enemy occurred on 27 July when she evaded an airdropped torpedo.
Two months after her arrival in the Ryukyus, the fighting ended. Stafford continued anti-submarine patrols until 14 September, then rendezvoused with LST-792 and escorted the tank landing ship to Japan. They reached Nagasaki on 15 September. She embarked ex-POWs and departed on 18 September. The destroyer escort made Machinato Anchorage at Okinawa on 20 September and discharged her passengers the following day. She then moved to Buckner Bay and remained in that area until 11 October, when she headed back toward Japan. She operated in Japanese waters, visiting Nagasaki, Sasebo
, Wakayama, and Yokosuka until November.
Stafford got underway from Yokosuka on 4 November, stopped in Pearl Harbor on the night of 13 November and 14 November, and then continued on to San Francisco. On 22 November, she joined at Alameda, California
, and operated with the escort carrier as plane guard until 9 December. On 12 December, she reported to the Commander, 19th Fleet, at San Pedro Bay
, for duty pending inactivation. Stafford began inactivation overhaul at Standard Shipbuilding Corporation, San Pedro, California, on 3 January 1946.
on 15 March 1972; and, on 13 June 1973, her hulk was sold to National Metal and Steel Corporation, Terminal Island
, Los Angeles, California
, for scrapping.
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...
. She was named after Richard Y. Stafford (1916-1942), a United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Captain who died during the Battle of Guadalcanal.
Stafford was laid down on 29 November 1943 at 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 ...
, 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....
; launched on 11 January 1944, sponsored by Miss Flora Stafford; 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 19 April 1944, with Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
V. H. Craig, Jr., USNR, in command.
History
Upon completion of fitting out in the Galveston-Houston area, Stafford sailed in company with on 7 May for 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...
for shakedown
Shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
training. Her shakedown cruise was interrupted from 17 May to 19 May, when she rendezvoused with 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...
GUS-38 and escorted into Bermuda. She completed training and post-shakedown availability early in June and, on 9 June, joined off Bermuda to escort that Italian submarine north. Three days later, at the entrance to Casco Bay, Maine, relieved Stafford of her charge, and the destroyer escort stood into Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor
Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeast.-History:...
and moored at Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown, Massachusetts
Charlestown is a neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and is located on a peninsula north of downtown Boston. Charlestown was originally a separate town and the first capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony; it became a city in 1847 and was annexed by Boston on January 5, 1874...
. She underwent post-shakedown overhaul at 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...
from 13 June to 22 June. The next day, she headed south and moored at 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....
, two days later.
On the afternoon of 27 June, Stafford joined La Prade and off the Virginia Capes
Virginia Capes
The Virginia Capes are the two capes, Cape Charles to the north and Cape Henry to the south, that define the entrance to Chesapeake Bay on the eastern coast of North America....
to form Task Unit (TU) 29.6.6 which shaped a course for 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...
. The three ships transited the canal on 3 July, and Stafford moored at Balboa
Balboa, Panama
Balboa is a district of Panama City, located at the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal.- History :The town of Balboa, founded by the United States during the construction of the Panama Canal, was named after Vasco Núñez de Balboa, the Spanish conquistador credited with discovering the Pacific Ocean...
. The following day, Independence Day
Independence Day (United States)
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain...
1944, she reported to the Pacific Fleet for duty and sailed for San Diego. Following repairs at the Destroyer Repair Base there, she got underway with La Prade for 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 reached 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...
on 25 July. For almost a month, she engaged in anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
(ASW) training in 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...
.
On 18 August, Stafford and steamed out of Pearl Harbor escorting TU 16.8.1 to the Marshall Islands
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...
. The ships arrived at Kwajalein
Kwajalein
Kwajalein Atoll , is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands . The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island. English-speaking residents of the U.S...
on 25 August, and Stafford escorted to Majuro
Majuro
Majuro , is a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. The atoll itself has a land area of and encloses a lagoon of...
the following day. On 29 August, she joined in the screen of . The three warships made Pearl Harbor on 3 September, and the destroyer escort operated out of that base for just under two months. During that time, she joined in several anti-submarine warfare exercises. On 31 October, she departed Pearl Harbor with Task Group (TG) 12.3 to find and destroy 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...
known to be prowling the sea lanes between Hawaii and the West Coast. Over the following two weeks, the task group made several contacts, attacked them with depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
s, but failed to locate and sink the elusive enemy. On 14 November, the task group received word that another unit had sunk its quarry; and it was ordered back to Pearl, where it arrived on 19 November.
Five days later, Stafford departed Pearl as an element of TG 12.4, bound for the central and western Pacific. The task group reached Eniwetok on 2 December, reported for duty to the Commander, Third Fleet
Third Fleet
The name Third Fleet can refer to:* United States 3rd Fleet* Third Fleet , part of the British effort of the late eighteenth century to colonise Australia* IJN 3rd Fleet, Imperial Japanese Navy...
, and was redesignated TG 30.6. The next day, the ships continued west, stopping over at 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...
on the night of 7 December and 8 December and at Saipan
Saipan
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...
on 10 December and 11 December. By 17 December, she reached Kossol Passage in the Palau
Palau
Palau , officially the Republic of Palau , is an island nation in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines and south of Tokyo. In 1978, after three decades as being part of the United Nations trusteeship, Palau chose independence instead of becoming part of the Federated States of Micronesia, a...
s. The task group made an anti-submarine sweep 60 miles (96.6 km) in radius around Peleliu
Peleliu
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....
before heading for Ulithi, where it arrived on 22 December. On 28 December, the group, redesignated TU 77.4.13, exited the lagoon
Lagoon
A lagoon is a body of shallow sea water or brackish water separated from the sea by some form of barrier. The EU's habitat directive defines lagoons as "expanses of shallow coastal salt water, of varying salinity or water volume, wholly or partially separated from the sea by sand banks or shingle,...
and returned to the Palaus the following day.
On New Year's Day
New Year's Day
New Year's Day is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar used in ancient Rome...
1945, Stafford sailed with the task unit from Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads
Kossol Roads, Palau is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob. During World War II, it was used by the United States Navy as the location of a floating resupply and repair base....
screening units of Task Force 77 steaming toward Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
. From Leyte, the task force sailed south through the Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait
Surigao Strait is a body of water in the Philippines located between the islands of Mindanao and Leyte. This strait connects the Bohol Sea with Leyte Gulf and is regularly crossed by ferries that transport goods and people between Visayas and Mindanao...
, then west along the northern coast of Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
, before turning north to skirt the coasts of Negros, Panay
Panay
Panay may refer to*Panay Island*Panay *Panay, Capiz*Panay River*Panay Gulf* USS Panay *Panay incident...
, Mindoro
Mindoro
Mindoro is the seventh-largest island in the Philippines. It is located off the coast of Luzon, and northeast of Palawan. The southern coast of Mindoro forms the northeastern extremum of the Sulu Sea.-History:...
, and Luzon. Although air alerts were called from the second day out and reported an unidentified plane's splashing close aboard, the kamikaze
Kamikaze
The were suicide attacks by military aviators from the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, designed to destroy as many warships as possible....
s did not succeed in crashing a ship until late on 4 January, when one hit . The escort aircraft carrier
Escort aircraft carrier
The escort aircraft carrier or escort carrier, also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the USN or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft carrier used by the British Royal Navy , the Imperial Japanese Navy and Imperial Japanese Army Air Force, and the...
had to be finished off by American 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...
es. By 5 January, the Japanese had determined that TF 77 was headed for Lingayen
Lingayen Gulf
The Lingayen Gulf is an extension of the South China Sea on Luzon in the Philippines stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central...
; and they intensified their air attacks accordingly. Late that afternoon, the task force, located just northwest of Manila Bay
Manila Bay
Manila Bay is a natural harbor which serves the Port of Manila , in the Philippines.The bay is considered to be one of the best natural harbors in Southeast Asia and one of the finest in the world...
, came under moderately heavy kamikaze attacks.
At 1747, eight Japanese planes, probably Zeros, came in low and out of the sun. Stafford, , and were screening . The three escorts quickly brought their anti-aircraft batteries to bear and opened fire at targets approximately 8000 yards (7,315.2 m) away. At about the same point, four of the enemies peeled off to the right. The remaining four bore down on the carrier and her three protectors. Each of the escorts splashed a plane, but the fourth kamikaze crashed into Stafford's starboard side, amidships, just abaft the stack. The stricken destroyer escort lost way rapidly, and she began taking on water. All crew members, save a nucleus crew, were transferred to Ulvert M. Moore; and all topside depth charges, K guns, and loading machines were jettisoned to improve her stability. Stafford remained in the vicinity of Lingayen until 11 January, when, after receiving the rest of her crew, save casualties, she departed with a slow convoy for Leyte.
She arrived at San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (Philippines)
San Pedro Bay is a bay in the Philippines, at the northwest end of Leyte Gulf, about 15 km east-west and 20 km north-south. The bay is bounded on the north and east by Samar and on the east by Leyte Island. It is connected by San Juanico Strait to Carigara Bay of the Samar Sea. The...
, Leyte, on 16 January, went into drydock for hull repairs on 19 January, and departed on 27 January with a convoy bound for Hollandia
Jayapura
Jayapura City is the capital of Papua province, Indonesia, on the island of New Guinea. It is situated on Yos Sudarso Bay . Its approximate population in 2002 was 200,000....
. Stafford and the tug were detached from the convoy on 30 January, and the two ships put into Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor
Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II...
, Manus
Manus Island
Manus Island is part of Manus Province in northern Papua New Guinea and is the largest island of the Admiralty Islands. It is the fifth largest island in Papua New Guinea with an area of 2,100 km², measuring around 100 km × 30 km. According to the 2000 census, Manus Island had a...
, five days later. After five days of additional repairs, she headed northeast for the United States. The destroyer escort stopped at Majuro from 13 February to 15 February and at Pearl Harbor from 21 February to 25 February on her way to the Mare Island Navy Yard. She underwent two months of repairs, from 4 March to 6 May, before rendezvousing with off the entrance to San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
to head west once again. She arrived in Pearl Harbor on 14 May and spent the next 10 days in the local operating area. On 24 May, she joined TU 16.8.12 and escorted that formation to the Marshalls. She reached Eniwetok on 1 June and sailed with TU 96.6.9 the following day. The task unit made Ulithi Atoll on 6 June. A week later, she shaped course for Okinawa.
Stafford arrived 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...
beaches on 17 June and moved into the anchorage at 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....
the next day. Her arrival at Okinawa came very near the end of the struggle for that island. On 19 June, organized resistance on the island ceased, and operations were confined to mopping up the remnants of the Japanese defense force. With their loss of Okinawa, the Japanese concentrated upon readying planes and pilots for the expected invasion of the home islands. Consequently, Stafford suffered no kamikaze attacks during her tour of duty in the Ryukyus. She served on antisubmarine screen station, and her only scrape with the enemy occurred on 27 July when she evaded an airdropped torpedo.
Two months after her arrival in the Ryukyus, the fighting ended. Stafford continued anti-submarine patrols until 14 September, then rendezvoused with LST-792 and escorted the tank landing ship to Japan. They reached Nagasaki on 15 September. She embarked ex-POWs and departed on 18 September. The destroyer escort made Machinato Anchorage at Okinawa on 20 September and discharged her passengers the following day. She then moved to Buckner Bay and remained in that area until 11 October, when she headed back toward Japan. She operated in Japanese waters, visiting Nagasaki, Sasebo
Sasebo, Nagasaki
is a city located in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. As of 2011, the city has an estimated population of 259,800 and the density of 609 persons per km². The total area is 426.47 km². The locality is famed for its scenic beauty. The city includes a part of Saikai National Park...
, Wakayama, and Yokosuka until November.
Stafford got underway from Yokosuka on 4 November, stopped in Pearl Harbor on the night of 13 November and 14 November, and then continued on to San Francisco. On 22 November, she joined at Alameda, California
Alameda, California
Alameda is a city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is located on Alameda Island and Bay Farm Island, and is adjacent to Oakland in the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Farm Island portion of the city is adjacent to the Oakland International Airport. At the 2010 census, the city had a...
, and operated with the escort carrier as plane guard until 9 December. On 12 December, she reported to the Commander, 19th Fleet, at San Pedro Bay
San Pedro Bay (California)
San Pedro Bay is an inlet on the Pacific Ocean coast of southern California, United States. It is the site of the Port of Los Angeles and the Port of Long Beach, which together form the fifth-busiest port facility in the world and easily the busiest in the Western Hemisphere...
, for duty pending inactivation. Stafford began inactivation overhaul at Standard Shipbuilding Corporation, San Pedro, California, on 3 January 1946.
Fate
In January 1947, she was decommissioned and joined the Pacific Reserve Fleet, berthed at San Diego. Stafford was 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 15 March 1972; and, on 13 June 1973, her hulk was sold to National Metal and Steel Corporation, Terminal Island
Terminal Island
Terminal Island is an island located in Los Angeles County, California between Los Angeles Harbor and Long Beach Harbor. Originally a mudflat known to the Spanish as Isla Raza de Buena Gente, and later called Rattlesnake Island, it has officially been Terminal Island since 1918...
, Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, for scrapping.