USS Bates
_underway,_circa_in_1943.jpg)
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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USS Bates |
| Builder | Bethlehem Hingham Shipyard |
| Launched | 6 June 1943 |
| Commissioned | 13 September 1943 |
| Reclassified | APD-47, 31 July 1944 |
| Honors and awards | 3 battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate | Sunk by Kamikazes[1] off Okinawa, 25 May 1945 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Buckley-class destroyer escort |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Draft |
|
| Propulsion | Turbo-electric drive, 12,000 shp (8.9 MW) |
| Speed | 23 knots (43 km/h; 26 mph) |
| Complement | 15 officers, 198 men |
| Armament |
|
USS Bates (DE-68/APD-47) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1945. She sank after being hit by three kamikaze on 25 May 1945.
History
USS Bates was named in honour of
Bethlehem-Hingham Shipyard, Inc., Hingham, Massachusetts
; sponsored by Mrs. Elizabeth Mason Bates, mother of Ensign Bates; and commissioned on 12 September 1943.
Battle of the Atlantic
Bates reported to the
CortDiv
19 consisted of the destroyer escorts
Bates, invasion of Normandy. Between 6 and 12 June, she carried out fire support duties off the Normandy coast. On 8 June, she rescued 163 survivors of the destroyer Meredith, which sustained severe damage and sank when she struck a mine
.
Returning to
high speed transport by Marine Basin Shipyard, Brooklyn. On 31 July her classification was changed to APD-47. Her conversion was completed on 23 October, and she departed the east coast five days later for the Pacific Ocean
.
Pacific War
Between December 1944 and February 1945, Bates carried out training operations, with various Underwater Demolition Teams embarked, in the vicinity of the Hawaiian and western Caroline Islands. On 10 February, she departed Ulithi en route to the invasion of Iwo Jima. She arrived off Iwo Jima on 16 February and remained in the vicinity until 4 March, during which time she conducted high-speed observation runs around the island and acted as the parent ship for UDT-12.
_burning_off_Ie_Shima,_Japan,_25_May_1945_(NH_66450).jpg){kind=spacer}
After a brief period of availability at Ulithi she departed for the invasion of
Okinawa. Between 25 March and 25 May, Bates assisted in UDT operations, conducted patrols, and escorted two convoys between Ulithi and Okinawa. On 6 April she rescued 23 survivors of the destroyer Morris, which had been hit by a Japanese suicide aircraft
.
At 1115 on 25 May, while patrolling two miles south of
portside, rupturing the hull. At 1145 the commanding officer ordered Bates abandoned. Twenty-one of her crew were either dead or missing from the attacks. During the afternoon, the tug Cree
was able to get a line aboard and towed Bates to Ie Shima anchorage. At 1923 on 25 May 1945, the still burning Bates capsized and sank in 20 fathoms of water.
Awards
Bates received three
battle stars for her World War II
service in the Atlantic and Pacific.
References
- ^ Brown p. 152
- Brown, David. Warship Losses of World War Two. Arms and Armour, London, Great Britain, 1990. ISBN 0-85368-802-8.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to USS Bates (DE-68).
- Photo gallery of USS Bates at NavSource Naval History
26°41′N 127°47′E / 26.683°N 127.783°E
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Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in May 1945 | |
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| Shipwrecks |
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| Other incidents |
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