USS Traw (DE-350)
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USS ''Traw'' (DE-350) was a in service with the United States Navy from 1944 to 1946. She was sunk as a target in 1968.


Namesake

London Lewis Traw was born on 1 April 1903 in Pocahontas, Arkansas. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on 15 December 1924 and, in the course of a career which spanned 18 years, achieved the rank of platoon sergeant. He served with the
Marine Detachment A Marine Detachment, or MarDet, was a unit of 35 to 85 United States Marines aboard large warships including cruisers, battleships, and aircraft carriers. They were a regular component of a ship's company from the formation of the United States Ma ...
on board for his first term of service before going into the Reserves in 1928. Returning to active duty in late 1931, Private First Class Traw served in
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 ...
from August 1936 until February 1938, during which time he was promoted to Corporal and then Platoon sergeant. Following a posting to
Guantánamo Bay Guantánamo Bay ( es, Bahía de Guantánamo) is a bay in Guantánamo Province at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the largest harbor on the south side of the island and it is surrounded by steep hills which create an enclave that is cut off ...
between December 1940 and April 1941, Platoon sergeant Traw deployed with the
First Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF). It is the ...
for service in the Pacific in early 1942. Following the 7 August 1942 landing 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 ...
, Sgt. Traw participated in the bitter fighting around
Lunga Point Lunga Point is a promontory on the northern coast of Guadalcanal, the site of a naval battle during World War II. It was also the name of a nearby airfield, later named Henderson Field. is also the name of a United States Navy escort carrier ...
in the months following. On 24/5 October, a Japanese detachment attacked " Bloody Ridge" on the southern perimeter of Henderson airfield. During the battle, he was wounded in action. Rather than slowing his men down in the fight, he commanded them to tie him to a tree with his rifle near the place where the Japanese were expect to approach from, his men did as he commanded. After the battle his men found Traw dead with his rifle in hand, but around him lay over 600 dead Japanese. He was posthumously awarded the
Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
.


History

The destroyer escort's keel was laid down on 19 December 1943 at Orange, Texas, by the
Consolidated Steel 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 ...
Corp. The ship was launched on 12 February 1944; sponsored by Mrs. Jennie Traw, mother of Sgt. Traw. ''Traw'' was commissioned on 20 June 1944.


North Atlantic operations

For a week after her commissioning, ''Traw'' conducted preliminary tests and exercises. Then, on 28 June 1944, she departed Orange, Texas, and arrived 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 ...
, for drydocking. On 7 July, the new destroyer escort got underway in company with
sister ship A sister ship is a ship of the same class or of virtually identical design to another ship. Such vessels share a nearly identical hull and superstructure layout, similar size, and roughly comparable features and equipment. They often share a ...
s and for her
shakedown cruise Shakedown cruise is a nautical term in which the performance of a ship is tested. Generally, shakedown cruises are performed before a ship enters service or after major changes such as a crew change, repair or overhaul. The shakedown cruise s ...
to Bermuda. Exercises out of
Great Sound The Great Sound is large ocean inlet (a sound) located in Bermuda. It may be the submerged remains of a Pre-Holocene volcanic caldera. Other geologists dispute the origin of the Bermuda Pedestal as a volcanic hotspot. Geography The Great Sound d ...
occupied the remainder of the month as ''Traw''s crew drilled and brought the new ship to battle-readiness. Following repairs and trials at the Boston Navy Yard, the destroyer escort steamed independently to
Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
, arriving on 28 August 1944. On 30 August, the destroyer escort began a period of activity as a training ship. Daylong cruises to the Chesapeake Bay, with a balance crew on board for training, occupied ''Traw'' until late in September. On 24 September, she departed Norfolk escorting the
escort carrier The escort carrier or escort aircraft carrier (U.S. hull classification symbol CVE), also called a "jeep carrier" or "baby flattop" in the United States Navy (USN) or "Woolworth Carrier" by the Royal Navy, was a small and slow type of aircraft ...
and entered the swept channel at New York City early the next day.


North Atlantic convoy operations

Operating as a unit of
Escort Division 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 of ...
78, ''Traw'' got underway on 6 October 1944 in Convoy UGF-15 bound for the Mediterranean. The destroyer escort entered the swept channel at
Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...
on 17 October and, on 20 October, anchored in the harbor at
Marseilles Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. After escorting a small convoy to North Africa, ''Traw'' departed
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 ...
on 26 October with a convoy steaming westward for the United States. Late in the day on 16 November, she left the convoy protecting ''Solomons''. As the severe weather of the crossing moderated, ''Traw'' delivered her charge safely to Narragansett Bay. She then continued southward, discharged ammunition at the Ammunition Depot,
Earle, New Jersey Naval Weapons Station Earle is a United States Navy base in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. Its distinguishing feature is a pier in Sandy Hook Bay where ammunition can be loaded and unloaded from warships at a safe distance from heavi ...
, and reported to the
New York Navy Yard The Brooklyn Navy Yard (originally known as the New York Navy Yard) is a shipyard and industrial complex located in northwest Brooklyn in New York City, New York (state), New York. The Navy Yard is located on the East River in Wallabout Bay, a ...
for overhaul. Her repairs completed, ''Traw'' rendezvoused with the
destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...
and
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 ...
on 19 November in Block Island Sound for antisubmarine exercises. In company with other destroyer escorts, she continued exercises until halted by severe weather on 21 November. She returned to New York and, on 25 November, was again underway escorting Convoy UGF-17 B. On 5 December, ''Traw'' left her picket station to pick up official mail at
Rosia Bay Rosia Bay is the only natural harbour in Gibraltar, the British Overseas Territory at the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula. Formerly referred to as Rosia Harbour, it is located on the southwest side of Gibraltar. Rosia Bay was the site of th ...
. Three days later, she acted as navigational guide when the convoy entered the channel at Marseilles. After escorting a seven-ship convoy to Oran, she departed
Mers el-Kebir Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by ''Middle East respiratory syndrome–related coronavirus'' (MERS-CoV). Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. Typical symptoms include fever, cough, ...
on 13 December as a convoy escort. The voyage was uneventful, and she arrived at New York on 23 December.


Transfer to the Pacific Fleet

''Traw'' completed overhaul at New York; then set her course for Norfolk, arriving on 10 January to prepare for the long voyage to the Pacific. On 19 January, she got underway for the
Panama Canal Zone The Panama Canal Zone ( es, Zona del Canal de Panamá), also simply known as the Canal Zone, was an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the Isthmus of Panama, that existed from 1903 to 1979. It was located within the terr ...
. She entered the Pacific on 25 January; and, three days later, she moored at Seymour Island in the Galapagos for fueling. Assigned to Escort Division 78, U.S. Pacific Fleet, she steamed independently on 1 February, via Bora Bora, for the Admiralties. On 22 February, she passed through the antisubmarine nets and anchored in Seeadler Harbor. After fueling and upkeep, she joined other destroyer escorts in exercises. Then, on 27 February, she began the escort duties which she would continue until the end of the war. Throughout March and April, ''Traw'' protected convoys moving between New Guinea and the Philippines. In May, she made a single voyage to the Palaus; then returned to Leyte where she conducted patrols. She remained in Philippine waters into June, varying convoy and patrol duties with antisubmarine warfare exercises. In July and August, she escorted convoys to Ulithi and Okinawa and returned to the Philippines where she continued her escort duties into September.


Post-war activity

Late in November she steamed, via Samar and the Marshalls, to Hawaii, arriving there in early before sailing for the U.S. West Coast and arriving at
San Pedro, Los Angeles San Pedro ( ; Spanish: " St. Peter") is a neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles, California. Formerly a separate city, it consolidated with Los Angeles in 1909. The Port of Los Angeles, a major international seaport, is partially located wi ...
, on 16 December. She moved to San Diego in April 1946 before shifting to Long Beach, California, until her decommissioning at San Diego on 7 June 1946. The warship remained in reserve for the next twenty years before her name was struck from the Navy List on 1 August 1967. Prepared for use in Operation StrikEx 3-68, her hulk was sunk as a target by gunfire from the destroyer off Baja California, Mexico, on 17 August 1968.


References

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External links


NavSource Online: Destroyer Escort Photo Archive - USS Traw (DE 350)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Traw John C. Butler-class destroyer escorts Ships built in Orange, Texas 1944 ships World War II frigates and destroyer escorts of the United States Ships sunk as targets Maritime incidents in 1968 Shipwrecks of the California coast