Navy | The US Navy |
Type | Destroyer |
Class | Benson / Gleaves |
Pennant | DD 440 |
Built by | Federal Shipbuilding & Drydock Co. (Kearny, New Jersey, U.S.A.) |
Ordered | 15 Jun 1939 |
Laid down | 18 Mar 1940 |
Launched | 23 Nov 1940 |
Commissioned | 13 Mar 1941 |
End service | 15 Mar 1946 |
History | Decommissioned 15 March 1946. |
Commands listed for USS Ericsson (DD 440)
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. Geoffrey Ellingwood Sage, USN | 13 Mar 1941 | 2 Aug 1942 |
2 | T/Cdr. Clyde Marcus Jensen, USN | 2 Aug 1942 | 29 Mar 1943 |
3 | T/Lt.Cdr. Bernard Henry Meyer, USN | 29 Mar 1943 | 15 Dec 1944 (1) |
4 | T/Lt.Cdr. Charles Alexander Baldwin, USN | 15 Dec 1944 | 15 Mar 1946 (1) |
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Notable events involving Ericsson include:
15 Jan 1942
The British merchant Dayrose is torpedoed and sunk southwest of Cape Race in position 46°32'N, 53°00'W by German U-boat U-552. 4 survivors are picked up by the US destroyers USS Ericsson and USS Stack.
6 Aug 1942
Convoy AT 18.
This convoy departed New York on 6 August 1942.
It was made up of the following troop transports; Andes (British, 25689 GRT, built 1939), Argentina (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Batory (Polish, 14287 GRT, built 1936), Brazil (American, 20614 GRT, built 1929), Monterey (American, 148017 GRT, built 1932), Orcades (British, 23456 GRT, built 1937), Thomas H. Barry (American, 11250 GRT, built 1930), Uruguay (American, 20183 GRT, built 1928), Wakefield (American, 24289 GRT, built 1931) and West Point (American, 26454 GRT, built 1940).
The armed merchant cruiser HMS Queen of Bermuda (A/Capt.(Retd.) A.D. Cochrane, RN) was also part of the convoy.
The convoy was escorted by Task Force 38, which was made up of the battleship 5922 Arkansas (Capt. C.F. Bryant, USN, which was also COMTASKFOR 38), light cruiser USS Brooklyn (T/Capt. F.C. Denebrink, USN) and the with destroyers USS Livermore (T/Cdr. V. Huber, USN, with COMDESDIV 21, T/Capt. T.L. Madeira, USN, on board), USS Kearny (T/Cdr. A.H. Oswald, USN), USS Plunkett (T/Cdr. W.H. Standley, Jr., USN, with COMDESRON 7, Cdr. S.R. Clark, USN, on board), USS Niblack (Lt.Cdr. W.L. Dyer, USN, with COMDESDIV 13, T/Capt. P.R. Heineman, USN, on board), USS Benson (T/Cdr. C.A. Fines, USN), USS Gleaves (T/Cdr. C.L. Winecoff, USN), USS Mayo (T/Cdr. I.T. Duke, USN), USS Charles F. Hughes (Lt.Cdr. B.S. Copping, USN) and USS Hilary P. Jones (Lt.Cdr. R.B. Ellis, USN) as inner screen for the convoy. An outer screen was formed of the destroyers USS Madison (Cdr. W.B. Ammon, USN, with COMDESDIV 14, ???, on board), USS Nicholson (Cdr. J.S. Keating, USN), USS Eberle (Lt.Cdr. K.F. Poehlmann, USN), USS Ericsson (T/Cdr. C.M. Jensen, USN) and USS Roe (T/Cdr. J.N. Opie, 3rd, USN).
Around 2300Q/7, Eberle, Ericsson and Roe were detached to proceed to Boston. USS Hilary P. Jones then joined the outer screen.
The convoy arrived at Halifax on 8 August 1942.
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The convoy departed Halifax on 9 August 1942.
Two troop transports joined the convoy leaving Halifax, these were the; Cameronia (British, 16297 GRT, built 1920) and Capetown Castle (British, 27002 GRT, built 1938).
The convoy was now escorted by USS Arkansas, USS Brooklyn, USS Plunkett, USS Niblack, USS Gleaves, USS Mayo, USS Madison, USS Lansdale (T/Cdr. D.C. Varian, USN), USS Hilary P. Jones, USS Charles F. Hughes. The above destroyers served as inner screen. Also an out screen made up of the destroyers USS Mayrant (T/Capt. C.C. Hartman, USN, which was also COMDESDIV 16), USS Rhind (T/Cdr. H.T. Read, USN) and USS Nicholson was present.
Late on the 9th, the Cameronia straggled from the convoy. USS Hilary P. Jones was ordered to escort her. They rejoined on the 10th but the Cameronia had difficulty in keeping up with the convoy and was smoking badly.
On the 10th, USS Nicholson was detached to Casco Bay. Also on this day, USS Benson departed Halifax to overtake and join the convoy. She had been unable to depart with the convoy on the 9th due to the fact that she was in dock for repairs to her sonar installation.
On the 11th USS Benson joined from Halifax. USS Mayrant and USS Rhind were detached later on the 11th. They were to proceed to Argentia.
Around 1015Z/16, HMS Queen of Bermuda and the Batory were detached from the convoy and joined convoy DS 31 proceeding from the Clyde to Iceland. One of the escorts of convoy DS 31 then joined convoy AT 18, this was the AA cruiser HMS Curacoa (Capt. J.W. Boutwood, RN).
The convoy arrived in U.K. waters on 17 August 1942. (2)
Media links
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Sources
- http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/440.htm
- ADM 53/116482
ADM numbers indicate documents at the British National Archives at Kew, London.
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