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The ERICSSON (DD-440)
was launched at the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company on 23
November 1940 and was commissioned at the New York Navy Yard on 13 March
1941. She began her career with escort duty in the North Atlantic, where
on 15 January 1942 she sighted life rafts from the SS DAYROSE and
rescued two survivors. The STACK (DD-406) rescued several others. Ten
days later, she was underway to assist the USCG HAMILTON, which had been
torpedoed off Iceland. She found the HAMILTON on 30 January under tow by
a British tug and listing badly. When, at 1720, the stricken ship
capsized the ERICSSON attempted to sink her by gunfire and then resumed
patrolling for submarines, which were still in the area. The ERICSSON
was on patrol off Iceland in the early morning hours of 13 February 1942
when the fishing vessel GREEDIR ran into her and sank. The destroyer
rescued six of the seven-man crew. She continued her escort and patrol
duty through October 1942.
On 7 November 1942, the
day before Allied forces landed in North Africa, the ERICSSON was off
Media, French Morocco, screening Task Group 34.8. For four days, she
covered the landing forces, bombarding enemy strong points and repelling
air and submarine attacks. She left the beach area on 14 November for
Port Lyautey and a return stateside. The following year was spent mainly
on convoy duty in the North and South Atlantic.
February 1944 saw the
ERICSSON headed back to the Mediterranean and cruiser escort duty. While
there in March, she and the destroyer KEARNY (DD-432) joined in a sub
hunt and screened British destroyers, which sank the U-223. From 12–19
May, she and the KEARNY screened the cruiser BROOKLYN (CL-40) during her
bombardments of targets in the Gaeta-Terraciana area. A few days later,
near Anzio, Italy, the ERICSSON took part in the shore bombardment and
successfully destroyed a number of targets. Her patrol and escort duties
continued until August 1944.
On 15 August, she moved
from Italy to Southern France with Task Group 84.7, which included
British and French ships and U.S. DesDiv 21, for Operation Dragoon. From
15–17 August, she furnished close-in support for the initial landing on
Yellow Beach during the invasion of Southern France. At 0005 on 27
August, the destroyer’s radar picked up a small target 9,000 yards
distant. After reporting the contact to the task force commander, she
was ordered to investigate. Closing in, she discovered the vessel was an
unarmed fishing trawler with an inoperative motor and fifty Germans
aboard. Coming alongside, she took the Germans prisoner. They apparently
had thrown their weapons overboard when they saw the American destroyer
approaching, but the men of the ERICSSON found a large quantity of small
arms ammunition and hand grenades. Under interrogation, the prisoners
admitted that they were from the U-230, which they had scuttled when it
went aground. Taking the trawler in tow, the DD-440 steamed for Baie de
Cavalaire where she turned the prisoners over to the troop landing craft
LCI-954 for delivery to the commander of Task Force 84.
During the fall, the
ERICSSON joined DesRon 13 for convoy duty between the Mediterranean and
the U.S. East Coast. Antisubmarine patrol and a yard period took her
into 1945. On 6 May 1945, a pre-World War I collier was steaming up the
coast south of Cape Cod when a German submarine, the U-853, targeted her
with a single torpedo. The aged ship got off a distress signal before
going down with her twelve-man crew. Steaming homeward after escorting a
convoy from Europe, the ERICSSON, the destroyer escort ATHERTON
(DE-169), and the frigate MOBERLY (PF-63) received the doomed ship’s
signal and sped to the area. First on the scene, the ATHERTON picked up
faint beat of the U-boat’s propeller as it tried to escape. Within
minutes, all three American ships were sowing the sea with depth
charges. At least one delivered a fatal blow. The U-boat sank, leaving a
trail of oil and debris. The following day, navy divers located the
submarine in shallow water off Block Island. She was lying on her side,
her conning tower blasted open. Thus, the ERICSSON’s last battle took
place just a few miles off U. S. shores. Twenty-four hours later, the
war with Germany was over.
By mid-summer, the ERICSSON was headed for combat duty in
the Pacific, but the war ended before she could steam into action. She
went on to operate in the Sasebo-Nagasaki area during the occupation
before returning to San Diego, en route to Charleston, SC, and
inactivation. She was decommissioned on 15 March 1946 and placed in
reserve in January 1947. The ERICSSON was stricken from the Naval Vessel
Register on 1 June 1970 and in November was sunk as a target in training
exercises off the Atlantic coast. |
