Allied Warships

USS Earle (DD 635)

Destroyer of the Bristol class

Navy	The US Navy
Type	Destroyer
Class	Bristol
Pennant	DD 635
Built by	Boston Navy Yard (Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.)
Ordered	16 Dec 1940
Laid down	14 Jun 1941
Launched	10 Dec 1941
Commissioned	1 Sep 1942
End service	17 May 1947
History	Converted to High Speed Minesweeper DMS-42 ON 23 June 1945. Decommissioned 17 May 1947. Reverted back to DD-635 on 15 July 1955. Stricken 1 December 1969. Sold in October 1970 and broken up for scrap.

Commands listed for USS Earle (DD 635)

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	T/Cdr. Hamilton Wilcox Howe, USN	1 Sep 1942	24 Aug 1943 (1)
2	T/Cdr. George Orrin Hobbs, USN	24 Aug 1943	31 Dec 1944 (1)
3	Cdr. Martin Norman Chamberlain, USN	31 Dec 1944	16 Oct 1945 (1)
4	LCdr Edward Muhlenfeld, USN	16 Oct 1945	13 Mar 1946 (1)

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Notable events involving Earle include:

11 Aug 1943
Around 0845/11, the Oran section of a convoy (Task Group 89.6) made up of the US transport USS Merak (6982 GRT, built 1932, Lt.Cdr. J.C. Cawthon, USN) and the US tankers USS Chemung (T/Capt. J.J. Twomey, USN) and Salamonie (T/Capt. L.J. Johns, USN) formed off Mers-el-Kebir. They were escorted by the destroyers USS Butler (T/Cdr. M.D. Matthews, USN, with the C.O. DesDiv 34, T/Capt. J.B. Rooney, USN, on board), USS Earle (T/Capt. H.W. Howe, USN), USS Gherardi (T/Cdr. J.W. Schmidt, USN) and USS Roe (T/Cdr. R.L. Nolan, Jr., USN). Course was set to the westwards.

Around 0215/12, the damaged cruiser HMS Newfoundland (Capt. W.R. Slayter, DSC, RN) departed Gibraltar to join the convoy for passage to the USA for repairs.

Around 1300/12, the Casablanca section of the convoy departed Casablanca to join the Oran section at sea. They merged around 1530/12. The Casablanca section of Task Group 89.6 was made up of the tanker Buena Vista (10198 GRT, built 1943) and the transports Borinquen (7114 GRT, built 1931), USS Chateau Thierry (9050 GRT, built 1920, Cdr. B.W. Cloud, USN), Evangeline (5043 GRT, built 1927), Mexico (5236 GRT, built 1932), USS Orizaba (6937 GRT, built 1918, Cdr. L.E. Kelly, USN) and Shawnee (6209 GRT, built 1927). They were escorted by the destroyers Cowie (T/Cdr. C.J. Whiting, USN), Glennon (T/Cdr. F.C. Camp, USN), Herndon (T/Cdr. G.A. Moore, USN), Jeffers (T/Cdr W.T. McGarry, USN), Murphy (T/Cdr. L.W. Bailey, USN) and Nelson (T/Cdr. M.M. Riker, USN, with the C.O. Destroyer Squadron 17, T/Capt. D.L. Madeira, USN, onboard).

This convoy was transporting POW's from North Africa to the USA.

Early in the afternoon of the 15th, USS Gherardi fuelled from the USS Chemung.

Between 0530/17 and 1000/17, all destroyers fuelled from USS Chemung and USS Salamonie.

At 1743/17, USS Glennon reported sighting a submarine while in position 36°27'N, 42°11'W. The convoy made an emergency turn to starboard and USS Glennon and USS Nelson proceeded to hunt the submarine. At 1805/17, USS Nelson dropped a pattern of five depth charges on a sound contact. At 1813/17, USS Nelson dropped nine depth charges on a sound contact. USS Glennon and USS Nelson continued to hunt the submarine until 2102/17 when they left the scene to rejoin the convoy which they did very early the next day. The sumbarine in question was most likely the German U-760 which reported being attacked by two destroyers at the same time but about 75 nautical miles away in approximate position 35°33'N, 43°18'W.

At 0702/18, USS Nelson obtained a sound contact and the convoy made an emergency turn to starboard. Between 0707 and 0715/18, USS Nelson made two depth charge attacks during which two five charge patterns were dropped. She continued her search until 0745/1 but then set course to rejoin the screen which she did at 0840/18.

At 1623/18, USS Nelson obtained another sound contact and once again the convoy made an emergency turn to starboard. Between 1626 and 1830/18, USS Murhpy and USS Nelson searched the area during which USS Nelson conducted three depth charge attacks (one depth charge, five depth charges and nine depth charges) and USS Murphy two (seven depth charges and seven depth charges), but with no result. At 1830/18, USS Nelson set course to rejoin the convoy which she did at 2054/18. USS Murphy continued the seatch on her own until 1930/18. She rejoined the convoy screen at 2330/18.

Meanwhile, at 2315/18, USS Gherardi had obtained a sound contact close aboard on which she immediately dropped a single depth charge and then turned to investigate. USS Cowie was sent to assist her in the hunt and then take over the search but neither destroyer obtained any further contacts. USS Gherardi rejoined the convoy screen at 0150/19 and USS Cowie at 0330/19.

At 0820/20, HMS Newfoundland parted company to proceed to Boston, Massachusetts escorted by USS Butler and USS Murphy. The destroyers parted company with HMS Newfoundland at 1025/21 which then proceeded to the Boston Navy Yard for repairs to her action damage. She arrived at the Boston Navy Yard around 1500/21. The destroyers then proceeded to Newport, Rhode Island via the Cape Cod Canal. They arrived at Newport around 1630/21.

At 1335/20, USS Chemung, USS Salamonie and USS Merak parted company to proceed to Norfolk escorted by USS Cowie and USS Earle. At 0555/22, USS Merak and USS Cowie parted company to proceed to New York where they arrived around 1800/22. USS Chemung, USS Salamonie and USS Earle arrived at Norfolk around 1930/22.

Around 1100/22, the main body of the convoy arrived at New York.

1 Jun 1944

Convoy GUF 11.

This convoy departed Naples on 1 June 1944.

It was made up of the following (troop) transports; Cristobal (American, 10021 GRT, built 1939), Frederick Lykes (American, 7773 GRT, built 1940) and Santa Rosa (American, 9135 GRT, built 1932).

They were escorted by the destroyers USS Davison (T/Cdr. E.L.E. Ritson, USN, with COMTASKFOR 68 / COMDESRON 15, T/Capt. S.W. DuBois, USN on board), USS Mervine (T/Cdr. D.R. Frakes, USN), USS Quick (T/Cdr. P.W. Cann, USN), USS Tillman (T/Cdr. C.S. Hutchings, USN) and USS Earle (T/Capt. G.O. Hobbs, USN).

Around 2030B/1, the destroyer USS Livermore (T/Cdr. H.E. Siedel, Jr., USN) joined for jammer duty (against German radio controlled bombs).

The convoy proceeded via the Messina Straits.

Around 1300B/2, the AA cruiser HMS Colombo (Capt. C.T. Jellicoe, DSO, DSC and Bar, RN) and naval tanker USS Mattaponi (Lt.Cdr. V.J. Banks, USNR) joined coming from Bizerta.

Around 0445B/4, the convoy was off Oran where the (troop) transports James Parker (American, 10021 GRT, built 1939) and Sea Perch (American, 7870 GRT, built 1944) joined. Also the stores ship USS Merak (Lt.Cdr. J.W. Cawthon, USN) joined.

Around 1745A/4, the destroyer escorts USS Ahrens (Cdr. M.H. Harris, USNR) and USS Robert I. Paine (Lt.Cdr. D. Cochran, USN) joined the convoy near Gibraltar.

Around 1815A/4, HMS Colombo, USS Earle and USS Livermore were detached near Gibraltar.

On 5 June 1944, USS Davison, USS Mervine, USS Quick and USS Tillman fuelled from USS Mattaponi.

Around 1500N/8, the destroyer escorts USS Evarts (Lt.Cdr. T.G. Bremer, Jr., USNR, with COMCORTDIV 5, Cdr. R.A. Fitch, USNR on board), USS Wilhoite (T/Lt.Cdr. E.B. Roth, USN) and USS Eugene E. Elmore (T/Lt.Cdr. G.L. Conkey, USN) joined and commenced fuelling from USS Mattaponi. On completion, around 1800N/8, they parted company.

On 9 June 1944, all escorts fuelled from USS Mattaponi.

The convoy arrived at Hampton Roads on 13 June 1944.