USS ''Micka'' (DE-176) was a in service with the United States Navy from 1943 to 1946. She was sold for scrap in 1967.

Namesake

Edward Micka was born on 10 October 1915 at

Cayuga, North Dakota Cayuga is a city in Sargent County, North Dakota, United States. It sits on the banks of the Wild Rice River. The population was 40 at the 2020 census. Cayuga was founded in 1887. Geography Cayuga is located at (46.074752, -97.386725). Accor ...

. He enlisted in the United States Navy on 19 June 1934. Appointed

midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Canada (Naval Cadet), Australia, Bangladesh, Namibia, New Zealand, South Afr ...

from the Navy at large the following year, he was commissioned Ensign on 1 June 1939. He served on and prior to receiving his wings as a navy pilot and was attached to Fighting Squadron 9, on board , in November 1942. On 8 November 1942, he led three flights in support of the initial phase of

Operation Torch Operation Torch (8 November 1942 – Run for Tunis, 16 November 1942) was an Allies of World War II, Allied invasion of French North Africa during the Second World War. Torch was a compromise operation that met the British objective of secu ...

, the assault and occupation of Morocco. In the first two flights he led his sections against airdromes at Rabat Sale and

Port Lyautey Kenitra ( ar, القُنَيْطَرَة, , , ; ber, ⵇⵏⵉⵟⵔⴰ, Qniṭra; french: Kénitra) is a city in north western Morocco, formerly known as Port Lyautey from 1932 to 1956. It is a port on the Sebou river, has a population in 201 ...

, destroying at least 17 hostile planes on the ground. During the third his section provided direct support to ground forces by destroying several machine gun nests. Two days later he participated in the attack on the Mediouna airdrome, conducting strafing runs at low altitudes. On his fifth run his plane was hit by antiaircraft fire, crashed and he was killed. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

History

The ship was laid down on 3 May 1943 by the

Federal Shipbuilding & Dry Dock The Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company was a United States shipyard, active from 1917 to 1948. It was founded during World War I to build ships for the United States Shipping Board. During World War II, it built ships as part of the U.S. Gov ...

Co., Kearny, New Jersey; launched on 22 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Edward Micka, widow of Lieutenant Micka; and commissioned on 23 September 1943.

World War II Atlantic Ocean operations

Assigned to Escort Division 24 ''Micka'' guarded merchantmen and naval supply vessels plying the waters of the eastern Atlantic from Recife, Brazil, to New York City until 12 November 1944. She then reported at Recife for three months of mid-ocean

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 ...

patrols with the U.S. 4th Fleet. Detached in March 1945, she steamed north; served briefly with the

Eastern Sea Frontier The Eastern Sea Frontier (EASTSEAFRON) was a United States Navy operational command during World War II, that was responsible for the coastal waters from Canada to Jacksonville, Florida, extending out for a nominal distance of two hundred mile ...

patrol; and then completed a round trip voyage to

Oran Oran ( ar, وَهران, Wahrān) is a major coastal city located in the north-west of Algeria. It is considered the second most important city of Algeria after the capital Algiers, due to its population and commercial, industrial, and cultural ...

, Algeria, as convoy escort. On 11 June she entered the

Charleston, South Carolina Charleston is the largest city in the U.S. state of South Carolina, the county seat of Charleston County, and the principal city in the Charleston–North Charleston metropolitan area. The city lies just south of the geographical midpoint o ...

, Navy Yard for overhaul preparatory to her transfer to the Pacific.

Transfer to the Pacific at war's end

''Micka'' arrived at Pearl Harbor on 15 August, the day after

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 ...

agreed to surrender under the terms of the Potsdam Declaration. She remained in Hawaii, conducting local exercises, until 18 December, when, with over 300 naval passengers, she got underway for the east coast. She disembarked her passengers at Boston, Massachusetts, on 6 January and sailed at the end of the month for Green Cove Springs, Florida.

Post-War decommissioning

At Green Cove Springs she decommissioned and entered the Atlantic Reserve Fleet on 14 June 1946. ''Micka'' remained berthed in the St. Johns River until struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 August 1965, and sold for scrapping to Peck Iron & Metals Co., on 15 May 1967.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Micka (DE-176) Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the United States Navy Ships built in Kearny, New Jersey 1943 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States