USS ''Edsall'' (DE-129) was the lead ship of her class of destroyer escort in the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship named in honor of Seaman Norman Edsall (1873–1899). ''Edsall'' was laid down by the

Consolidated Steel Corporation Consolidated Steel Corporation (formed 18 December 1928) was an American steel and shipbuilding business. Consolidated built ships during World War II in two locations: Wilmington, California and Orange, Texas. It was created in 1929 by the merg ...

at Orange, Texas on 2 July 1942; launched 1 November 1942; sponsored by Mrs. Bessie Edsall Bracey, sister of Seaman Edsall; and commissioned 10 April 1943.

History

''Edsall'' was a schoolship at Norfolk, 20 June to 6 August 1943, for pre-commissioning crews of escort vessels, then served at Miami with the Submarine Chaser Training Center. In March 1944, she joined a

tanker Tanker may refer to: Transportation * Tanker, a tank crewman (US) * Tanker (ship), a ship designed to carry bulk liquids ** Chemical tanker, a type of tanker designed to transport chemicals in bulk ** Oil tanker, also known as a petroleum ta ...

convoy at

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a coastal resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a population of 47,743 in 2010, is the county seat of surrounding Galvesto ...

, assigned to Escort Division 59, whose

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 ...

she became 24 March. ''Edsall'' continued escort duty from the Gulf of Mexico to New York City and Norfolk, and with one convoy to

NS Argentia Naval Station Argentia is a former base of the United States Navy that operated from 1941 to 1994. It was established in the community of Argentia in what was then the Dominion of Newfoundland, which later became the tenth Provinces and territo ...

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. In May, she sailed to Bermuda for

antisubmarine warfare Anti-submarine warfare (ASW, or in older form A/S) is a branch of underwater warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, submarines, or other platforms, to find, track, and deter, damage, or destroy enemy submarines. Such operations are typic ...

tests using a captured Italian

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 ...

. Between 1 July 1944 and 3 June 1945, she ranged Atlantic sealanes guarding seven convoys carrying the very lifeblood to the Mediterranean and Britain. While escorting the sixth convoy en route to New York from Liverpool on 10 April 1945, ''Edsall'' along with other escorts were quick to come to the assistance of two

s in the convoy who had collided. ''Edsall'' searched for survivors and helped extinguish fires which broke out. ''Edsall'' sailed for the Pacific on 24 June 1945, but World War II ended while she was training at Pearl Harbor, and she returned East. She was placed out of commission in reserve at Green Cove Springs, Florida, on 11 June 1946. ''Edsall'' was stricken from the Naval Vessel Register on 1 June 1968, and sold for scrap in July 1969.

References

External links

navsource.org: USS ''Edsall'' hazegray.org: USS ''Edsall''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edsall (DE-129) Edsall-class destroyer escorts Ships built in Orange, Texas 1942 ships