USS Smartt

History
United States
Name	USS Smartt
Builder	Boston Navy Yard
Laid down	10 January 1943
Launched	22 February 1943
Commissioned	18 June 1943
Decommissioned	5 October 1945
Stricken	24 October 1945
Honors and; awards	1 battle star (World War II)
Fate	Sold for scrapping, 12 July 1946
General characteristics
Type	Evarts-class destroyer escort
Displacement	1,140 long tons (1,158 t) standard; 1,430 long tons (1,453 t) full;
Length	289 ft 5 in (88.21 m) o/a; 283 ft 6 in (86.41 m) w/l;
Beam	35 ft 2 in (10.72 m)
Draft	11 ft (3.4 m) (max)
Propulsion	4 × General Motors Model 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 6,000 shp (4,474 kW); 2 screws;
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range	4,150 nmi (7,690 km)
Complement	15 officers and 183 enlisted
Armament	3 × single dual purpose guns; 1 × quad 1.1"/75 Mk.2 AA gun; 9 × 20 mm Mk.4 AA guns; 1 × Hedgehog Projector Mk.10 (144 rounds); 8 × Mk.6 depth charge projectors; 2 × Mk.9 depth charge tracks;

USS Smartt (DE-257) was an

antisubmarine

operations in battle areas before sailing home at the end of the conflict.

Namesake

Joseph G. Smartt was born on 19 March 1917 in

Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, and was promoted to Ensign

on 17 September 1941.

He was assigned to Patrol Squadron 11 at Naval Air Station, Kaneohe Bay, Oahu, Hawaii and was killed in action on 7 December 1941 during the Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor. He was posthumously commended by the Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet, for his efforts to repel the attack on the air station.

Construction and commissioning

She was laid down on 10 January 1943 by the Boston Navy Yard, Boston, Massachusetts; launched on 22 February 1943; sponsored by Mrs. W. H. Thomson; and commissioned on 18 June 1943.

World War II North Atlantic operations

Smartt fitted out at Boston and sailed on 6 July to

Brooklyn, New York, arriving on 5 October. Between 25 October 1943 and 20 April 1944, Smartt escorted three convoys from New York to Casablanca

and back.

Convoy Under German Air Attack

On 23 April, Smartt sailed from Norfolk with Escort Division 5 as escort for convoy UGS-40 en route to the

starboard side, and she picked them up out of the smoke at approximately 1,500 yards. Her gunners splashed one, and the other was smoking profusely as it passed out of range. The convoy continued to Bizerte, Tunisia, and arrived on 13 May. Smartt joined convoy. GUS-40, consisting of 65 ships, the following week and returned to New York

.

End-of-War operations

Between 4 July 1944 and 14 June 1945, Smartt made six convoy escort voyages from the

Mediterranean and return. When the escort returned to New York with its last convoy, it remained there until 10 July for upkeep. The escort moved to Casco Bay, Maine

, and conducted local operations there from 18 July to 10 September when she returned to New York for inactivation.

Post-War Decommissioning

Smartt was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 5 October. She was struck from the Navy List on 24 October 1945 and sold for scrap on 12 July 1946.

Awards

Smartt received one

battle star for World War II

service.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.

External links

Photo gallery of USS Smartt at NavSource Naval History