USS ''Frybarger'' (DE/DEC-705) was a in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1947 and from 1950 to 1957. She was scrapped in 1973.

History

''Frybarger'' was launched on 25 January 1944 at the Defoe Shipbuilding Company, in Bay City, Michigan, sponsored by Miss Caroljean and Clarabelle Frybarger, both sisters of PFC Frybarger. The ship was commissioned on 18 May 1944.

World War II, 1944–1945

After two convoy escort voyages to

Bizerte Bizerte or Bizerta ( ar, بنزرت, translit=Binzart , it, Biserta, french: link=no, Bizérte) the classical Hippo, is a city of Bizerte Governorate in Tunisia. It is the northernmost city in Africa, located 65 km (40mil) north of the cap ...

made between 25 July and 18 November 1944, ''Frybarger'' received new equipment and trained for Pacific duty. She arrived at ''Manus'' on 23 January 1945, and began escort duty to and in the Philippines until 30 August. Ports of call for her during this assignment included the Carolines;

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 ...

, Manila, and Zamboanga in the Philippines;

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 ...

; and on one voyage, Okinawa.

Post-war activities, 1945–1946

''Frybarger'' arrived at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 3 September 1945 for duty escorting transports carrying troops to occupation duty in Korea and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

until sailing for home on 8 November. She arrived at Boston, Massachusetts, on 15 December, and at Green Cove Springs, Florida, on 20 January 1946. There she was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 30 June 1947.

Control escort vessel, 1950–1954

Equipped with additional communication gear during her reactivation, ''Frybarger'' was reclassified DEC-705 on 13 September 1950 and recommissioned 6 October 1950 as a control escort vessel. After training in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, she arrived at her home port, San Diego, on 11 March 1951 which included service as vessel for landing ships and craft in amphibious exercises, and training for students of the

Fleet Sonar School The Fleet Sonar School was a United States Navy facility located at Naval Station Key West, Florida for the training of Service personnel in Sonar techniques and equipment, and Anti-submarine warfare. The facility opened in 1940, after personnel w ...

, San Diego. Between 6 March and 2 October 1952, ''Frybarger'' made a tour of duty with the 7th Fleet in the Far East, serving on barrier patrol off Okinawa, in amphibious exercises off

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 ...

, training with

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 ...

s, and visiting Japanese ports. A second Far Eastern deployment between 1 September 1953 and 5 June 1954 found ''Frybarger'' concentrating on amphibious exercises with marines on the beaches of Okinawa; Inchon, Korea; Chigasaki,

; and in the

Bonins The Bonin Islands, also known as the , are an archipelago of over 30 subtropical and tropical islands, some directly south of Tokyo, Japan and northwest of Guam. The name "Bonin Islands" comes from the Japanese word ''bunin'' (an archaic readi ...

Decommissioning and fate

''Frybarger'' was decommissioned for a second time at San Diego on 9 December 1954, and placed in reserve. She was reclassified back to DE-705 on 27 December 1957. She was struck from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 December 1972, sold on 27 November 1973, and broken up for scrap.

Namesake

Raymond Frybarger Jr. was born on 22 April 1923 in Toledo, Ohio. He enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve on 22 April 1940.

Private First Class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...

Frybarger was killed in action on

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

during the Battle of Edson's Ridge. For his heroism in exposing himself to enemy fire in an attack on Henderson Field and maintaining effective rifle fire until killed, he was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross.

References

External links

*
USS Frybarger.org
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frybarger (DE-705) Buckley-class destroyer escorts Ships built in Bay City, Michigan World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States 1944 ships