USS Thaddeus Parker

History
United States
Name	Thaddeus Parker
Namesake	Thaddeus Parker
Builder	Consolidated Steel Corporation, Orange, Texas
Laid down	23 May 1944
Launched	26 August 1944
Commissioned	25 October 1944
Decommissioned	31 May 1946
Recommissioned	21 September 1951
Decommissioned	1 September 1967
Stricken	1 September 1967
Fate	Sold for scrapping 9 July 1968
General characteristics
Class and type	John C. Butler-class destroyer escort
Displacement	1,350 long tons (1,370 t)
Length	306 ft (93 m)
Beam	36 ft 8 in (11.18 m)
Draft	9 ft 5 in (2.87 m)
Propulsion	2 boilers, 2 geared turbine engines, 12,000 shp (8,900 kW); 2 propellers
Speed	24 knots (44 km/h)
Range	6,000 nmi (11,000 km) at 12 kn (22 km/h)
Complement	14 officers, 201 enlisted
Armament	2 × single 5 in (127 mm) guns; 2 × twin AA guns ; 10 × single 20 mm (0.79 in) AA guns ; 1 × triple 21 in (533 mm) torpedo tubes ; 8 × depth charge throwers; 1 × Hedgehog ASW mortar; 2 × depth charge racks;

USS Thaddeus Parker (DE-369) was a John C. Butler-class destroyer escort in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946 and from 1951 to 1967. She was scrapped in 1968.

Namesake

Thaddeus Parker was born on 13 November 1923 in

Navy Cross for heroism while serving as company corpsman during an engagement with enemy Japanese forces on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, on the night of 13/4 September 1942. He was killed in action at New Georgia, Solomon Islands, on 20 July 20, 1943. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal and the Silver Star

Medal.

History

The ship's

launched on 26 August 1944; sponsored by Miss Iva Lee Parker. The destroyer escort was commissioned

on 25 October 1944.

World War II

Following

U.S. West Coast. She transited the Panama Canal on 7 January 1945 and arrived at San Diego

, California.

Four days later, Thaddeus Parker headed for

Palaus

.

Thaddeus Parker was assigned to an

Escort Division

86.

End-of-war activity

Thaddeus Parker was at Okinawa when hostilities with Japan ceased; and she waited for almost a month before receiving orders on 11 September to proceed to

19th Fleet

at San Diego, California, and was placed out of commission, in reserve, on 31 May 1946.

Cold War and fate

In March 1951, during the

antisubmarine

operations.

On 14 February, she and other reactivated ships sailed for the east coast to join the Atlantic Fleet.

Key West, Florida

.

In June, the escort made a

Training Ship at New York City

.

Thaddeus Parker was activated for Cuban duty, operating off that island from 2 October 1961 to 1 August 1962, before returning to the Reserve fleet at Port

Navy list. She was sold on 9 July 1968 to Peck Iron and Metals Co., Portsmouth, Virginia

, and scrapped.

Awards

Thaddeus Parker 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

NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Thaddeus Parker (DE-369)