USS Chambers (DE-391)
USS Chambers (DE-391) 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 continued an active life, serving with the U.S. Coast Guard, and then being assigned as a radar picket ship.
| History | |
|---|---|
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| Namesake: | Russell Franklyn Chambers |
| Builder: | Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas |
| Laid down: | 28 May 1943 |
| Launched: | 17 August 1943 |
| Commissioned: | 22 November 1943 |
| Decommissioned: | 20 June 1960 |
| Reclassified: | DER-391, 28 October 1954 |
| Stricken: | 1 March 1975 |
| Fate: | Sold for scrapping 24 September 1975 |
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| Name: | USCGC Chambers WDE-491 |
| Commissioned: | 11 June 1952 |
| Decommissioned: | 30 July 1954 |
| Fate: | Returned to USN, 30 July 1954 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Edsall-class destroyer escort |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 306 feet (93.27 m) |
| Beam: | 36.58 feet (11.15 m) |
| Draft: | 10.42 full load feet (3.18 m) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 21 knots (39 km/h) |
| Range: |
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| Complement: | 8 officers, 201 enlisted |
| Armament: |
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She was named in honor of Ensign Russell Franklyn Chambers who was reported missing in action 27 December 1941 after an engagement with the enemy over Jolo in the Philippines. She was launched 17 August 1943 by Brown Shipbuilding Co., Houston, Texas; sponsored by Mrs. R. F. Chambers; commissioned 22 November 1943, Commander H. A. Loughlin, USCG, in command; and reported to the Atlantic Fleet.
World War II North Atlantic operations
After a period as training ship for prospective escort vessel crews, Chambers cleared Norfolk, Virginia, 13 February 1944 on the first of eight convoy escort crossings to North African ports from Norfolk, Virginia, and New York City. Steadfast to her important duty of guarding the men and materiel vital to the success of operations in the European theater, Chambers defied the hazards of the sea and the enemy to bring her charges safely to port.
Transferred to the Pacific
On 8 July 1945 Chambers sailed from New York for Pearl Harbor, where she arrived 16 August to transport homeward bound servicemen to San Pedro, California. She put out to sea from San Pedro for the east coast 11 September, and on 22 April 1946, was decommissioned and placed in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Florida.
On loan to the Coast Guard
Loaned to the United States Treasury Department, Chambers was commissioned as a Coast Guard ship 11 June 1952, and redesignated WDE-491. Operating from New Bedford, Massachusetts, she served on Atlantic weather patrols and made several cruises to Newfoundland until 30 July 1954, when the Coast Guard decommissioned her and returned her to the Navy. She participated in the International Iceberg patrol.
Converted to radar picket ship
Returned to reserve status, Chambers was reclassified DER-391 on 28 October 1954, and began conversion to a radar picket escort vessel. Chambers was recommissioned 1 June 1955 for radar picket duty out of Newport, Rhode Island She was assigned to the Atlantic Barrier Patrol in June 1956, with which she operated until placed out of commission in reserve 20 June 1960, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Final disposition
On 1 March 1975 she was struck from the Navy list, and, on 24 September 1975, she was sold for scrap.
See also
References
This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
