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| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSBostwick (DE-103) |
| Namesake | Lucius Allyn Bostwick |
| Builder | Dravo Corporation,Wilmington, Delaware |
| Laid down | 6 February 1943 |
| Launched | 30 August 1943 |
| Commissioned | 1 December 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 30 April 1946 |
| Stricken | 10 February 1949 |
| Fate | Transferred to China, 14 December 1948 |
| History | |
 Taiwan | |
| Name | ROCNTaicang (太倉) (DE-25)[1][2] |
| Acquired | 14 December 1948 |
| Out of service | 1972 |
| Fate | Stricken and scrapped, 1973 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Cannon-classdestroyer escort |
| Displacement | 1,240 tons |
| Length | 306 ft (93 m) |
| Beam | 36 ft 8 in (11.2 m) |
| Draft | 8 ft 9 in (2.7 m) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 21knots (39 km/h) |
| Range | 10,800nm at 12 kn |
| Complement | 15 officers, 201 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSBostwick (DE-103) was aCannon class destroyer escort in service with theUnited States Navy from 1943 to 1946. In 1948, she was sold toTaiwan where she served asTaicang (DE-25). She was scrapped in 1973.
Bostwick was laid down on 6 February 1943 atWilmington, Delaware, by the Dravo Corp.; launched on 30 August 1943; sponsored by Mrs. Fred D. Pierce; and commissioned on 1 December 1943.
Followingshakedown training nearBermuda in late December 1943- early January 1944, the newdestroyer escort joined theAtlantic Fleet to serve asschool ship for training prospective crews of destroyer escorts still under construction.
On 15 February,Bostwick joinedThomas,Bronstein,Breeman, andCorry in an antisubmarine patrol that took thewarships involved all the way across the Atlantic toCasablanca, Morocco. Built aroundBlock Island and designated Task Group 21.16 (TG 21.16), the ships operated as ahunter-killer group in theU-boat-infested waters of the North Atlantic.
Late on 29 February,Bronstein maderadar contact with an unknown vessel.Bostwick and Thomas joined her in "boxing" the target, which was revealed by flares to be a surfaced German submarine,U-709.Bronstein opened fire with her guns, but the submarine managed to submerge. The three destroyer escorts tracked the U-boat, raining down a barrage ofdepth charges on her estimated positions. At 0324,Thomas dropped a pattern of charges that produced a huge underwater explosion, the last sounds heard fromU-709.
TG 21.16 pulled into Casablanca on 8 March for rest and refueling, but got underway again only three days later to resume the patrol.Bostwick returned to theUnited States on 31 March to prepare for a transatlantic voyage as convoy escort. The convoy made the cruise without incident, arriving atBizerte, Tunisia, on 4 May.Bostwick set out with a return convoy on 11 May and arrived safely inNew York on the 30th.
The destroyer escort spent the next few weeks atCasco Bay,Maine in refresher training. On 25 June, she joinedCard on another hunter-killer patrol in the Atlantic and in theWest Indies. The group's first mission was to investigate a U-boat reported to be just south ofNewfoundland.Thomas rammedU-233 on 5 July, sinking the submarine, and TG 22.10 returned toBoston, Massachusetts to land prisoners and make repairs. The hunter-killer group departed Boston again on the 10th, bound for the West Indies to search for a U-boat that had torpedoed several ships in the area. On 16 July, after a plane made a contact sixty miles from the group,Bostwick joinedBronstein in a night-long search for the supposed submarine. The effort proved futile, however, and the two destroyer escorts rejoined TG 22.10 at San Juan on 18 July.Bostwick returned to New York on 25 August for a 10-day availability.
In September, the warship sailed to Casco Bay for refresher training and then rejoinedCard in TG 22.2 for three days of air and subsurface training near Bermuda. The warships returned to the hunt on the 25th. While north of theAzores en route to Casablanca,Bostwick mounted an attack against a submarine, but observed no signs of a definite kill. TG 22.2 spent 25–26 October in port Casablanca, then returned to New York, arriving there on 5 November.
Following a much needed availability in theNew York Navy Yard,Bostwick returned to sea withCard for patrol duty in waters off Bermuda. TG 22.2 spent more than a month training in anticipation of an aggressive German submarine offensive. The group returned to New York onNew Year's Eve.
Early in January 1945,Bostwick steamed toNarragansett Bay to screenPrince William while she conducted pilot qualifications. The destroyer escort returned to New York on 22 January and received orders to joinCore in TG 22.4 for more hunter-killer activities.Bostwick met the task group at sea 600 miles south ofIceland on 16 February. The group, which consisted of 12 destroyer escorts and oneescort carrier, formed a scouting line 90 miles long. Searching in vain for an enemy weather-reporting submarine, TG 22.4 soon found itself in winds ofhurricane force. The mountainous seas died down as the wind lessened on the 22nd, but the escorts faced rising seas again before they reached port for refueling.Bostwick put intoHvalfjordür, Iceland, late on 25 February. TG 22.4 got underway again just three days later to track several German submarines reportedly heading west toward theFlemish Cap. While the weather had improved, but the seas remained heavy and continued to batter TG 22.4.Bostwick and her colleagues gratefully turned their duties overto TG 22.13 on 14 March.
The destroyer escort arrived in New York on 17 March for a five days of voyage repairs, after which she returned to planeguard duty forCard. On 14 April,Bostwick's escort division received orders to search for a submarine just outside the mouth of theChesapeake Bay. The division split into northern and southern groups to scout the sea lanes. On 29 April, the northern group made contact with a submarine whenNatchez sighted the snorkel of a U-boat.Bostwick,Thomas, andCoffman joined Natchez in droppingdepth charges until heavy debris, a large oil slick, and a huge underwater explosion indicated the destruction ofU-879.
Bostwick celebratedV-E Day in New York and then steamed to NewLondon, England and later toQuonset Point, Rhode Island for training and to planeguard for pilot qualifications. In mid-July, the destroyer escort returned to New York to participate in the three-day demonstration cruise for civilian observers in the Navy's Industrial Incentive Program.Bostwick returned to planeguard duty forMission Bay andCroatan, but a scheduled availability in theNew York Navy Yard from 24 September – 15 October ended this duty. Late in October,Bostwick was on hand in New York forNavy Day activities.
Not long thereafter, thewarship received orders for inactivation, and on 15 November headed forGreen Cove Springs,Florida.Bostwick was decommissioned on 30 April 1946 and berthed in theSt. Johns River with the Green Cove Springs Group,Atlantic Reserve Fleet.
She was sold tonationalist China on 14 December 1948 and renamedTaicang (太倉) (DE-25).[1][2] Her name was struck from theUS Navy list on 10 February 1949. WhenChina was taken over by theCommunists at the end of theChinese Civil War, she escaped toTaiwan with Nationalist forces in 1949. On 13 February 1951, she led the task force under the direct order ofROC PresidentChiang Kai-shek to capture theNorwegian civilian freighterHoi Houw at24°13'N 123°18'E within the Japanese territory ofYaeyama Islands in the WestPacific Ocean.[3] On 4 October 1953, she joined the task force executing the blockade policy to capture thePolish civilian oil tankerPraca at21°06'N 122°48'E in thePhilippine Sea.[4] On 12 May 1954, she joined the fleet to bombard and capture another Polish civilian freighterPrezydent Gottwald with general cargo at23°45′00″N128°35′00″E / 23.75000°N 128.58333°E /23.75000; 128.58333, east ofBatanes Islands and south ofOkinawa Island. All ships were confiscated into theRepublic of China Navy list, and the crews were either released, executed or detained for various time frames up to 35 years incaptivity till 1988.[3][5] She was scrapped in 1973.
Bostwick earned twobattle stars for herWorld War II service, and the following awards:
 |   |  |
| American Campaign Medal | European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal w/ 2service stars | World War II Victory Medal |
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
