USS ''Bangust'' (DE- 739) was a in service with the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

from 1943 to 1946. In 1952, she was sold to

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, where she served as BAP ''Castilla'' (D-61). She was decommissioned and scrapped in 1979.

Namesake

Joseph Bangust was born on 30 May 1915 in

Niles, Ohio Niles is a city in southern Trumbull County, Ohio, United States, situated at the confluence of the Mahoning River and Mosquito Creek. The city's population was 18,443 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan a ...

. He enlisted in the

on 16 November 1938 at the Naval Training Station,

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

. Promoted to Seaman 2nd class on 16 December 1938, he was transferred to Patrol Wing (PatWing) 2 in June 1939, and, within the wing, to Patrol Squadron 21 (VP-21) the following July. He accompanied the squadron as it deployed to the

Philippine Islands The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

with its Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boats, and in December 1939 received promotion to Seaman 1st class. Within the next year, he was promoted twice: to aviation machinist's mate 3d class (May 1940) and aviation machinist's mate 2d class (February 1941). The commencement of hostilities between the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

in December 1941 found Bangust assigned to VP-101, as VP-21 had been redesignated. On 26 December 1941 at 23:00 six PBYs departed their advance base at

Ambon Ambon may refer to: Places * Ambon Island, an island in Indonesia ** Ambon, Maluku, a city on Ambon Island, the capital of Maluku province ** Governorate of Ambon, a colony of the Dutch East India Company from 1605 to 1796 * Ambon, Morbihan, a c ...

in the

Netherlands East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...

to attack Japanese shipping reported in

Jolo Jolo ( tsg, Sūg) is a volcanic island in the southwest Philippines and the primary island of the province of Sulu, on which the capital of the same name is situated. It is located in the Sulu Archipelago, between Borneo and Mindanao, and has ...

harbor in the Sulu Archipelago. Bangust flew as second mechanic and gunner in the Catalina flown by Ensign Elwyn L. Christman, USNR. "Very accurate"

antiaircraft Anti-aircraft warfare, counter-air or air defence forces is the battlespace response to aerial warfare, defined by NATO as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It includes surface based, ...

fire from shore emplacements greeted the PBYs as they arrived over the harbor, but it ceased when a group of Mitsubishi A6M2 Type 0 fighters appeared to intercept the attackers. Bangust and Aviation Machinist's Mate 1st Class Andrew K. Waterman downed the first Zero. Christman released his bombs in a 60 degree dive, pulled out, and then headed west along the Sulu Archipelago. One fighter followed, attacking the plane's port side persistently, but Christman sought to foil the attacker by turning into him, forcing him to break off his runs. A duel ensued as the planes headed west and a projectile from one of the Zero's cannon holed the fuel tank, sending a stream of gasoline into the mechanic's compartment. On his next run, the Zero managed to ignite the volatile fuel. Blinded, and having suffered third-degree burns on his face, hands and neck, Bangust joined Radioman 2d Class P. H. Landers, the second radioman, in bailing out of the burning flying boat. Meanwhile, Ensign Christman rode the plane in and landed on the water. Landers, less injured than Bangust, guided the latter's swimming efforts as they struck out for the island of Lugos. About noon on 27 December, Landers glanced behind at his injured shipmate but saw only an empty life jacket, Bangust had apparently slipped from it and drowned. For his "courage and successful machine gunnery" and his "extraordinary heroism" during the action over Jolo, Bangust was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

, posthumously.

History

United States Navy (1943–1952)

The ship was laid down on 11 February 1943 at

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, by the

Western Pipe and Steel Company The Western Pipe and Steel Company (WPS) was an American manufacturing company that is best remembered today for its construction of ships for the Maritime Commission in World War II. It also built ships for the U.S. Shipping Board in World Wa ...

; launched on 6 June 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Stephen W. Gerber; and commissioned at her builder's yard on 30 October 1943.

1944

After fitting out, ''Bangust'' reported for

shakedown Shakedown may refer to: * Shakedown (continuum mechanics), a type of plastic deformation * Shakedown (testing) or a shakedown cruise, a period of testing undergone by a ship, airplane or other craft before being declared operational * Extortion, ...

training on 21 November 1943, and conducted these operations from

. Deemed ready to join the fleet upon the completion of her shakedown on 18 December, ''Bangust'' underwent post-shakedown availability at the Naval Drydocks,

San Pedro, California San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...

, and ultimately reported to Commander,

Western Sea Frontier Sea Frontiers were several, now disestablished, commands of the United States Navy as areas of defense against enemy vessels, especially submarines, along the U.S. coasts. They existed from 1 July 1941 until in some cases the 1970s. Sea Frontiers ...

, for duty on 9 January 1944, as she cleared San Pedro for

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Departing thence on 13 January for

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an waters, in company with , ''Bangust'' arrived at

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the Naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Re ...

on 19 January. ''Bangust'', flagship for the Commander, Escort Division (

CortDiv The structure of the United States Navy consists of four main bodies: the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, the operating forces (described below), and the Shore Establishment. Office of the Chief of ...

) 32, sailed on her first escort mission on 25 January. She stood out of Pearl Harbor in company with , , and , all bound for the Ellice Islands. The task unit was dissolved when it arrived in

Funafuti Funafuti is the capital of the island nation of Tuvalu. It has a population of 6,320 people (2017 census), and so it has more people than the rest of Tuvalu combined, with approximately 60% of the population. It consists of a narrow sweep of la ...

on 2 February, and ''Bangust'' continued on to the

Gilbert Islands The Gilbert Islands ( gil, Tungaru;Reilly Ridgell. ''Pacific Nations and Territories: The Islands of Micronesia, Melanesia, and Polynesia.'' 3rd. Ed. Honolulu: Bess Press, 1995. p. 95. formerly Kingsmill or King's-Mill IslandsVery often, this n ...

that same day. The destroyer escort reached Makin on the 5th and then moved to

Tarawa Tarawa is an atoll and the capital of the Republic of Kiribati,Kiribati
''

rendezvous with and three merchantmen for the voyage to

Majuro Majuro (; Marshallese: ' ) is the capital and largest city of the Marshall Islands. It is also a large coral atoll of 64 islands in the Pacific Ocean. It forms a legislative district of the Ratak (Sunrise) Chain of the Marshall Islands. The ato ...

in the

Marshall Islands The Marshall Islands ( mh, Ṃajeḷ), officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands ( mh, Aolepān Aorōkin Ṃajeḷ),'' () is an independent island country and microstate near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, slightly west of the Internati ...

. ''Bangust'' and ''Greiner'', however, received new orders on the 10th that sent them back to Tarawa, where they arrived that same day. After that false start, the

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

got underway again on the 18th with elements of Marine Night Fighter Squadron

VMF(N)-532 Marine Night Fighter Squadron 532 (VMF(N)-532) was a United States Marine Corps night fighter squadron that was commissioned during World War II. The squadron, which flew the Vought F4U Corsair, F4U-2 Corsair, was the second night fighter squadro ...

embarked. She rendezvoused with and and then headed for

Kwajalein Kwajalein Atoll (; Marshallese: ) is part of the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The southernmost and largest island in the atoll is named Kwajalein Island, which its majority English-speaking residents (about 1,000 mostly U.S. civilia ...

in the Marshalls. ''Bangust'' and her traveling companions made

Roi Namur Roi-Namur ( ) is an island in the north part of the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Today it is a major part of the Ronald Reagan Ballistic Missile Defense Test Site, hosting several radar systems used for tracking and characterizing miss ...

at Kwajalein on the 21st, and the two escorts returned to Tarawa on the 24th. Assigned to the Commander, Task Group (TG) 57.7 on 1 March for local escort and patrol duties, she operated in the immediate vicinity of Tarawa harbor until 7 March 1944. Between 8 and 18 March, ''Bangust''s embarked division commander served as

senior officer present afloat Senior Officer Present Afloat, usually referred to as SOPA, is a U.S. Navy term to indicate the U.S. Navy officer, with the highest ranking by rank, or number in rank, present in a harbor occupied by more than one U.S. Navy vessel. That officer is e ...

(SOPA) at Tarawa, and the warship remained anchored there during that time. Soon thereafter, on 19 March, ''Bangust'' joined to escort to

Apamama Abemama (Apamama) is an atoll, one of the Gilberts group in Kiribati, and is located southeast of Tarawa and just north of the Equator. Abemama has an area of and a population of 3,299 . The islets surround a deep lagoon. The eastern part of ...

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') a ...

, arriving the same day. Three days later, ''Bangust'', along with ''Eisele'', sailed for Pearl Harbor as escort for , , and ''LST-29''. Relieved of this duty later the same day, however, ''Bangust'' was ordered to proceed to Majuro instead. Reaching Majuro on the morning of 24 March, the destroyer escort received a

hunter-killer Hunter-killer may refer to: Military terminology * Hunter-killer team, a team that separates the tasks of "hunting" and "killing" to two or more individuals * Hunter-killer armored-vehicle team, scout vehicles and tanks operating in concert as "hun ...

assignment from the Commander, Service Squadron (ServRon) 10. The destroyer escort arrived on the scene of an earlier submarine attack and conducted

anti-submarine An anti-submarine weapon (ASW) is any one of a number of devices that are intended to act against a submarine and its crew, to destroy (sink) the vessel or reduce its capability as a weapon of war. In its simplest sense, an anti-submarine weapo ...

warfare operations in the area until returning to Majuro on the 27th. Two days later, ''Bangust'' escorted fleet

oilers Oiler may refer to: Ships * Replenishment oiler * Tanker (ship) Sports * Cape Breton Oilers, a former American Hockey League team * City Oilers, Ugandan basketball team * Edmonton Oilers, a National Hockey League team based in Edmonton, Alberta, ...

to a fueling rendezvous with the fast carriers carrying out

Operation Desecrate One Operation Desecrate One was a World War II United States Navy operation on 30–31 March 1944. Desecrate One was part of the preparations for Operations Reckless and Persecution, the Allied invasion of western New Guinea. Desecrate One involved ...

, the carrier support for the unfolding operations against

Hollandia Hollandia may refer to: * HVV Hollandia, Dutch football team * Hollandia Victoria Combinatie, defunct Dutch football team * ''Hollandia'' (1742 ship), a ship of the Dutch East India Company, wrecked in 1743 on her maiden voyage * Jayapura, a city ...

, Dutch

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

. Returning to Majuro on 5 April after having completed her mission, ''Bangust'' then departed the Marshalls on 10 April, escorting out of those waters before being detached from that duty to return to her base of operations. Back at Majuro on 14 April, ''Bangust'' spent the next few weeks engaged in a succession of local escort missions between Majuro and Kwajalein, taking to Kwajalein between 18 and 19 April, shepherding and ATR-44 to Majuro between 21 and 23 April, and standing out to rendezvous with to escort that ship into Majuro on 26 and 27 April. Operating on harbor entrance patrol on 29 and 30 April, ''Bangust'' then joined and in putting to sea on 3 May to fuel at sea from TG 50.17 before returning the same day. Escorting out of local waters on 4, 5 and 6 May, the destroyer escort then returned to Kwajalein on the 8th. Shifting back to Majuro on the 10th, ''Bangust'' lingered there until she sailed for Hawaiian waters on the 16th. Arriving at Pearl Harbor on 22 May, ''Bangust'' entered the

Pearl Harbor Navy Yard Naval Station Pearl Harbor is a United States naval base on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. In 2010, along with the United States Air Force's Hickam Air Force Base, the facility was merged to form Joint Base Pearl Harbor–Hickam. Pearl Harbor is ...

the following day and underwent repairs and alterations there until 3 June. Among the items of work accomplished were alterations to sound gear, her SL

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

, and repairs to the ship's auxiliary

boiler A boiler is a closed vessel in which fluid (generally water) is heated. The fluid does not necessarily boil. The heated or vaporized fluid exits the boiler for use in various processes or heating applications, including water heating, central h ...

. She sailed for the Marshalls on 4 June, proceeding independently. At a point some from her destination, Roi, ''Bangust's'' radar picked up a contact at 2325 on 10 June 1944. Having received no reports of any Japanese or Allied submarines on her projected track, the destroyer escort tracked the contact continuously until the ship's lookouts spotted a ship emerging from a rain

squall A squall is a sudden, sharp increase in wind speed lasting minutes, as opposed to a wind gust, which lasts for only seconds. They are usually associated with active weather, such as rain showers, thunderstorms, or heavy snow. Squalls refer to the ...

off the

starboard Port and starboard are nautical terms for watercraft and aircraft, referring respectively to the left and right sides of the vessel, when aboard and facing the bow (front). Vessels with bilateral symmetry have left and right halves which are ...

bow at 2345. Poor visibility made identification difficult; but, as the range narrowed to , ''Bangust's'' lookouts deemed the stranger as either a small surface craft or a submarine. After the radar "pip" disappeared at 2348, ''Bangust'' stood toward the contact and fired a spread of starshell to illuminate the area, but without result. Just past midnight, ''Bangust'' gave the underwater challenge, which drew no response, and then launched four successive "hedgehog" barrages, the last of which triggered a series of six explosions. After these had subsided, another, larger, explosion shook the ship. That shock indicated to the destroyer escort's sailors that she herself had been

torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...

ed.

Damage control In navies and the maritime industry, damage control is the emergency control of situations that may cause the sinking of a watercraft. Examples are: * rupture of a pipe or hull especially below the waterline and * damage from grounding (runn ...

parties immediately set about their task but only found a small leak in the forward engine room where a weld had been started. Aft, torpedomen checked the

depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...

racks, thinking that a "K-gun" might have been fired accidentally, but found no charges missing. The ship's sonar operator then reported hearing two additional, but rather weak, explosions, along with hissing and gurgling noises. A strong smell of

diesel oil Diesel fuel , also called diesel oil, is any liquid fuel specifically designed for use in a diesel engine, a type of internal combustion engine in which fuel ignition takes place without a spark as a result of compression of the inlet air and t ...

hung in the air in the vicinity of the final attack. Postwar accounting would confirm that ''Bangust'' sank the Japanese submarine . ''Bangust'' lingered in the area, continuing the search until 1700 on 11 June. Greiner, accompanied by the motor minesweepers and and the

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

arrived on the scene and relieved ''Bangust'' of hunter-killer operations so that she could resume her voyage to Roi Namur, which she reached later the same day. After serving on harbor entrance patrol off Roi on 13 June, ''Bangust'' joined and Weaver to screen a convoy bound for

Eniwetok Enewetak Atoll (; also spelled Eniwetok Atoll or sometimes Eniewetok; mh, Ānewetak, , or , ; known to the Japanese as Brown Atoll or Brown Island; ja, ブラウン環礁) is a large coral atoll of 40 islands in the Pacific Ocean and with it ...

. Reaching that place on the 15th, the destroyer escort refueled and rejoined the convoy soon thereafter, heading towards the

Marianas The Mariana Islands (; also the Marianas; in Chamorro: ''Manislan Mariånas'') are a crescent-shaped archipelago comprising the summits of fifteen longitudinally oriented, mostly dormant volcanic mountains in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, betw ...

. Arriving in the fueling area established in the waters east of

Saipan Saipan ( ch, Sa’ipan, cal, Seipél, formerly in es, Saipán, and in ja, 彩帆島, Saipan-tō) is the largest island of the Northern Mariana Islands, a Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States in the western Pa ...

, ''Bangust'' covered the oilers as they carried out their vital logistics service to the fleet until 20 June. At that time, she was detached to escort three of the petroleum carriers back to Eniwetok. Reaching her destination with her charges on the 24th, the destroyer escort remained there until the 29th, when she assumed harbor entrance patrol duties off the entrance to Eniwetok. Dropping anchor back at Eniwetok on 30 June, ''Bangust'' remained there until the 13th, when she joined ''Capps'' and ''Weaver'' in providing cover for the departure of and ''Lackawanna''. On 15 July, she joined TG 50.17 and soon operated in the vicinity of the

Guam Guam (; ch, Guåhan ) is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States in the Micronesia subregion of the western Pacific Ocean. It is the westernmost point and territory of the United States (reckoned from the geographic cent ...

and Saipan, screening the oilers keeping the "fleet that came to stay" fueled during the operations to capture Guam. Completing this duty on 23 July, ''Bangust'' escorted her charges back to Eniwetok, arriving there three days later. Underway for the Marianas again, this time in company with , the destroyer escort rejoined TG 50.17 in the fueling area off Saipan on 2 August. A sound contact on 3 August enlivened her tour with the logistics ships this time around, as she conducted hunter-killer operations in hopes of nabbing her second enemy submarine. A five-charge pattern fired at the contact yielded no result; however, so she abandoned the hunter-killer work and rejoined the convoy. ''Bangust'', and were detached on 11 August and ordered to anchor at Saipan. Later assigned duty as off-shore patrol, ''Bangust'' operated in this role on the 12th. Following her relief the following day, the warship served a brief tour of screening duty with CortDiv 65. Upon completion of that work, she returned to Saipan in company with . ''Bangust'' screened a convoy to Eniwetok without incident between 16 and 19 August and, then, enjoyed a brief period of upkeep and availability from 20 to 25 August in Eniwetok Atoll. During this time, Commander, CortDiv 32 shifted his command pennant from ''Bangust'' to ''Waterman'' on the 23rd. Underway again on the 26th, ''Bangust'' escorted a convoy to Manus, arriving there on the 31st. There, she replenished, and her ship's company carried out voyage repairs between 1 and 9 September. After conducting escort missions for another oiler unit, the warship set course for

Seeadler Harbor Seeadler Harbor, also known as Port Seeadler, is located on Manus Island, Admiralty Islands, Papua New Guinea and played an important role in World War II. In German, "Seeadler" means sea eagle, pointing to German colonial activity between 1884 an ...

, arriving there on 15 September. Underway again three days later, ''Bangust'' escorted three task units, again composed of oilers, to a fueling rendezvous with the warships of the

U.S. 3rd Fleet The United States Third Fleet is one of the numbered fleets in the United States Navy. Third Fleet's area of responsibility includes approximately fifty million square miles of the eastern and northern Pacific Ocean areas including the Bering ...

, joining TG 38.3 on 26 September. Then assigned to TG 30.8, the warship escorted a task unit back to the

Admiralties The Admiralty Islands are an archipelago group of 18 islands in the Bismarck Archipelago, to the north of New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean. These are also sometimes called the Manus Islands, after the largest island. These rainforest-cov ...

, reaching Manus on 1 October. ''Bangust'' underwent more voyage repairs and preparations for her next operations until the 9th and then sailed in company with on the 10th, bound for

Kossol Passage Kossol Roads is a large body of reef-enclosed water north of Babeldaob in northern Palau at .Kossol Roads
a ...

. Reaching her destination on the 13th, ''Bangust'' dropped anchor and remained there until the 18th, when she got underway in company with , bound for the Admiralties. Reaching Manus on 21 October, the destroyer escort then sailed in company with on the 25th, escorting a task unit bound for the Western Carolines. The ships reached

Ulithi Ulithi ( yap, Wulthiy, , or ) is an atoll in the Caroline Islands of the western Pacific Ocean, about east of Yap. Overview Ulithi consists of 40 islets totaling , surrounding a lagoon about long and up to wide—at one of the largest i ...

on 28 October without incident. ''Bangust'' remained at Ulithi for the next several days, pulling several tours of local off-shore patrol duty before her departure on 12 November as escort for a fueling group bound for a rendezvous with the fleet. Following this tour, ''Bangust'' plane-guarded for , before being detached to carry out other screening duties before she received orders to Ulithi on 22 November. Reaching her destination on the 24th, the warship resumed duty as CortDiv 32

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

on 28 November. At sea on 10 December with TG 30.8, the destroyer escort turned back the same day, arriving at Ulithi on the 11th for repairs to her sound gear. On 12 December 1944, ''Bangust'' commenced a tour of escort duty with the 3rd Fleet. On 18 and 19 December, a

typhoon A typhoon is a mature tropical cyclone that develops between 180° and 100°E in the Northern Hemisphere. This region is referred to as the Northwestern Pacific Basin, and is the most active tropical cyclone basin on Earth, accounting for a ...

damaged a number of ships and sank three destroyers. ''Bangust'' stood by the battered destroyer during the night of the 18th, and later took part in search efforts to locate survivors of two of the three destroyers that had sunk, and , giving up the search on the 23rd.

1945

Proceeding back to Ulithi, ''Bangust'' reached her destination on

Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...

1944. Two days later, the Commander, CortDiv 32 shifted his pennant to . ''Bangust'' sailed from Ulithi on 3 January 1945 as escort for another refueling group but turned back after only a day and saw safely back into Ulithi for repairs on the 5th. Underway once more on the 7th, ''Bangust'' entered

Leyte Gulf Leyte Gulf is a gulf in the Eastern Visayan region in the Philippines. The bay is part of the Philippine Sea of the Pacific Ocean, and is bounded by two islands; Samar in the north and Leyte in the west. On the south of the bay is Mindanao Isl ...

on the 14th, and the

Sulu Sea The Sulu Sea ( fil, Dagat Sulu; Tausug: ''Dagat sin Sūg''; Chavacano: ''Mar de Sulu''; Cebuano: ''Dagat sa Sulu''; Hiligaynon: ''Dagat sang Sulu''; Karay-a: ''Dagat kang Sulu''; Cuyonon: ''Dagat i'ang Sulu''; ms, Laut Sulu) is a body o ...

the following day, before she ultimately joined up with TG 30.8 on the 16th in the

South China Sea The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phil ...

. Proceeding thence to Ulithi via Leyte Gulf, ''Bangust'' reached her destination on the 18th. From there, she shepherded the oiler to San Pedro Bay,

Leyte Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census. Since the accessibility of land has be ...

. ''Bangust'' got underway for a fueling rendezvous on the 21st in company with ''Neches'', and joined up with other fleet oilers and escorts en route. Detached along with , and , the destroyer escort was ordered to proceed to the Western Carolines, dropping anchor in Ulithi lagoon on 25 January. Four days later, Commander, CortDiv 32 broke his pennant in ''Bangust''. After completing voyage repairs, ''Bangust'' sailed on 8 February 1945 with elements of TG 50.8, a fueling group, and the oilers in this unit fueled the ships of TGs 58.1, 58.4 and 58.5 on 19 February, and TGs 58.2 and 58.3 on the 20th. Departing the task group on the 21st, ''Bangust'' then escorted a task unit back to the Western Carolines, reaching Ulithi on the 23d, where she immediately joined another task unit, and ultimately rejoined TG 50.8 on 26 February. She returned to Ulithi on 5 March. ''Bangust'' returned to the forward areas on 25 March, conveying the vital oilers to their rendezvous with the fast carrier task groups of Task Force (TF) 58. The warship screened in and around the fueling areas until detached on 5 April. Returning to Ulithi on the 9th, the ship underwent voyage repairs at that fleet base until the 16th, when she resumed her operations with the oilers fueling the ships taking part in the operations off

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

. Joining TG 50.8 on 19 April, ''Bangust'' operated on antisubmarine screening station and carried out plane guard duties as required. Detached on 7 May, ''Bangust'' sailed for Guam and reached

Apra Harbor Apra Harbor, also called Port Apra, is a deep-water port on the western side of the United States territory of Guam. It is considered one of the best natural ports in the Pacific Ocean. The harbor is bounded by Cabras Island and the Glass Breakwa ...

, there, on the 10th. Closing out her availability a day early, the warship got underway on 20 May to rendezvous with TG 50.8—later redesignated TG 30.8—on 24 May. Convoying a task unit of oilers to the fueling rendezvous, ''Bangust'' remained at sea with these logistics ships until 7 June, when she was detached to return to Guam. Arriving back at Apra Harbor on the 10th, the warship then underwent minor repairs and maintenance, replenished

ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weap ...

, and provisioned while her crew enjoyed a period of recreation. On 23 June, ''Bangust'' made the short run from Guam to Saipan and remained there, awaiting further orders, through 3 July 1945. On 4 July, ''Bangust'' sailed in company with the escort carriers , , and , and their screen, , and , to rendezvous with TG 30.8 – the task group assigned the job of logistics support to the fast carriers of TF 38, during the strikes on

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and other areas of northern

. After making the rendezvous on 5 July, ''Bangust'' operated with TG 30.8 until detached on 18 to return to Ulithi, where she arrived on 23 July. Underway on 25 July 1945, ''Bangust'' carried out an antisubmarine sweep to cover the exit of the heavy ships from Ulithi, and then proceeded to sea to join TG 30.8 on 29 July. Following Japan's mid-August capitulation, ''Bangust'' remained at sea with TG 30.8. On 27 August, having already embarked a

prize crew A prize crew is the selected members of a ship chosen to take over the operations of a captured ship. Prize crews were required to take their prize to appropriate prize courts, which would determine whether the ship's officers and crew had sufficie ...

, she headed for a rendezvous point to take the surrender of . Escorted by four General Motors FM fighters and , ''Bangust'' made the rendezvous the following day. Leaving Japanese submarine ''I-14'' off

Sagami Wan lies south of Kanagawa Prefecture in Honshu, central Japan, contained within the scope of the Miura Peninsula, in Kanagawa, to the east, the Izu Peninsula, in Shizuoka Prefecture, to the west, and the Shōnan coastline to the north, while t ...

on 28 August, ''Bangust'' moved alongside the

submarine tender A submarine tender is a type of depot ship that supplies and supports submarines. Development Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally do not have the ability to carry large amounts of food, fuel, torpedoes, and ...

, , inside Sagami Wan proper to disembark the crew of the Japanese submarine; on 30 August, the destroyer escort then fueled from . Underway for

Tokyo Bay is a bay located in the southern Kantō region of Japan, and spans the coasts of Tokyo, Kanagawa Prefecture, and Chiba Prefecture. Tokyo Bay is connected to the Pacific Ocean by the Uraga Channel. The Tokyo Bay region is both the most populous a ...

on 31 August 1945, ''Bangust'' arrived there later the same day. She paused there only briefly, however, for she sailed the following day for Saipan, reaching her destination on 5 September. Underway two days later, ''Bangust'', in company with ''Kyne'', shaped course back to Japan with a convoy of four merchantmen. Reaching Tokyo on 13 September and delivering her charges, the destroyer escort shifted to

Yokosuka is a city in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. , the city has a population of 409,478, and a population density of . The total area is . Yokosuka is the 11th most populous city in the Greater Tokyo Area, and the 12th in the Kantō region. The city ...

Ko the following day. ''Bangust'' sailed for the

on 2 October 1945 in company with other ships in her division and, after a brief stop at Pearl Harbor between 10 and 13 October, reached San Pedro, California, on 20 October. Reporting to Commander,

, for two weeks maintenance and onward routing, ''Bangust'' departed the west coast on 6 November. Reaching the

Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...

on 16 November, the destroyer escort transited the

Panama Canal The Panama Canal ( es, Canal de Panamá, link=no) is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean and divides North and South America. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a conduit ...

and departed

Panama Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...

waters on the 17th, bound for the east coast of the United States.

1946–1947

The destroyer escort reached the

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was an important naval shipyard of the United States for almost two centuries. Philadelphia's original navy yard, begun in 1776 on Front Street and Federal Street in what is now the Pennsport section of the cit ...

on 22 November 1945 and, after pre-inactivation overhaul, was decommissioned on 14 June 1946 at

Green Cove Springs, Florida Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,908. The city is named after the portio ...

. Earmarked for deferred disposal status on 21 March 1947, ''Bangust'' was taken to

Charleston Naval Shipyard Charleston Naval Shipyard (formerly known as the Charleston Navy Yard) was a U.S. Navy ship building and repair facility located along the west bank of the Cooper River, in North Charleston, South Carolina and part of Naval Base Charleston. H ...

in June 1947. Towed there by on 17 and 18 June, the ship remained in the yard until 13 August when, under tow of she was taken back to

Mayport, Florida Mayport is a small community located between Naval Station Mayport and the St. Johns River in Jacksonville, Florida. It is part of the Jacksonville Beaches communities. The only public road to Mayport is State Road A1A, which crosses the St. Johns ...

, arriving the next day. She was inactivated on 20 October 1947 and her name was struck from the

Naval Vessel Register The ''Naval Vessel Register'' (NVR) is the official inventory of ships and service craft in custody of or titled by the United States Navy. It contains information on ships and service craft that make up the official inventory of the Navy from t ...

on 18 April 1952 following her transfer to

Peruvian Navy (1952–1979)

''Bangust'' was transferred to the government of Peru on 26 October 1951 under the terms of the

Mutual Defense Assistance Program The Mutual Defense Assistance Act was a United States Act of Congress signed by President Harry S. Truman on 6 October 1949. For US Foreign policy, it was the first U.S. military foreign aid legislation of the Cold War era, and initially to Eur ...

(MDAP). She was renamed ''Castilla'' (D-61) and served as such until she was stricken and broken up in 1979.

Awards

''Bangust'' earned eleven battle stars for her World War II service.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bangust (DE- 739) Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the United States Navy Ships built in Los Angeles 1943 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the Peruvian Navy