USS ''Baron'' (DE-166) 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 transferred to

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

where she served as ROU ''Uruguay'' (DE-1) until 1990.

Construction and commissioning

''Baron'' was launched on 9 May 1943 by

Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company 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 ...

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.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 ...

for risking his life to recover classified documents during the bombardment of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

Philippines 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 ...

. He was killed on 15 March 1942 during the bombing of

Cebu City Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Acc ...

World War II Pacific Theatre operations

''Baron'' departed New York on 8 September 1943 for the Pacific. Between October 1943 and August 1944 she escorted

convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

s among the island groups of the South Central Pacific Ocean. She also acted as a screen and fire-support ship during the following operations: Hollandia landings (21–24 April 1944); Truk-

Satawan Satawan Atoll is an atoll located about southeast of Chuuk Lagoon proper. Geographically it is part of the Nomoi or Mortlock Islands in the Carolines and administratively it is part of Chuuk State in the Federated States of Micronesia. About ...

- Ponape raid (29 April – 1 May); Saipan invasion (20 June – 11 July); and capture of

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 ...

(22–29 July). On 7 September 1944 she arrived at

Mare Island Navy Yard The Mare Island Naval Shipyard (MINSY) was the first United States Navy base established on the Pacific Ocean. It is located northeast of San Francisco in Vallejo, California. The Napa River goes through the Mare Island Strait and separates t ...

for an overhaul. Returning to the Pacific early in November 1944, ''Baron'' reported to Commander, Submarine Training, Pacific. Until the end of May 1945 she conducted training exercises with friendly submarines off

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 R ...

and Guam. For the remainder of the war she operated in the vicinity of 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 Intern ...

engaged in hunter-killer, air-sea rescue, patrol, and escort duties. On 27 August 1945 ''Baron'' was ordered to

Maloelap The Maloelap Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) (also spelled Maleolap) is a coral atoll of 71 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its land area is only , but that encloses a lagoon of ...

Wotje Wotje Atoll ( Marshallese: , ) is a coral atoll of 75 islands in the Pacific Ocean, and forms a legislative district of the Ratak Chain of the Marshall Islands. Geography Wotje's land area of is one of the largest in the Marshall Islands, and en ...

, and

Jaluit Jaluit Atoll ( Marshallese: , , or , ) is a large coral atoll of 91 islands in the Pacific Ocean and forms a legislative district of the Ralik Chain of the Marshall Islands. Its total land area is , and it encloses a lagoon with an area of . Mo ...

Atolls for the surrender of their Japanese

garrisons A garrison (from the French ''garnison'', itself from the verb ''garnir'', "to equip") is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a mil ...

. The surrender was completed by 6 September and ''Baron'' remained at Wotje Atoll until 18 September supervising the disarmament of the Japanese fortifications. She then steamed to

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 Stat ...

, arriving on 29 September. Departing the next day, she proceeded to New York, where she arrived on 14 October. ''Baron'' went out of commission in reserve on 26 April 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 ...

Uruguayan Navy

''Baron'' was the first of two ''Cannon''-class destroyers transferred to

under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program on 3 May 1952 and commissioned as ROU ''Uruguay'' (DE-1). The 20 mm Mk.4 AA guns and torpedo tubes were removed. In 1969, both destroyers participated in UNITAS X joint exercises with the U.S. and other South American navies. She was decommissioned in 1980, and scrapped in 1990.

Awards

''Baron'' received three battle stars for her World War II service in the Pacific.

In fiction

DE-166 appears in the fictional novel ''Thin Air'' as the ''USS Sturman.''

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Baron (DE-166) 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 Cannon-class destroyer escorts of the National Navy of Uruguay