USS Kretchmer (DE-329) was an Edsall-classdestroyer escort 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.
Raymond Joseph Kretchmer was born on 30 January 1917, in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on 29 August 1940. He was appointed Midshipman, Naval Reserve, at Northwestern University and commissioned Ensign on 12 September 1941. He was assigned to active duty on 12 September and served on board USSAstoria. He was killed in action 9 August 1942 when Astoria was sunk by Imperial Japanese Navy forces during the Battle of Savo Island.
Construction and commissioning
Kretchmer was laid down 28 June 1943, by Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas; launched 31 August 1943; sponsored by Miss Betty Kretchmer, sister of Ensign Kretchmer; and commissioned 13 December 1943.[1]
World War II North Atlantic operations
After a BermudashakedownKretchmer departed Charleston, South Carolina, 15 February 1944, for operations in the Caribbean. Based at Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, she escorted convoys to Cuba and Bermuda until sailing for Key West, Florida, 2 May. Assigned to an air wing training detachment, Kretchmer operated with torpedo bombers for 3 weeks, before departing Charleston 8 June escorting a convoy to Europe. Sailing via Curaçao, D.W.I., Kretchmer screened shipping bound for Naples, Italy, in preparation for the assaults on southern France. After returning to the United States 16 July, the escort ship made one more cruise to Naples during the summer.[1]
Transfer to the Pacific Fleet
Between 20 September 1944 and 27 April 1945, Kretchmer sailed as escort to five convoys from New York to United Kingdom ports. After victory in Europe, she prepared for Pacific Fleet duty arriving Pearl Harbor 5 July. Clearing Pearl Harbor 1 August, Kretchmer was en route to the Philippines when hostilities stopped on 14 August.[1]
Serving in the Far East until 1 April 1946, the destroyer escort engaged in occupation and repatriation operations, including the evacuation of Allied prisoners of war from Formosa during September 1945. Kretchmer also served on escort duty, mine patrol, and mail runs between Chinese ports. Departing Hong Kong 1 April 1946, she returned home by way of the Indian Ocean and Mediterranean, arriving Charleston, South Carolina, 29 May. Kretchmer decommissioned at Green Cove Springs, Florida, 20 September 1946.[1]
Conversion to picket ship
After extensive conversion, Kretchmer recommissioned as DER-329 on 22 September 1956. After shakedown in the Caribbean, the radar picket arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, 18 December to commence operations in the Northern Radar Barrier. Based at Newport, Rhode Island, from 1957 to 1962, she remained on picket duty, making regular patrols to provide early warning to the continental air defense systems. Kretchmer also made cruises to northern Europe in 1958, 1961, and 1962, and in August 1961 rescued six men from foundered Icelandic fishing vessel MV Sleipnir.[1]
Cuban Missile Crisis activity
In the aftermath of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Kretchmer departed Newport 23 November 1962 for picket duty off the southern coast of the United States. While operating as plane guard and screen for USSEssex(CV-9) in Key West, Florida, waters, Kretchmer rescued two shrimp fishermen from disabled fishing vessel MV Ala, after they had been fired upon by Cuban MiG aircraft. On 21 February 1963, while Kretchmer was guarding Ala, a MiG-17 made four passes at the disabled fishing craft before turning tail ahead of U.S. Marine aircraft.[1]
Kretchmer continued picket and training operations in the Atlantic until 21 May 1965, when she entered Boston Naval Shipyard for overhaul prior to deployment in the western Pacific. The ship departed Newport, Rhode Island, for Guam, arriving in Agana, Guam, Mariana Islands on 2 August 1965 after a stopover at Pearl Harbor.[1]
Vietnam Operations
One month later, Kretchmer joined other vessels off the South Vietnam coast in Operation Market Time, keeping coastal traffic under surveillance to prevent the shipment of Communist arms and supply to South Vietnam by sea. Her motor whaleboat came under heavy small arms fire during a roundup operation in November 1965. No American casualties resulted and Kretchmer's search party seized a large number of suspected guerrilla infiltrators.[1]
By the end of a year of patrol, the ship had investigated some 17,000 contacts, and boarded over 1,000 small craft. On 10 December 1965 Kretchmer steamed into Apra Harbor, Guam, where she remained until her departure 22 February 1966 for a 7-month deployment with the 7th Fleet. She continued "Market Time" patrol off the coast and in the harbors of Vietnam working closely with other US Navy and Coast Guard vessels assigned to Task Force 115, searching junks and providing gunfire support for US Marine and US Army operations ashore.[1] She left Subic Bay 29 September 1966 for her homeport, Guam, where she remained in Restricted Availability and leave until 9 January 1967, departing the Guam homeport once again for a nine-month deployment with the 7th Fleet. Kretchmer served Task Force 115 in all nine of South Vietnam's Market Time Zones through 1967, 1968 and briefly in 1969. Notably, on 10 June 1967, Kretchmer and three PCFs rounded up 120 Viet Cong and 60 junks when Republic of Korea Army troops pushed the enemy to shore at Quang Gnai. POWs were held aboard until US Navy small craft transferred the captives. Her continued presence on the South China Sea and Gulf of Siam coasts delineated the commitment of the United States to the preservation of the independence of South Vietnam.[1]
Taiwan Patrol & Hong Kong Station Ship Operations
When Kretchmer was not engaged in Vietnam Market Time Operations or Restricted Availability in homeport Agana, Guam, during her 1965-1969 Western Pacific 7th Fleet deployment, she usually patrolled the Taiwan Straits between Communist China and Taiwan or was assigned to Station Ship Hong Kong, B.C.C. as SOPA (Senior Officer Present Administration). Kretchmer visited Bangkok, Thailand for R&R (rest and recuperation between combat zone patrols), Subic Bay, Philippines for R&R, dry dock and repairs, Yokosuka, Japan for R&R, operational training and certification, Keelung and Kaohsiung, Taiwan for R&R, repairs and resupply between patrols of the Taiwan Straits. Notably, in the latter half of 1969, while on Taiwan Patrol she was caught in winds topping 70 knots and high seas while in the Straits.
Key West
In early 1970, after a brief homeport assignment in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Kretchmer transferred to the Atlantic Fleet via the Panama Canal, stopping in San Francisco and Acapulco along the way. Her new homeport was Key West with DesDiv 601 and was an ASW training ship. During this time, she fired off hedgehogs as a weapons evaluation and later was to drop depth charges between two submarines at periscope depth for the submarine CO/XO school.[citation needed]
Fate
She was decommissioned in Key West, Florida on 1 October 1973 and stricken 30 September 1973. She was sold for scrapping 14 May 1974.
Related Research Articles
USS Arnold J. Isbell (DD-869), a Gearing-class destroyer, was the only ship of the United States Navy to be named for Arnold J. Isbell, an aircraft carrier captain during World War II. The ship was laid down on 14 March 1945 at Staten Island, New York, by Bethlehem Mariners Harbor, launched on 6 August 1945 and commissioned on 5 January 1946. Constructed too late to see action in World War II, the vessel initially served as a training ship with the United States Atlantic Fleet, before transferring to the Pacific and deploying to Korea during the Korean War and off the Vietnam coast during the Vietnam War. In 1972 Arnold J. Isbell was made part of the reserve training fleet and in 1974, sold to Greece where the ship was renamed Satchouris and served with the Hellenic Navy until being sold for scrap in 2002.
USS Newman K. Perry (DD-883/DDR-883), was a Gearing-class destroyer of the United States Navy.
USS Radford (DD-446), named for Rear Admiral William Radford, was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the United States Navy. Entering service in 1942 during World War II the ship also saw action during the Korean War and the Vietnam War. The ship was removed from service in 1969 and sold for scrap in 1970.
The third USS Farragut (DD-348) was named for Admiral David Glasgow Farragut (1801–1870). She was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in the United States Navy.
USS Whipple (DE-1062/FF-1062) was a Knox-class frigate commissioned in the United States Navy from 1970 to 1995. In 2002, Whipple was donated to the Mexican Navy and renamed ARM Mina (F-214).
USS Jenkins (DD-447) was a Fletcher-class destroyer in the service of the United States Navy, the second ship named after Rear Admiral Thornton A. Jenkins. Beginning service during World War II, the destroyer saw action in the Pacific theatre. Jenkins was placed in reserve following the end of the war, until 1951, when the ship was reactivated for the Korean War. She served in the western Pacific until 1969 when the destroyer was taken out of service and sold for scrap in 1971.
USS O'Brien (DD-725), an Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer, was the fourth ship of the United States Navy to be named after Captain Jeremiah O'Brien and his five brothers, Gideon, John, William, Dennis and Joseph, who captured HMS Margaretta on 12 June 1775 during the American Revolution.
USS Hissem (DE-400/DER-400) was an Edsall class destroyer escort of the United States Navy. Hissem was constructed in 1943 as DE-400. In 1955, the vessel was equipped with modern radars, and the designation was changed to DER-400. The special purpose of DER ships was the detection of aircraft. Their chief role was to extend the DEW line out into the N. Atlantic and the N. Pacific oceans.
USS Walton (DE-361) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in the United States Navy. It was named after Merrit Cecil Walton, a Marine Corps platoon sergeant with the U.S. 1st Marine Division, who died on Gavutu during the Battle of Guadalcanal and was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for "extraordinary heroism".
USS Sample (FF-1048) was a frigate in the US Navy and the seventh in its class named for William Dodge Sample who was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy and an Escort Carrier Division commander in World War II. He was the youngest rear admiral in the Pacific Theater of World War II. It was laid down in 1963 and decommissioned in 1988, then transferred to Brazil in 1989.
USS Savage (DE-386) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II.
USS Lowe (DE-325) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946 and from 1955 to 1968. Between 1951 and 1954 she was loaned to the U.S. Coast Guard as USCGC Lowe (WDE-425). She was scrapped in 1969.
USS Newell was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the U.S. Navy during World War II. She served in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and provided destroyer escort protection against submarine and air attack for Navy vessels and convoys. Post war, she served in various capacities before being finally decommissioned.
USS Koiner (DE-331) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort 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. Post-war, she was loaned to the U.S. Coast Guard, and also reclassified as a radar picket ship.
USS Strickland (DE-333) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1952 to 1959. She was sold for scrapping in 1974.
USS Haverfield (DE-393) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort 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.
USS Alvin C. Cockrell (DE-366) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1968. She was finally sunk as a target in 1969.
USS Silverstein (DE-534) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947 and from 1951 to 1958. She was sold for scrapping in 1973.
USS Vance (DE-387) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort, named after Joseph Williams Vance, Jr.
USS McMorris (DE-1036) was a Claud Jones-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1960 to 1974. It was then sold to Indonesia and served as Ngurah Rai until 2003.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
United States
