_at_the_Puget_Sound_Naval_Shipyard_on_25_November_1943.jpg) | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 United States | |
| Name | USSLovering |
| Laid down | 7 September 1942 |
| Launched | 18 June 1943 |
| Commissioned | 17 September 1943 |
| Decommissioned | 16 October 1945 |
| Renamed | Lovering, 14 June 1943 |
| Stricken | 1 November 1945 |
| Honors and awards | 3battle stars (World War II) |
| Fate | Sold for scrapping, 31 December 1946 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Evarts-classdestroyer escort |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | |
| Beam | 35 ft 2 in (10.72 m) |
| Draft | 11 ft (3.4 m) (max) |
| Propulsion |
|
| Speed | 19knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) |
| Range | 4,150 nmi (7,690 km) |
| Complement | 15 officers and 183 enlisted |
| Armament |
|
USSLovering (DE-39) was anEvarts-classdestroyer escort of theUnited States Navy duringWorld War II. She was promptly sent off into thePacific Ocean to protectconvoys and other ships fromJapanesesubmarines and fighteraircraft. She performed dangerous work in major battle areas and sailed home with threebattle stars.
She was originally scheduled for transfer toGreat Britain, was laid down as BDE-39 on 7 September 1942 byPuget Sound Navy Yard,Bremerton, Washington. Ordered retained for use by the Navy, she was named on 14 June 1943 and reclassifiedDE-39 on 16 June. Launched on 18 June 1943 by Miss J. Shannon, she commissioned on 11 September 1943.
William Bacon Lovering was born on 3 August 1913 atNahant, Massachusetts. He graduated fromHarvard University and on 2 August 1940 enlisted in theUnited States Naval Reserve. Appointed a midshipman 22 November, in Illinois- Naval Reserve Midshipmen-s School, he was commissioned anEnsign on 28 February 1941 and assigned to the destroyerUSS Hammann. He died during theBattle of Midway whenHammann was torpedoed and sunk on 6 June 1942 while aiding in the salvage ofUSS Yorktown.
Lovering began her 25 months of naval service with a coastalshakedown cruise and an intense training period operating withcarriers,destroyers, andsubmarines. DepartingSan Francisco, California, on 4 December 1943, she arrivedPearl Harbor on 16 December. She departed four days later on an escort voyage to theGilbert Islands. Arriving on 28 December she operated out of the Gilberts for the next six months. Sailing mainly fromTarawa, she performed numerous escort assignments toKwajalein andMajuro in the nearbyMarshall Islands after they were declared secure on 7 February 1944.Eniwetok became a terminus after its seizure on the 22nd.
Returning toPearl Harbor on 27 July,Lovering underwent a period indrydock and then served as a target and training vessel for submarines. She continued this duty after returning to theMarshall Islands on 19 September. Late in October she commenced a series of escort missions toSaipan andGuam in theMarianas. These concluded on 10 March 1945 when, having steamed toUlithi, she began her final assignment as a screening and escort vessel for logistic support groups of the variously designated3rd and5th Fleets. TheIwo Jima andRyukyus invasion areas were her main theaters of action before departing for home on 9 July.
Lovering arrivedSan Pedro, Los Angeles, on 28 July. Her overhaul was prematurely halted on 17 August. Towed toTerminal Island,California, on 6 September, she decommissioned on 16 October. Struck from theNaval Vessel Register on 1 November 1945, she was sold to Hugo Neu ofNew York City on the last day of 1946.
 | Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) |
 | American Campaign Medal |
  | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (with threeservice stars) |
 | World War II Victory Medal |
This article incorporates text from thepublic domainDictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be foundhere.
