USS Fiske (DE-143)

For other ships with the same name, see USS Fiske.
USS Fiske (DE-143) underway in New York Harbor on 20 October 1943.
History
United States
Builder: Consolidated Steel Corp.
Laid down: 4 January 1943
Launched: 14 March 1943
Commissioned: 25 August 1943
Honors and
awards:		 1 × battle star
Fate:
  • Sunk by enemy fire
  • 2 August 1944
General characteristics
Class and type: Edsall-class destroyer escort
Displacement: 1,200 long tons (1,200 metric tons)
Length: 306 ft 0 in (93.27 m)
Beam: 36 ft 7 in (11.15 m)
Draft: 8 ft 7 in (2.62 m)
Propulsion:
Speed: 21 knots
Range: 9100 nmi @ 12 knots
Complement:
Armament:

The USS Fiske (DE-143) was an Edsall-class destroyer escort built for the United States Navy during World War II. Named for Rear Admiral Bradley Allen Fiske, she was the first of two U.S. Naval vessels to bear the name.

Fiske (DE-143) was laid down 4 January 1943 by the Consolidated Steel Corporation of Orange, Texas; launched 14 March 1943; sponsored by Mrs. H. G. Chalkley; and commissioned 25 August 1943 with Lieutenant Commander R. P. Walker in command. Fiske began her service as a convoy escort with a voyage from Norfolk to Coco Solo, C.Z. to New York between 12 and 25 November 1943. On 3 December, the escort ship cleared Norfolk on the first of three convoy assignments from Norfolk and New York to Casablanca. During the third of these, on 20 April 1944 her convoy came under attack by German torpedo bombers in the western Mediterranean, but none of the enemy planes came within range of Fiske.

Completing her Casablanca runs with her return to New York 21 May 1944 Fiske joined the hunter-killer group formed around USS Wake Island at Norfolk 10 June. Five days later her group sailed to patrol across the Atlantic, putting into Casablanca to replenish 20 to 24 July. On 2 August, during a special hunt for submarines known to be transmitting weather information from stations in the central Atlantic, Fiske and USS Douglas L. Howard were detached from the task group to investigate a visual contact both had made. The contact (north of the Azores), surfaced U-804, quickly dived, but the two escorts picked it up on sonar, and began their attack approach. Suddenly, Fiske was torpedoed on her starboard side amidships, and within 10 minutes, she broke in two and had to be abandoned. Thirty-three of her men were killed and 50 badly wounded by the explosion, but all who survived it were rescued by USS Farquhar.

Fiske received one battle star for World War II service.

See also

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.

Coordinates: 47°11′N 33°29′W / 47.183°N 33.483°W / 47.183; -33.483

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