USS Major
History | |
---|---|
Builder | Consolidated Steel Corp., Orange, Texas |
Laid down | 16 August 1943 |
Launched | 23 October 1943 |
Sponsored by | Margaret Roper Major |
Commissioned | 12 February 1944 |
Decommissioned | 13 March 1948 |
Stricken | 1 December 1972 |
Fate | Sold for scrapping, 27 November 1973 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Buckley-class destroyer escort |
Displacement | 1,400 tons |
Length | 306' |
Beam | 36' 10" |
Draft | 9' 5" |
Propulsion | 2 "D" Express boilers, G.E. turbines with electric drive, 12000 shp, 2 screws |
Speed | 24 kn |
Range | 4,940 nmi (9,150 km) |
Complement | 186 officers and enlisted |
Armament | 3 × K-gun depth charge projectors, 2 Mk9 depth charge tracks |
USS Major (DE-796) was a Buckley-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1948. She was scrapped in 1973.
History
USS Major was named after Charles Nance Major, who died when the ship on which he was serving as armed guard, the SS R. P. Resor, was torpedoed off Manasquan, New Jersey, by U-578 late 26 February 1942.
Major (DE-796) was laid down by
Battle of the Atlantic
Following her
Major again sailed with Task Force 61 as convoy escort 12 September, but on the 25th she left UGS-54 and steamed to Plymouth, England, where she arrived on 29 September. There she met a convoy of 18 LSTs and 20 LCIs, and between 5 and 24 October she sailed as escort to Charleston, South Carolina. During the next 2 months Major made another convoy run to North Africa and back; and, after she returned to Boston 29 December, she served as a submarine training target ship out of New London, Connecticut. Thence she sailed 21 February 1945 for duty in the Pacific.
Pacific War
After she arrived at
Following the cessation of hostilities 15 August, Major steamed to Manila 18 August and escorted LSTs to Japan. She anchored near mighty Missouri (BB-63) in Tokyo Bay 1 September and the following day witnessed the Japanese surrender on board the giant battleship. After returning to the Philippines later that month, she operated out of Leyte.
Decommissioning and fate
Late in 1945 she steamed to the
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive – USS Major (DE-796)