USS Flaherty (DE-135)

USS Flaherty (DE-135) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was sold for scrap in 1966.

History
United States
Namesake: Francis C. Flaherty
Builder: Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
Laid down: 7 November 1942
Launched: 17 January 1943
Commissioned: 26 June 1943
Decommissioned: 17 June 1946
Stricken: 1 April 1965
Honours and
awards:		 4 battle stars plus a Presidential Unit Citation
Fate: Sold 4 November 1966, scrapped
General characteristics
Class and type: Edsall-class destroyer escort
Displacement:
  • 1,253 tons standard
  • 1,590 tons full load
Length: 306 feet (93.27 m)
Beam: 36.58 feet (11.15 m)
Draft: 10.42 full load feet (3.18 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h)
Range:
  • 9,100 nmi. at 12 knots
  • (17,000 km at 22 km/h)
Complement: 8 officers, 201 enlisted
Armament:

History

The ship was named in honor of Francis Charles Flaherty, who was awarded the Medal of Honor when he sacrificed his life in the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor 7 December 1941. When his ship was being abandoned, he remained in a turret holding a flashlight so that all of his men could see their way in order to escape; however, Flaherty did not make it out.

Flaherty was launched 17 January 1943 by Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas; sponsored by Mrs. J. J. Flaherty, sister-in-law of Ensign Flaherty; and commissioned 26 June 1943, Lieutenant Commander M. W. Firth in command.

Battle of the Atlantic

Between 4 September 1943 and 15 February 1944, Flaherty made three voyages from the east coast to Casablanca on convoy escort duty. At Norfolk on 7 March 1944, she joined the hunter-killer group formed around USS Guadalcanal, sailing for a patrol which took her group across to Casablanca. On the return passage, off Madeira on 9 April, Flaherty fired in the action which sank U-515, for which she shared in the credit with three other escorts and carrier aircraft.

Capture of U-505

Returning to New York 27 April 1944, Flaherty rejoined the Guadalcanal group at Norfolk, Virginia, 10 May, and 5 days later sailed on a patrol which was to win the task group a Presidential Unit Citation. On 4 June, in a well-planned and executed operation, her group captured intact German submarine U-505. The only capture by American forces of a German submarine on the high seas during the war, this dramatic operation provided essential intelligence for future antisubmarine warfare. Flaherty's role during the action was close screening for Guadalcanal, from which the attack and seizure were directed. She returned to New York from this patrol 22 June.

Sinking of U-546

Between 15 July 1944 and 7 November, Flaherty completed two more hunter-killer patrols with the Guadalcanal group, then served as school ship for the Naval Training Center at Miami, Florida. Training in the Caribbean with carriers followed, until she sailed from Naval Station Mayport, 9 April for Argentia, Newfoundland. This was her base for duty on the barrier line established in the last months of the European phase of the war to prevent desperate U-boats from penetrating the western Atlantic. On 24 April, USS Frederick C. Davis was torpedoed while investigating a submarine contact, and Flaherty dashed to rescue her survivors. After three men had been taken on board, Flaherty picked the submarine up by sonar, and moved in to attack. Seven other escorts joined her in the 10-hour hunt, which resulted in forcing German submarine U-546 to the surface, where she was sunk by gunfire. She recovered five of the U-boat's survivors, including the commanding officer.

Flaherty returned to New York 11 May 1945, and 2 weeks later sailed on convoy escort duty to Le Havre, France, and Southampton, England. She returned to duty guarding carriers training off Norfolk and Charleston, South Carolina, until arriving at Green Cove Springs, Florida, 12 January 1946.

Decommissioning and fate

There she was decommissioned and placed in reserve 17 June 1946. She was struck from the Navy list on 1 April 1965 and sold for scrap on 4 November 1966.

Awards

In addition to the Presidential Unit Citation, Flaherty received four battle stars for World War II service.

See also

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

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