USS Stewart (DE-238)
USS Stewart in 1943
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History | |
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United States | |
Name | Stewart |
Namesake | Charles Stewart |
Builder | Brown Shipbuilding, Houston, Texas |
Laid down | 15 July 1942 |
Launched | 22 November 1942 |
Commissioned | 31 May 1943 |
Decommissioned | January 1947 |
Stricken | 1 October 1972 |
Fate | Donated as a museum ship to Galveston, Texas on 25 June 1974 |
General characteristics | |
Class and type | Edsall-class destroyer escort |
Displacement |
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Length | 306 ft (93.3 m) |
Beam | 36.58 ft (11.1 m) |
Draft | 10.42 ft (3.2 m) full load |
Propulsion |
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Speed | 21 knots (39 km/h; 24 mph) |
Range | 9,100 nmi (16,900 km; 10,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
Complement | 8 officers, 201 enlisted |
Armament |
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USS Stewart | |
Location | East End of Seawolf Park, Galveston, Texas |
Coordinates | 29°20′9″N 94°46′46″W / 29.33583°N 94.77944°W |
Area | 0.3 acres (0.12 ha) |
NRHP reference No. | 07000689[1] |
Added to NRHP | 12 July 2007 |
USS Stewart (DE–238) is an
Construction and career
The third Stewart (DE-238) was laid down at Houston, Texas, by Brown Shipbuilding on 15 July 1942; launched on 22 November; sponsored by Mrs. William A. Porteos, Jr.; and commissioned on 31 May 1943.
Stewart remained at Houston until 10 June, when she shifted to
Convoy duty
After a cruise up the
Stewart sailed with her convoy via
The destroyer escort arrived at
Stewart departed Port Royal again on the 27th, this time in a hunter-killer group composed of
In mid-August, she returned to Casco Bay for two days of training; then she entered drydock at Boston on the 17th. She left drydock on the 21st and soon got underway to join another convoy at Norfolk. Stewart arrived at Norfolk on 22 August. On the 24th, she began another voyage to Naples, returning to the United States at
Following another round of ASW training off
Transfer to the Pacific
She cleared the area on the 12th in company with
Reserve status and decommissioning
She retransited the canal on 22 September and made Philadelphia on the 27th. One month later, Stewart reported for duty to the
Museum ship
On 25 June 1974, Stewart and the Gato-class submarine Cavalla were donated by the U.S. Navy to the city of Galveston for use as part of the American Undersea Warfare Center at Seawolf Park. The municipal park is a memorial to the Texans who died in World War II and is located on Pelican Island. Both vessels were placed, in their entirety, on land overlooking the city. In 2024 USS Stewart underwent new painting to show her as the USS Samuel B Roberts would have appeared during WW2
Neglect
Over the years, a lack of maintenance, the elements, and vandalism had left Stewart and Cavalla in extremely poor material condition with corrosion and missing equipment being the obvious issues. In 1996, the U.S. Navy was considering reclaiming Stewart and placing her in the care of the
Induction into the National Register of Historic Places
On 11 November 2007, Stewart was officially inducted into the National Register of Historic Places[4] in a formal ceremony held in conjunction with regular annual Veterans Day activities. Captain C.W. "Swede" Andersen, President of the Texas Navy Association, Dwayne Jones, Executive Director of the Galveston Historical Foundation, Lyda Ann Thomas, Mayor of Galveston, and a host of other dignitaries were present for the ceremony.[5]
Hurricane Ike
On 13 September 2008, Stewart suffered extensive flooding and wind damage as a result of Hurricane Ike. While Hurricane Ike hit Galveston as a strong Category 2 storm, most of the damage resulted from the category 5-equivalent storm surge. Damage to both Cavalla and Stewart was extensive but restoration activities have brought both vessels back to daily maintenance level condition.[citation needed]
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Galveston County, Texas
- Effects of Hurricane Ike in Texas
- Albany, NY.
References
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2 November 2013.
- ^ "USS Stewart (DE-238)". de220.com. Archived from the original on 5 July 2007. Retrieved 1 January 2007.
- ^ a b "The Cavalla Today/Update". Retrieved 1 January 2007.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 9 July 2010. Retrieved 13 March 2009.
- ^ "Seawolf Park". galveston.com.