USS Chaffee (DE-230)
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USS ''Chaffee'' (DE-230) was a in the United States Navy during World War II.


Namesake

Davis Elliott Chaffee was born on 5 May 1915 in
Hartland Township, Ohio Hartland Township is one of the nineteen townships of Huron County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census the population of the township was 1,060. Geography Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships: ...
. He enlisted in the Navy on 4 January 1941, was appointed Ensign on 6 September 1941 and naval aviator on 1 October 1941. While serving with Bombing Squadron 5 based on , he was killed in action during the
Battle of the Coral Sea The Battle of the Coral Sea, from 4 to 8 May 1942, was a major naval battle between the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) and naval and air forces of the United States and Australia. Taking place in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, the batt ...
on 8 May 1942. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.


Construction and service

''Chaffee'' was launched 27 November 1943 by Charleston Navy Yard; sponsored by Mrs. L. C. Chaffee; and commissioned 9 May 1944. After operating on the east coast as a target ship in
submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
training, and as a training ship for prospective escort vessel crews, ''Chaffee'' cleared
Bayonne, New Jersey Bayonne ( ) is a city in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States. Located in the Gateway Region, Bayonne is situated on a peninsula located between Newark Bay to the west, the Kill Van Kull to the south, and New York Bay to the east. As of ...
, 14 October 1944. She arrived at
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 ...
, New Guinea on 21 November for operations in the area screening LSTs, in gunnery and anti-torpedo exercises, and on patrol at the entrance to
Aitape Aitape is a small town of about 18,000 people on the north coast of Papua New Guinea in the Sandaun Province. It is a coastal settlement that is almost equidistant from the provincial capitals of Wewak and Vanimo, and marks the midpoint of the ...
. ''Chaffee'' began her role in the battles of the Philippines when she sailed from Hollandia 17 December 1944 to escort landing craft to Leyte. She cleared Hollandia again 8 January 1945 with reinforcements for the recently landed San Fabian Attack Force at Lingayen, where she arrived 21 January. Assigned to patrol in
Lingayen Gulf The Lingayen Gulf is a large gulf on northwestern Luzon in the Philippines, stretching . It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central. The Agno River and the Balili ...
, ''Chaffee'' underwent a unique experience on 23 January, when a
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 ...
ese Mitsubishi G4M ("Betty") dropped an
aerial torpedo An aerial torpedo (also known as an airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo) is a torpedo launched from a torpedo bomber aircraft into the water, after which the weapon propels itself to the target. First used in World War I, air-dropped torped ...
which passed through her bow without exploding, or causing any injuries to her crew. (The propeller from the torpedo was recovered in the bow of the ship. It is in the collection of the National Museum of the United States Navy at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C.) By 2 February, temporary repairs had been completed, and ''Chaffee'' returned to patrol duties. She continued to escort convoys in the Philippines, as well as conduct patrols in support of the Mindanao operation until 29 April, when she cleared Parang for
Morotai Morotai Island ( id, Pulau Morotai) is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It ha ...
. She returned to the southern Philippines for escort duty 2 May. A week later, she guarded the landing of reinforcements at Davao. ''Chaffee'' arrived at Morotai from the Philippines 19 June 1945 to train for the Borneo operation, and cleared on 28 June to escort reinforcements which landed at Balikpapan 3 July. For the remainder of the war, ''Chaffee'' escorted convoys between Morotai and Hollandia and the Philippines. She aided in the establishment of the base in Subic Bay, conducted local patrols and escort missions, and escorted a troop ship to Okinawa in September, then returned to Philippine operations until 10 January 1946, when she cleared Subic Bay for home. She arrived at San Francisco 5 February, where she was decommissioned 15 April 1946. She was sold 29 June 1948. ''Chaffee'' received two battle stars for World War II service. After the war, ''Chaffee'' was transferred to th
California Maritime Academy
(Vallejo, CA), as were some of her sister ships transferred to other maritime academies across the country. Unfortunately, the ship did not have the capabilities to carry an entire class of Merchant Marine midshipmen on a training cruise, nor was the vessel suitable for training officers for the commercial maritime industry. In addition, due to the wear and tear of the war-time environment, the hull would have only been usable as a stationary platform. After stripping some engineering equipment off the ship for use in training students, the hulk was sold and towed away for scrap. The proceeds from the sale of the old DE were used to purchase and build a metal "Butler" building to house a machine shop (with some of the machinery from the ship). This metal ("Butler") building is still in use at the academy (2004), now as the auto shop for the cadets.


References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Chaffee (DE-230) Rudderow-class destroyer escorts 1943 ships