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USS Greiner (DE-37)
Encyclopedia
USS Greiner (DE-37) was an constructed for the United States Navy
during World War II
. She was promptly sent off into the Pacific Ocean
to protect convoy
s and other ships from Japanese
submarines and fighter aircraft
. She performed dangerous work in numerous battle areas, and sailed home proudly with three battle stars.
She was named for Lieutenant, junior grade
Kenneth Frederick Greiner, who was killed when the Japanese attacked American-held islands in the Aleutians. She was originally intended for Great Britain
under lend-lease
, was launched as BDE-37 on 20 May 1943 by the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington
and commissioned on 18 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander
F. S. Dowd in command.
and training exercise along the California
-Washington coast, Greiner sailed for Pearl Harbor
, reaching there on 31 October 1943. A series of training and patrol operations kept her in the Hawaiian area until 23 December, when she sailed for recently won Tarawa as flagship
of Escort Squadron 28 (EscSquad 28). Greiner spent virtually a year in the Gilbert Islands
-Marshall Islands
area, as the great American island offensive swept westward toward Japan. The ship performed a variety of tasks, including the most important job of escorting transport vessels to the assault areas. She rescued 13 men from a downed PBM Mariner
on 26 January 1944, and shelled Kusaie in the Caroline Islands
, in reply to a salvo from Japanese batteries
, on 1 June.
Greiner spent 3 months at Pearl Harbor for repairs and operations from July-October, and after antisubmarine exercises in Hawaiian waters spent December patrolling around Wotje, Mili, Jaluit, and Maloelap, "leapfrogged" earlier in the war. She spent the remainder of the war in the Gilberts and Marshalls plane-guarding and screening escort carrier forces, except for a short voyage to Okinawa 29 June-3 July 1945.
Greiner steamed back to the United States
from Kerama Retto
on 3 July, and arrived San Francisco, California
on 28 July.
She decommissioned at Oakland, California
on 19 November 1945 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
on 5 December. The ship was subsequently sold to J. G. Berkwit & Co. on 10 February 1945, and resold in 1947.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. She was promptly sent off into the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
to protect convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
s and other ships from Japanese
Empire of Japan
The Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
submarines and fighter aircraft
Aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
. She performed dangerous work in numerous battle areas, and sailed home proudly with three battle stars.
She was named for Lieutenant, junior grade
Lieutenant, Junior Grade
Lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer rank in the United States Navy, the United States Coast Guard, the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, United States Merchant Marine USMM, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Corps, with the pay grade...
Kenneth Frederick Greiner, who was killed when the Japanese attacked American-held islands in the Aleutians. She was originally intended for Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
under lend-lease
Lend-Lease
Lend-Lease was the program under which the United States of America supplied the United Kingdom, the Soviet Union, China, Free France, and other Allied nations with materiel between 1941 and 1945. It was signed into law on March 11, 1941, a year and a half after the outbreak of war in Europe in...
, was launched as BDE-37 on 20 May 1943 by the Puget Sound Navy Yard, Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton, Washington
Bremerton is a city in Kitsap County, Washington, United States. The population was 38,790 at the 2011 State Estimate, making it the largest city on the Olympic Peninsula. Bremerton is home to Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and the Bremerton Annex of Naval Base Kitsap...
and commissioned on 18 August 1943, Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander
Lieutenant Commander is a commissioned officer rank in many navies. The rank is superior to a lieutenant and subordinate to a commander...
F. S. Dowd in command.
Service history
Following shakedownShakedown (testing)
A shakedown is a period of testing or a trial journey undergone by a ship, aircraft or other craft and its crew before being declared operational. Statistically, a proportion of the components will fail after a relatively short period of use, and those that survive this period can be expected to...
and training exercise along the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
-Washington coast, Greiner sailed for Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor
Pearl Harbor, known to Hawaiians as Puuloa, is a lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. Much of the harbor and surrounding lands is a United States Navy deep-water naval base. It is also the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet...
, reaching there on 31 October 1943. A series of training and patrol operations kept her in the Hawaiian area until 23 December, when she sailed for recently won Tarawa as flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of Escort Squadron 28 (EscSquad 28). Greiner spent virtually a year in the Gilbert Islands
Gilbert Islands
The Gilbert Islands are a chain of sixteen atolls and coral islands in the Pacific Ocean. They are the main part of Republic of Kiribati and include Tarawa, the site of the country's capital and residence of almost half of the population.-Geography:The atolls and islands of the Gilbert Islands...
-Marshall Islands
Marshall Islands
The Republic of the Marshall Islands , , is a Micronesian nation of atolls and islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, just west of the International Date Line and just north of the Equator. As of July 2011 the population was 67,182...
area, as the great American island offensive swept westward toward Japan. The ship performed a variety of tasks, including the most important job of escorting transport vessels to the assault areas. She rescued 13 men from a downed PBM Mariner
PBM Mariner
The Martin PBM Mariner was a patrol bomber flying boat of World War II and the early Cold War period. It was designed to complement the PBY Catalina in service. A total of 1,366 were built, with the first example flying on 18 February 1939 and the type entering service in September 1940.-Design and...
on 26 January 1944, and shelled Kusaie in the Caroline Islands
Caroline Islands
The Caroline Islands are a widely scattered archipelago of tiny islands in the western Pacific Ocean, to the north of New Guinea. Politically they are divided between the Federated States of Micronesia in the eastern part of the group, and Palau at the extreme western end...
, in reply to a salvo from Japanese batteries
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
, on 1 June.
Greiner spent 3 months at Pearl Harbor for repairs and operations from July-October, and after antisubmarine exercises in Hawaiian waters spent December patrolling around Wotje, Mili, Jaluit, and Maloelap, "leapfrogged" earlier in the war. She spent the remainder of the war in the Gilberts and Marshalls plane-guarding and screening escort carrier forces, except for a short voyage to Okinawa 29 June-3 July 1945.
Greiner steamed back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from Kerama Retto
Kerama Retto
The are a group of 22 islands located southwest of Okinawa Island in Japan. Four of the islands are inhabited:,., and. The islands are within Shimajiri District. The Kerama-shotō coral reef is a Ramsar Site....
on 3 July, and arrived San Francisco, California
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
on 28 July.
She decommissioned at Oakland, California
Oakland, California
Oakland is a major West Coast port city on San Francisco Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is the eighth-largest city in the state with a 2010 population of 390,724...
on 19 November 1945 and was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register
Naval Vessel Register
The Naval Vessel Register is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from the time a vessel is authorized through its life cycle and...
on 5 December. The ship was subsequently sold to J. G. Berkwit & Co. on 10 February 1945, and resold in 1947.
Awards
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Combat Action Ribbon Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or... (retroactive) |
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American Campaign Medal American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt... |
| Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was... (with three service star Service star A service star, also referred to as a battle star, campaign star, or engagement star, is an attachment to a United States military decoration which denotes participation in military campaigns or multiple bestowals of the same award. Service stars are typically issued for campaign medals, service... s) |
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World War II Victory Medal |