USS Holder (DE-401)

USS Holder (DE-401) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Lieutenant (junior grade) Randolph Mitchell Holder (a naval aviator who was reported missing during the Battle of Midway), she was the first of two U.S. Naval vessels to bear the name.

For other ships with the same name, see USS Holder.

An image of USS Holder (DE-401) being stripped as a parts hulk
History
United States
Builder: Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas
Laid down: 6 October 1943
Launched: 27 November 1943
Commissioned: 18 January 1944
Stricken: 23 September 1944
Fate: Irreparably damaged by German aircraft on 11 April 1944
General characteristics
Class and type: Edsall-class destroyer escort
Displacement:
  • 1,253 tons standard
  • 1,590 tons full load
Length: 306 ft (93.3 m)
Beam: 36.58 ft (11.1 m)
Draft: 10.42 ft (3.2 m) full load
Propulsion:
Speed: 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph)
Range: 9,100 nmi (16,900 km; 10,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Complement: 8 officers, 201 enlisted
Armament:

History

Holder was launched by Brown Shipbuilding of Houston, Texas, 27 November 1943; sponsored by Annette Holder, mother of Lieutenant (junior grade) Holder; and commissioned 18 January 1944 with Lieutenant Commander G. Cook in command. After completion of her shakedown cruise, Holder departed 24 March escorting a convoy bound for Mediterranean ports. Proceeding along the coast of Algeria the convoy was followed 10 and 11 April by German planes and just before midnight 11 April it was attacked by torpedo bombers. Holder and the other escorts immediately opened fire and began making smoke, but a torpedo struck the escort vessel amidships on the port side, causing two heavy explosions. Though fires spread and flooding was serious, Holder's crew remained at their guns to drive off the attackers without damage to the convoy. Alert damage control kept the ship seaworthy and she arrived in tow at Oran for repairs. There it was decided to tow her to New York, where she arrived safely 9 June 1944.

Holder decommissioned at New York Navy Yard 13 September 1944, and was struck from the Naval Vessel Register 23 September 1944. A 95'-long section of the stern portion of Holder's hull was used to repair USS Menges; the remainder was sold for scrap to John A. Witte, Staten Island, New York on 19 June 1947.

Honors

Holder received one battle star 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.
  • "Holder". Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
  • "USS Holder (DE-401)". Destroyer Escort Photo Archive. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
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