.gif)
USS Swenning (DE-394)
Encyclopedia
USS Swenning (DE-394) was an built for the U.S. Navy during World War II
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
and the Pacific Ocean
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Gust J. Swenning
. Swenning was a member of the Forward Repair Party of the , when struck by a torpedo during the Battle of Tassafaronga
30 November 1942 which detonated the forward magazines, Swenning unhesitatingly dove through the oil and water in a flooded compartment to close a watertight door, in further efforts to assist in bringing the damaged ship to port he labored tirelessly and continuously for twelve hours after the cessation of the action. His courageous devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Swenning died just a few days later on December 1 1942 and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
for his valiant efforts during the Battle of Tassafaronga
.
She was laid down on 17 July 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding
Co., Houston, Texas
; launched on 13 September 1943; sponsored by Miss Hertha Rhode; and commissioned on 1 December 1943, Lt. Richard E. Peek, Jr., USNR, in command.
, to complete fitting out and sailed from there on the 28th en route to Bermuda
on her shakedown
cruise. The cruise ended at Charleston, South Carolina
, where the ship entered the navy yard for a post-shakedown availability period.
She sailed for New York
on 14 February as an escort for and . On the return voyage to Norfolk, Virginia
, she was in the escort for convoy
UGS-34 and arrived on 20 February. Six days later the ship stood out of Norfolk with Task Group
(TG) 21.11, a "hunter-killer" antisubmarine group composed of , a destroyer
, and three other escorts of Escort Division (CortDiv) 51.
U-boats. On 13 March, aircraft from Bogue in conjunction with , and developed and attacked a promising submarine
contact. At 1839 hours, the submarine surfaced in full view of the entire task group. It was immediately fired on by the attacking ships and planes from the carrier. At 1844 hours, the German submarine U-575 slid under the water, stern first. Twenty-three survivors were picked up by Hobson and Haverfield. During the action, Swenning maintained her station in the escort screen. The task group refueled and provisioned at Casablanca
from 18 to 22 March and continued their offensive patrol. The group replenished at Trinidad
on 12 April and sailed to Norfolk where the escorts were detached to proceed to New York for yard availability. Swenning remained at New York from 20 April to 3 May when she returned to Hampton Roads
to rejoin the Bogue group, now designated as task group TG 22.2. The ships sortied on 5 May on antisubmarine patrol. They called at Casablanca again to replenish from 29 May to 4 June and put to sea.
whose Halifax bomber
had been ditched in the ocean. The task group arrived at Bermuda on 30 June and departed the next day for Norfolk where it was dissolved. The escorts continued to New York, and Swenning was given an overhaul. She returned to Norfolk on 22 July to rejoin the Bogue group (TG 22.3) which sortied three days later. After a short training period at Bermuda, the group began offensive patrols in the North Atlantic, mainly off the Grand Banks
area of Newfoundland
. On 19 August, Bogue aircraft attacked a surfaced submarine. Damage was not ascertained as the submarine submerged. The following day another was attacked on the surface. It also submerged; but, approximately two and one-half hours later, it surfaced; the crew abandoned it; and the submarine sank shortly thereafter. The ships replenished at Argentia on 24 August and resumed operations until 24 September when the group was dissolved at New York. After a yard period and refresher training in the New London, Connecticut
, area, Swenning sailed to Norfolk.
Swenning participated in antisubmarine training off Bermuda with Bogue and CortDiv 51 from 23 October to 21 November and from 26 December 1944 to 16 January 1945. The escort spent February conducting antisubmarine and gunnery exercises at Casco Bay
and March training submarines at New London. She began her last Atlantic war patrol on 16 April when CortDiv 51 joined Bogue to form TG 22.3 at Melville, Rhode Island
. Until the end of hostilities with Germany
, the group was a unit of a north-south submarine barrier patrol as part of Operation Teardrop
. The barrier consisted of 24 ships of TG's 22.3, 22.4, 22.8 and Task Unit 22.7.1. Swenning had no significant role in the ensuing action, but the barrier patrols sank five submarines at the expense of one destroyer escort sunk by a torpedo
. On 8 May, news of Germany's capitulation reached TG 22.3 which proceeded to New York the next day. The ships arrived there on 11 May, and the task group was dissolved. Swenning steamed to Boston, Massachusetts, and entered the navy yard
for an overhaul in preparation for duty in the Pacific. While there, her torpedo tubes were removed and replaced by twin 40 millimeter antiaircraft guns.
on 21 July. The division arrived at San Diego, California
, on 30 July and stood out for Hawaii
two days later. Swenning was at Pearl Harbor
from 7 to 20 August when she steamed to Saipan
, via Eniwetok, Marshall Islands
.
She arrived at Saipan on 30 August and made a round-trip voyage to Okinawa from 5 to 13 September 1945. The DE
moved to Guam
the following week and assisted in training submarines of the U.S. Pacific Fleet out of that port until 10 January 1946. Swenning departed Guam on that date for the east coast of the United States
via Pearl Harbor, She arrived at San Diego on 28 January and proceeded on to Boston, via Panama
, and arrived there on 26 February.
It was determined that Swenning would be inactivated, and she sailed down the coast to Mayport, Florida, arriving there on 12 April.
, for yard availability which lasted until December 1946 when she was towed to Mayport, Florida, and laid up with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Swenning was struck from the Navy list
on 1 July 1972 and sold to Northern Metals Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, for scrap on 17 January 1974.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She served in the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
and the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys.
She was named in honor of Gust J. Swenning
Gust J. Swenning
Gust J. Swenning was an American sailor who served in the United States Navy and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.-Navy career:Swenning was born at Manor, Texas and enlisted in the Navy on 9 September 1938...
. Swenning was a member of the Forward Repair Party of the , when struck by a torpedo 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...
30 November 1942 which detonated the forward magazines, Swenning unhesitatingly dove through the oil and water in a flooded compartment to close a watertight door, in further efforts to assist in bringing the damaged ship to port he labored tirelessly and continuously for twelve hours after the cessation of the action. His courageous devotion to duty was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. Swenning died just a few days later on December 1 1942 and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross
Navy Cross
The Navy Cross is the highest decoration that may be bestowed by the Department of the Navy and the second highest decoration given for valor. It is normally only awarded to members of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps and United States Coast Guard, but can be awarded to all...
for his valiant efforts 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...
.
She was laid down on 17 July 1943 by the Brown Shipbuilding
Brown Shipbuilding
The Brown Shipbuilding Company was founded in Houston, Texas in 1942 as a subsidiary of Brown and Root by brothers Herman and George R. Brown to build ships for the US Navy during World War II....
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 on 13 September 1943; sponsored by Miss Hertha Rhode; and commissioned on 1 December 1943, Lt. Richard E. Peek, Jr., USNR, in command.
World War II North Atlantic operations
Swenning moved to 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...
, to complete fitting out and sailed from there on the 28th en route 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...
on her 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...
cruise. The cruise ended at Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston, South Carolina
Charleston is the second largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina. It was made the county seat of Charleston County in 1901 when Charleston County was founded. The city's original name was Charles Towne in 1670, and it moved to its present location from a location on the west bank of the...
, where the ship entered the navy yard for a post-shakedown availability period.
She sailed for New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
on 14 February as an escort for and . On the return voyage 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....
, she was in the escort for 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...
UGS-34 and arrived on 20 February. Six days later the ship stood out of Norfolk with Task Group
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...
(TG) 21.11, a "hunter-killer" antisubmarine group composed of , a destroyer
Destroyer
In 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...
, and three other escorts of Escort Division (CortDiv) 51.
Sinking of German Submarine U-575
The task group hunted along the Atlantic sea lanes for GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
U-boats. On 13 March, aircraft from Bogue in conjunction with , and developed and attacked a promising 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...
contact. At 1839 hours, the submarine surfaced in full view of the entire task group. It was immediately fired on by the attacking ships and planes from the carrier. At 1844 hours, the German submarine U-575 slid under the water, stern first. Twenty-three survivors were picked up by Hobson and Haverfield. During the action, Swenning maintained her station in the escort screen. The task group refueled and provisioned at 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...
from 18 to 22 March and continued their offensive patrol. The group replenished at Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
on 12 April and sailed to Norfolk where the escorts were detached to proceed to New York for yard availability. Swenning remained at New York from 20 April to 3 May when she returned to Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads
Hampton Roads is the name for both a body of water and the Norfolk–Virginia Beach metropolitan area which surrounds it in southeastern Virginia, United States...
to rejoin the Bogue group, now designated as task group TG 22.2. The ships sortied on 5 May on antisubmarine patrol. They called at Casablanca again to replenish from 29 May to 4 June and put to sea.
Rescuing Survivors at Sea
On 8 June, Swenning rescued eight members of the RAFRoyal Air Force
The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
whose Halifax bomber
Handley Page Halifax
The Handley Page Halifax was one of the British front-line, four-engined heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. A contemporary of the famous Avro Lancaster, the Halifax remained in service until the end of the war, performing a variety of duties in addition to bombing...
had been ditched in the ocean. The task group arrived at Bermuda on 30 June and departed the next day for Norfolk where it was dissolved. The escorts continued to New York, and Swenning was given an overhaul. She returned to Norfolk on 22 July to rejoin the Bogue group (TG 22.3) which sortied three days later. After a short training period at Bermuda, the group began offensive patrols in the North Atlantic, mainly off the Grand Banks
Grand Banks
The Grand Banks of Newfoundland are a group of underwater plateaus southeast of Newfoundland on the North American continental shelf. These areas are relatively shallow, ranging from in depth. The cold Labrador Current mixes with the warm waters of the Gulf Stream here.The mixing of these waters...
area of Newfoundland
Dominion of Newfoundland
The Dominion of Newfoundland was a British Dominion from 1907 to 1949 . The Dominion of Newfoundland was situated in northeastern North America along the Atlantic coast and comprised the island of Newfoundland and Labrador on the continental mainland...
. On 19 August, Bogue aircraft attacked a surfaced submarine. Damage was not ascertained as the submarine submerged. The following day another was attacked on the surface. It also submerged; but, approximately two and one-half hours later, it surfaced; the crew abandoned it; and the submarine sank shortly thereafter. The ships replenished at Argentia on 24 August and resumed operations until 24 September when the group was dissolved at New York. After a yard period and refresher training in the New London, Connecticut
New London, Connecticut
New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States.It is located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, southeastern Connecticut....
, area, Swenning sailed to Norfolk.
Swenning participated in antisubmarine training off Bermuda with Bogue and CortDiv 51 from 23 October to 21 November and from 26 December 1944 to 16 January 1945. The escort spent February conducting antisubmarine and gunnery exercises at Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
and March training submarines at New London. She began her last Atlantic war patrol on 16 April when CortDiv 51 joined Bogue to form TG 22.3 at Melville, Rhode Island
Melville, Rhode Island
Melville is a village in the town of Portsmouth in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The village is also the basis of a census-designated place , which extends south along the shore of Narragansett Bay into the town of Middletown to encompass the village of Lawtons and the port...
. Until the end of hostilities with Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, the group was a unit of a north-south submarine barrier patrol as part of Operation Teardrop
Operation Teardrop
Operation Teardrop was a United States Navy operation of World War II conducted during April and May 1945 to sink German U-boats that were believed to be approaching the United States east coast armed with V-1 flying bombs. Two large U.S. Navy anti-submarine warfare task forces succeeded in...
. The barrier consisted of 24 ships of TG's 22.3, 22.4, 22.8 and Task Unit 22.7.1. Swenning had no significant role in the ensuing action, but the barrier patrols sank five submarines at the expense of one destroyer escort sunk by a 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...
. On 8 May, news of Germany's capitulation reached TG 22.3 which proceeded to New York the next day. The ships arrived there on 11 May, and the task group was dissolved. Swenning steamed to Boston, Massachusetts, and entered the 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...
for an overhaul in preparation for duty in the Pacific. While there, her torpedo tubes were removed and replaced by twin 40 millimeter antiaircraft guns.
Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
Swenning stood out of Boston, with CortDiv 51, on 30 June en route to the Pacific war zone. A two-week training period was held at Guantánamo Bay before transiting the Panama CanalPanama 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...
on 21 July. The division arrived at San Diego, California
San Diego, California
San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the United States and second-largest city in California. The city is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean in Southern California, immediately adjacent to the Mexican border. The birthplace of California, San Diego is known for its mild year-round...
, on 30 July and stood out 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...
two days later. Swenning was at Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
from 7 to 20 August when she steamed to 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...
, via Eniwetok, 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...
.
She arrived at Saipan on 30 August and made a round-trip voyage to Okinawa from 5 to 13 September 1945. The DE
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...
moved to 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...
the following week and assisted in training submarines of the U.S. Pacific Fleet out of that port until 10 January 1946. Swenning departed Guam on that date for the east coast of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
via Pearl Harbor, She arrived at San Diego on 28 January and proceeded on to Boston, via Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and arrived there on 26 February.
It was determined that Swenning would be inactivated, and she sailed down the coast to Mayport, Florida, arriving there on 12 April.
Post-War Decommissioning
She was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 18 June 1946. In September the escort was towed to Charleston, South CarolinaCharleston, 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...
, for yard availability which lasted until December 1946 when she was towed to Mayport, Florida, and laid up with the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Swenning was struck from the Navy list
Navy List
A Navy List or Naval Register is an official list of naval officers, their ranks and seniority, the ships which they command or to which they are appointed, etc., that is published by the government or naval authorities of a country....
on 1 July 1972 and sold to Northern Metals Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, for scrap on 17 January 1974.