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 USS Big Horn | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSBig Horn |
| Namesake | Bighorn River |
| Launched | 2 May 1936 |
| Acquired | 31 March 1942 |
| Commissioned | 15 April 1942 as AO-45, 17 January 1944 as WAO-124, 1 February 1945 as IX-207 |
| Decommissioned | 6 May 1946 |
| Stricken | 3 July 1946 |
| Fate |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Tonnage | 7,096 GRT |
| Length | 441 ft 8 in (134.62 m) |
| Beam | 64 ft (20 m) |
| Propulsion | Single screw |
| Speed | 13 knots (24 km/h) |
| Complement | 13 officers and 157 men |
| Sensors & processing systems | One Model JK-9 listening equipment |
| Armament |
|
USSBig Horn (AO-45/WAO-124/IX-207) was aQ-ship of theUnited States Navy named for theBighorn River ofWyoming andMontana.
Gulf Dawn, a single-screw oiltanker, was built in 1936 atChester, Pennsylvania, by the Sun Shipbuilding & Drydock Corp. and operated by the Gulf Oil Corporation.
Acquired by the Navy on 31 March 1942, she was renamedBig Horn and given thehull designation symbol AO-45 on 3 April 1942. Her conversion began at theBethlehem Shipyard inBrooklyn, New York. She wascommissioned 15 April 1942, under the command of Commander James A. Gainard, USNR, formerly master ofSSCity of Flint, which had become the center of an international incident at the beginning of the war, and was later sunk by aU-boat.
Sailing to Boston on 23 April,Big Horn entered theBoston Navy Yard for conversion to aQ-ship. A disguised heavily armed merchantman, the decoy ship was intended to lure unsuspecting U-boats to the surface and sink them with gunfire. While at Boston,Big Horn completed her disguise as afleet oiler and was given extra watertight integrity – in case she was torpedoed – by the installation of thousands of sealed empty drums in her cargo tanks. That work was completed on 22 July 1942.
After two days on thedegaussing range and in calibrating compasses and radio direction finders,Big Horn proceeded toCasco Bay for training under Commander, Destroyers,Atlantic Fleet. This training period was followed by a shakedown cruise which was completed on 26 August 1942, at which date USSBig Horn put in again at the Navy Yard, Boston, for further alterations and repairs until 12 September.
As U-boats had been attackingbauxite ore cargo ships in theWest Indies, the Q-ship sailed south to help defend the convoy routes there on 27 September.
1942
The first cruise of USSBig Horn began on 27 September 1942, when the ship proceeded from New York with aconvoy bound forGuantánamo Bay, Cuba, taking a position which permitted the vessel to act as a straggler. The trip was made without incident, and thereafterBig Horn was semi-attached to NOB [Naval Operating Base]Trinidad,with orders to operate from that base over thebauxite route to and fromports where that commodity was loaded. Many ships in this area had been sunk in recent weeks. Ships proceeding from Trinidad were convoyed to a designated point from which they fanned out to take various routes to their ultimate destination.Big Horn was directed to proceed to that point and drop down on independent routes to and from bauxite ports.
After joining south-bound convoy GAT-11 at Guantánamo Bay, the ship – using her old call sign ofGulf Dawn – purposefully lagged behind the convoy en route to Trinidad. No U-boats were tempted to attack, however, and the ship moored inPort of Spain on 9 October.
On 16 October 1942,Big Horn sailed in convoy T-19 fromTrinidad to the point of separation. That same afternoon, threeU-boats attacked the convoy, and at 15:20 in11°00′N61°10′W / 11.000°N 61.167°W /11.000; -61.167, the British steamer SSCastle Harbour was hit on the starboard side by atorpedo and sank in less than two minutes. At almost the same time the United States steamerWinona, coal-laden, was struck forward on the starboard side. Later she limped into Trinidad. Soon afterwards, lookouts onBig Horn sighted aU-boat moving at periscope depth on the port beam, but in such a position that no action could be taken without damaging the United States troopshipMexico or the Egyptian shipRaz El Farog. At 16:27, lookouts onBig Horn again sighted a periscope and conning tower, on the port side, and her four-inch (100 mm) gun was trained in that direction just as asubmarine chaser crossed through the line of fire and dropped fivedepth charges. Thereafter, the cruise in these waters was continued without incident for several days andBig Horn returned to NOB Trinidad about 29 October.
A second cruise in company with a convoy from Trinidad was begun byBig Horn on 1 November 1942, to a point nearly due north ofParamaribo, where the vessel left the convoy and proceeded on varying courses without incident until return toTrinidad on 8 November 1942.
On 10 November 1942, USSBig Horn sailed in convoy TAG-20, with thegunboatUSSErie (PG-50), two PC-boats (submarine chasers), and a PG-boat (patrol gunboat) acting as escorts. Because of submarine warnings, the convoy changed course so that the approach toCuraçao was made from the south and west. Because of engine difficulties, USSBig Horn dropped out of the convoy at 15:30 on 12 November 1942, in company with aVenezuelan tanker, and arrived at a point about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) offWillemstad harbor, where the Curaçao-Aruba subsidiary convoys were joining the main convoy. At 17:02, a great volume of smoke was sighted as it rose fromErie's stern, about 1,000 yards (910 m) on the starboard bow ofBig Horn, at12°07′N68°58′W / 12.117°N 68.967°W /12.117; -68.967.
Erie had been torpedoed on the starboard side aft.Big Horn called General Quarters, increased speed to 11 knots (20 km/h) and proceeded for the scene of action, but repeated orders from Willemstad forcedBig Horn to alter course at 17:25 and proceed to Willemstad.Erie swung into the wind; efforts to subdue the fire were unsuccessful. The gunboat was finally beached, officers and crew abandoning ship.
On 21 November 1942, USSBig Horn proceeded fromCuraçao with a convoy bound for New York, The convoy proceeded on a course for Guantánamo with a Dutch gunboat and four SC-boats as escorts. Other vessels joined convoy at Guantánamo until onleaving that meeting point there were 45 ships and five escorts in company. The remainder of the cruise to New York viaCaicos Passage was uneventful, andBig Horn anchored inThe Narrows inNew York Harbor at 20:40 on 1 December 1942. During the next few weeks,Big Horn entered theTodd Shipyard atHoboken, New Jersey, for what proved to be nine weeks of repair work and alterations.The latter included the installation of amousetrap, aHedgehogdepth charge projector, and a DF (direction finding) radio receiver.
1943
She departed New York on 17 February 1943, and arrived atNew London, Connecticut, the following day. On 19 February 1942, Lieutenant CommanderFarley assumed command of a newly organized Task Group consisting ofBig Horn and three 173-foot (53 m) PC-boats:PC-560,PC-617, andPC-618. Antisubmarine measures had been so successful that no vessels had been sunk in coastal waters since July 1942. This Task Group was designed to hunt U-boats in the central Atlantic; the three PC-boats would escortBig Horn, which would act as bait and support in antisubmarine combat, as well as fuel and supply ship for the escorts.
During the period from 2 to 14 March, this Task Group conducted training exercises inLong Island Sound with the submarineMingo (SS-261) supplied for the purpose byComSubLant, During the next two weeks the Task Group made a shakedown cruise.
After a short trip to New York between 20 and 28 March, the Task Group continued antisubmarine training againstMuskallunge (SS-262) until 9 April.Big Horn and the two subchasers then sailed south in Task Group 21.8 (TG 21.8) to New York, arriving there on 9 April.
Convoy UGS-7A sailed on the morning of 14 April 1943, and the special Task Group joined up off New York and continued in company until 08:00 on 21 April, when the Group left the convoy and dropped astern 25 nautical miles (46 kilometres), proceeding as straggler-with-escorts, although the escorts remained far enough astern so that they would not be visible to an enemy submarine sightingBig Horn. The cruise was uneventful during the next two weeks.
After several changes of course,Big Horn was at29°00′N28°10′W / 29.000°N 28.167°W /29.000; -28.167 (about 500 miles (800 km) south of theAzores) at noon of 3 May 1943. Early that morning,Big Horn had made radar contact with a suspected U-boat at a range of about six miles (9.7 km) and sent the two PCs to investigate. At 11:04,PC-618 reported a submarine on the surface, distant about six miles (9.7 km). At 12:35,Big Horn got a sound contact and delivered aHedgehog attack just after sighting a periscope on the starboard bow at 12:42, followed by a heavy swirl as the U-boat dove. At 13:33 a second attack was delivered and the contact was lost. At 15:40 the contact was regained at 3,700 yards (3.4 km) and at 15:54, speed five knots (9 km/h),Big Horn delivered a third attack. About five of theHedgehog projectiles (which detonate only on contact) exploded about 12 seconds after they entered the water, andBig Horn continued in to dropdepth charges. Considerable light oil came to the surface and continued to spread for two hours. At 01:03 on 4 May an oil patch was visible over an area of 200 to 300 yards (270 m). By daylight that morning, all traces of the oil slick were gone. As none of the vessels in the Group were able to establish contact during the next 44 hours, it was presumed that one submarine had been destroyed; that the other U-boat which had been sighted by thePC-618 had moved out of the area. A postwar review of German U-boat losses, however, indicated that no submarines were sunk on that date in this area.
Continuing on a homeward course, the commanding officer ofBig Horn attempted to use the COMINCH (Commander in Chief,United States Fleet) daily submarine estimates as guides for fruitful changes of course, but after several attempts had failed to produce results, the Task Group Commander recorded in his log, on 13 May 1943:
This makes three submarines we have attempted to intercept on our return trip, all of which we theoretically should have met. This experience again accents the hopelessness of trying to find submarines. The proper procedure, as originally planned, is to remain in the vicinity of convoys, to which the submarines will come. On the next trip, it is planned to stay within about 15 miles [24 km], or less, of the convoy
After returning to New York on 17 May, the ship underwent another overhaul between 19 May and 16 July.
On her final cruise as a Q-ship,Big Horn again she served as the flagship of a small Task Group which included only two other vessels:PC-618 andPC-617. Commander L. C. Farley had relieved Captain Gainard as commanding officer ofBig Horn on 24 June because of the illness of the latter. The Task Group departed New York on 20 July 1943, and proceeded to Norfolk, where convoy UGS-13 made up and sailed on the morning of 27 July. On 29 July,Big Horn straggled from the convoy and streamed herMark 29 gear. For the next few days she trailed the convoy, distant about fifty miles (80 km). On 4 August, U-boats were reported by COMINCH to be operating in the vicinity of 38°N, 38°W, and the Task Group changed course to intercept. On 6 August, a submarine was sighted in41°31′N36°11′W / 41.517°N 36.183°W /41.517; -36.183 and attacked byPC-618 with mousetraps which failed to explode. Thereafter the contact was not regained. An expanding box search was carried out during the next few days without results, then the group moved northward of the Azores. Planes from theescort aircraft carrierUSS Card (CVE-11) were sighted several times during this period and it later transpired that some of these planes had made definite kills of U-boats during that period.Big Horn was not so fortunate, in spite of frequent changes of course to intercept submarines reported by COMINCH. The cruise continued in the general area and as far south as the latitude ofDakar, during the last weeks of August and throughout September. During the last week of September, a new search area was tried far to the north of the Azores, but again without success; then the homeward leg of the cruise was executed without event.Big Horn and her escorts stood upAmbrose Channel on 7 October 1943.
On 14 October, COMINCH directed thatBig Horn should be retained in active service but that no alterations or extensive repairs should be made without specific authorization of COMINCH.
After training exercises in the New London area with a friendly sub from 29 October through 10 November,Big Horn made one more uneventful cruise in company withPC-617 andPC-618. On 11 November, the Task Group returned to New York to refuel and provision; on 15 November, the Task Group departed in company and proceeded on an eastward course until they had reached the hunting ground north of theAzores on 27 November. Searches were unsuccessful.
Big Horn then steamed back to New London on 30 November, whence she conducted training inLong Island Sound, before departing on a third "decoy" cruise on 19 December. Although she operated near a suspected U-boat concentration in the waters offBermuda, the Q-ship and her two subchasers had no contacts and returned to New York empty-handed on 30 December.
In summarizing this cruise, the commanding officer ofBig Horn wrote:
It may be noted that during the period from 27 November to 1 December, this Task Group was in the midst of a group of from 10 to 15 U-boats. Nine contacts, sightings or attacks on U-boats took place in our immediate vicinity, so that it is most unlikely that we were not seen by some U-boats. Evidently the U-boats are wary of attacking an independenttanker. If the Q-ship program has contributed to this wariness, as is suggested in severalprisoner-of-war statements, many independent merchant ships may thereby have escaped attack, and the Q-ship program has thus been of value.
COMINCH did not agree, and, considering similarly meager results and even losses by other Q-ships, cancelled the entire Q-ship program.Big Horn was ordered to Boston, and arriving there on 17 January 1944, was transferred to theUnited States Coast Guard asUSCGCBig Horn (WAO-124) to joinAsterion (AK-100) on weather-patrol duty in the North Atlantic, under the supervision of theUnited States Coast Guard and crewed by Coast Guard officers and sailors. The ship was assigned to the1st Naval District and operated out of Boston. Her main duty was to conduct 25-day patrols on the Coast Guard's mid-ocean weather stations and report on surface and aerial weather conditions. These reports were used to determine air-ferry routes across the Atlantic and to reroute shipping around storm concentrations. Because her antisubmarine equipment still remained intact, she could take offensive action if such opportunities presented themselves. Her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 22 January 1944.
Although she kept her Coast Guard crew,Big Horn was returned to Navy control on 1 February 1945 and redesignatedIX-207 two days later. Over the next five weeks, the ship was converted into an oil shuttle and storage vessel before departing for the Pacific on 11 March. After loading 84,000 barrels (13,400 m3) of oil at Aruba,Netherlands West Indies, on the 18th, she passed through thePanama Canal on 21 March and reported tothe Service Force,Pacific Fleet, that same day.
Steaming west,Big Horn stopped atPearl Harbor in early April before sailing on to theMarshall Islands, where she anchored atUlithi on 1 May. Assigned to Service Squadron 10 (ServRon 10), the shuttle tanker carried oil toKossol Roads andPeleliu in the WesternCarolines in early May before moving on toTacloban in thePhilippines later in the month. Returning to Ulithi on 3 June, she loaded more oil and delivered it toLeyte on the 9th. Over the next eight weeks,Big Horn carried out three more of these shuttle missions from Ulithi to Leyte. The tanker sailed toOkinawa on 11 August and she was at that island on 15 August 1945, when her crew heard the news of the Japanese surrender.
Departing Okinawa on 29 September,Big Horn steamed to Japan, where she was assigned duty as a station tanker atNagoya on 3 October. She remained there through January 1946. After transferring her cargo of oil toBeagle (IX-112), the shuttle tanker got underway for home on 25 February. After a refueling stop at Pearl Harbor, she passed through thePanama Canal in early April and moored atMobile, Alabama, on 15 April.
Big Horn then proceeded toNew Orleans, Louisiana. She was decommissioned on 6 May 1946, and her name was struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 3 July 1946. Berthed atOrange, Texas, the ship was subsequently delivered to the Maritime Commission for disposal on 22 November 1946.
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.