Allied Warships

USS Kirkpatrick (DE 318)

Destroyer Escort of the Edsall class

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Destroyer Escort
Class	Edsall
Pennant	DE 318
Built by	Consolidated Steel Corp., Ltd. (Orange, Texas, U.S.A.)
Ordered	7 Aug 1942
Laid down	15 Mar 1943
Launched	5 Jun 1943
Commissioned	23 Oct 1943
End service	24 Jun 1960
History	Decommissioned 1 May 1946. Reclassified as DER-318 on 1 October 1951. Recommissioned 23 February 1952. Decommissioned 24 June 1960. Stricken 1 August 1974. Sold 12 March 1975 and broken up for scrap.

Commands listed for USS Kirkpatrick (DE 318)

Please note that we're still working on this section
and that we only list Commanding Officers for the duration of the Second World War.

	Commander	From	To
1	Lt.Cdr. Victor Edward Bakanas, USCG	23 Oct 1943	Aug 1945
2	J. J. Atwater, Jr., USCGR	Aug 1945

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Notable events involving Kirkpatrick include:

11 Dec 1944

Convoy UC 48A.

This convoy was assembled to the south of Ireland on 11 December 1944.

It was made up of the following (troop) transports / tankers; Brandywine (American (tanker), 11401 GRT, built 1943), Brazil (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Bulkfuel (American (tanker), 11016 GRT, built 1944), Bulklube American (tanker), 11016 GRT, built 1943(), City of Capetown (British, 8046 GRT, built 1937), Condesa (British, 10367 GRT, built 1944), Cross Keys (American (tanker), 10195 GRT, built 1943), Duquesne (American (tanker), 9933 GRT, built 1944), Empire Might (British, 9209 GRT, built 1942), Empire Protector (British (tanker), 8148 GRT, built 1944), Empire Regent (British, 9904 GRT, built 1943), Fisher's Hill (American (tanker), 10195 GRT, built 1943), Four Lakes (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1943), Glorieta (American (tanker), 10297 GRT, built 1944), Groveton (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944), Lightning (American, 8591 GRT, built 1942), Lone Jack (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944), Marine Raven (American, 11757 GRT, built 1943), Martin Bakke (Norwegian, 5484 GRT, built 1936), Mauvilla (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944), Mormacswan (American, 7194 GRT, built 1939), Nordahl Grieg (Norwegian (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1944), Perthshire (British, 10496 GRT, built 1936), Powder River (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1943), Santa Leonor (American, 8258 GRT, built 1944), Santiago (American (tanker), 10318 GRT, built 1944), Sea Owl (American, 7886 GRT, built 1944), Seatrain Lakehurst (American, 8108 GRT, built 1940), South Mountain (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944), Surprise (American, 8591 GRT, built 1942), Talisman (American, 8258 GRT, built 1944), Tampico (American (tanker), 10296 GRT, built 1944) and White Bird Canyon (American (tanker), 10172 GRT, built 1944).

The escort carriers (fitted out as aircraft ferries), HMS Tracker (A/Capt. J.H. Huntley, RN) and HMS Trouncer (Capt. B.J. Fisher, DSO, RN) were also part of the convoy.

The convoy was escorted by the destroyer USS Somers (T/Lt.Cdr. E.M. Luby, USN, with ComTaskGr 21.5, T/Cdr. J.F. Gallaher, USN, on board) and the destroyer escorts USS Burrows (Lt.Cdr. J. Parkinson, Jr., USNR), USS Kirkpatrick (Lt.Cdr. V.E. Bakanas, USCG), USS Slater (Lt.Cdr. M.J. Blancq, USNR), USS Oswald (Lt.Cdr. E.L. Patton, Jr., USNR) and USS Ebert (Lt.Cdr. F. Gibbs, USNR).

Before final assembly on the 11th, the convoy had departed various English ports on 9 and 10 December 1944.

The English Channel section, which was escorted by USS Somers, USS Kirkpatrick and USS Slater was temporarily reinforced from 1730A/10 until 0320A/11 by the frigates HMS Affleck (Cdr.(Retd.) C. Gwinner, DSO and Bar, DSC, RN), HMS Bentley ( Lt. F.L. Boyer, RN), HMS Capel (Lt. B.G. Heslop, DSC, RN), HMS Garlies (T/A/Lt.Cdr. L.M.M. Stamp, RNVR) and HMS Gore (Lt. J.V. Reeves-Brown, DSC, RN).

Late on 11 December 1944, the City of Capetown and Condesa were detached to proceed independently.

On 12 december 1944, HMS Trouncer reported having a flooded compartment. She requised an escort to proceed to the Azores to effect repairs there. The requist was declined and she was ordered to remain with the convoy and try to make repairs. Early on the 14th she reported that repairs had been succesfully made.

Late on the 14th, the Lightning was ordered to be detached to proceed independently to New York. Due to the weather and the reported enemy submarine situation it was decided that she would remain with the convoy for the moment. She was eventually detached on the 19th.

On 18 December 1944, USS Somers and USS Slater sustained weather damage due to the heavy seas encountered.

On 20 December 1944, USS Somers sustained further weather damage. Also early on this day the Mormacswan was detached.

The convoy arrived at New York on 22 December 1944.