- USS William T. Powell (DE-213)
USS "William T. Powell" (DE/DER-213), a "Buckley"-class
destroyer escort of theUnited States Navy , was named in honor ofGunner's Mate William T. Powell (1918-1942), who was killed in action, aboard theheavy cruiser USS "San Francisco" off ofGuadalcanal on12 November 1942 ."William T. Powell" was laid down on
26 August 1943 at Charleston, South Carolina] , by theCharleston Navy Yard ; launched on27 November 1943 ; sponsored by Mrs. Elsie V. Powell, mother of Gunner's Mate Powell, and commissioned on28 March 1944 ,Lieutenant James L. Davenport,United States Naval Reserve , in command.After fitting out, "William T. Powell" got underway from Charleston on
18 April , flying the command pennant ofCommander George F. Adams, USNR, Commander Escort Division 66, and bound forBermuda .At 15:41 on
20 April , the ship's searchradar disclosed a contact. Seven minutes later, "William T. Powell" went to general quarters as lookouts noted asubmarine running on the surface. The destroyer escort charged ahead at flank speed and challenged the submarine, only to be informed that the stranger was USS "Pomfret", en route fromNew London, Connecticut , toKey West, Florida . "All hands very disappointed when sub turned out to be friendly," noted Comdr. Adams in the destroyer escort's war diary as the ship continued on toward Bermuda.Upon her arrival on the 21st, "William T. Powell" moored alongside USS "Hamul" and got underway three days later to commence her shakedown. In the ensuing weeks, the new destroyer escort's operations ran the gamut of activities for the ships of her type: exercises with submerged submarines (in her case, the old "R" boat, R-7 (SS-84);
torpedo attack practices; fueling at sea; simulateddepth charge and "hedgehog" attacks; shore bombardments, and the inevitable gunnery drills. She operated out ofGreat Sound , Bermuda, and normally returned to anchor each evening upon the completion of the day's slate of activities.Her shakedown completed shortly after the middle of May, "William T. Powell" sailed for Charleston on the 18th. She met SS "Willis A. Slater" off the sea buoy to Great Sound that day and escorted the merchantman on her northward voyage, patrolling 2,000 yards ahead. Leaving "Willis A. Slater" off Charleston, "William T. Powell" put into port on the 23d and, from
24 May to6 June 1944 , underwent post-shakedown availability. During the overhaul, the ship received four 40-millimeter Bofors guns, replacing the bank of torpedo tubes, to give the ship a more potentanti-aircraft battery.Underway for the
Panama Canal Zone on9 June , "William T. Powell" test-fired her new 40-millimeter battery en route and reached Cristobal, Canal Zone, at 11:47 on11 June . She transited the canal two days later and got underway again at 06:27 on the 14th for exercises at sea nearTaboga Island . She practiced repelling attacks bymotor torpedo boat s."William T. Powell" subsequently retransmitted the canal, eastbound on
15 June , and moored at Cristobal at 18:18 that day. She joined the escort carrier USS "Prince William" on the 17th and escorted the escort carrier as she headed, viaPort Everglades, Florida , forHampton Roads, Virginia .Released from that escort duty on the 24th, "William T. Powell" then operated at
Norfolk, Virignia from29 June to9 July as a school ship for destroyer escort crew trainees before she sortied from Hampton Roads on10 July in the screen of Convoy UGS-48.At 00:29 on
1 August 1944 , "William T. Powell" received a TBS message from thetask force commander, Captain C. M. E. Hoffman, in USS "Moffett", to man battle stations in anticipation of an enemy air attack. The destroyer escort complied and soon, together with the other escorts of sector 3, began making funnel smokeRadar picked up the enemy attackers at 90 miles away; "William T. Powell" and her sisters, meanwhile, continued steaming back and forth at the rear of the convoy, making smoke. The convoy received an additional alert from radio
Algiers at 00:37 and, 13 minutes later, detected many friendly and enemy planes. The escorts now began making chemical smoke from the CS canisters on the fantail of each ship; with visibility near zero, the ships commenced conning by radar.HMS Delhi , a British anti-aircraft cruiser, commenced the action at 00:58, firing by radar control. At 01:05, lookouts in "William T. Powell" spotted flares close aboard on the port side of theconvoy ; but the gunners were cautioned not to fire. Ten minutes later, however, with enemy planes within range, the convoy opened up; mount 21 in "William T. Powell" glimpsed an enemybomber through the eerie murk and fired a four-round burst; the plane, obscured in smoke and clouds, soon disappeared. The firing lasted only a minute; "William T. Powell" ceased fire at 01:16, feeling detonations from time to time-believed to be either bombs or torpedoes exploding at the end of their runs.By 01:53, the quartermaster on watch in "William T. Powell" could write: "Things cool off a bit and Condition Easy-One is set." At 02:30, the convoy received a white alert (all clear), and the escorts ceased making smoke and took their normal screening stations. Seven minutes later, the destroyer escort secured from general quarters. The defense of UGS-48 was a successful one; the enemy did not claim any of the ships. As Lt. Davenport, the commanding officer of "William T. Powell", wrote in his subsequent report of the action: "The value of smoke as a protection against Night Air Attack was proved. Visibility was absolutely zero, and flares were useless to the attacking planes."
After seeing all ships of UGS-48 safely to their
Mediterranean destination, "William T. Powell" served withTask Force 62 as it escorted the homeward-bound group, GUS-48, back to theUnited States before heading north for training in theCasco Bay area. During the night of 14 and15 September , while en route to Casco Bay, "William T. Powell" rode out ahurricane with no damage.The destroyer escort shepherded Convoys UGS-55 and GUS-55 to their respective Mediterranean and east coast destinations in September and October, before she became a unit of Task Unit 27.1.2 based at NS Argentia, Newfoundland. She operated out of Argentia as part of that
anti-submarine , hunter-killer group from28 November to24 December 1944 before shifting to Casco Bay and operating from that base fromChristmas Eve toNew Year's Day .After TU 27.1.2 was redesignated TG 22.9, "William T. Powell" resumed operations from Argentia on
4 January 1945 and continued them through the end of the month. Following that stint of hunter-killer duty, the destroyer escort exercised with American submarines out of New London, Connecticut, for almost a month,4 February to2 March 1945 , and trained in Casco Bay from 18 to21 March .After the completion of that training period, "William T. Powell" proceeded with TG 22.9, via the
Azores , toLiverpool, England . Upon arrival, TG 22.9 was redesignated and reconstituted as TG 120.1 on4 April ; "William T. Powell" operated asflagship for that unit's senior officer, Comdr. Vernon A. Isaacs, USNR.TG 120.1, later redesignated Escort Group 32, subsequently performed anti-submarine hunter-killer group and support unit duties for convoys in the western approaches to the
British Isles . During the closing weeks of the European war, "William T. Powell" patrolled shallow water approaches, sank floating and drifting mines, and supported the escorts for 12 convoys in submarine-infested waters. She based onDerry ,Northern Ireland , from5 April to23 May , through the cessation of hostilities withGermany and, after that enemy's capitulation, helped to accept the surrender of GermanU-boat s.Released from the
12th Fleet and the Western Approaches Command on24 May 1945, the destroyer escort soon sailed for home, entering the Brown Shipbuilding Company, Inc., yard inHouston, Texas , on15 June for conversion to aradar picket ship. However, while she was in the yard for alterations,Japan capitulated in mid-August.She departed her conversion yard on
22 October 1945 and soon proceeded toGuantanamo Bay, Cuba , for refresher training. Following post-shakedown availability, "William T Powell" trained in Casco Bay into late January1946 and underwent a logistics period atBoston . She then sailed toMiami, Florida , where she joined thepresidential yacht , "Williamsburg", from 8 to13 February before sailing for Norfolk. She later pushed on forQuonset Point Rhode Island , on31 March and, in April, plane-guarded for the escort carrier USS "Salerno Bay", in company with USS "Reuben James", inNarragansett Bay and off Norfolk and participated in fleet exercises at Guantanamo Bay and Culebra in May.Departing the latter on
20 May , "William T. Powell" sailed forNew York in company with the carrier USS "Mindoro" and "Reuben James". The destroyer escort subsequently returned to the Norfolk and Casco Bay operating areas in early June and July before visitingBar Harbor, Maine , for4th of July celebrations. Soon thereafter, she resumed training evolutions in Casco Bay before heading south on19 July forPensacola, Florida . She served there as temporary relief for the destroyer USS "William R. Rush" and plane-guarded for USS "Ranger" while that venerable carrier was serving as a training vessel."William T. Powell" operated with one of her former
World War II cohorts, USS "Spangenburg", in Casco Bay later that summer and off New London served as a target vessel for submarines from 13 to30 September . She arrived atNewport, Rhode Island , on30 September , moored alongside USS "Yellowstone" for a three-week tender availability, and subsequently departed Newport on22 October , bound for Casco Bay where she arrived the same day. She conductedNavy Day observances there on the 27th before she transited theCape Cod Canal and arrived at New London on12 December . She spent the remainder of the year operating on training evolutions with submarines.For the next 11 years, "William T. Powell" operated off the eastern seaboard of the United States ranging from Casco Bay to
Cape Henry to Key West and into theWest Indies and Guantanamo Bay. Her ports of call included Newport; Norfolk; Boston;New York City ;Port-au-Prince, Haiti ;Culebra andSan Juan, Puerto Rico ;Havana andSantiago, Cuba ;Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands ; andNassau, Bahamas .During that period, the ship underwent several changes of status and two reclassifications. On
5 November 1948 , she was assigned to the 4th Naval District and homeported at thePhiladelphia Naval Shipyard to serve as a Naval Reserve training ship. On18 March 1949 , the warship was reclassified DER-213. Decommissioned on9 December 1949 , the vessel was reactivated on28 November 1950 and resumed the role of an NRT ship. She was reclassified DE-213 on1 December 1954 and continued training duty until September 1957. "William T. Powell" was placed out of commission, in reserve, atPhiladelphia on17 January 1958 .Struck from the Navy list on
1 November 1965 "William T. Powell" was sold on3 October 1966 to the North American Smelting Company,Wilmington, Delaware , and was scrapped.Although she participated in the defense of Convoy UGS-48 on
1 August 1944 , and was in proximity to enemy forces, "William T. Powell" inexplicably received nobattle star for that action.References
External links
* [http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/w9/william_t_powell.htm history.navy.mil: USS "William T. Powell"]
* [http://www.navsource.org/archives/06/213.htm navsource.org: USS "William T. Powell"]
* [http://www.hazegray.org/danfs/escorts/de213.htm hazegray.org: USS "William T. Powell"]
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