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USS Varian (DE-798)
Encyclopedia
USS Varian (DE-798) was a Buckley-class
Buckley class destroyer escort
The Buckley class destroyer escorts were 102 destroyer escorts launched in the United States in 1943 - 1944. They served in World War II as convoy escorts and anti-submarine warfare ships. The lead ship was USS Buckley which was launched on 9 January 1943. The ships had General Electric steam...
destroyer escort
Destroyer escort
A destroyer escort is the classification for a smaller, lightly armed warship designed to be used to escort convoys of merchant marine ships, primarily of the United States Merchant Marine in World War II. It is employed primarily for anti-submarine warfare, but also provides some protection...
of the United States Navy
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...
, named in honor of Ensign
Ensign (rank)
Ensign is a junior rank of a commissioned officer in the armed forces of some countries, normally in the infantry or navy. As the junior officer in an infantry regiment was traditionally the carrier of the ensign flag, the rank itself acquired the name....
Bertram S. Varian, Jr.
Bertram S. Varian, Jr.
Bertram Stetson Varian, Jr. was a naval aviator in the United States Navy during World War II.-Biography:Varian was born on 26 November 1920 at Weiser, Idaho. He enlisted in the Navy as a seaman 2d class on 3 December 1940 at Boise, Idaho, and received an appointment as aviation cadet on 15...
(1920–1942), a naval aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
who was killed in action in the Battle of Midway
Battle of Midway
The Battle of Midway is widely regarded as the most important naval battle of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Between 4 and 7 June 1942, approximately one month after the Battle of the Coral Sea and six months after Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States Navy decisively defeated...
.
Varian was laid down on 27 August 1943 at Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
, by the Consolidated Steel Corp.; launched
Ship naming and launching
The ceremonies involved in naming and launching naval ships are based in traditions thousands of years old.-Methods of launch:There are three principal methods of conveying a new ship from building site to water, only two of which are called "launching." The oldest, most familiar, and most widely...
on 6 November 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Arnold F. Brunkow, sister of the late Ens. Varian; and commissioned
Ship commissioning
Ship commissioning is the act or ceremony of placing a ship in active service, and may be regarded as a particular application of the general concepts and practices of project commissioning. The term is most commonly applied to the placing of a warship in active duty with its country's military...
on 29 February 1944, Lieutenant Commander C. W. Petrie, USNR, in command.
After fitting out, Varian conducted her shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise
Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Shakedown cruises are also used to familiarize the ship's crew with operation of the craft....
out of Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
for the last half of the month of March 1944. She then joined the homeward-bound ships of 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...
GUS-33 on 30 March and helped to escort them to Hampton Roads, Virginia. Following repairs at Boston and further training out of Casco Bay
Casco Bay
Casco Bay is an inlet of the Gulf of Maine on the southern coast of Maine, New England, United States. Its easternmost approach is Cape Small and its westernmost approach is Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth...
, Varian shifted south and rendezvoused with Mediterranean-bound Convoy UGS-44 on 2 June. After subsequently shepherding GUS-44 from Bizerte
Bizerte
Bizerte or Benzert , is the capital city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia and the northernmost city in Africa. It has a population of 230,879 .-History:...
to Hampton Roads, the destroyer escort arriyed at New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
on 18 July. She then conducted two more round-trip convoy missions, with UGS/GUS-51 from mid-August to mid-September and with UGS/GUS-58 until mid-November, before she was assigned to the first "hunter-killer" group — formed on 30 November 1944 to track down and destroy enemy submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s.
Varian and her sisters accordingly underwent intensive training for 26 days. They received special instruction, principally in high-frequency direction finding and gunnery; and spent 60 hours perfecting unit tactics for coordinated attacks on maneuvering submarines. Before they put to sea, Escort Division 62 — grouped as Task Unit 27.1.1 (TU 27.1.1) and led by Cmdr. Jack F. Bowling in Otter
USS Otter (DE-210)
USS Otter , a of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Lieutenant Bethel V. Otter , who was killed in action on Corregidor on 6 May 1942....
(DE-210) — practiced every type of known antisubmarine warfare attack, rehearsing them in simulated operating conditions.
In less than a month after TU 27.1.1's departure from Casco Bay on the day after Christmas of 1944, the new unit proved the "hunter-killer" concept valid. On the morning of 16 January 1945, Otter, Varian, Hayter
USS Hayter (DE-212)
USS Hayter , a Buckley-class destroyer escort of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Lieutenant Commander Hubert M. Hayter , who was killed in action, while serving aboard the cruiser during the Battle of Tassafaronga on 30 November 1942...
(DE-212), and Hubbard
USS Hubbard (DE-211)
USS Hubbard , a of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Commander Joseph C. Hubbard USS Hubbard (DE-211/APD-53), a of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Commander Joseph C. Hubbard USS Hubbard (DE-211/APD-53), a of the United States Navy, was named in honor of Commander...
(DE-211) hunted down U-248 and sank her after a dogged two-hour hunt, 500 miles (900 km) north of the Azores
Azores
The Archipelago of the Azores is composed of nine volcanic islands situated in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, and is located about west from Lisbon and about east from the east coast of North America. The islands, and their economic exclusion zone, form the Autonomous Region of the...
, at 47°43′N 26°37′W.
A little over three months later, on 24 April, Varian and nine other DEs tracked down the U-boat
U-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
that had recently torpedoed Frederick C. Davis
USS Frederick C. Davis (DE-136)
The USS Frederick C. Davis was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Ensign Frederick Curtice Davis , she was the first U.S. Naval vessel to bear the name.Frederick C...
(DE-136). The 10 American DEs avenged their sister's loss with a punishing depth charge
Depth charge
A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare weapon intended to destroy or cripple a target submarine by the shock of exploding near it. Most use explosives and a fuze set to go off at a preselected depth in the ocean. Depth charges can be dropped by either surface ships, patrol aircraft, or from...
barrage that forced U-546
German submarine U-546
German submarine U-546 was a Type IXC/40 U-boat operated by the German Kriegsmarine during World War II. U-546 was responsible for the last combat sinking of a United States Navy vessel in the Atlantic Theatre, during Operation Teardrop, under the command of Kapitänleutnant Paul Just.-Service...
to the surface, where the DEs then destroyed her with gunfire, at 43°53′N 40°07′W. Varian picked up nine survivors.
The end of the war in Europe on 7 May 1945 saw many of Germany's
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
U-boat fleet still at sea. On 12 May, Varian rendezvoused with one of these, U-805, and a party from the destroyer escort, led by Lt. (jg.) Earle D. Stevenson, USNR, boarded the submarine and brought her to the east coast.
Following upkeep at the Boston Navy Yard
Boston Navy Yard
The Boston Navy Yard, originally called the Charlestown Navy Yard and later Boston Naval Shipyard, was one of the oldest shipbuilding facilities in the United States Navy. Established in 1801, it was officially closed as an active naval installation on July 1, 1974, and the property was...
, Varian got underway on 23 May and proceeded via New York to Hampton Roads. Shifting to Miami, Florida
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
, soon thereafter, the destroyer escort operated in a training role, providing practical experience for newly commissioned officers until 16 July. The next day, earmarked for conversion to a radar picket ship, Varian arrived at Charleston, S.C. for availability. However, her conversion was cancelled, and the ship soon resumed training operations in the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
.
On 2 September, the ship departed Culebra
Culebra, Puerto Rico
Isla Culebra is an island-municipality of Puerto Rico originally called Isla Pasaje and Isla de San Ildefonso. It is located approximately east of the Puerto Rican mainland, west of St. Thomas and north of Vieques. Culebra is spread over 5 wards and Culebra Pueblo...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, and she steamed north to New London, Conn.
Naval Submarine Base New London
Naval Submarine Base New London is the United States Navy's primary submarine base, the "Home of the Submarine Force", and "the Submarine Capital of the World".-History:...
, for training duty with Atlantic Fleet
U.S. Atlantic Fleet
The United States Fleet Forces Command is an Atlantic Ocean theater-level component command of the United States Navy that provides naval resources that are under the operational control of the United States Northern Command...
submarines. At New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, for Navy Day
Navy Day
Several nations observe or have observed a Navy Day to recognize their navy. The term is also used in Britain to mean an open day at a dockyard such as HMNB Portsmouth, when the public can visit military ships and see air displays, roughly along the lines of an American Fleet Week .- Argentina...
festivities, Varian subsequently sailed south for inactivation at Green Cove Springs near Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Florida in terms of both population and land area, and the largest city by area in the contiguous United States. It is the county seat of Duval County, with which the city government consolidated in 1968...
. Arriving there, via Boston, on 27 November, Varian was decommissioned
Ship decommissioning
To decommission a ship is to terminate her career in service in the armed forces of her nation. A somber occasion, it has little of the elaborate ceremony of ship commissioning, but carries significant tradition....
on 15 March 1946 and placed in reserve. She was later shifted to the Texas group of the Reserve Fleet
Reserve fleet
A reserve fleet is a collection of naval vessels of all types that are fully equipped for service but are not currently needed, and thus partially or fully decommissioned. A reserve fleet is informally said to be "in mothballs" or "mothballed"; an equivalent expression in unofficial modern U.S....
at Orange. There, she remained through the 1960s. Struck from the Navy list
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 1 December 1972, Varian was sold on 12 January 1974 to the Southern Scrap Metal Co., Ltd., of New Orleans
New Orleans, Louisiana
New Orleans is a major United States port and the largest city and metropolitan area in the state of Louisiana. The New Orleans metropolitan area has a population of 1,235,650 as of 2009, the 46th largest in the USA. The New Orleans – Metairie – Bogalusa combined statistical area has a population...
, for scrapping. Towed by three tugs, the erstwhile U-boat killer began her final voyage on 31 January.
Varian received two battle stars for her 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...
service.