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USS Whitehurst
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USS Whitehurst
USS Whitehurst (DE-634), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Ensign Henry Purefoy Whitehurst, Jr., a crew member of the Astoria (CA-34) who was killed during the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942.
Whitehurst (DE-634) was laid down on 21 March 1943 at San Francisco, California, by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched on 5 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs Robie S. Whitehurst, mother of Ensign Whitehurst and commissioned on 19 November 1943.
Following shakedown off the west coast, Whitehurst proceeded to Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 4 February 1944. Underway for the Solomons on the 7th, she sailed via Majuro and Funafuti with James E. Craig (DE-201) and SC-502, escorting SS George Ross, SS George Constantine and SS Robert Lucas, arriving on 23 February at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides.
After shifting to Nouméa, New Caledonia, and back to Espiritu Santo, Whitehurst joined Osterhaus (DE-164) and Acree (DE-167) on 22 March to escort oilers Kankakee (AO-39), Escambia (AO-80), and Atascosa (AO-66). Whitehurst and Atascosa were detached from that task unit on 26 March to proceed independently to a rendezvous with other task forces operating in the area. While Atascosa refueled ships from Destroyer Squadron 47, an enemy aircraft appeared, all ships opened fire but no hits were observed and Whitehurst returned to Espiritu Santo.
After escorting President Monroe (AP-104) to Milne Bay, New Guinea, Whitehurst remained in New Guinea waters for escort duties until 17 May. She then participated in the amphibious operation against Wakde Island, screening the amphibious ships. Whitehurst, with Task Unit (TU) 72.2.9, later escorted echelon S-4 of the invasion force to Humboldt Bay. The destroyer escort subsequently joined Wilkes (DD-441), Nicholson (DD-442), and Swanson (DD-443), to screen echelon H-2 as it steamed toward Bosnic, Biak, in the Schouten Islands, for the landings there.
Arriving off Biak on 28 May, Whitehurst took up a patrol station off the western entrance to the channel between Owi Island and Biak. While there, she received an urgent message from LCI-34 which was under fire by Japanese shore batteries. Whitehurst provided counter-battery fire and was herself targeted but all rounds missed and she was relieved by Stockton (DD-646) and Swanson. Whitehurst then escorted LCT-260 while she evacuated casualties from the beachhead and later screened echelon H-2 as it retired from Biak to Humboldt Bay.
Whitehurst carried out escort duties and trained through the summer of 1944. She was tasked with the anti-submarine and anti-aircraft screen of TU 77.7.1, a group of fleet tankers supplying the 7th Fleet.
On 29 October, Whitehurst received word that, the previous day, Eversole (DE-404) had been torpedoed and sunk by I-45. While Bull (DE-693) picked up survivors, Whitehurst detected a submerged submarine probably I-45 on her sonar, about 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) from the site of Eversole′s sinking. After making three unsuccessful Hedgehog attacks, the submarine tried to escape by diving to a depth of 225 feet (69 m). At 06:48, Whitehurst conducted a fourth Hedgehog attack, which resulted in five or six small explosions, followed by a large underwater explosion that disabled her sonar. Whitehurst resumed her search at 07:20 and noted a large amount of oil, wood and other debris, some of which her motor whaleboat recovered at 10°10′N 127°28′E / 10.167°N 127.467°E, and headed back to Kossol Roads in the Palaus with TU 77.7.1.
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USS Whitehurst
USS Whitehurst (DE-634), a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Ensign Henry Purefoy Whitehurst, Jr., a crew member of the Astoria (CA-34) who was killed during the Battle of Savo Island in August 1942.
Whitehurst (DE-634) was laid down on 21 March 1943 at San Francisco, California, by the Bethlehem Steel Co.; launched on 5 September 1943; sponsored by Mrs Robie S. Whitehurst, mother of Ensign Whitehurst and commissioned on 19 November 1943.
Following shakedown off the west coast, Whitehurst proceeded to Hawaii, arriving at Pearl Harbor on 4 February 1944. Underway for the Solomons on the 7th, she sailed via Majuro and Funafuti with James E. Craig (DE-201) and SC-502, escorting SS George Ross, SS George Constantine and SS Robert Lucas, arriving on 23 February at Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides.
After shifting to Nouméa, New Caledonia, and back to Espiritu Santo, Whitehurst joined Osterhaus (DE-164) and Acree (DE-167) on 22 March to escort oilers Kankakee (AO-39), Escambia (AO-80), and Atascosa (AO-66). Whitehurst and Atascosa were detached from that task unit on 26 March to proceed independently to a rendezvous with other task forces operating in the area. While Atascosa refueled ships from Destroyer Squadron 47, an enemy aircraft appeared, all ships opened fire but no hits were observed and Whitehurst returned to Espiritu Santo.
After escorting President Monroe (AP-104) to Milne Bay, New Guinea, Whitehurst remained in New Guinea waters for escort duties until 17 May. She then participated in the amphibious operation against Wakde Island, screening the amphibious ships. Whitehurst, with Task Unit (TU) 72.2.9, later escorted echelon S-4 of the invasion force to Humboldt Bay. The destroyer escort subsequently joined Wilkes (DD-441), Nicholson (DD-442), and Swanson (DD-443), to screen echelon H-2 as it steamed toward Bosnic, Biak, in the Schouten Islands, for the landings there.
Arriving off Biak on 28 May, Whitehurst took up a patrol station off the western entrance to the channel between Owi Island and Biak. While there, she received an urgent message from LCI-34 which was under fire by Japanese shore batteries. Whitehurst provided counter-battery fire and was herself targeted but all rounds missed and she was relieved by Stockton (DD-646) and Swanson. Whitehurst then escorted LCT-260 while she evacuated casualties from the beachhead and later screened echelon H-2 as it retired from Biak to Humboldt Bay.
Whitehurst carried out escort duties and trained through the summer of 1944. She was tasked with the anti-submarine and anti-aircraft screen of TU 77.7.1, a group of fleet tankers supplying the 7th Fleet.
On 29 October, Whitehurst received word that, the previous day, Eversole (DE-404) had been torpedoed and sunk by I-45. While Bull (DE-693) picked up survivors, Whitehurst detected a submerged submarine probably I-45 on her sonar, about 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) from the site of Eversole′s sinking. After making three unsuccessful Hedgehog attacks, the submarine tried to escape by diving to a depth of 225 feet (69 m). At 06:48, Whitehurst conducted a fourth Hedgehog attack, which resulted in five or six small explosions, followed by a large underwater explosion that disabled her sonar. Whitehurst resumed her search at 07:20 and noted a large amount of oil, wood and other debris, some of which her motor whaleboat recovered at 10°10′N 127°28′E / 10.167°N 127.467°E, and headed back to Kossol Roads in the Palaus with TU 77.7.1.
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